The Daily Egyptian - Dec. 3, 2025

InsiDE Panel debates higher ed funding, page 4 |

How the Carbondale trans community is navigating a changing federal landscape

KRISTIN BORCHERS

Born and raised in Florida, Junara Quinn-Miller’s fears were growing in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration. Quinn-Miller is a rst year student at SIU pursuing her master’s degree in Communication studies and is researching depictions of media through a critical and queer theory lens. After writing a paper on Desantis’ decision criminalizing the trans population’s access to public restrooms, which published with the National Communication Association, QuinnMiller made the jump to Carbondale. Despite leaving her family and friends

behind, she said SIU was the only school interested in her research.

“It was fear. Fear is what made me move,” Quinn-Miller said. “I don’t see my family every day anymore because I was afraid. Maybe I was a little hasty, maybe not, we’ll see.”

Quinn-Miller, a trans woman, said she left Florida because she was afraid of losing her rights to gender a rming care. She no longer feels safe traveling outside of Illinois. Due to spending her adolescence in Florida and some time in Georgia, she’s no stranger to the challenges of being queer in the South; she was familiar with being cautious.

In Florida, trans and queer rights are under a near constant attack. e don’t say gay bill bans instruction of gender identity and sexual orientation from Pre-K through grade 8. Medicaid cannot cover gender-a rming care for both minors and adults and the state can temporarily take custody of a minor who’s receiving gender-a rming care. Doctors in Florida can deny medical care to patients on the basis of their religious beliefs or personal values. Now living in Carbondale since April and a part of SIU’s Communication Graduate Assistant Program, she

Salukis topple Trojans 74-65

After over three weeks on the road, the Salukis men’s basketball squad nally returned to the Banterra Center on Saturday, Nov. 29 to take on the Little Rock Trojans. e home crowd played a huge part in SIU being able to keep their home record unblemished with a 74-65 victory. “ e fans gave so much

In late October, Vogue posted an article titled “Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing Now?” which set the internet on re — well, especially my corner of the internet. e headline sparked controversy among several people with boyfriends, or just people trying to date men.

e content within the article is what some people needed to see. e author, Chanté Joseph, explains how

energy and we appreciate that, we can feel that,” guard Drew Ste e said postgame.

e Salukis started out slow, giving up the rst seven points

modern dating has shifted, and explores the discomfort of what would be traditionally seen as an accomplishment for women. Joseph also focuses on how putting too much into a relationship can “water down” a woman’s individuality. Joseph dug into why women are not posting their boyfriends on social media, or why women are not striving to be in relationships with men. She also critiques how having a boyfriend has lost its shiny “badge of adulthood”

Giant City State Park steps up to host wedding amid federal shutdown

JACKSON BRANDHORST JBRANDHORST@DAILYEGYPTIAN COM

e longest-ever government shutdown has been over for nearly a month now, but southern Illinoisans are still feeling the e ects. Stories continue to emerge from during the time in which federally funded operations came to a halt in Little Egypt, such as the tale of Jacob and Raimie Smith and how Giant City State Park stepped up to save their big day.

e Smiths had been planning their wedding for Oct. 13 at Devils Kitchen for over a year, but just days before they were set to say “I do,” they got a call from the federally operated park with devastating news.

“I was actually on the phone with our vendors that day,”

status, claiming that some women are choosing independence rather than relationships.

Joseph also touched on the generational shift of what is an accomplishment. Many women today set values within careers, friendships, and hobbies rather than relationships.

Some people immediately said, yes, having a boyfriend is embarrassing, especially in the day and age of hookup culture and men whose world view

Raimie said. “I got a call from Devils Kitchen, and I was like, oh, I better answer, because they’re probably telling us congratulations or giving us a rundown of the wedding … but that was not the case.”

On the other end of the line, a federal employee explained that, because of the government shutdown, nobody would be available to open the gates at Devils Kitchen on Oct. 13. at meant no access, no sta and no wedding.

“It was devastating,” she said. “It was so devastating that I couldn’t even bring myself to cry.”

With barely a week left before the 13th — a date the couple was hard-set on — there was no time for tears. e Smiths

comes from podcast clips on TikTok.

Others disagreed, making sure the masses knew that their boyfriend could never embarrass them. Some expressed how they believed this was just another way to divide women who date men, splitting and categorizing us by who is single and who has a boyfriend.

