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FEATURES 6
VIEWPOINT 4
CELEBRATE EARTH DAY WITH LOCAL EVENTS
IF J&J IS DANGEROUS, SO IS BIRTH CONTROL
THE VIDETTE
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021 Vol. 133 | No. 26
videtteonline.com
Getting back to packed
Illinois State pushing toward in-person fall semester
A
JORDAN MEAD Features Reporter | @meadjordan19
s the spring semester concludes, Illinois State University is preparing for a planned in-person fall semester experience for the majority of faculty, staff and students. According to ISU Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President Brent Paterson, “The university will follow the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Illinois Department of Public Health and other public health and governmental agencies.” With that being said, Paterson revealed ISU “is making plans assuming that the state and our region of the state will be in Phase 5 by the fall semester with contingency plans should we still be in Phase 4 or fall back to Phase 3.” The university’s work groups are still finalizing recommendation plans for the semester with assumptions of being in Phase 5. Paterson said he expects these plans will be shared with the campus community in early May. As the fall semester approaches and plans are still up in the air, many mixed emotions persist throughout the ISU community. Zoom fatigue and a lack of social interaction make college students and staff desperate for an in-person experience, yet the risk of the spread of COVID-19 will not disappear right away. “I am excited to go back to my classroom and see my students. Teaching through Zoom, for a language class, is not the same,” Spanish professor Marinelly Castillo-Zuniga said. Castillo-Zuniga said she will continue to enforce safety guidelines mandated by ISU and the state in her classroom as she prepares for face-to-face interaction with her students and colleagues. In the email, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Aondover Tarhule discusses that “chairs and directors have the authority to make the final decision regarding how and when courses are offered,” even if Illinois is in Phase 5 by fall. Tarhule said that he and the working committees know that the ISU community wants to return to campus. With this knowledge and ISU’s outlook for fall semester, students have expressed their excitement for returning to in-person classes and having a more “normal” college experience. See FALL SEMESTER on Page 3
Hundreds mill about the Quad at Festival ISU 2019. With increased vaccinations and hope for lifted restrictions, Illinois State University is looking to return to in-person classes and activities for fall 2021. Vidette Archives
PAGE 2 | NEWS | THE VIDETTE
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021
NEWS IN BRIEF
COVID-19 UDPATE IN MCLEAN COUNTY 16,854 cases in
Illinois reps. to discuss reopening schools safely
McLean County
Illinois State University invites students to a virtual conversation with lawmakers at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The bi-partisan conversation will be hosted by A Starting Point and BridgeUSA. Illinois State Reps. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) and Dan Brady (RBloomington) will be in attendance. The student-led conversation will be about how local lawmakers plan to reopen schools safely after the pandemic. The event is part of “National Student Tour,” including 11 student-led events between April 8 through May 12. The series of events for ASP and BridgeUSA is a way for college students to engage with United States lawmakers and to enable constructive civic engagement throughout the community. Both platforms conduct conversations around important national issues. Formatted virtually, the events will include small group discussions, lawmaker fireside chats and regional cross-campus conversations. Students interested in registration or submitting questions for the lawmakers can text: “ISU” to (310) 388-6482.
212 new cases since Friday in McLean County
5.3% seven-day positivity rate through Sunday
5.6% cumulative positivity rate in McLean County
214 COVID-19-related
deaths in McLean County
302,700 total tested in McLean County
15,951 recovered in McLean County
636 individuals in home
isolation in McLean County
53 hospitalized due to COVID-19 in McLean County
106,022 vaccinated in Alex Gant | Photo Editor | @AlexGant16
Senior mass media student Cosette Nowik puts her COVID-19 nasal swab in the protective sleeve. ISU offers free COVID-19 testing Monday through Friday to ISU students, staff and faculty. The temporary home in the Alamo II parking lot is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Drive-thru testing is located at the old firehouse at 604 N. Adelaide Str. from 9 a.m. to noon.
Asia Connect, along with Not in Our School, will be hosting a vigil and memorial Friday. The vigil and memorial will take place in Uptown Circle at 7:15 p.m. The event is to celebrate and honor the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Organizers are encouraging participants to bring a candle for the service along with flowers, tokens or notes that can be left at the memorial. Items left will be preserved for a future display.
GRACE KINNICUTT VIDETTE NEWS EDITOR
SOURCE: MCLEAN COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Queer Ed Birds to host LGBTQIA+ gathering ELIZABETH URBAN News Reporter | @eliizabethurban
MEGHAN FORTUNATO VIDETTE NEWS REPORTER
Vigil to take place in Uptown Circle
McLean County
Inclusivity and representation in education has been a huge topic of conversation recently. Illinois State University's Queer Ed Birds is a registered student organization aimed at supporting LGBTQ+ students. The RSO is hosting the LGBTQIA+ online community gathering as its first major event of the year. The gathering is being held at 7 p.m. Tuesday via Zoom. Registration is required for the event. College of Education assistant professor Christie Angleton is one of several faculty advisers for Queer Ed Birds. She explained that the event plans to cover many topics from involvement to storytelling. "It’s kind of a two-part event. Just a community gathering where we can share the background and history of Queer Ed Birds and ask for involvement,” Angleton said.
“Then we’re going to have a section where we just do some community storytelling so we’re going to listen and share stories about gender identity, sexuality, sexual orientation and how those things are discussed and described in educational context.” Angleton explained that while there is a rise in the support of the LGBTQIA+ community, people may not know how to help in public settings. This event also aims to discuss possible solutions of incorporating policies into the education system to help create safe spaces. “Our hope is to look at policies both at the higher education level and then at the K-12 level to see what work we can do to advocate on behalf of students who are either going into the field or are interested in creating queer-affirming spaces in education,” Angleton said. The RSO has gone by Queer Ed Birds for the last few years, but its name is subject to change.
“We are kind of waiting to call it Queer Ed Birds because we want input from the participants that are going to be actively involved,” Angleton said. Queer Ed Birds IF YOU GO had been largely led by seniors in the WHAT: LGBTQIA+ community past. This event is gathering being directed by WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday faculty as a way to WHERE: Zoom, registration recruit people from required all grade levels to the SPECIAL NOTES: Students join and participate must register through the in the RSO. Redbird Life portal “I think one of the misconceptions is that you have to identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community to be a part of this group and/or that you have to be in education,” Angleton said. “Most importantly is [that] anyone is invited.” ELIZABETH URBAN is News Reporter for The Vidette. Urban can be contacted at emurba1@ilstu. edu. Follow Urban on Twitter at eliizabethurban.
