MONTAGE
The
Serving the St. Louis Community College - Meramec community since 1964 • ACP Award Recipient VOLUME 56, ISSUE 3
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
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STLCC publishes 2020 Security Report Analyzing the crime data from the Meramec Campus
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jacob politte online editor
aint Louis Community College (STLCC) recently published its 2020 Security and Fire Safety Report. This report, published in accordance with the Clery Act of 1990, details the statistics of all crimes and incidents reported that are associated with the college over the previous three years. The 177-page report has crime and incident statistics that cover every single STLCC campus; specific data relating to the Meramec Campus can be found on pages 130-141 of the report. Professor Ruth Eilerman has worked at the college as a Criminal Justice instructor since 2007. She also had a previous background in law enforcement, working mostly in the corrections field in St. Louis and Denver areas. She attributes the relatively low crime numbers to a lack of student housing for STLCC, among other factors. “[...] it’s a really safe campus,” she said. “And the reason it’s a really safe campus is because we don’t have housing.” Eilerman compared the environment of STLCC campuses to bigger schools like Washington University (Wash U) and St. Louis University (SLU). “If you look at what’s going on at those other campuses, obviously the population is a lot bigger,” she said, “but with also having dorms, that makes a huge difference. If you think about it… college is a bunch of twentyyear olds, a bunch of alcohol, and that’s
just where a lot of stuff goes wrong, that’s where a lot of stuff goes down.” “Meramec is very, very safe. And that’s because when [students] are done with class, [they] go home.” Eilerman says that the data shows a clear pattern over previous years. “Looking at what we see [on the crime report], it’s about what you’d expect,” she said. “And a lot of it is theft. Like, I leave my car unlocked and something gets stolen out of the back of my car. It’s not person-onperson crime for the most part, it’s just property crime.” Eilerman also attributes STLCC’s relatively low crime numbers to the fact that STLCC has post-certified police officers. “SLU has security,” she said. “And Wash U has a mix [of both security and post certified police officers].” Many of the reported offenses at Meramec over the past three years are drug offenses. Eilerman could
only recall one assault incident during her time at the campus; that incident occurred in the Communications South building in Apr. 2013. “It could have ended up being very serious, but it got stopped,” she said. That assault, which took place when then student Blythe Grupe was attacked by Jevon Mallory in the women’s restroom on the second floor of Communication South, was stopped by Grupe’s then-English professor Aurora Hill. Mallory was sentenced to 10 years in prison in December 2014, with credit for time served. “I think that the community college does a fantastic job putting out resources,” she said. “I wouldn’t be worried. I hope that students aren’t worried being on campus, because it is a really, really safe place to be.” With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting enrollment and on-campus activities, Eilerman said the amount of reported crimes will decrease, although
she acknowledges that anything is possible. “Whatever crime we’re looking at,” she said, “if there’s fewer people, there’s fewer crimes. But I also thought that was gonna happen in the city of St. Louis, and we’re having a terrible year.” “I would absolutely think that if there are fewer people, there will be fewer [crimes]... there’s fewer potential victims around,” she said. “If you’re picking a target, it’s not a good place to go because [...] it’s a ghost town. Nobody is there. And I think a lot of these crimes are also crimes of opportunity. So the fact that there’s nobody there just means that there’s not going to be stuff to steal.” The full report is available for download on the STLCC website. Above: One of the data tables found on pg. 133 of the 2020 STLCC Annual Security Report.