I believe some readers took a personal o ense just by reading the headline, not bothering to read the article. Some people clutched their

had to gure out a way to save a wedding that they had built around a date and a place that carried years’ worth of meaning. e couple rst got together on Oct. 13, 2020, and they’d tried to stack major moments of their relationship on top of that anniversary. eir engagement happened in October, their move to southern Illinois happened in October and so to them, their wedding had to happen in October too.

“We had been trying to keep everything the same,” Raimie said. “ at’s why it was important for us to get married on Oct. 13.” e date mattered dearly to them, but so did the location, and while the couple

pearls at the headline, going onto social media posting pictures of their man, claiming having a boyfriend could never be embarrassing — which proves that media literacy is dead, but that is a conversation for another time.

After reading the article, not just the headline, I didn’t perceive it as man-hating, despite what many said. Instead, it was a quite mindful critique of modern dating, very much in

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WEDDING

could try to save the date, they couldn’t save the place.

Devils Kitchen Lake is a part of the Crab Orchard National Wildlife refuge, which is operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. When federal appropriations lapsed during the government shutdown, most FWS employees were furloughed, o ces were locked and services were halted. at meant that those at Devils Kitchen that had been helping the Smiths plan their dream wedding were no longer legally allowed to do so.

“When they called us, they sounded just as upset as we were,” Raimie said. “We were just getting ready to nish up the last details — table setup, owers, the playlist — and then out of nowhere they tell us, ‘nope, you can’t even get in the gate.’ At rst I thought it was a prank or a mistake. Like, how can they shut down nature? It’s just sitting there.”

From the moment they met in 2020, the Smiths’ relationship grew around routines rooted in the outdoors. Early dates meant driving through the wildlife refuge, stopping at overlooks in the Shawnee National Forest and ending evenings sitting along the edge of Devils Kitchen as the sun dropped behind the water. Southern Illinois became the backdrop for nearly every milestone of their relationship.

“Devils Kitchen is basically where we became us,” Jacob said. “It’s the one place we always go back to.”

Devils Kitchen is where they hiked, camped, escaped and reset. It’s where Jacob had been going long before they met, and it’s where he brought Raimie early in their relationship to show her “the part of Illinois that scratches the itch” in his brain. It’s where they got engaged — on a peninsula that pokes into the lake — surrounded by underwater trees and the “coldest water in the region.”

“It just seems like going to a di erent world,” Jacob said, describing Devils Kitchen. “I’ve never seen a place like it.”

“It’s where we go when life feels too hard,” Raimie added. “Only things as ancient as the trees and water there can give us the serenity we’re seeking.”

She had planned every detail of the wedding — from the clothing, seating, food and lighting — to match that exact setting.

Raimie had pictured the ceremony at Devils Kitchen down to the way the light would move across the water. She could see Jacob standing on the at rock ledge they loved, the sun hitting the lake behind him and re ecting up onto his face.

“I kept imagining how the sunlight would bounce o the water and make everything look golden,” she said. “I could see him standing there so clearly in my mind.”

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She described the picture she carried in her head for months — the rust-colored blu s behind them, the soft ripple of the lake at their feet, the way the evening air settles cold in that part of the refuge.

“Devils Kitchen has this glow to it,” she said. “It’s quiet, and you can hear the water echo o the blu at’s what I thought my wedding would sound like.”

ose imagined details, the sensory memories tied to that exact spot, were part of the loss she had to process. All the painstaking plans had to change in an instant when they were forced to nd a new venue, and even their pets fell victim to the abrupt adjustment.

All rescues with di erent sensory and social challenges, their pets were meant to walk with them during the ceremony and appear in their photos. e seclusion of the original venue made that possible, but in a new place, it wouldn’t be.

“Our pets face some unique challenges that make it di cult to be around lots of strangers,” Raimie said. “At Devils Kitchen, we had our own secluded area where we could involve them in every part of the day without worry.”

For Raimie, losing the opportunity to have their pets there for the ceremony stung more than any logistical hurdle.

“It was supposed to be the biggest, most important and symbolic part of our day,”

WEDDING 4

Me e t Oscar!