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TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021
THE VIDETTE | NEWS | PAGE 3
Students hopeful for ‘normal’ summer with vaccine ISU community itching to see, take advantage of in-person events again GRACE DOYLE Features Reporter | @Amaaziinggracee
“I got vaccinated and I want to travel this summer. As long as people continue to wear their mask and get the vaccine then I think it’s safe to ith the temptation of bring back some normalcy.” warm weather and Some students, however, are not sunny skies, many Ilfully convinced that the return to linois State University students are normalcy can come so soon. feeling the itch of summer vacation For those employed as essential grow stronger each day. workers, and especially those standMany events that were planned for ing front line in the medical field, the last summer were moved to a virtual vaccine rollout has been a completely setting, postponed or fully canceled different experience. due to COVID-19. What is seen as a means to a relaxWith the help of the vaccine, this ing and carefree end for so many, is summer is beginning to welcome also seen as the restart of the cyclical some of those in-person events back. nightmare that is COVID-19 for many President Joe Biden announced at others. the beginning of April that the call “As a student and a health care for every United States adult to be worker, the idea of summer events eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine like concerts and beach vacations has been moved up from its original scare me even more now that there is date of May 1 and changed to late a vaccine out,” sociology major and April. full-time sterile processing technician Starting Monday, everyone over Cassandra Raynor said. the mandated age in their state was Raynor went on to say that she recommended to schedule their believes the vaccine is a small step vaccine appointment to increase the in the right direction, but it is not likelihood of herd immunity across Alex Gant | Photo Editor | @AlexGant16 enough when it comes to crowds and the United States. Students check in with Pvt. 1st Class Lopez to receive a dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at a clinic in the potential surges. To push the importance of getting Bone Student Center. The clinic was held by the McLean County Health Department for four days before the “People believe that a vaccine is vaccinated, some events have anCenters for Disease Control and Prevention paused all Johnson & Johnson vaccines due to safety concerns. the answer to everything, but in my nounced that if it were to take place opinion, a vaccine is only a small step practice safety precautions, I’m hoping things should go in person again, they would consider in the right direction,” Raynor said. requiring proof of vaccination for attendees to be allowed entry. smoothly as I’m sure many of us do not want to go through “I would still be cautious for at least another year before I another year of quarantine,” Guerrier said. This includes Chicago’s favorite summer music festival Lolwent to bigger events involving bigger crowds. I believe that “I have plans to travel this summer and plan on getting the lapalooza, among other events. vaccine as soon as I can afford some down time for the side ef- certain things should not be opened back up just because With the popular music festival garnering hundreds there is a vaccine because more surges will happen.” fects I may experience.” of thousands of visitors each year, students are unsure if As the number of daily vaccinations continue to rise and Due to ISU’s recently opened student- and staff-focused vaccines are enough to forgo previous guidelines from the cases continue to fall or remain steady, students can begin to vaccine clinic in the Bone Student Center, adults across camCenters for Disease Control and Prevention and congregate look forward to a summer of more leniency. pus have had easier access to the vaccine. like usual. These students are still encouraged to remain conscious of Additionally, the university has been able to administer However, they do remain hopeful as time goes on. their health and the health of those around them. vaccines at a much higher rate. “It is a bit worrisome seeing everything open back up Masks and social distancing are still recommended for the As more and more people receive a vaccine, whether it is while also hearing about more surges and new variants, but time being to ensure proper safety and to minimize the risk of Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson, many students have summertime in Chicago is one thing I really look forward to,” begun to see their worries surrounding gatherings, events and spreading the virus. journalism major Michelle Guerrier said. activities dwindle. Guerrier went on to say that she hopes things will go more GRACE DOYLE is a Features Reporter for The Vidette. She “I think it’s OK for gatherings to take place so long as folks smoothly as everyone gets vaccinated and/or continues to can be contacted at gedoyl1@ilstu.edu. Follow her on Twitter at are vaccinated,” political science and political communication practice safety precautions. @Amaaziinggracee. double major Samuel Erickson-Ely said. “As long as everyone is either vaccinated or continues to
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“I got vaccinated and I want to travel this summer. As long as people continue to wear their mask and get the vaccine then I think it’s safe to bring back some normalcy.” Samuel Erickson-Ely, political science and political communication double major
FALL SEMESTER
of his favorite things that he did not realize was one of his favorite things before the pandemic. Continued from Page 1 “My running assumption is that the students are going to be absurdly reckless, and they’re going to do what they’re go“I found that the online classes were difficult for me. I feel ing to do,” Higgins said. that they were easier for some people. It just depends on the “Even when they were mostly not coming to class back way you learn,” nursing student Jack Rogers said. in fall 2020, we had that huge outbreak. So that’s probably “I feel that I have really high hopes for next fall with all the going to happen, but we’re also moving into this phase where in-person classes. Nobody could have expected how this year went, but students and teachers gave their best shot and made everybody who wants a vaccine can get a vaccine, so I think that should also be factored in.” it work to the best of their ability.” Higgins said that for those, like himself, who have already Rogers will be in person for all his classes in the fall and a gotten the COVID-19 few of his classes will have vaccine, the risk taken to 10 to 15 students with social FALL 2021 SEMESTER PLANS simply drive to work or to distancing enforced to keep class is far more dangerstudents and faculty safe. ous than the risk of getting “It’s hard to meet people Illinois State University is looking to have a more tradiCOVID-19 on campus. when all your classes are tional semester for fall 2021. ISU is assuming that social Higgins is excited about online and you don’t have distancing restrictions will be lifted, and Illinois will be in returning to an in-person that connection with your Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois by the fall. experiteachers and peers,” Rogers ence. said. According to ISU Chief of Staff and He Rogers went on to say that Assistant to the President Brent Paterhopes he suggests students should son, the university will follow public that more take advantage of buildhealth guidelines for the fall. people ing relationships with their will wear peers and being involved on Paterson said he expects fall masks campus. semester plans will be provided to the when “I would highly suggest to campus community in early May. they are as many students that are Ultimately, department chairs and directors have sick in the future to protect comfortable being in person others from the spread of the authority to finalize any and all course decisions to get those relationships colds, flus and other combuilding up, to be more that work best for their faculty and staff. mon sicknesses. involved on campus and find Faculty teaching classes with in-person elements “We all still have our out about more groups that will not be expected to offer online instruction for stumuscle memory of being support the community,” dents not comfortable coming to class. in the classroom, so I don’t Rogers said. think it will be significantly Philosophy professor An Students with health reasons that prevent them different being in the classdrew Higgins said his classes from coming back to an in-person classroom should room than it was two years will also be in person in the contact Student Access and Accommodation Services. ago,” Higgins said. fall, and he is excited about Higgins is hopeful that seeing people again — one
because professors were forced to modernize by learning to upload grades on ReggieNet and display lecture videos online, they will continue to apply this to enhance the academic experience for themselves and for students. Agriculture business student Jessie Wanserski said she will have a mix of in-person and online classes in the fall. Wanserski is upset that her grades suffered after paying so much money to sit in her room at home to do classes. As a result of these things, she was forced to change her major. She hopes the university will do all they can to keep students face to face for their fall 2021 classes. “During online [classes], my grades took a big toll. I really need the face-to-face interaction with the teacher. I feel like herd immunity is going to be just fine,” Wanserski said. “They’re already limiting classes, so I’m not worried in the slightest. I hope we can get the college experience.” Another completely in-person student for the fall semester, history education student Caleb Sauder, said he hopes the world can achieve herd immunity and apply social distancing and mask wearing to classes. He hopes society does not have to return to the online class setup, especially given the fact that more individuals will return to ISU and potentially spread the virus more. “I am really glad that we’re getting people vaccinated, and I think if a lot of people are getting vaccinated, we should be back in person,” Sauder said. “A lot of people I’ve talked to say they learn so much better when they’re in person and they can have the relationships with the professors. I think it’s the right call.” Spanish bilingual education student Courtney Plattner also emphasized that she did not learn as well online. She hopes her student teaching in the fall semester will be in-person. “I feel like there are ways to do it safely, like spreading out more and wearing masks and mandating those things,” Plattner said. JORDAN MEAD is a Features Reporter for The Vidette. Contact her at jnmead@ilstu.edu. Follow Mead on Twitter at @ meadjordan19.