‘It’s not the length of life, but the depth of life’ Meramec Alumni gone too soon
ashley biundo Editor-in-chief
Submitted photo
On Sept. 28, 2020, Meramec Alumnus Andrew Ameer, 27, lost his life when he was shot during a carjacking while working as a Lyft driver. Andrew Ameer was born on Jan. 30, 1993 in Florissant, Missouri. He was the second of eight children. He was homeschooled up until college and received his GED at 18. In 2016, Ameer attended St. Louis Community CollegeMeramec, where he worked as an editor for The Montage and in 2017 received an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science of Business Administration. After that, Ameer moved on to University of Missouri- St. Louis where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree of Science in Business Administration Cum Laude. He planned to receive his PhD. As long as Ameer could remember, he loved to travel. He loved visiting new
places and gaining new experiences. From traveling all over the United States to all over the world, Ameer gained a new strive for life. In an article he wrote for The Montage, he said, “During my time overseas, I adopted a great resilience to adversity that I took back with me to the US. It’s probably the single most significant thing I’ve gained during my travels... seeing how other people in different cultures and countries adapt to hardship and change brought great perspective to my own life and how I reacted to moments of adversity.” Ameer loved his family and enjoyed spending time with them. While his mother, Rochelle, worked as an RN, Ameer worked three jobs to help support his family. He was very hardworking. He loved life and everyone in it. Ameer gave people around him a new way of life, being so kind and heartwarming to everyone he met. He had so much life ahead of him and was taken from Earth too soon.
“Everyone who met Andrew Dare Ameer knows his kind heart… he consistently visited his Great Grandmother (Virginia Darris) during her last few months. It seemed that he did not have a mean bone in his body…and was always very respectful to everyone he encountered,” said Fredrick Darris, Ameer’s uncle. He joined his brother, Saabir Ameer, his father Irshaad Ameer, grandfather Walter L. Darris, and great-grandmother, Virginia Darris in death. Ameer is survived by his mother, Rochelle Ameer, his siblings, Rashaad, Ibrahim, Ashley, Aanisah, Fadylah, Adara and Mahdiya; his niece, Amaya, grandparents, Cornelius and Mary, Raymond and Roseann, his great uncle, Fred; uncle, Fred, aunst, Shonda, Jaci, Renee and Gabriela, and cousins, Adriana, Marcela, Jordan, Elizabeth, James, Finnian, Lucy, Lydia, Flannery, and Adele.
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NEWS 3
November 5, 2020
EDITORS ASHLEY BIUNDO
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
JACOB POLITTE
ONLINE EDITOR
MARY WILSON
OPINIONS EDITOR
BARAK ADLER
NEWS EDITOR
A College Looking Forward in the Age of COVID-19
T
Barak Adler News editor
he COVID-19 pandemic has put the academic world in a tailspin, and Saint Louis Community College is no excep-
STAFF EARNIE BRADLEY ANDREW CROWDUS JOHN HUNDLEY
Shannon Philpott-Sanders Faculty Adviser
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THE MONTAGE To place an advertisement, contact the advertising manager for rates, sample issues, etc., at 314-984-7857. Editorial views expressed or content contained in this publication are not necessarily the views of St. Louis Community College, the Board of Trustees or the administration. The Montage is a student publication produced seven times per semester at St. Louis Community College - Meramec, 11333 Big Bend Blvd., Kirkwood, Mo., 63122. One copy of The Montage is free of charge. Up to 10 additional copies available, $1 each, at the office of The Montage, SC 220. Bulk purchases may be arranged with circulation manager. Editorial policy: All letters should be no longer than 500 words and must include identification as a student or faculty member, phone number and address for verification purposes. Phone numbers and addresses will not be published. All letters are subject to editing for content and length. All letters submitted will be published in print and online.
