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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
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Music faculty member recounts musical journey to Carnegie Hall
Safe Zone fundraises through drag bingo PAGE 4
Men’s soccer ends a long season PAGE 8
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Thursday, November 10, 2022 Vol. 76 No. 10
BRUCE DARNELL reporter
SIUE has seen an influx of graduate students entering the university, many of which have been dealing with multiple economic issues as a result of high inflation and low salaries. Charles Hubbs, a grad student in his second year, is facing some of these economic problems. “Covering [tuition] is great, but I can’t eat tuition coverage,” Hubbs said. “That doesn’t put food in my stomach.” Hubbs works as a teaching assistant at SIUE and as a physical trainer on and off campus. The TA job pays for tuition as well as a stipend. His stipend, which totals approximately to $400 a month, is usually spent on student fees. “This is my first time working for SIUE,” Hubbs said. “During my first graduate program, I worked full-time at the St. Louis Art Museum, where wages were also low. When I did my undergrad program here, I worked multiple part-time jobs — kind of like what I’m doing now — to try and afford some basic things.” McKenzie Johnston, an English literature graduate student at SIUE, is also facing similar issues. “I only get paid about $860 a month, which is take-home pay,” Johnston said. “The tuition waiver covers everything except fees, but the fees are $1,000 per semester… Right now, I’m teaching one class. Typically, the load is two classes.” Johnston is a teaching assistant at SIUE and is also employed as an adjunct professor at a community college in Missouri. She previously worked as a teaching assistant at SIU Carbondale, where the salary is double what it is at SIUE. “$860 minus $250 per month [due to fees] means I’m getting paid about $600 a month,” Johnston said. “For perspective, at a rural community college in Missouri I get paid about $1,000 take-home pay for teaching two classes; the classes are also smaller. Here I’m teaching 23 students, taking classes of my own and having to pay my fees.” Johnston said the fees that she must pay would be acceptable if the grad students could adequately use some of the services they pay for, but they often don’t have time in their schedule. One such service would
be the gym. made more difficult by her 5-month-old “Going to the gym? I would challenge baby that she must care for, which has inyou to find more than a handful [of grad stu- creased her spending on formula and rent dents] that have the time to go to the gym,” for a bigger apartment. Johnston said. “Graduate students are often “Finances are so intricately tied togethprofessionals. Most of their time is spent er that it’s hard to say that it’s because of doing research SIUE,” Johnston and not using said. “However, the gym.” I could say that The fees are if I were paid also used to rent at SIUE what I out textbooks, make at any other though Johnston community colstates that many lege as an adjunct students in the and didn’t have to English departpay fees, then I ment would much wouldn’t be havrather purchase ing the difficulty textbooks. that I’m having.” “We want All of these to own our textexpenses make books and would it hard to save happily use the up cash. Hubbs rent fees to buy said that it would the textbooks inbe nice to have stead of renting the opportunity them. We want to to save up monkeep those books ey for life after ” and use them in college rather the future, but than spending McKenzie Johnston, English literature graduate student there isn’t an opmuch of it on fees. tion for that,” “There’s defiJohnston said. nitely a transition There are also fears that getting a de- period from ending school to entering the gree may not provide financial security af- workforce,” Hubbs said. “Bills never stop ter graduation, which makes grad students’ and you never stop getting hungry. There’s financial situation even more unstable. no guarantees once you get out there.” Hubbs has experienced these fears himself. These difficulties are being met amidst “I’ve been there and done that,” Hubbs a record growth in grad students enrolled at said. “[A degree] doesn’t always get a job SIUE. James Monahan, director of graduthat pays well… I’ve moved fields, maybe ate and international admissions at SIUE, that will make a difference, but I’m still gave further details on how many new grad skeptical. Really anything that isn’t STEM students there are. is a coin toss.” “This is about our fourth straight year The location of SIUE’s campus creates of increase in graduate enrollment,” Monadifficulty as well, which Johnston attributes han said. “It has brought the total number to many grad students living off-campus. of graduate students at the university to “For graduate students, Edwardsville its highest level since 1977. It’s been some is in the middle of nowhere,” Johnston strong growth.” said. “Not very many graduate students, The reason for this growth has not in comparison to undergrads, are going been by chance, Monahan stated, rather to live on-campus. We have families and caused by a series of developments that have other jobs… having to drive out there adds made the school more attractive for proon [to expenses] to what little money we spective students. do make.” “The academic departments have really Johnston’s personal hardship is also been focusing on meeting student’s needs
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I could say that if I were paid at SIUE what I make at any other community college as an adjunct and didn’t have to pay fees, then I wouldn’t be having the difficulty that I’m having.
