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Monday, November 2, 2020 - Vol. 121 Issue 16
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AGR hosts 28th annual Smokin' Hog Event
By Rachel Greene
editor-in-chief Alpha Gamma Rho hosted their 28th annual Smokin Hog’ philanthropy event this past Sunday, Oct. 31st. Each year, the fraternity hosts a pulled pork dinner which raises funds for various causes, usually kept local. This year was no exception. Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alpha Gamma Rho managed to execute their large scale event. They split the day into two parts, with lunch being from 11:00 AM- 1:00 PM and dinner being from 4:00 PM 7:00 PM. Unlike most years, this meal was served drive-
thru only and their usual live music performance did not occur. Tickets to the event were not physical as they usually are. Rather than the typical presale price and then a higher price on the day, the meals cost a flat rate of $5. Cash, check and Venmo were acceptable forms of payment. The meals included a pulled pork sandwich, mac and cheese, coleslaw, apple sauce and a bottle of water. In an effort to reduce traffic and confusion at the event, a map of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity house and detailed instructions regarding how to enter and exit the event.
The President, which Alpha Gamma Rho refers to as their noble ruler, Hunter Masters said, “This year had many challenges that we did not have to overcome in years past. We never had a drivethrough Smokin Hog since everyone could come inside. AGR wanted to come up with a way to have the event, and still raise money for the Macomb community to benefit from. Our house was set up for the perfect drive through and after some planning we were able to hand out food in a safe and efficient manner. This event will continue to benefit the Macomb community since the money raised
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gets distributed back to Macomb if people so chose to apply for it. Thank you to the Macomb and surrounding communities for the support/sponsorships. This event couldn’t be possible without you.” Especially in this challenging time for the Macomb community and small businesses, the funds raised at this event will make an important difference in the Macomb community. Vice Noble Ruler of Activities Cameron Kessling said, "Our drive through allowed us to follow all guidelines while still serving this awesome community. Even in this challenging year
due to COVID-19, funds were raised for great causes. Portions of this years funds will be donated to Lurie's Children's Hospital Toy Closet, the School of Agriculture and the Western Illinois University Food Pantry. We will continue to do this event every year because of the amazing support of the Macomb Community. We can't wait to see what next year holds for Smokin' Hog." Alpha Gamma Rho opened a Google Form up for businesses to apply to be benefactors of the event, as well as posting it on the event Facebook Page. An official total raised has not yet been announced by the fraternity.
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Active shooter policies change By Allison Young opinions editor
On September 15th 2020 there was an active shooter on Western Illinois Universities campus in Thompson Hall. This was the first active shooter that the school has experienced and last week the interim president, Martin Abraham met with the Western Courier staff and was able to provide a bit of insight on the topic. Students of the university are interested to know more about the situation and what the school plans
on doing or changing in the future since the incident has happened. Abraham stated “Well, I do not think that we will be able to actually stop weapons from being on campus.” At first glance, this quote can catch one off guard but to further elaborate he is saying that he can’t entirely monitor every single student that walks in and out of the buildings. There are thousands of students at Western Illinois University and a great majority of them are in the dorms. He also made a comment saying that it
would cost the school a lot of money to be able to afford security such as metal detectors in all buildings. Abraham spoke to some of the resident assistants from Thompson hall and they have come to the conclusion that there needs to be more communication amongst different staff members and students at the university. Abraham has asked that in the future if students hear about a weapon or threat of some sort not to be scared to come forward and let the university know. They are prepared to investigate
situations and take the necessary steps to ensure their students safety. Kammi Denhart, a senior a Western Illinois University said “I just want to know that my school is confident in their ability to keep me and my fellow students safe. I want to make sure that they looked at the situation and made adjustments from it.” Martin Abraham mentioned that after the active shooter he was fairly confident in the emergency plan that the school has in place. He stated “before the inci-
dent, something that kept me up at night was wondering if our emergency plan was good enough.” It was tested, tweaked and revised after the situation but no situation is ever going to fit the plan exactly, there is always going to be an adjustment or two made as the situation plays out. It is scary to ever think that this could happen at WIU again but knowing that the university is prepared for the worst can give students reassurance that their school knows how to take on the situation.