Oscar is a handsome medium-haired grey tabby boy who was found homeless in Southern Illinois and is now ready to find a safe, loving home. With striking stripes, soft fur, and a gentle personality, Oscar is incredibly affectionate and loves spending time exploring or snuggling in cozy spots. Oscar was potentially previously hit by a car which caused his front paw to heal inward making him a bit bowl legged.

He is full of love and charm, and he’s ready to share his sweet, loyal companionship with the right family who will give him the care and attention he deserves.

To meet Oscar, email Wright-Way Rescue at rescue@wright-wayrescue.org.

Wright-Way Rescue is a nonpro t, no-kill animal shelter dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals in need.

Wright-Way Rescue 8459 Old Hwy 13

said she’s never existed in a more accepting environment. But QuinnMiller still has her guard up, as the federal government continues to remove gender-inclusive policies.

“Today it seems very clear that they see transness as a contagious disease,” QuinnMiller said. “Something that the only way to stop it, is to eradicate all of us and then hope that it doesn’t come back up. We have made it clear who we are and that makes it easier for people to target us. at’s terrifying.”

After U.S President Donald Trump took o ce this year, he signed a urry of executive orders, among which was the removal of “gender ideology” from federal agencies and documents. Members of the military who are trans were no longer permitted to serve in the military. Despite a previous executive order by former President Joe Biden, which allowed transgender members to serve, that is no longer the case. According to Trump’s executive order, trans servicemembers are not t to serve as expressing a “false gender identity” does not satisfy the military’s standards.

In a press release from Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the veteran stated every service member is quali ed to serve in the military based on the training and their quali cations.

e Fit to Serve Act was introduced in the Senate on June 6 by Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and cosponsored by Duckworth. It has not yet been passed to the House. is act would establish that military members may not be discriminated against based on their gender identity.

“I’m proud to join Senator Warren and my Democratic colleagues in working to reverse the Trump Administration’s o ensive transgender military ban, which is disruptive to our military, hurts readiness and not only does nothing to strengthen our national security — it actively makes things worse,” Duckworth said in the release.

After the executive order by Trump was declared, the Pentagon stated they

which protect transgender and nonbinary residents from discrimination.

e support organization assists around 70 people every year with 30 of those choosing to relocate to Carbondale, according to the spokesperson. e group provides numerous resources including travel, moving trucks, information on a ordable housing, health care, employment and connection to social groups like Rainbow Café and Downstate Illinois Trans Organization.

e spokesperson wrote that these groups maintain the thriving LBGTQ community Carbondale holds today.

“Many of the trans individuals we speak to are actively losing healthcare access. is is the most universal complaint that drives people to relocate,” the Rainbow Refuge spokesperson wrote. “We also see a noticeable trend of family rejection, abuse, or volatile home dynamics. Employment is unstable for many people relocating, with some citing discrimination, harassment, or endangerment.”

In another executive order, Trump established the federal government would recognize only the biological sex of male and female, discrediting the existence of trans, nonbinary and intersex people.

e order states it protects women in domestic-abuse shelters from men who self-identify as women to gain access.

Now, Trump is only making it increasingly di cult to access hormone replacement therapy. rough another executive order, TRICARE, which insures 9.5 million federal employees and around 2 million dependents under the age of 18, will no longer cover gender-a rming care for children for those dependents. 27 states have limited or entirely banned minor’s access to gender-a rming care.

e order cites common themes of regret after receiving care. However, in a longitudinal study from the TransYouth Project by JAMA Pediatrics, a peer-reviewed medical journal followed and studied 220 adolescents from 2013 to 2017, JAMA Pediatrics submitted a follow-up survey in 2023 and found only nine adolescents were regretful of taking

“And God, it was like every 3 months I was having to go up to St. Louis. It was crazy, and it was hard, and I don’t know how I made it. I was very young, very broke and somehow still making it work, getting access to medication.”

- Clare Killman Carbondale City Council member

would remove approximately 1,000 trans service members in a “voluntary separation process.”

“ e president and vice president have demonized trans and queer people and refused to acknowledge their existence while kicking them out of the military, o health plans, and to the best of their ability, out of public life,” a spokesperson from Rainbow Refuge wrote in an email to the Daily Egyptian.

Rainbow Refuge is an organization in Carbondale that provides resources to trans or queer people seeking solace in the protections Illinois o ers like medicaid which covers gender a rming medical care and its gender inclusive policies

menopause helping to ease symptoms of night-sweats and hot ashes. Taking testosterone for andropause can increase mood and energy levels. HRT can target symptoms of endometriosis or PCOS.