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tion. As stated by Dr. Andrew Langrehr, the STLCC Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, STLCC has exerted “tremendous amounts of effort to try to meet the needs of this unique environment.” Last spring, COVID forced STLCC to transition all its in-person courses into a distance format, and since administrators prepared the fall schedule before the pandemic, they had to adjust the fall calendar in an unusually short time-frame. More costly changes included installing plexiglass barriers, purchasing technology to loan to students, amplifying the wi-fi signal to allow student access after STLCC buildings close, and ensuring sufficient hand sanitizer and cleaning materials for those on campus. COVID-19 prompted numerous precautions to ensure student safety as well, said Langrehr. “We created a lot of safe-work policies.” To allow for
increased social distancing, STLCC has reduced classroom capacities and increased the availability of distance learning; to more directly reduce COVID’s spread, it mandated mask-use on campus, reduced the amounts of paper processes, and allocated time between class sessions for custodians to clean the classrooms. “Saint Louis Community College has taken the health of its students and employees very seriously,” Landgrehr said. STLCC has also established a team led by Associate Vice Chancellor for Workforce Solutions Hart Nelson that meets regularly to track CDC updates, although, according to Dr. Langrehr, recent CDC updates have not drastically changed the college’s safety protocols. When asked whether he considers the college’s COVID precautions necessary, Dr. Langrehr responded that he believes the college “has taken a smart and safe approach,” and later added, “I’m supportive of the adage that it’s better to be safe than sorry.” Despite the uncertainty surrounding COVID, STLCC students can expect the Spring 2021 semester to resemble the current one. As Langrehr remarked,
Spring 2021 will “be much more similar to this fall than to previous spring semesters.” Unless city, county, and federal health communities publish new or different guidance, STLCC’s safety policies for Spring 2021 will mimic those of Fall 2020, and while STLCC will offer slightly more on-campus classes next semester, the college will hold the majority of its courses through online settings. However, for students who require face-to-face learning, many courses unable to function at a distance, like dental hygiene, will continue to take place on campus, albeit in smaller numbers than prior to COVID’s outbreak. The STLCC administration will focus heavily on student concerns, as it decides how to move forward, said Langrehr: “We [the STLCC administration] care about their health and we care about their education.” “We’re doing everything we can to ensure that folks can safely get their needs met at Saint Louis Community College, and we anticipate that things will change in the future,” he said. “We’re looking forward to the day that we don’t have to worry about this pandemic.”
News Briefs Meramec Professor Named Recipients of the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award English Professor Dr. Jeffrey Schneider has been named as a recipient of the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award, along with Gary Forde, professor of psychology at Forest Park, and Sharon North, professor of mathematics at Florissant Valley. The Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award program, sponsored by Emerson, annually recognizes approximately 100 educators in the St. Louis metropolitan area who are examples of excellence in their field. This award recognizes educators for their leadership in and passion for teaching, their contributions to student learning, and their knowledge and creativity. Schneider has been a full-time faculty member since 2007 and now serves as the chair of the English Department at STLCC-Meramec. He will be honored later this year by the college and Emerson. STLCC Launches Mobile App STLCC has officially launched a mobile app for iOS and Android smartphones. Students can download the app for free and take advantage of the features that include registering for classes, accessing Archer Orientation, viewing campus events and exploring STLCC programs. The STLCC App also offers a chat feature for Q&A. Learn more about downloading options at https://stlcc. edu/about/stlcc-mobile.aspx.
Meramec Hosts Blood Drive The Meramec campus will host a blood drive on Friday, Nov. 13 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. in Student Center, Room 201. All presenting donors will receive a $5 Amazon Gift Card.
Ceremonial Complex artwork and their significance to the Mississippian culture. Find details about the virtual event at: https://events.stlcc.edu/event/ speaker_series_fuller
To ensure social distancing, please make an appointment by calling 314-251-GIVE (4483) or visit MercyBloodDonor.net. All donors will be required to bring a state-issued form of ID. Donors must also come alone and wear a mask. Find more information at: https://events.stlcc. edu/event/blood_drive_-_meramec_ campus
International Education Week Set for Nov. 16-17 The Global Studies and International Education Committee have put together three virtual events for International Education Week, Nov. 16-20. Monday, Nov. 16 from 11–11:50 a.m.: Hygge: The Danish Approach to Well Being Tuesday, Nov. 17 from 1:00–1:45 p.m.: International Student Panel: Our Culture, Our World Tuesday, Nov. 17 from 2:00–3:15 p.m.: Sisu and Nordic Design – The Finnish Approach to Well Being Find virtual links on the STLCC event page at stlcc.edu.