Interim President Abraham visits the Western Courier Staff By Rachel Greene editor-in-chief
Western Illinois University Interim President Martin Abraham stopped by the Western Courier office last week for a chat with the staff regarding all the happenings of the semester. As the semester comes to an end, Abraham said that Spring will likely be the same in terms of the rules and regulations on campus in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. Events will still be limited in attendance and will require both masks and social distancing. All of this is subject to change as news regarding the pandemic and a vaccine emerge and change. He said, “There is a plan if we have to go fully remote in the Spring, but as of now the semester is still set to be in person.” There will be no Spring break this year, but there may be a few days off to help allevi-
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ate the stress of a semester without a break. Abraham shared with the staff that he is no scientist and reads the same news that we do but that he remains hopeful that COVID-19 will come to an end. If he had to predict a timeline of when progress will be made with a vaccine for the pandemic, he would say that some progress would be made in Summer 2021. Executive Director of Communications Darcie Shinberger said that her experiences working in communication for the University during the time of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 and Mumps have helped her in regards to handling the media and publicity regarding the pandemic, but that nothing like COVID-19 has really been seen before. In terms of other happenings at the University, Abraham spoke on the
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Interim President Martin Abraham chats will the Western Courier staff.
conversations being had with students after the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in the past few months. He said that he is hopeful regarding progress with an African American Studies major, a Women’s Studies minor as well as the introduction of Queer Studies and Hispanic Studies programs. While students are interested in the idea
of adding diversity education courses to the required curriculum, Abraham is not sure if this will be able to be successfully executed. He said, “I am supportive of incorporating into our general education curriculum a course regarding diversity and diversity challenges. That may be a hard sell. Everytime we add something, we have to take something
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out of other areas. Faculty develop general education courses and what they are as well as some level of control by the state. It is not impossible, but it is going to be very difficult.” There has also been a policy change implemented by the University regarding hate speech and the lack of tolerance Western Illinois will have for it.
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As I’m writing this article, the election is five days away and in all honesty, I’m so over seeing these political ads online and having people call and text nonstop about candidates. With everything that’s taken place this year, the election just seems like the cherry on top of guaranteed excitement and uncertainty, depending on who you think will eventually win on Election Day. After looking at everything that’s taken place over the last six months and the consistent poll-
ing going in favor of Joe Biden, I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up winning the presidency. Now, if you’re someone who supports the president, I’d understand your skepticism at such a statement like that, but whether you like Trump or not, you have to be realistic with the numbers that have come out showing that Biden has consistently had a lead of even double digits that Hillary Clinton never even came close to in 2016. I understand what people must be thinking: everyone said Hill-
ary was going to win, the polls said Hillary was beating Trump, Trump never had a chance. Well, unfortunately, they were wrong and Trump did have a chance. The only difference is, the Real Clear Politics average had Hillary only leading by an average of three points, well within the margin of error. That margin of error proved to be crushing to Hillary in states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that gave Trump the electoral advantage, even though Hillary won the popular vote. But that was 2016, and this is 2020: the year of a once-in-a-lifetime worldwide pandemic and civil unrest. The Coronavirus was not President Trump’s fault, but his response to it has been anything but flattering, and when you add his responses to the civil
unrest in cities across the nation, Trump has only appealed to his solid base of supporters. Being an incumbent president by default makes everything fall into your hands, and Trump has honestly been disappointing. On the other hand, Biden has been “presidential.” He’s taken the Coronavirus seriously by urging everyone to wear a mask instead of disparaging them, he’s been cautious of large gatherings that defy CDC guidelines, and he’s done an effective job of speaking to people who have been emotionally and financially crushed as a result of the pandemic. Biden has shown true empathy. The only criticism I have of him is the fact that he mostly wants to stay in his basement at his home in Delaware. As president, that’s
week, once you have voted and everything is said and done with your process in voting, there is one more thing that you need to do. Take care of yourself. As though a pandemic was not enough stress and anxiety already happening this year, an election on top of it all only increases that stress that exists. With Mailin-Ballots being so common during this election due to the pandemic, it is likely that we will not know the winner on election day. This adds additional stress, which is important that we all manage as much as possible! This week there are many events that are occurring on campus to
aid in relieving stress and anxieties that relate to not only everyday life, but also the added tension that an election brings. One organization that is doing something for Election Day stress is the National Residence Hall Honorary. On election day, oncampus students can pick up a bag of chalk from their respective front desks. This chalk is to be used to chalk positive messages around campus to remind them that they are valid, loved and seen. The National Residence Hall Honorary will also be partnering with Thompson Hall Government to provide Stress Ball DIY bags throughout the week to residents. Keep an eye out for more events throughout the week to help you rest and relax. Some other ways to take care of yourself include journaling, taking a walk, meditating and practicing other stress relief mechanisms! Everyone is different with
what helps them relax, and you know yourself and what you need better than anyone else. So, whether it’s yoga or watching a funny television show, make sure to take some time for yourself this week. It is also important to note that the University Counselling Center is a wonderful place to visit to relieve stress and to talk with someone. Appointments can be made via phone call, however there are crisis appointments available if you are in crisis at any time and need additional support. The University Counseling Center will also be holding processing groups throughout the week. For more information on this, check your WIU email or reach out to the University Counseling Center. As election week continues, make sure not only to vote but to take care of yourself as well!