“Essentially the misinformation about 12-year-olds going into the doctor’s

puberty blockers. Hormone blockers halt or delay the e ects of puberty like facial hair growth. Before receiving blockers, minors are typically referred to a mental health professional.

Hormone replacement therapy is a life-saving form of care that can involve taking estrogen or testosterone to physically match one’s gender identity.

e American Medical Association deemed HRT medically necessary for both physical and mental health. HRT can increase self-esteem levels, reduce substance use levels, decrease depression, anxiety and rates of suicidality.

Many adults who are not transgender, utilize gender-a rming care too. HRT is important throughout the process of

“Gay people would congregate there and occasionally the owner would let gay people dance together,” Curkin said. “But on a whim he didn’t want gay people in there and he’d kick us all out and we’d leave and then maybe next week we’d come back and it was kind of an uno cial

as “legitimized child torture.” She was stripped of everything her identity consisted of. Her parents threw out all of her clothes and forced her to wear a plain T-shirt and jeans. She wasn’t allowed to be around her family, even on holidays and eventually, they

“I really found community there,” Curkin said. “It was kind of surprising because I had come from Connecticut and I thought, moving to a rural area, I was going to be, you know, at a loss for community, but Carbondale had an amazing queer community already.”

-

Paulette Curkin

resident of Carbondale and LBGTQ activist

o ce and coming out with gender reassignment, when that’s just not true, but the misinformation and the lies that have perpetuated that and made it, made them a target,” said Paulette Curkin, a longtime resident of Carbondale and LGBTQ activist.

Carbondale has a longstanding history of its welcoming environment for LBGTQ folks. Curkin said when she arrived in Carbondale in the ‘70s, she was worried she would have di culty nding community, although she was already out as a lesbian.

“I really found community there,” Curkin said. “It was kind of surprising because I had come from Connecticut and I thought, moving to a rural area, I was going to be, you know, at a loss for community, but Carbondale had an amazing queer community already.”

In 1971, two years after Stonewall, students at SIU formed the Gay Liberation Organization, now known as the Saluki Rainbow Network. At the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, New York City, police raided the bar causing arrests and following days of protests. Stonewall is credited with sparking a nationwide gay rights movement. e GLO is one of the oldest LBGTQ student groups in the country.

After graduating from SIU, Curkin purchased a bar where Buckwater currently resides. Mainstreet East was born in 1982 and was open until ‘87. Curkin joined SIU faculty after her bar closed and became the rst coordinator for the Pride Resource Center, which is now named after her. She was also an advisor to the GLO for around 20 years.

“We were not just a gay bar, we were a community center and, you know, supported a lot of e orts of the gay student organization on campus and we provided some of the rst AIDS information in the region in the early ‘80s,” Curkin said.

Mainstreet East weathered through adversarial conditions. Curkin said the police often drove through the parking lot and took down people’s license plate numbers, causing fear of being outed to the community, which could result in job loss at the time.

“And then occasionally we would be picketed with Christian groups that would come outside the building,” Curkin said. “What I would do to counter that was I would send the drag queens out to talk to them and they were so scared of the drag queens that they’d leave.”

Other historic hangouts like the Underground, the Pit and Gay Bay at Crab Orchard Lake o ered a safe haven to LGBTQ residents of southern Illinois. e Underground was a bar under ABC Liquor, sometimes open to LGBTQ customers.

gay gathering place.”

e Pit was purchased by Billy Rogers and Hal Deibolt in the ‘90s. Rogers, who is also an LGBTQ activist, said they put up a set of rules and had campers every summer at their property. According to Curkin, the Pit was an old strip mine which became a summer swimming hole.

“We had folks from all over the United States, Canada. We’ve had people from Europe, Australia,” Rogers said. “I’d say a minimum of 20 years of a great space; safe space for the LGBT community in southern Illinois.”

Gay Bay at Crab Orchard was a popular hangout spot for gay men. However, in 1988, southern Illinois experienced an LBGTQ hate crime, which Rogers said never gained nationwide attention.

“We had a horri c hate crime here in southern Illinois with the murder of Michael Miley, so there were a lot of rsts here in southern Illinois as well,” Rogers said. “We were terri ed, a lot of people didn’t even want to testify.”