STLCC Hosts Virtual Career Fair This year’s career fair will be hosted virtually utilizing video software to interact with recruiters. Sponsored by the Career and Development Center, this event will take place from 1-3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18. Students can attend at this link: https://stlcc.edu/ student-support/career-development/ career-network.aspx. Career Services recommends students log into Navigate to meet with specialists to finalize a resume or practice a mock interview. Dr. Michael Fuller Joins Library Speaker Series Join Dr. Michael Fuller, archaeology and anthropology professor at STLCC, as he dives in to Missouri’s Indigenous rock art as part of the Library Speaker Series. In this hour-long presentation from 1:15-2:15 p.m. Nov. 19, Fuller will explore several popular motifs found in Southeastern
Academic Success and Tutoring Hosts Long Night Against Procrastination The bi-annual Long Night Against Procrastination, hosted by Academic Success and Tutoring is scheduled for 5 p.m. - midnight on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Students can RSVP to attend in person or virtually via Blackboard Collaborate. This event offers assistance with completing assignments and features workshops on study tips, as well as study breaks, games and prizes. Contact tutoring@stlcc.edu for more information.
IN MEMORIAM OF
ANDRE
He had his diploma mailed to my address. I guess to make sure it was safe. I told him it was there and he picked it up. I periodically would ask him about seeing it. He would avoid the question. I think he was waiting for a special moment to open his diploma that he worked very hard for. After he passed away, I had been sorting through his things and found the envelope. He never opened the envelope. He never saw his Bachelor’s degree. I opened it. It is in a frame hanging on my wall now. I also found a notebook with lists of goals that he was checking off. It’s been interesting. He had a lot of them checked off but he was stopped too soon. He needed to finish his list. His father, my husband, passed away 3 years ago. I still have to finish going through his things. He has a lot more since he lived longer than Andrew. Andrew was helping me with that but now he’s gone. So I think I’ll work on Andrew’s for now he has less and I’m more interested in what he has experienced that I don’t know about yet. – Rochelle Ameer, Andrew’s mother
You can’t take it with you. You can’t take all the money you’ve made in this world with you to the next. You can’t take your trading card collection, or your video games, cars, makeup, expensive shoes, clothing. You can’t take any of it. It’s all going to be here while you move onto the next world.
You could talk to him about anything because he was such a calm, down to earth dude. Always so professional with everything he did. - Sam Roy, colleague
Our Montage team was fortunate enough to spend a few days in Atlanta to learn more about journalism. In the evening, we had some spare time and I remember we were all hanging out on the balcony. I wish I could remember what we were talking about, but all I can remember is that Andrew said something that showed his deep thinking - I think it was some odd relationship advice. However, I remember being impressed that he was only in his twenties because he seemed wise beyond his years.” – Marie-Josephine Schwarz, colleague
Should I spend my life working day and night to buy more and more things? No. I will spend my life making memories. I will spend my life loving, living, experiencing joy and bringing joy to those around me.
Some special moments that I remember was during one of Andrew’s trip out, he drove us to the Grand Canyon and we got an opportunity to see a sun set over the Grand Canyon. He took pictures and videos just at the exact second that the sun was setting. I called and asked Andrew if he would help me manage a building that I still owned back in St. Louis, and he answered immediately saying that he would be happy to do it for me. He went by checking on the building, cutting the grass, and doing odds jobs as needed. If there were jobs that he needed help with, he was willing to work with the handyman. Andrew will truly be missed. If I close my eyes, I can hear his voice and how he used to say “Hi, Grandma” to me. - Mary Darris-Maclin, Andrew’s grandmother
Design and Editing by Jason Waters and Dalila Kahvedzic
EW DARE AMEER Jan 30th, 1993 - Sept 28th, 2020
I’ll never forget one of my favorite memories of Andrew; we were all in the newsroom waiting to start a meeting and he walked in in a full suit and tie. Everyone in the room was so taken aback that it was pure silence for a moment, and then we all just started clapping. He was always dressed for success and ready to tackle the day. Andrew and I were both in the process of a mental toughness program called 75 Hard that is designed to improve your quality of life by exercising self-control. This just goes to show that Andrew always strived to live up to his full potential. He had this unbelievable desire and passion for life and he wasn’t going to fall short of being his absolute best self. Andrew was always the light on a dreary day. - Dalila Kahvedzic, colleague
There was never a more hardworking or loving person alive than Andrew. He was a man that was humble and sincere to everyone who surrounded him. I never heard him once say he couldn’t do something. He had the will to push himself above and beyond. To see such a kind-hearted soul leave too soon is heart breaking. – Jordan Morris, colleague
I would have to work for years to be able to acquire the things [my father] did in his lifetime... When one day I will leave these things behind, just as he did.