Viewpoint
PAGE 4 | THE VIDETTE
VIDETTE EDITORIAL
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021
Why J&J not as dangerous as you think J ohnson & Johnson’s single dose vaccine was paused after six women reported getting blood clots after receiving the shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that while blood clots may be rare, it is still something to investigate and worthy of pausing the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Immediately after this decision, people began voicing concern over getting blood clots after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. However, many people were also quick to mention the low, low chance of developing a clot. It was a smart decision for the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC to recommend a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after these cases of blood clots. However, it was such a small percentage of recipients who had blood clots that was the reasoning this decision to be made. Yet, there are so many other medications on the market that have caused so many more blood clots that are not being recalled. Birth control has a higher percentage of causing blood clots than the vaccine. Healthline reports say that out of every 10,000 women who take
birth control, 3 to 9 will develop blood clots, which is about a .05% chance. While it is still rare to have blood clots from this, there is a far higher chance of getting them from birth control than the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. If you are concerned about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine causing cases of blood clots, then you should be equally as concerned about the clots caused by birth control. The issue is even more than just not being concerned about something that has more cases of blood clots than the vaccine. There is also the issue of people not taking women’s health seriously.
Birth control has been causing negative impacts on women’s health for years, yet it has not been completely recalled or looked into more. Birth control has been seen as something that women just need to deal with and accept any of the possible health risks that might come with it. According to the CDC, approximately 72.2 million women use birth control, which is over 10 times higher than those who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. When the Johnson & Johnson vaccine distribution was paused, it was immediately talked about online. People
were sharing the risk of blood clots from this vaccine. However, there has never been as much discussion online about how birth control can also cause similar health risks. Why has birth control not been recalled and examined as quickly as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? At the very least, the risk of blood clots from birth control should be talked about more. So many women go into taking a birth control pill without knowing this possible risk. So, if we are going to recall a fairly new vaccine due to six cases of blood clots, then we need to be looking at birth control that is already on the market that has been causing more blood clots for a longer amount of time. We should not let the cases of blood clots from birth control take the back seat. It is an issue that has impacted many women, and it should be handled as seriously as the issue with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This is not to say that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should not be reviewed, and this does not mean that birth control should be pulled from the shelves. However, we need to hold medicine for women to the same standard as a vaccine for the general population.
Editorial Cartoon by Flynn Geraghty | Vidette Art Director
EDITORIAL POLICY Editorial written by ANDREA RICKER, a member of The Vidette’s Editorial Board. Editorial policy is determined by the student editor, and views expressed in editorials are those of the majority of The Vidette’s Editorial Board. Columns that carry bylines are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Vidette or the university.
Measuring my priorities in mac and cheese MY VIEW ELIZABETH SEILS | Editor in Chief
I
have, of late, had many failures relating to the realm of making mac and cheese. This is not boxed mac and cheese I am talking about, of course. I would be far too embarrassed to ever admit failure in that. No, this is the old-fashioned mac and cheese, where butter and flour magically combine with milk and cheese in a saucepan, making a velvety sauce that cascades down on elbow macaroni, creating a concoction that is not quite pasta, not quite casserole. At least, that is the objective. My attempts
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have resulted in failures across the spectrum. In the first experiment, the attempted cheese sauce (or roux, if you are fancy), was too thick and thus created a sticky mess of stringy cheese and noodles. Not quite bad, I will admit, but not perfect either. I wanted to prove to myself, and absolutely no one else, that I was capable of this strange task. Like every evil scientist in a B-rated horror movie, my desire for discovery and perfection was my folly, and I tried in vain to create my own perfect Frankenstein in the form of dairy and carbs. On the second attempt some weeks later, when the first attempt’s thickness made itself known again, I added some of the water the noodles had been boiling in. By either a miracle or a curse of nature, the cheese mixture (or roux), congealed. The addition of noodles only made the abominable cheese blob more confusing, as they were absorbed into the mixture without ever finding themselves coated in cheese. I studied the mixture, found its taste tolerable, but the
strangeness of it taunted me with failure. Realizing my zealousness, I gave up on the idea of making homemade mac and cheese. Until recently out of boredom and desperation to clean out my pantry before moving out of my apartment, I attempted the meal that remained out of my culinary grasp. Hoping to learn from my previous mistakes, I kept the pasta water and the roux far apart from each other. I added more milk than the time before, and for added fanciness I attempted to bake the mac and cheese with crumbled crackers on top. You know, for flavor. My Moby-Dick continued to elude me, however, for what came out of the oven was a generally flavorless, dry pan of what was essentially buttered noodles. I skimped on the cheese because I wanted it to last until I moved out. Once again, I was my own worst enemy. Why do I bring up my continual mac and cheese failures? Why do I keep striving for a goal that there is no need for me to reach? I
ELIZABETH SEILS is Editor in Chief of The Vidette. She can be contacted at elseils@ilstu. edu. Follow Seils on Twitter at @SeilsElizabeth.