and providing them with flexible schedules, online courses and the ability to complete the graduate program on your time; we’ve done a better job on that,” Monahan said. “A lot of our graduate students are working, so they need classes that meet in the evenings or on the weekends.” Monahan also said that graduate programs have grown across the country due to the pandemic, mainly because people had the time to decide on pursuing a higher-level degree. He also acknowledged the harsh economic difficulties faced by some graduate students. “We know it’s a struggle,” Monahan said. “There are quite a few graduate assistantships [at SIUE], but they’re competitive and not all can get it. I certainly recognize the challenges you face in getting a graduate degree, but you hope that once you’ve completed it and get out, you’re going to see that higher salary and job security. I acknowledge that it’s difficult sometimes.” Monahan also described that SIUE has experienced significant growth in international students, with a large percentage of them being grad students. “We’ve seen an explosive growth in international students, particularly in the STEM fields,” Monahan said. “We’ve seen big growth in computer science, business and engineering... About twothirds of our international students are graduate students.” SIUE had a 177 percent increase in international students compared to last year. There are approximately 891 new international students at SIUE this semester. Of those, 652 are grad students, and a considerable portion of these students work on-campus. “International students can only work on-campus,” Monahan said. “That’s a part of immigration regulations. If those students are employed, they’re only going to be employed at the university.” The growth at SIUE has contributed to its growing reputation as a university and may continue into the near future given recent trends. “It’s nice to see the numbers grow,” Monahan said. “I think it helps the university’s reputation overall when you have strong graduate programs and a lot of research that provides opportunities for our undergrad and graduate students.”
‘Be a force for good’: Pharmacist awarded for excellence in Edwardsville NICOLE BOYD opinion editor
Tapiwa Mupereki, a local pharmacist, was recognized with the monthly Excellence in Edwardsville award. He was given the award for starting the Books for Bikes summer reading challenge, which encouraged children to read with the chance to win one of 14 bikes. Mupereki, co-founder and CEO of JewelRide, a company that provides transportation to medical appointments, said it’s very humbling to be recognized. He said that as a company, they never know the extent of their impact, so they strive to be a force for good in society. “When you just focus on being a force for good, you don’t realize that people are taking notice of that,” Mupereki said.
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“When we did this … summer reading challenge, there was no intention that it was going to be noticed … if you are a force for good, you never know what other positive impacts it could create.” Mupereki said his drive for public service partly comes from his upbringing in a rural village in Zimbabwe, and when he later moved to a mining town. He said people are trying to help each other to solve problems in those communities. “I saw many people trying to come to my help in various ways, whether that was when I was in school or adjusting in the community,” Mupereki said. “Our mission is to empower individuals to access quality care, but that is not enough. As a business, there’s also an expectation for us to be a force for good in the communities that we serve.”
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James Arnold, the economic and community developer and grants coordinator for the city of Edwardsville, said he and Library Director Jill Schardt nominated Mupereki not only because of his idea for the reading challenge, but because he took it upon himself to donate $3,500 to purchase 10 bikes – an act that spurred other local businesses to donate bikes as well. “Excellence in Edwardsville [is] just to highlight special people doing special things in our own community, and I firmly believe that an action like that fits the bill,” Arnold said. Arnold said Mupereki is incredibly energetic and full of ideas. “When you work for a city
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and you have a gentleman, a business member that lives and works and breathes in your community and comes to you with new ideas, it’s great,” Arnold said. “It helps make Edwardsville special.”
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