Unlike his Favorite Uncle…he did not boast & brag about his accomplishments. He was waiting for a special occasion to open his degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He was traveling the world and had many experiences but he was not telling you all about them in your first conversation. Andrew was his own man… he only did things that he truly wanted to do. Once he set his mind to something, there was no stopping him. – Fredrick Darris, Andrew’s uncle
Andrew never planned to be a journalist, but Montage adviser Shannon Sanders and I convinced him he would make a great editor. He had a sense of authority that people respected. He was smart, articulate and made new writers feel welcome. He possessed a level of “chill” I could never hope to reach and added stability to our rag-tag operation. We became friends quickly, bonding over the stress, excitement and absurdity we experienced while running a student newspaper. Andrew and I liked to attend shows or find cool events around St. Louis. One of my favorite memories of him is when we went to my first (and last!) metal show on Cherokee Street. A mosh pit broke out halfway through the concert and people became violent quickly. I made eye contact with another woman and, within seconds, someone knocked her to the ground. I saw her at the end of the show with a golf-ball sized bump on her head. Andrew saw her go down, too. He grabbed me, shoved everyone out of our way and ran with me out of the chaos. Time and again, Andrew was a protector in my stories. Everyone felt safe with Andrew, because if any of us started getting into trouble, he pulled us out of it. We called him our “bodyguard.” – Katie Hayes, colleague My main point is don’t spend your whole life saving for that big trip if you never get to take it. Splurge a little, stop and smell the flowers. Life truly is about the journey, not the destination. - Andrew Ameer
If you’d like to support andrew’s family please consider donating: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rochelle-ameer-rn-emergency-fund
OPINIONS 7
November 5, 2020
I’m autistic, and that’s okay
Society still has a long way to go to fully understand and accept autism mary wilson Opinions editor
I’ve often struggled to make and keep friends. Social interaction seems like a foreign language that I only have half of a dictionary for. Though I can sometimes fake it, eye contact overwhelms me. When there’s a sudden change in plans, I feel a sense of anxiety that is hard to put into words. I’ve only recently found a halfdecent way of explaining it: it feels like all the air has left my body, like I’m deflated. I have trouble with imagining what other people would feel or do in certain situations. I express grief in different ways: when my grandpa died, I didn’t cry until hours after I found out, when a character died in a book I was reading. I have several specific interests that I have an encyclopedia’s worth of knowledge in. I’m prone to depression and anxiety. When I experience strong emotions, I have to move: flapping my hands, rocking back and forth, bouncing my legs, waving my fingers in front of my eyes or tapping my hands on a desk. I have sensory integration issues; I’m a “sensory seeker”—essentially my nervous system is rarely regulated. I’m calmest when I’m cocooned in the sensory swing I built in my basement. I can’t sleep unless I have my weighted blanket or there’s a mountain of blankets on me. Flickering fluorescent lights, loud noises and some textures feel like my body is set on fire. When I get overstimulated, I’m prone to meltdowns and shutdowns. This is what autism looks like for me.Although society’s perception of autism is slowly changing, too many people still view autism as a bad thing, as something that needs to be changed, or fixed. Ole Ivar Lovaas, psychologist and the founder of Applied Behavioral