THEY SAID IT
NOTABLE NUMBERS
? 444
points scored by the Illinois State swimming and diving team to earn fourth place at the Missouri Valley Conference championships. Caroline Lecoeur won two of the events for the team, earning the most points of the group.
45
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think we all have our own tiny Moby-Dick, our own unattainable goal that eludes us, however serious or silly it is. What we forget in that frenzy is that we are losing ourselves and our energy to something absolutely not worth our time. I am finding myself lost in the cheese sauce that somehow has the consistency of both runny Jell-O and wet sand, when I could save time and frustration by taking the easier route. Do not be like me and let your mac and cheese drive you crazy. We all have something in our lives that is taking more effort than it is worth, either because we want to prove our capabilities, or we do not want to admit weakness. There is no shame in buying boxed mac and cheese, just like there is no shame in taking a day off or taking the easy way out.
SPORTS, PAGE 7
miles make up the Constitution Trail. Volunteers will clean the garbage along the path Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. The event is a part of several Earth Day events scheduled throughout the week.
FEATURES 6
This year, semester and week took great commitment from every single member of our program to make this possible. I’m very proud of how this team came together and have continued to get better as a team.” Caitlin Hamilton, ISU head coach for swimming and diving
EDITORIAL BOARD ELIZABETH SEILS Editor in Chief | @SeilsElizabeth ANDREA RICKER Features Editor @ricker_andrea GRACE KINNICUTT News Editor @GKinnicutt KATIE BESTE Night Editor @BesteKatherine
MAIA HUDDLESTON @maiawrites MYA ROBINSON Sports Reporter @Im_Myaaa JOHN MURRAY News Reporter @Jmurr__
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021
THE VIDETTE | NEWS | PAGE 5
Students not concerned with J&J pause MEGHAN FORTUNATO News Reporter | @meghanfortunato
Senior Abby Vyhnanek expressed that she experienced bad side effects a few days longer than her friends and was scared over what to do day after Illinois State University adminafter the pause was announced and the univeristered doses of the Johnson & Johnson sity sent out an email. vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control “I think I had some of the worst side effects for and Prevention, along with the U.S. Food and Drug a while after getting the vaccine so of course, I Administration recommended a pause in distribuwent to make sure I was OK, all my friends who tion of the vaccine. got any type of vaccine didn’t experience high Due to six people experiencing rare blood clots fevers and chills for as long as I did so I got worfrom the J&J vaccine, ISU and McLean County ried,” Vyhnanek said. “Of course, shortly after Health Department have had to suspend distributhe vaccine got shut down and getting the email tion and readjust vaccination clinics. freaked me out a bit, but I’ve been feeling fine.” About 3,000 J&J vaccines were administered to Since the pause on the J&J vaccine, the unistudents before the pause in the vaccine was anversity has switched clinics to supply doses of nounced. Students who received the J&J experieither available vaccine, providing Moderna or enced fevers, dizziness, headaches and chills. Many Pfizer for now. have recovered after getting the shot. “The Johnson & Johnson was kind of a small “I felt the side effects a couple of hours after my component, which was targeted towards college shot, but I also knew others who have experienced students trying to say one and done, and then the same effects,” senior Jackie Regnier said. “It you don’t have to wait three weeks if you aren’t didn’t last long but I was in bed resting all day and here on campus anymore,” Director of Media Alex Gant | Photo Editor | @AlexGant16 Relations Eric Jome said. didn’t have the power to do anything; it was just surprising to see they have removed the J&J vaccine Illinois State students check in with Private 1st Class Lopez to receive a dose of the Jome said there are clinics available ThursJohnson & Johnson vaccine at a clinic in the Bone Student Center. The clinic was held after a couple of days of getting it on campus.” day providing the Pfizer vaccine. There will by the McLean County Health Department for four days before the CDC paused all Sophomore Shay Takesue experienced dizziness also be a clinic on April 29 and May 6 with the Johnson & Johnson vaccines due to safety concerns. and chills but felt scared after news broke regarding vaccine still to be determined. Jome also menthe small potential of developing a rare blood clot. Center to make sure they were not facing larger complicationed that the university will continue to work “When I found out the vaccine was shut down I got scared tions. with the MCHD on what summer vaccine clinics will look like. and hoped I wouldn’t be affected by it, but I’ve been doing OK “The email threw me off when I first got it but I already was “[Looking] beyond May 6 [we are] continuing to work with and hope the next round of people who need shots don’t get feeling much better when receiving it but it’s still off-putting the health department and what that is going to look like in stuck on bed rest all day,” Takesue said. to get an email and seeing some of the side effects people were the summer for anything on campus, that is still being deterThe university sent out an email to students who received facing and talked about,” junior Kelli Esposito said. “I’ve been mined,” Jome said. the J&J vaccine to check in and make sure they were doing seeing a lot of things about them trying to get the vaccine goAlthough there has been a pause for the Johnson & JohnOK following the news. ing again so that is reassuring, but I have been very aware of son vaccine, the school still encourages faculty and students Students were told that if side effects had not improved how I have been feeling so I don’t miss any signs that I should to sign up to get vaccinated as ISU plans to hold a more tradiwithin a few days, they were asked to go to the Student Health get checked in on.” tional campus experience in the fall semester.
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ISU hoping to build additional nursing simulation lab JORDAN MEAD Features Reporter | @meadjordan19
During the April Board of Trustees meeting, Illinois State University Vice President for Finance and Planning Dan Stephens announced ISU’s plans for constructing an additional nursing simulation lab facility. The current simulation lab is approximately 6,696 gross square feet and is used for clinical training for nursing students predominately during their junior and senior year. According to Dean of the Mennonite College of Nursing Judy Neubrander, the current facility is training about 400 nursing students a year and is reaching maximum capacity. “There’s a very strong demand for nurses not only in central Illinois but across the country. In order for us to increase our student enrollment, we have to have the facilities, the infrastructure and the faculty to do it,” Stephens said.