just not sustainable. However, even though I strongly believe Biden will be victorious, the only way I see Trump having any way of making a comeback is through his positioning on the economy. Just today it was announced that the GDP record had reached a shattering 33.1 percent. If Trump effectively makes this about the economy in the final days and how he is best positioned to bring the U.S. out of the pandemic, he could very well get re-elected. But, I honestly think it’s too late for that. Overall, while I do believe Biden isn't the strongest candidate, I still think he’s well positioned to win come next Tuesday. However, if Trump defies the odds again, I’ll be the first to say that I was wrong.
Vote, but don't forget yourself
November 3rd is quickly approaching, and as election day draws near, there are some things to keep in mind. No, I am not here to write a political piece on what candidate you should vote for, however, I am here to tell you that you should vote. As undergraduate college students, this is likely the first election that you are able to vote in, and quite literally the future of our nation depends on each vote cast. Even if you have never voted before, if you don’t care about politics or if you are just nervous about going to the voting polls, remember how important it is to vote. While it is important to vote this
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Sometimes they give you stickers after you vote!
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Monday, November 2, 2020
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Nightmare on Elting street When it came to entertainment for Halloween this year, there were not as many options as normal because of the pandemic. Most Haunted Houses were not open, Pumpkin Farms are a good drive away, and overall the Spooky-Sea son Spirit was down in the town of Macomb. However, this did not stop the Delta Upsilon Fraternity from conducting their annual Haunt ed Trail. On a typical year, Delta Upsilon decorates both the interior and exterior of their Fra ternity house for the event. The Haunted Trail would begin in the house and after individuals have completed the indoors haunted house, they would then enter the outdoor Haunted Trail, which runs through the woods behind the Fraternity House. This year posed a new chal lenge for Delta Upsilon, as the indoor portion of the Haunted Trail was no longer a safe or vi able option due to the pandemic.
However, rising to the occasion, this Fraternity worked hard to adapt the Haunted Trail to be longer on the outside trail than it had been in the past. Delta Upsilon also worked diligently to ensure that all who came were wearing masks and keeping distance, which involved lowering the group size to 4 people through the Haunted Trail at a time. Whie this made the event more safe for all attending, it also added to the scare-factor. The men of Delta Upsilon Fraternity coined the name “Nightmare on Elting Street” to advertise the event, which was extremely fitting. The Haunted Trail Event was held on Oct. 23rd and 24th this year, and was one of the most successful Halloween entertainment options that I have seen this season near the University. More so than being a great entertainment event in Macomb, this event is also for a won derful cause. All proceeds from this event went toward the Glob al Service Initiative. The Global
The men of Delta Upsilon raised $,1400 at this years event, topping the previous five years.
Service Initiative helps to buy resources for Delta Upsilion Fraternity brothers to go to Jamaica to participate in building schools for children in need. This year the men of the WIU Delta Upsilion Fraternity raised $1,400 to donate to the Global Service Initiative. “We were initially worried about how the Trail would go this year,” said DU President Christopher Gibson. “After introducing the interior portion of the Trail last year and seeing how well it was received, we weren’t sure that we were going to be as successful without it. But, thanks to the hard work of our VP of External Relations, Mason Kaczmarek, this was acually our most successful Trail in the last five years! Thank you to everybody who came out and supported us!” Hopefully, the chapter will be able to use the inside portion of the Trail once again, but either way I highly recommend attending. The men of Delta Upsilon put a lot of effort into the Trail, so that they can raise money for a good cause. I know when I went through I was highly impressed with it and I know many others were as well! So, if you missed the frightful PINTEREST.COM entertainment and philanthropy event this year, make sure to check Delta Upsilon adapted to the pandemic to create an extremely successful event. it out next year!