Analysis said this about autistic children in an interview: “You see, you start pretty much from scratch when you work with an autistic child. You have a person in the physical sense—they have hair, a nose and a mouth—but they are not people in the psychological sense. One way to look at the job of helping autistic kids is to see it as a matter of constructing a person. You have the raw materials, but you have to build the person.” ABA is still the primary method of treatment for autistic children. Its goal is to make the child “indistinguishable from his peers.”’ Autistic adults and their allies have long spoken out against ABA—some call it abuse. Some autistic adults report that they have developed PostTraumatic Stress Disorder from the therapy. Some treatment programs involve the young autistic child in as many as 40 hours of therapy a week. I feel lucky that I wasn’t identified with a diagnosis of autism until I was 12 years old, past the point that many autistic individuals are in ABA. Even though I escaped ABA, its ideals are so ingrained in everyday society that I can’t fully avoid it. As a kid, I was constantly reminded to make eye contact. It didn’t matter that looking someone in the eyes sent my anxiety skyrocketing and made it hard to comprehend what was being discussed. I was admonished for talking about my special interests—those narrow topics I have a wealth of information on. I couldn’t express it until recently, but talking about my special interests—as a kid, my primary ones were NASCAR and the Harry Potter series—allowed me to understand the neurotypical, or non-autistic world. I could take a situation from one of the books and use that to help me get through a similar situation. In social
skills classes, I learned the “right” ways to talk to my peers, and would practice them in stilted scenes with the other kids in my group. When people would talk about autism needing to be cured, I agreed, fully believing that I was fundamentally less than. It’s been a long journey to heal from my internalized ableism—the view that disabled people are less than—and I’m still not all the way there. When I disclose that I’m autistic, the most common reactions I get by far is “I’m sorry!” and “but you can do (insert activity here)!” You do not need to be sorry for my existence. And it’s true—autistic people often struggle with tasks that neurotypical people can do easily. I can’t tie my shoes, for example. I can’t read an analog clock. I can’t make consistent eye contact. I struggle in social situations. But that doesn’t make me any less of a person. It doesn’t mean my inherent worth as a human is lower. It doesn’t mean that I’m broken, or damaged, or that I need to be fixed. I often hear from parents of autistic kids that “I love my child, but I hate his autism!” My autism is a part of me. I cannot try to untangle myself from my autism. It affects everything I do, and that’s okay. The friends I do have accept me for who I am, full stop. Although I struggle with neurotypical social interaction, when I’m talking with my autistic friends, I have an innate understanding of autistic interaction. I thrive on routine: with a few exceptions, I eat mainly the same foods, listen to the same songs, and stick to the same schedule every day. I’ve had opportunities to talk about my “restricted” interests—in recent years, I
have presented alongside professionals as their peer. I’m prone to depression and anxiety. That sucks. But it also means that I have a wide array of skills I can use to help myself. Flapping my hands or jumping up and down when I’m happy is the best feeling in the world. It compounds my joy so that I feel like I might burst. Sensory issues are rough, but it’s because of my different expressions in sensory integration that I know what calms me down. I occasionally experience meltdowns and shutdowns, however, I’ve come to realize that these are not a ‘symptom’ of autism, rather, they are avoidable by-products of our current system. Autism can seem scary, and I’m not going to deny that autism can make life difficult. There are some autistic adults who don’t communicate verbally. Some learn sign language; others use a communication device or type what they want to say. Some autistic people never learn to live independently. Some will need support their whole lives. But that doesn’t mean that they’re less than, or that autism is bad, or that they need to be fixed, or that they need to “change” who they are. As a kid, I had teachers who doubted I would go to college. While it’s taking me a bit longer than most; I’ve been accepted to a four-year university on an academic scholarship. We as a society still have a long way to go to fully understanding and accepting autism. But I have faith that we’ll get there. And it starts with small actions: maybe that means not admonishing a child for talking about her special interests. Maybe it means not judging when someone can’t make eye contact. Maybe it means not staring when a classmate flaps their hands or jumps up and down. I’m autistic, and that’s okay.