“We can’t increase those enrollments without adding a two-story facility. That would house another simulation lab but also offer faculty offices and space due to the increased staffing that will be needed.” Within the last couple of years, Neubrander spoke with Provost Aondover Tarhule and Stephens about wanting to increase the nursing enrollments and address the existing facilities. “We are just now reaching the point where we feel confident about where the location would be, what type of facility we would be looking at,” Stephens said. “Hopefully it’ll gain board approval at some point in time in the future.” The overall enrollment today for undergraduate and graduate nursing students is around 800 nursing students. During the meeting, ISU President Larry Dietz said that ISU estimates an additional 320 students can be enrolled into the Mennonite College of Nursing when the simulation lab is completed.
The new simulation lab will be a two-story tion lab. building with office space plus student colStephens said the estimated cost of the laboration space. It will be around 20,000 building expansion will be between $13.6 gross square feet. million and $16.4 million in total. “Right now, what we are doing is simply “We’d probably have to provide some addicomplementing the existing tional funding to make sure we’ve got FAST space and adding additional the right nursing equipment because space in order for us to inthat is very unique equipment that you FACTS crease the number of stuhave to order,” Stephens said. WHAT: New nursing dents,” Stephens said. “This “Most of the estimate covers the simulation lab will provide a much better structure itself, the design of it, the WHERE: On Locust clinical training environment build of it and some small furnishStreet immediately having two facilities there ings.” north of the Bone Stuconnected to each other rather dent Center parking lot There will be very minor changes than just one.” done to the existing nursing simulaCOST: $13.6-16.4 Currently, an apartment tion lab. Stephens said most of the million complex and a house that ISU funds will be given to the new building IMPACT: 320 more acquired in the last few years students could enroll in and anything given to the older nurssits in the location across ing simulation lab will be for equipthe nursing program from the Bone Student Center ment replacement. where the new nursing simulation lab will be constructed. JORDAN MEAD is a Features Reporter for Both properties are vacant, and they will be The Vidette. Contact her at jnmead@ilstu.edu. torn down to make room for the new simulaFollow Mead on Twitter at @meadjordan19.
“There’s a very strong demand for nurses not only in central Illinois but across the country. In order for us to increase our student enrollment, we have to have the facilities, the infrastructure and the faculty to do it.” Dan Stephens, vice president for Finance and Planning
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Features
PAGE 6 | THE VIDETTE
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021
Going green
Ways to be more environmentally friendly
Earth Day 2021 will be celebrated with sustainability events GRACE KINNICUTT News Editor | @GKinnicutt
In celebration of Earth Day on Thursday, Illinois State University’s Office of Sustainability will host free events throughout the week. Clothing stores Butter Twice & Again and Clothes Mentor Bloomington are also providing deals and giveaways on Thursday in celebration. The annual Constitution Trail and Sugar Creek cleanup will be held with COVID-19 safety protocols in place. A full list of events can be found below.
Tuesday ISU’s sustainability office will be hosting “Earth Week: Tune Up Tuesday” from 1-3 p.m. Partnering with the West Bloomington Revitalization Project, free bike tune-ups and basic repairs will be offered to ISU students, staff and faculty. The event will be outside in front of the Student Fitness Center near the bike racks and bike repair station.
With Earth Day right around the corner, there are plenty of sustainable lifestyle swaps that are easy to make, like using a reusable cup or reusable shopping bags.
Wednesday In collaboration with the Renewable Energy Society, Solar Car Team and Fossil Free ISU, the Solar Spectacular will celebrate all things renewable. The event will be from 1-3 p.m. on the Quad.
Photo illustration by Alyssa Cornelison | Vidette Photographer @285_Cornelison GRACE DOYLE Features Reporter | @Amaaziinggracee
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n celebration of Earth Day on Thursday students have compiled their list of ways that they remain eco-friendly and offer tips on how to maximize what one can do to live sustainably.
Reusable water bottles Most everyone has a reusable bottle of some kind these days whether it is a Hydro Flask, Yeti or any other kind of tumbler. The key though is frequency. Using a reusable water bottle every day instead of plastic ones not only allows you to easily keep track of how much water you are drinking to stay hydrated, but also prevents that plastic water bottle from waiting to be recycled and made into yet another replaceable plastic object. Plus, there are tons of cool designs and colors out there to choose from.
Thursday
feeling creative, find or purchase a plain bag and decorate it with fabric markers to help get you motivated to use it. “I tend to think being an ethical consumer is key to making sure my effect on the environment is lesser,” elementary education major Maggie Palomo said. “I tend to use tote bags when I go places and love to thrift clothing as well as supporting local businesses.”
Follow a list to avoid over buying unnecessary food
Ride a bike or walk instead of driving
Creating a grocery list on your phone and sticking to it at the store is the perfect way to keep yourself in line as you pass by all of the yummy food you do not need. Over-purchasing food is one of the main contributors to food waste, so if everyone limits what they buy to only what they need, other families who require that food will have the opportunity to benefit from it and less waste will be produced.
As summer approaches, it is the perfect time to dust off that bike that has been sitting in the garage or stretch out those quarantine knees in order to get to and from your destinations. Not all trips can avoid the car of course, but for any that can, consider enjoying the breeze and warm weather to get yourself active, save money and help reduce fossil fuels.
Unplug electronics when not using them Something as easy as unplugging your devices when you are not using them, especially when you are not at home, can make a huge difference in saving energy. Try to remember when you leave a room to check and see what extra electronics are sucking up unneeded energy; eventually it will be second nature.
Set a timer for lights and TVs
Buy from a farmers market
Luckily, technology is moving at such a fast rate that things like this come preinstalled, but it is never a bad idea to be extra mindful of it. If you have an Amazon Alexa or Google Home it is even easier; after purchasing the required lightbulbs, these two devices can be programmed to connect directly to them and can be modified with your voice. This can mean turning them off and on and setting a timer for them to turn off after a period of time, allowing you to conserve energy.