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Monday, November 2, 2020
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Halloween allows for new identities Wendy hernandez Courier staff @justagirlw_
  Halloween week is one of the most anticipated weeks of the year. Many people began to plan their costumes for Halloween during the summer, especially if they are trying to find deals on clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. The thing about planning ahead is that they might switch up their original plan if they decide to follow the latest trend. Euphoria was one of the most popular TV shows of the summer. A specific character named Maddy made a bold outfit statement that made everyone want to recreate her iconic look. The outfit consisted of a two piece bra top with a pair of legging that had slits on the hip. Of course, if you have TikTok you might just know what I am talking about since another popular trend was to do a euphoric makeup look where you add glitter and gemstones around your face. TV shows have a huge
impact on what people decide to wear for Halloween, which makes it easy and affordable, especially if you shop at the thrift store to find the bare essentials. Not only do you see people recreating movie and TV show characters, but you also see people recreating artist looks. You see people dressed as SixNine, The Weeknd, Kodak Black, etc. The thing I find funny about this is that you see celebrities themselves dress up as other music artists, and many of these actors and artists dress up as their idols or friends, who are of course famous. Halloween is also one of the holidays that encourages men and women to dress up and feel as sexy and confident as they would like. Although, a holiday should not stop them from feeling like that all year round. It is difficult when negative comments are thrown out like there is no tomor-
Kendall and Kylie Jenner recreated a costume look from their adolescense.
row. That is why Halloween is one of the most appreciated holidays of the year. One of the things that caught my attention was the photo Kylie and Kendall uploaded, where they are recreating their Halloween costume of when they were kids. Seeing the side by side just shows how the years go by fast and how fast we grow up. Recreating family photos is a very unique costume but it is also very sentimental. Halloween gives everyone the freedom to express themselves and show how creative they can be. Especially since the whole world was basically in quarantine for a good five months. TikTok made it very easy for people to start developing new skills such as gem stoning, thrift flipping and sewing. Even though COVID-19 might have made things challenging, many still tried to make the best of the situation and get as creative as they possibly could. At the end, it is always fun to see everyone's posts and seeing what they were during Halloween week. Especially since it helps us figure out what we want to be for next year. And that is when the early planning begins.
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A popular costume trend was Maddy from the HBO series, Euphoria.
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Getting to know Leatherneck football wide receiver J.D. Wilson By Zach Zannelli Courier Staff
Western Illinois football is gearing up and ready to go for the upcoming season. Due to COVID-19, the season has been pushed back to February. One player who is super pumped up and ready to go is J.D. Wilson, a wide receiver from Macomb, Illinois. Wilson always had a dream to play football ever since he was a little kid and he will start his second year as a Western Illinois Fighting Leatherneck. Wilson’s favorite NFL players growing up were Brain Urlacher, a former Hall of Fame Chicago Bears linebacker who played for 13 years, and current star running back Christian McCaffrey, one of the best today on the Carolina Panthers who started playing in the NFL in 2017. Due to the pandemic, he is staying prepared as the fall season is still at a halt. “Oh we’re ready right now,” said Wilson. “We’re actually getting ready for our first scrimmage tomorrow. So we’re really excited to get prepared for that. We got a lot of good new faces on the team and a lot of good returning faces. So we’re super prepared for
this spring and we’re just excited to get going.” Wilson said that him and the team are staying prepared during quarantine. “During quarantine we have been doing all we can to stay prepared for the upcoming season. We have been doing some home workouts. We have been trying to get onto the field as much as we can with all this stuff that is going on right now.” Wilson went on to say, “So it is kind of like give and take here we can get some work in and then now we have to ease off and we just got to focus on lifting or just work on speed work. So, were just trying to work around it and be prepared for the season.” Wilson said that the best part about competing is working with his teammates. “The best part about competing is the brotherhood. That feeling you get when you are with your brothers and even if you are not the guy making the play. It is always uplifting.” Wilson went on to give his teammates high praise. “The team is what makes the game fun. If you are at practice and nobody has any energy and it is just kind of like, man this is practice, but my favorite part is when everyone
starts to get going, treating like it is a game. It becomes the game that you love. You are playing and having a fun time. It is just like backyard football back in the day.” Wilson has made a lot of football memories at Western. One of his first memorable moments he made was during practice going against his teammates. “I was on scout team and our QB at the time, his name is L.T. Beck, went back and I ran a post route and he threw it to me and I was it was about 40 to 50 yards deep and I ended up just reaching to dive for it and I ended up making the catch. I got up and I just saw my brothers and teammates just running up giving me shoulder bumps.“ Wilson said his first home game was a special moment for him. “Then the moment I felt like a made it is that the first home game, running out on Hanson Field and I just had this awesome excitement go through. All of the fans in the stands were cheering for us when we ran through and we went over to fist bump all of the military soldiers and veterans at the other end of the end zone and it was just so awesome for me.”