Miley was murdered and dismembered at the Crab Orchard Lake. Despite the crime shaking the community, Carbondale continued its legacy of LGBTQ activism and people continue to seek refuge in its welcoming and unique environment.

Carbondale City Council member Clare Killman rst came to Carbondale 13 years ago. Killman is the rst trans person elected to City Council o ce in the state. After eeing from Poplar Blu , Missouri, where her parents subjected her to conversion therapy. Killman said Carbondale was the closest and safest place for her, so she moved here with just the belongings in her truck. She described Carbondale like “a funky little lighthouse.”

“It’s just horrifying knowing like both of my parents really would have just rather you be dead,” Killman said. “ at was made very clear, that I would be much more convenient dead than trans.”

She grew up in a Southern Baptist church. Her father was a deacon, and her mother still holds the position of chief financial officer for the entire denomination. Killman said she never met their expectations and never fit into their box.

“ eir entire social world was wrapped up in that cult, and I was collateral damage. I didn’t t into their box; the box they needed: the husband and wife, very stereotypically attractive people with two bright attractive children,” Killman said.

After being outed to her parents, she was forced into conversion therapy for several months, in what she described

stopped celebrating her birthday.

“It was like brainwashing, a lot of bullying, a lot of manipulation, a lot of gaslighting,” Killman said. “I wasn’t allowed to socialize with friends that were not in the church. I was fundamentally isolated. I was not allowed to express myself. I had my head shaved. No means of expression, hence the white T-shirt and two pairs of jeans. It was the only clothes I owned. ey forced me to watch very graphic videos like dangers of the LGBT lifestyle, like diseased bodies, AIDS patients.”

In Illinois, licensed mental health professionals are not permitted to practice conversion therapy, but there are loopholes. Pure Heart Ministries out of St. Louis is marketed as leading people into a liberating relationship with Jesus. ese are not licensed mental health professionals, but religious individuals. As a City Council member, Killman said she’s constantly amazed by her own shortcomings, but whatever she has to give, she gives her best to residents. She felt it was important to enact legislation where “the second your feet touch this dirt, you have human rights.”

“I was able to pass like a human rights title, unanimously in Carbondale’s Code; all of my colleagues wound up supporting it, including a bodily autonomy ordinance that guarantees people have the right to access health care here,” Killman said. “ at was pretty cool.”

Killman considers this her “ rst win” on City Council. In a rural area, Carbondale protects the right to access gendera rming care. e City of Carbondale cannot collaborate with outside entities seeking information, even if that person is traveling from a state where that same care is illegal.

“I was coming up at a time when there was no access to hormones,” Killman said. “I was ghting like hell to get on the medication that I planned to get.” Killman struggled to nd the hormones she needed. She was referred to an endocrinologist, but even they wouldn’t prescribe them. Despite doctors denying her medical care, Killman refused to give up nding the care she needed.

“And God, it was like every 3 months I was having to go up to St. Louis. It was crazy, and it was hard, and I don’t know how I made it. I was very young, very broke and somehow still making it work, getting access to medication,” Killman said. “I’m really glad that younger me paid it forward to future me, more or less. And there’s still work to be done. Transitioning is never nished.”

Sta Reporter Kristen Borchers can be reached at kborchers@dailyegyptian.comz

she said. “And we had to give that up.”

While she was sorting through that loss, she still had to call their families, vendors and guests, explaining to each that everything was changing — except for the date. She described those calls as “horrible,” but necessary.

“I was a hysterical mess,” she said. “I called probably every single wedding venue in the area.”

Meanwhile, Jacob was at work, o his phone, unaware that his wedding would be drastically changing.

“I saw the missed calls and messages and thought, there’s no way,” he said.

By the time Jacob had gotten back to his then ance, she had already called Giant City State Park — a place they loved but had never imagined as a wedding spot.

Surprisingly to the Smiths, the rst sta member that Raimie reached didn’t hesitate to o er up the state park as a replacement venue — even on such short notice.

“She was incredibly sympathetic and helpful,” Raimie said of the state park employee. “She told us to go to Shelter One and see if we liked it.”

ey drove there that afternoon, and while the pavilion wasn’t the lakeside at Devils Kitchen, it wasn’t a nonstarter either. ey walked a short trail and found a tall rock blu where climbers gather, and that was the moment the tension broke.