Attending a farmers market is a great way to stay healthy, get active and be a valuable member of your community by supporting local farmers and their effort to keep food accessible and sustainable. Due to COVID-19, the farmers market that typically takes place in downtown Bloomington every Saturday morning has been put on hold. However, they do still offer the ability to shop their items online and use curbside pickup to bring them home. “What I usually do to lessen my individual impact on the environment is I usually try to buy locally and buy from local businesses,” mass media radio major Carly Halberg said. “I also try to buy green whenever I can, buying from any place
Use reusable shopping bags Many stores offer their own reusable bags to purchase, but any bag you have lying around can work too. Cloth bags are recommended, but there is a variety out there that can get the job done. If you are
The Office of Sustainability along with the Student Sustainability Committee and University Recycling will be giving away free eco-giveaways and green that is sustainable.” prizes. No more plastic silverware or straws The event will take place from 1-3 p.m. at SchroWhen “VSCO girls” took over pop culture, eder plaza. one of their main gimmicks was the want Students can also stop by the Student Fitness to save the turtles by using metal straws. Center from 1-3 p.m. for the “Pass It On Athletic While many people neglected to take Clothing Swap.” these girls seriously due to the memes that While it is not required, students can bring an item began to overflow from their aesthetic, it to swap with a gently used piece of athletic clothing. cannot be denied the real impact they had There will also be a free Earth Day screening of the award-winning sustainability documentary, “Seeding Change.” In order to view the documentary, students must register online to receive the link. The viewing is from 7-10 p.m. Uptown shop Butter Twice & Again will be having a sale in celebration of Earth Day. There will be clothing racks with items ranging from $1 to $10 along with accessory bins and decor for sale. A giveaway will also take place. Butter Twice & Again will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Clothes Mentor in Bloomington will be celebrating Earth Day by offering $10 off purchases of $50 or more. Vidette Archives The clothing store will also be kicking This week there are various events to help the planet off a Bagless Campaign. Clothes Mentor is on a local level, including the annual Constitution Trail hoping to eliminate all single-use plastic cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. bags from the store by January 2022. They are encouraging people to bring reusable on lowering the use of plastic straws. As bags. footage began to emerge on social media Friday that showed how harmful plastic can be to Fix It Friday is being held in honor of Earth Day ocean animals, specifically turtles, metal and Fashion Revolution week. Crew members will do straws became insanely popular due to basic sewing repairs to clothing items for free. their ability to lower the amount of plastic The event will be held from 1-3 p.m. inside the pollution. Barnes & Noble bookstore in the Bone Student Thrift when possible Center. Thrifting allows the support of both Saturday small businesses and the environment, Hosted by the Ecology Action Center, the annual two of the most crucial parts of living susConstitution Trail and Sugar Creek cleanup will take tainably. The Neighborhood Thrift Store, place from 9 a.m. to noon. 2 FruGALS Thrift and Habitat for HumanDue to COVID-19, volunteers will be limited to 30 ity are all good local places to start. at each cleanup site. Volunteers are required to wear Recycle a mask. This one may seem like a no brainer, EAC is encouraging volunteers to dress appropribut it is always important to encourage ately for the weather and to bring gloves. Trash bags recycling of all kinds. In McLean County, and grabbers will be provided. glass containers can be recycled, which is In order to participate, registration is required and not the case in many other places. can be done on EAC’s website.
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021
THE VIDETTE | SPORTS | PAGE 7
’Birds make waves
ISU swimming & diving takes fourth at MVCs; senior Lecoeur named Diver of the Year RACHEL HICKEY Sports Editor | @r_hickey15
the 50-yard freestyle. Julie Kolar (2:05.67) and Madyson Morse (2:05.81) received all-conference honorable mentions in the 200-yard individual medley, placing sixth and seventh, respectively. ISU’s relay team of Olivia Gonder, Kolar, Morse and Tina Meyer beat their season-best time in the 200-yard freestyle relay by almost two seconds to finish fifth overall with a time of 1:34.80 and score additional points for the Redbirds. Kenzie Weber, Morse, Cassidy Carey and Haley Rivera combined for a seventh-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay to cap off night one of action.
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llinois State swimming and diving wrapped up its season with a fourthplace team finish in the MVC Championships Friday night at Southern Illinois. The program combined for 444 points. Reigning champions Missouri State dominated the meet with a score of 929.50. Southern Illinois (548.50) and Indiana State (475.50) followed in second and third, respectively. “This year, semester and week took great commitment from every single member of our program to make this possible,” head coach Day Two Caitlin Hamilton said. “I’m very proud of how Emily Keebler highlighted the second day with this team came together and have continued a second-place finish in the 400to get better as a team. In tough yard individual medley. Keebler times, we continued to improve MVC Specialty finished with a season’s best and grow. I can’t wait to see Awards 4:26.49 to secure the silver medal what’s next for these Redbirds.” in the event. Caroline Lecoeur |
TOP: Illinois State swimmers cheer on their teammates in the MVC championship finals at Southern Illinois. LEFT: Sophomore Emily Keebler recovers after placing second in the 400-yard individual medley.
Day One
Teammate Morse also earned a Senior | MVC Diver of medal on the day, taking bronze in The Redbirds had a strong the Year; her second the 100-yard breaststroke. Morse outing on the boards in Day One. straight honor swam a time of 1:02.39 to earn an Senior diver Caroline Lecoeur Emily Keebler | SophAll-MVC First Team honor. earned her first gold medal in omore | MVC Elite 17 Capping off the day, four the conference championships, Award; recognizes the freshmen swimmers combined winning the 1-meter diving comhighest achievement for another podium finish in the petition with a score of 261.25. in the classroom and 800-yard freestyle relay, dropKamryn Blake earned an allin an MVC championping seven seconds off ISU’s conference honorable mention ship sport previous best time. Entering the selection in the same event, postevent seeded fifth, the freshmen ing a score of 221.85 for seventh phenoms of Gonder, Raegen Follis, Walker and place. A trio of swimmers recorded a season’s Mikayla Jasek upset a pair of teams, combining best in the 500-yard freestyle finals. Fresh- for a time of 7:31.62 to place third in the event man Diana Walker put up the ISU’s highest and earn All-MVC First Team honors. finish in the event, placing 11th overall with Day Three a time of 5:02.53. Morgan Rosser (5:04.25) Lecoeur completed the diving sweep with and Makenna Licking (5:05.43) also turned in a gold medal in the 3-meter diving compeimpressive performances in the finals. Maddie tition, posting a score of 257.50 to best the Hernandez also swam a season-best (24.25) in
Photos courtesy of ISU Athletics
competition. This was the first time in her collegiate career that she placed first in either event at the conference championships. Sophomore Lauren Naeger earned a medal in the 200-yard butterfly, with a time of 2:04.02. Naeger finished just ahead of Redbird teammate Sarah Hein who finished fourth in the event with a time of 2:04.77.
SPORTS IN BRIEF Koski cracks ISU top 10 at Virginia Challenge
Labat stated. “I’m looking forward to getting back in the gym and perfecting my skills for next season.” In her first two seasons in a Redbird leotard, Labat has been recognized several times by the Midwest Independent Conference as the Newcomer and Gymnast of the Week. After being named the MIC Newcomer of the Year last season, Labat was named the MIC Gymnast of the Year following the 2021 MIC Championships at Redbird Arena.