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JD Wilson posing for the cameras.
Summit League releases Women's Preseason Basketball Rankings
By David Koier Courier Staff The Summit League released its preseason poll for the 2020-2021 women’s basketball season earlier this week. South Dakota and senior center Hannah Sjerven were named The Summit League Preseason Favorite and Preseason Player of the Year, respectively, for the 202021 season. Per the official Summit League site, “The league's nine head coaches and sports information directors along with two media members from each school's coverage area voted on the awards.” South Dakota finished as both regular season and tournament champions to end the 2019-2020 campaign. The Coyotes were the first team in Summit League history to go undefeated en route to a
league regular season title and capture the league tournament crown. South Dakota received 25 of 36 first place votes, leading the voting with 587 points. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits (second in The Summit League, going 13-3 in 2019-2020) finished second in the voting with the remaining 11 first place votes and 566 points. The Preseason All-Summit League First Team was highlighted by Sjerven who finished the 2019-2020 campaign averaging 12.2 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game, earning her Player of the Year and All-Tournament honors. Rounding out the rest of the First Team honorees were South Dakota’s Chloe Lamb, Oral Roberts guard Keni Jo Lippe, Omaha forward Mariah Murdie and South Dakota State forwards Paiton Burckhard and Myah Selland.
While not represented on First Team, the Western Illinois Leathernecks, who finished third in voting in the preseason poll, saw junior center Evan Zars earn Preseason All-Summit League Second Team honors. Zars finished third in the league in rebounds per game with 9.2 while also scoring 9.1 points per game on her way to Summit League Newcomer of the Year honors for the 2019-2020 season. Western finished last season tied for third in The Summit with a 9-7 conference record after dropping their last two games of the regular season to Oral Roberts and Denver – the two teams whom Western tied with in the standings. With the fifth seed in The Summit League tournament, Western saw an early exit as they lost to Oral Roberts in 74-66 in the first round. Despite losing some top-tier
talent in Olivia Kaufmann (16.9 points per game, third in the Summit) and Annabel Graettinger (13.1 points per game, missed the second half of the season due to injury), the Leathernecks are returning some all-star talent. Sophomore Carla Flores returns after stepping up big last season. Starting off the season coming off the bench, Flores was transitioned into a starting role after Graettinger was sidelined due to injury. She finished conference play averaging 8.1 points per game (fourth on the team) and 30 assists (t-second). Accompanying Flores and Zars this season is returning starter junior Danni Nichols. The junior guard proved to be a dual threat with Kaufmann in her sophomore season, averaging 14.4 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. Nichols also led Western Illinois in confer-
ence play shooting 52 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from three point range. Last season, the Leathernecks had a very young squad. Out of their five starters, those who started 14 or more of the 16 conference games, two were sophomores and one (Flores) was a redshirt freshman. Four of the five starters are returning for the 2020-2021 season. The Leathernecks proved last season that even with the lack of experience in Summit League play, JD Gravina’s young squad could hold their own in the competitive Summit. This season, after only graduating two, Western looks to take their experienced returning players to hopefully not only confirm their preseason rank of third, but potentially shock The Summit voters and give powerhouse South Dakota a run for their money.