“We just kind of looked at each other and were like, yeah,” she said. “ is is ne. is will work. We liked it so much that we paid for it, but we were secretly hoping that Devils Kitchen

would open back up again.”

By Tuesday of the next week, the Smiths realized that they were going to have to let Devils Kitchen go, and make the tough choice to move their special day to Giant City — a state park run by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources — whose phones stayed sta ed, rangers remained on duty and facilities stayed open during the shutdown.

At Giant City, sta could walk the couple through logistics, help them evaluate the shelter and o er guidance on building a wedding in less than a week.

“ ey treated it almost like it was someone in their life getting married,” Jacob said.

“ ey never once were mean,” Raimie added. “ ey always said, ‘I hope this goes well. I hope this goes exactly how you want it to.’”

Vendors adjusted too — photographers scouted new areas, the o$ciant reworked her setup and family members rearranged travel. Within days, the entire structure of the wedding had been rebuilt.

To the Smiths, the di erence in how the two parks responded had nothing to do with intent and everything to do with structure. Devils Kitchen is federally funded — so the moment that funding lapsed, every employee was locked out and stuck at home. Nobody there wanted to cancel the wedding, they simply couldn’t show up — the Smiths said they’re thankful that those at Giant City did.

By the time Oct. 13 arrived, the panic that had consumed the previous week was gone. ey took photos at the rock blu , climbers cheered them on from the

sandstone walls and their families lled the shelter.

“Before the ceremony, all the nerves were gone,” Jacob said. “I was just smiling like a fool.”

When the music started and Raimie walked down the aisle, something clicked into place.

“I realized I didn’t care where it happened,” she said. “I would’ve been ne doing it in a Walmart.”

e federal government’s closure stretched for nearly a month before funding was restored, leaving thousands of workers without pay. For the Smiths, the inconvenience of losing a venue paled in comparison.

“On a human level, I can’t ignore the

thousands of federal workers that went to sleep without any income,” Raimie said.

“ at seems a little more signi cant.”

eir frustration never landed on the people at Devils Kitchen. eir sympathies rested with them.

“ ey were the ones facing unemployment,” she said. “Our greatest sympathy is with the federal employees.”

e wedding wasn’t the one they planned, and the place wasn’t the one they pictured, but the community around them — their families, their vendors and a sympathetic state park sta — held the day together. What the Smiths remember most is how quickly strangers cared, and how seamlessly people stepped in when a

federal shutdown threatened to pull their day apart.

“ is wasn’t about us losing a venue,” Raimie said. “It was about people losing paychecks.”

In the end, they kept their date, found a new place and were surrounded by the same people who would’ve celebrated with them at Devils Kitchen. e scenery changed, but the meaning didn’t.

“Nature is where we nd ourselves,” Raimie said. “And most importantly, where we nd each other.”

News Editor Jackson Brandhorst can be reached at jbrandhorst@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @jacksondothtml

SIU panel debates diversity, AI integration amid funding challenges

TREVOR JOHN TJOHN@DAILYEGYPTIAN COM

A Nov. 4 panel hosted by e Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability discussed the challenges facing Southern Illinois University, including reduced state funding, declining enrollment and technological changes.

SIU System President Dan Mahony, Executive Director of the CTBA Ralph Martire and former state representative and author Jim Nowlan debated what Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw called “the overall political and cultural moment,” highlighting declining public con dence in higher education.

Martire said higher education is under assault.

“Higher ed is under assault both politically and nancially, and from the federal level all the way down to the state level,” Martire said. “At the federal level, you have attempts by the president’s administration to rein in certain initiatives that have been done by higher

ed on (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion).” ese initiatives addressed what Martire called “statistically meaningful underrepresentations.” According to SIU data from 2023, the six-year graduation rate of white students is approximately 63% on average. is is the highest when compared to approximately 58% for Asian students, 46% for mixed-race students, 45% for Latino students and 33% for Black students, on average.

Martire cited recent House proposals to cut nearly $300 million from campusbased aid programs, including Federal Work-Study and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, which can impact approximately 150,000 Illinois students, with 48,700 losing the grant entirely, while 106,000 having it reduced. e maximum Pell Grant award was preserved at $7,395 for the 202425 academic year, according to the US Department of Education.