Illinois State senior distance runner Kevin Koski competed in his first race since the National Collegiate Athletic Association Cross Country Championships in March. Koski posted an ISU top-10 mark in the 10,000-meter run on Friday evening at the Virginia Challenge to open his outdoor track season. Koski’s personal-best time of 29:47.38 ranks No. 9 all-time in Illinois State track and field history. This is the first time Koski has ranked in the top 10 in the 10,000meter event. The time currently leads the Missouri Valley Conference by over 30 seconds. The performance was good enough for 13th place overall in a competitive field.
Soccer places two on MVC All-Tourney team
Redshirt senior Abby Basler and redshirt sophomore Priya Gillan Photo Courtesy of UVA Athletics were named to the Missouri Valley Senior track standout Kevin Koski Conference All-Tournament Team, competes in the 10,000-meter race Friday night at the Virginia Challenge. as the league announced on Sunday. Basler played the entirety of Illinois State’s postseason run, accuLabat caps off historic mulating 10 shots, six of which were season at NCAAs on goal. The midfielder converted ISU’s first penalty kick Angelica Labat’s historic season for Redbird gymnas- in the double overtime shootout tie breaker versus UNI on April 11. Basler led the team in nearly every offensive tics concluded Friday night. The sophomore became the first gymnast from Illinois category during this spring season. This is Basler’s third State to compete in the NCAA Gymnastics Championship time in her career being recognized by the conference at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. She qualified for and was placed on the All-MVC Tournament Team prethe vault competition after taking home the top score in viously in 2018. Gillan spent every minute of postseason play within her regional’s event earlier this month. Labat posted a 9.7375 on the vault, capping off a stellar the net. Most notably, Gillan did not allow UNI to convert a single penalty kick in the quarterfinal game. The goalseason for the sophomore. “I had hopes of repeating the same vault that I com- keeper made four saves in the Redbirds’ semifinal match peted at regionals, but I still gave my all in Fort Worth,” against Loyola Chicago to garner her first MVC honor.
CLASSIFIEDS
Following the meet, Lecoeur was named the MVC Diver of the Year for the second time. Lecoeur is just the second Redbird to win the award in back-to-back seasons, as Krystal Featherston achieved the feat during the 2003-05 seasons. Keebler received the Elite 17 Award for her success in and out of the pool. The award recognizes the highest achievement of both academics and athletics by a student-athlete in each of the MVC’s 17 sponsored sports. The exercise science major maintains a perfect 4.00 grade-point average, and with her silver medal performance in the 400-yard individual medley, combined for the highest honor in the meet.
Tennis splits Summit weekend with Oral Roberts, Denver MATT PETROVITCH Sports Reporter | @matt_petrovitch
while Lazarevic and Botifoll Rius also earned a 6-4 win at the No. 2 spot. Isaksson also secured the first Illinois State men’s tennis soaked singles win of the match at the No. up the nice weather this weekend, 6 spot, taking down Siritaworachan playing a pair of Summit League 6-4, 6-3. Diego Emilio Moura Hermatches outdoors on their home rera, Le Gal Perez and Lazarevic also court. The Redbirds defeated Oral picked up singles wins for the RedRoberts Friday afternoon, before birds to end the match victorious. Saturday’s matches did not go falling to Denver on Saturday. The Redbirds opened the weekend nearly as smoothly for the Redbirds. No. 45/46 Denver came to Normal with a 5-2 victory against the Golden Eagles. After setting the tone early, and dominated the Redbirds to close the Redbirds never looked back en out Summit League play. Denver route to their first Summit League easily handled ISU 7-0. “We had a tough day today,” Klysner win of the season. “This was a great overall perfor- told goredbirds.com “I don’t think we mance by the boys today,” head coach played our best, but at the same time Mark Klysner said. “We played some we didn’t play poorly. We just came up really good doubles, which gave us a short against a better team today and lot of momentum going into the sin- they showed why they are nationally ranked.” gles portion of the match. Denver came out of the Credit to Oral Roberts, as Up next game dominating ISU in they pushed us into a few Illinois State the doubles competition. third sets and we simply wraps its regular The Redbirds won just elevated our own games season with four sets over three douand we closed out the Senior Day bles matches. matches we needed.” 1 p.m. Saturday Moving to the singles The pairs of Diego Le against Chicago side, ISU looked to get on Gal Perez, Melker IsaksState. the board, but the strong son and Aleksa Lazarevic, play from Denver conPol Botifoll Rius each earned wins over the Golden Eagle tinued. ISU was only able to keep in pairs. Le Gal Perez and Isaksson close in matches from No. 2 Botifoll went 6-4 against Meg Siritawora- Rius and Lazarevic. chan and Eddy Leardini from ORU,
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PAGE 8 | THE VIDETTE
Sports
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021
Looking back at a championship season Fab five leads ISU to tourney
’Birds rose when it mattered MY VIEW
MY VIEW
MIKEY FORNELLI | Sports Reporter
MATT PETROVICH | Sports Reporter
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o one ever said the road to back-ton a season where players and back Missouri Valley Conference coaches had to expect the unextitles would be easy for the Illinois pected, Illinois State volleyball State volleyball team. From the first victory stepped up to challenges ahead and were at home against Bradley to the last over crowned Missouri Valley Conference Loyola that captured the conference tournachampions once again. ment title, the Redbirds overcame obstacles The senior class called their shots Alex Gant | Photo Editor | @AlexGant16 in the fall right after their season was on and off the court all season long. The Illinois State volleyball team celebrating a win over Indiana State during the MVC Tournament. The To me, the season can be viewed in two delayed due to COVID-19, and they kept Redbirds would go on to win the MVC Tournament to earn a bid for the National Collegiate Athletic Ashalves. Half one, which was about the their promises to make the National sociation Tournament where they lost to University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the first round. first month of the season from late JanuCollegiate Athletic Association tournaary to late February, had its trials and ment for a third straight year. Illinois and losing only one set along the way. They tribulations. Although we saw big out-ofThe senior class could unanimously go down as one of the best. Stef Jankiewicz, jumped back up the MVC standings, securing the conference wins against Cincinnati and Marquette, Kaylee Martin, Kendal Meier, Sydney Holt and Alyssa Kronberg left it all on the regular season title and tournament one-seed followthe Redbirds often struggled to win on Day Two of court and in doing so won not one, not two, but three championships as Redbirds. ing their sixth-straight victory. During this stretch, their weekly Sunday-Monday series with in-conEach and every senior has their own story as to how they got to where they the Redbirds collected multiple individual weekly ference opponents. In fact, during their 7-5 record are now, but the legacy they all wanted to leave behind is something truly speconference awards and one very special accolade — through this first month stretch, the Redbirds only cial. They wanted to be remembered as teammates who would do anything on senior Kaylee Martin’s 1000th career kill, the first won once on Day Two after winning Day One — and off the court for their teammates and coaches — as good players but even three-year Redbird to do so. They did not let off the Feb. 15 versus Drake. Losing key players Kaylee better people — and they did just that. gas going into the tournament, losing only two sets Martin, Stef Jankiewicz and Sydney Holt for multiSetting goals and challenging people’s expectations is a given in sports. ple matches, they had early frustrating losses against over three matches and winning it all in front of their This team has far exceeded that. Leading up to the NCAA tournament, Illinois home crowd on Easter weekend. Indiana State, Bradley and Valparaiso. State won nine matches in a row and swept six of the nine opponents. Although they did not get a win against UniverIf we continue to look at the season in two halves, Leading into the NCAA tournament, the lone goal for the senior class and sity of Nevada, Las Vegas in the first round of the we have to consider the break at “halftime.” The this team was to get a match win in the tournament. Despite making the tourNational Collegiate Athletic Association tournaRedbirds missed five matches over two weeks in nament three seasons prior, ISU was defeated both years. early March due to an undisclosed illness, frustrating ment, the Redbirds have so much to be proud of in That is something this team has not yet experienced and although they were such a challenging season. What was different in that at the time for players, coaches and fans of both ISU unable to do so, they did earn their first NCAA set victory against UNLV. and their opponents. Looking back, it may have been second half for the Redbirds? They were healthy, This senior class wanted to acquire this goal of winning in the NCAA they were rested and most importantly, they were exactly what the Redbirds needed. They collected tournament, but what they have done now is something that will last longer — themselves and came out of that break soaring, never confident. As the wins stacked up, so did the desire they set the standard for Illinois State volleyball. to keep the streak going. It was truly a sign of a looking back. They demolished opponents over the The underclassmen have looked up to the senior class for what it takes to be championship team, one that will always be rememnext three weeks leading up to the tournament, a leader on and off the court, but one thing will come more naturally for all of bered for rising to the challenge when it mattered sweeping Missouri State, Evansville and Southern them, and that is how to win and fight for each and every point in the match. most.
Softball takes care of Southern to stay atop Valley Redbirds win first series over Salukis since 2015 RACHEL HICKEY AND ERIC SCHWEIZER Sport staff | @vidette_sports
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or the first time in six years, the Illinois State softball team took the Missouri Valley Conference series over Southern Illinois by securing a pair of wins on Saturday at Marian Kneer Stadium, before falling to the Salukis on Sunday. The Salukis had the early momentum, scoring the first run of the double-header early in the top of the first inning. However, a home run from Spencer Strandgard in the bottom of the second turned the tide in favor of the Redbirds. Back-to-back singles by Kaili Chval and Emme Olsen put the ’Birds in the driver’s seat, with a commanding 3-1 lead over the MVC foe. The game stayed quiet for a bit after the Redbirds’ impressive run, as the two teams battled it out defensively. However, at the bottom of the fourth, senior Andrea Coursey delivered a bases-clearing double to grant the Redbirds an additional three runs to extend the lead to a 6-1 cushion. Morgan Day sealed the victory for the Redbirds. Despite a strong offensive effort from the Salukis in the seventh inning, Day topped off the game with a pair of strike outs and a ground out. In the second game of the afternoon, the Salukis kept the Redbirds within striking range, only to fall once again to the home team. Illinois State defeated Southern Illinois 4-3 in game two, guaranteeing a series win for the Redbirds. Dayna Kennedy was the first to score in game two, leading off with a single before scratching off the first run on the board. However, it was not long until the Salukis responded. In the fifth inning, their lead batter delivered a homer down to left field to equalize the score. The Salukis continued their roll in the fifth, taking a 2-1 lead. After pitching the entire first game, Day had been benched up to this point while Mack Leonard delivered from the mound for the Redbirds. To prevent the Salukis from gaining an advantage over the ’Birds, Day reentered the circle in relief and was able
Dwayne Banks | Photographer | @de_wyzil
Illinois State junior Emme Olson celebrating after hitting a home run on Saturday. Olson and the Redbirds won the first two games of the series but dropped the final game.
to escape the inning with a strikeout. In the bottom of the fifth, Olsen responded for Illinois State with her first run of the series. While the two teams continued to battle through the sixth, it was Leonard who sent the gamewinning home run over the barrier in right field to push the ’Birds ahead 4-3. Day once again secured the win with two more strikeouts for the senior pitcher.
On Sunday, the Redbirds were unable to complete the sweep over the Salukis, falling 3-2 in the finale for their first home loss. Game three saw a pitching duel between two stars as Leonard saw her second start of the series facing off against SIU’s Sarah Harness. Maddy Vermejan started things off for the Salukis with a leadoff double. A double by Jenny Jansen scored the first run of the day and gave the Salukis an early 1-0 advantage. The Redbirds would escape the inning after a great catch by center fielder Reili Gardner. The Redbirds would get a runner on base in the bottom half of the first but would be unable to get anything out of it after a big strikeout by Harness. Leonard dominated in the second inning, striking out two batters and fielding a ground ball hit right back at her. A clutch two-out opposite-field home run by Jayden Standish tied the game in the bottom of the second inning. Jansen came up big for the Salukis again, recording a single up the middle in the third inning that scored Vermejan, giving them the lead 2-1. In the middle innings, neither team was able to score despite each having runners on bases. Leonard and Harness remained caught in a defensive battle, with each striking the scoring hopes of the opposing team. Up next Back-to-back walks in the top of the seventh gave the Salukis two base runners with The Redbirds’ one out. Another walk loaded the bases with next game will two outs, but Leonard would escape the be at 5 p.m. inning with no runs allowed and a chance on Wednesday for the Redbirds to rally in the bottom of the when they host seventh. Bradley in a Gardner walked to first to kick off the Red- doubleheader birds’ comeback attempts. Leonard would follow with a single and give the Redbirds two baserunners with nobody out. A surprise bunt by Chval and a poor throw to first by the Salukis let one run score and placed two runners in scoring position with nobody out. The next two batters would ground out softly for the Redbirds, bringing Coursey up to bat with two outs and two runners on. A long at-bat would end up in a hit-by-pitch, bringing Strandgard up to bat with the bases loaded. She popped out to first base, as the Redbirds fell to the Salukis 3-2.