Jake’s Take: Dealing with loss It’s been an exhausting year jacob politte online editor Originally this piece was to be something completely different. I was going to write about the Presidential debates and why they need to be a thing of the past (they still do). But the truth is, I am so tired of talking about politics. As I write this, the Presidential election is days away but I couldn’t care less at this point. If Biden wins, we’re still wearing masks for a long time to come. If Trump wins, it’s the same thing, but probably worse. I don’t care anymore. It’s been an exhausting month, and an exhausting year for me in particular. I’ve experienced so much loss this year, and as this issue illustrates with the memorial for former STLCC student and Montage Editor Andrew Ameer, I am not the only one. Family, friends and even pets have passed on and it’s been so overwhelming to deal with on top of the absolutely terrible
year it already has been. But it also reinforces that time stops for no one, and that picking up the pieces and moving forward is absolutely essential. Along with the loss of my uncle and my grandmother earlier this year, the most recent loss that I’ve suffered this year was my dog, Chico. It may not seem like a big deal to some who are reading this, but pets are an essential part of any family, and losing them is almost like losing a member of your family. My family adopted Chico in late 2008, when I was 12; I am 24 now. He would have been with our family for 12 years just a few weeks after he died. He was the sweetest dog a family could have, and my family loved him so much. I have two other dogs to take care of too, but in a lot of ways, his death was like losing one of the last pieces of my childhood, and for the sake of full transparency, I don’t think I’m handling it very well. I feel disoriented a lot. I’ve started
suffering from anxiety. I feel guilty for not spending more time with my uncle, my grandmother and even my dog. Ironically, keeping myself busy with work has helped me a little bit to keep me from dwelling on all of this loss, but I’ve recognized that this route is not healthy. But it’s the only way I know how to cope; I spend more time working than anything else. I hesitate to call it depression, mostly because I know there are a lot of people who probably feel a lot worse than I do, but it does fit some of the signs. I think eventually it will pass, and I have been communicating with others about what’s going on, but this past year has made it clear to me that changes are needed to effectively move forward. I recognize now more than ever just how valuable my time is, and how to spend it best. Working has helped me, but it shouldn’t be all work, all the time. Please, spend time with those who
Submitted photo mean the most to you. Spend time with your friends, and make great memories with them. Spend time with your family, because even if you don’t always see eye-to-eye with them they love you no matter what. And even spend time with your pets, because pets are awesome. You never know if you’ll ever get another chance. It’s cliche, but it’s the truth. Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. Make every moment count. And remember that time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.
8 ART & LIFE
November 5, 2020
Review: The Conners Season 3
Season 3 of the “Roseanne” spinoff tackles the struggles of COVID expertly jacob politte
D
online editor
espite the unceremonious departure of its original star, “The Conners” continues to mirror its predecessor “Roseanne,” tackling real-life issues that matter to those who struggle to make ends meet. COVID-19 has forced unprecedented storylines on the spinoff’s third season―currently airing on the ABC Network and led by industry veterans John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, and Sara Gilbert. It also has majorly affected the production of the show itself; the show, one of the first to resume production after the events of last spring, is filming without a live studio audience, and has placed several other COVID-preventative protocols in place. These changes aren’t noticeable to the typical viewer, and the way the show is made still feels the same. But on camera and in the script, the effects of the pandemic are more prevalent than ever. The fictional town of Lanford, Illinois is suffering more than ever as a result of the economic devastation of COVID, and so are the show’s characters. As the season opens, Jackie (Metcalf) is working overtime to keep her new restaurant open despite not being allowed to have customers dine in, and the publication that Darlene (Gilbert) and her boyfriend started folds and goes out of print, forcing her to get
a job at the factory her mother used to work at. And family patriarch Dan (Goodman) is on the brink of losing his house, as the premiere finds he and his family days away from eviction, forcing the elderly father to lay off his entire construction staff to try and make ends meet. Even some of the show’s less featured characters are having COVID struggles of a different kind. In the season’s second episode, the younger Conner brother DJ (Michael Fishman) is proving to surprisingly be the most successful member of the family, but has to leave his young daughter Mary home alone for increasingly long periods of time due to his recent promotion and the work commitments that come with it; his wife is deployed overseas. When the family suggests that Mary stay with them during the days that DJ works, he’s understandably upset, but the money he’s making is too good to give up, especially during a pandemic. Only three episodes of the third season of “The Conners” have aired at the time this issue went to press, but the show looks to continue to effectively tell stories that portray COVID’s effects on the average American. It’s not a perfect season, but it says what needs to be said. Season Grade thus far:
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