Martire and the CTBA are advocating for a new funding formula in Spring eld

based on the actual cost of educating a student rather than the current appropriations process.

Nowlan said the current funding model needs reform.

Martire said the funding level for higher education for scal year 2026, after being adjusted for in%ation, will be about $2.3 billion, or 47% less than it was in the year 2000 under Republican Gov. George Homer Ryan Sr.

According to the report delivered from the former president of SIU’s system Ted Sanders during the Jul. 8, 1999, meeting, Illinois provided the SIU system with $218.7 million in scal year 2000. In scal year 2024, the state provided $222.7 million.

Despite the dollar amount remaining nominally the same over 24 years, the purchasing power has reduced by nearly half. According to a 2010 Simon Review by Professor John Jackson and Carol Bedar, the SIU system funding peaked at $249 million in scal year

2002 before declining.

“We’re devoting less in real dollars than we did in 2000,” Nowlan said. “ e number of high school graduates will decline signi cantly, which is a grave concern.”

Panelists discussed the demographic cli , a national projection that the number of high school graduates will begin declining around 2025.

“Between 2010 and 2023, nationally, full-time equivalent enrollment in public universities declined by 10%. In Illinois, it declined by 29%,” Martire said.

Mahony said the university is expanding recruitment beyond Illinois.

“We’re recruiting in Texas now,” Mahony said. He said many Illinois high school graduates view SIU as a backup school.

Mahony highlighted the Saluki Commitment program, which guarantees tuition and mandatory fees are fully covered for students from families earning less than $103,040 annually.

According to the 2024 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, the real median household income in Illinois in 2024 was approximately $83,211

“It’s hard to get that message out,” Mahony said. “Some university employees don’t know that exists,” he said in relation to the program.

Mahony said the university currently o ers 54 classes involving arti cial intelligence. He said he opposes statemandated AI competency requirements. One way he does so is by allowing students to use AI tools, but requires them to explain their process.

“Tell me why you changed what it gave you,” Mahony said.

On the other hand, Martire said overreliance on generative AI could harm students’ analytical skills. He said using AI for research is acceptable, but using it to generate writing is not.

News reporter Trevor John can be reached at tjohn@dailyegyptian.com.

Living legacies: The life experiences of southern Illinoisans

Work

contributed

from JRNL 419: Editorial Portraiture

Southern Illinoisans over the age of 65 have cemented their mark in the region, spending their careers teaching the next generation, serving in the military and leading the Carbondale community. ey have volunteered their time, while watching as time shaped and reshaped the region over the years.

e photo students in the JRNL-419 Editorial Portraiture class took to the community through the semester to nd older residents in the region, listening and photographing as they shared their life experiences.

e project aimed to highlight and showcase untold stories.

To read their full stories and hear the lives of more southern Illinoisans, visit www.dailyegyptian.com

RIGHT: Mayor of Carbondale, Carolin Harvey, 73, stands in front of a tree in front of the Survivor Empowerment Center Nov. 10, 2025, in Carbondale, Illinois. Harvey has been mayor since 2023 and has spent a good amount of her time volunteering at the Survivor Empowerment Center. Harvey said that it is important to help the community out and create unity. “I realize that where I am is only through God’s grace... I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow, and I always try to react to people or help people in a way that you could be me or I could be you tomorrow.” Peyton Cook | @cookmeavisual

RIGHT: Elmer C. Brandhorst Jr., 78, stands in front of the old Carbondale High School Nov. 16, 2025. Brandhorst is a lifelong Carbondale resident and Army Veteran who served three years in Vietnam. Carbondale has developed rapidly since his move to the area. The mall stands where he used to quail hunt, and the SIU REC Center sits on his old home. The Carbondale High School moved across town in 2009, leaving the place he went to school empty. High school started in September, but Brandhorst was in one door and out another for the fall semester, which coincided with hunting season. He’d be in the building long enough to pass the course, but anyone could nd him out hunting during school hours. He played football and baseball through high school up until 1965 where he joined the army, departed for Vietnam and nished his GED overseas. “I went in the army to keep from going to jail,” he said. “Being the redneck I was at the time, it was not a good time. Not proud of that.” He served in the Army from 1966 to 1968, and while in Vietnam, he was sent over with papers and work to nish his education. In 1966, all of his papers, the records and more were blown up. “It was dangerous running through Saigon that time,” he said. “Well, I got along without it.”

Lylee Gibbs |

@lyleegibbsphoto

LEFT: Laird Avery, 65, leans down for a portrait while holding a paintbrush with red paint up to the camera lens Nov. 14, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. After he graduated from high school in Marion he focused primarily on being a ne artist with a safety net of graphic design. “I just fell in love with it, and to me, design is art and art is design,” Avery said. He went to school at SIU and was involved in the School of Technical Careers Information. He pursued a degree in graphic design and after graduating from SIU he moved to Houston, Texas. In Houston, Avery worked for a business called Kelman Design Studio where he did a lot of production work. After his time in Houston he came back up to Marion to take care of his mother. He then moved to Carbondale in 2018, where his career focus shifted. “I realized that I’d been doing advertising all my life, and I wanted to promote organizations and ideas rather than just make more money for somebody who usually had more money than they needed,” he said. In Carbondale, he discovered Project Human X, a community art center run by Marquez Scoggin and his wife Cree Sahidah Glanz where he’s created murals, done screen printing and has collaborated with other local artists.

Riley Sembler | @riley_sembler

Concepción Bartolo, owner of Taqueria Pequeña, poses with her collection of plants on the front porch of her in Cobden, Illinois. The home Bartolo and her husband now live in is one of the rst big purchases made when they became US citizens and they have resided in Cobden for 30 years since. Bartolo and her husband in Cobden working at Flamm Orchard to provide for their family. They would bring home 76 dollars for the themselves and their children. Flamm shared ducks with them and huitlacoche, a fungus that would sometimes was considered a delicacy in Mexico but undesirable here. It took years for anyone in the family to eat any because Maria Concepción Bartolo got by feeding her children their traditional foods out of the food they had Eventually Bartolo opened Taqueria Pequeña and it has been a staple in the community since with people driving with the intention of eating her food. Dominique Martinez-Powell | @d.martinezphoto

(HD) Motyl, 70, sits in a director’s chair Nov. 14, 2025 at the McLeod Theater in Carbondale, Illinois. Motyl has with movies since he was a child. Growing up, he would constantly go and see movies playing in his local currently holds the position of Associate Professor teaching media production and writing for television at University. Motyl got his Bachelor’s Degree at Penn State University in 1979 where he went through ve majors, graduating with an English Degree. Motyl tried studying lm at Penn State, but said, “This is what is so bizarre to with other people.” Motyl worked for a number of production companies on shows for the History Channel, Geographic, and A&E. He additionally spent some time editing in post-houses across the Chicago area, but left editing producer, a role he said he was much happier doing. After working a few di erent jobs including freelance work, south to Carbondale and has been working for SIU in a number of positions ever since. @gavinwmelton

RIGHT: Dan “Red Dog” Abbott, stands for a portrait Nov 12, 2025, on The Hill at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale Illinois. Abbott has been a part of “The Hill Gang” for decades where he and other alumni or members of the community gather on The Hill during baseball games each season and grill out. During games, there is a donation box where money is collected for the Saluki baseball team. Last year $5000 was raised and donated to the team. Abby Harris | @photoabbyharris

ABOVE: Dennis Galloway, 69, sits for a portrait Nov. 13, 2025 at Itchy Jones Stadium. Galloway directed sports television for over thirty years, working for networks such as ESPN, Fox Sports, and the Big East Network. As much as the position gave him these exciting opportunities to be around the game he loves, it also came with some brutal realities. There were multiple points at which he lost his job on a whim, either because of poor happenstance or the politics of being in a high pro le organization. He said the experiences leave him a little bit jaded today, given the di cult nancial situations they put him and his family in at the time. Galloway became a professor at SIU Carbondale in 2013, where he has been teaching multi-camera production and sports classes ever since. He said he enjoys seeing students grow and it can feel quite rewarding, and made the transition to being a professor more worth it. Nathan Culli | @nathan.culli

the spirit of Cher saying, “No, I love men — they’re the coolest. You just don’t need them to live.”

I knew that others had strong opinions about the article, or even in this case, just the headline. So, in true Carrie Bradshaw fashion, I phoned a friend.

Local resident Gracie Oldham, who is recently engaged, explained how she felt about Vogue’s article.

“In certain situations, yes, it is embarrassing,” Oldham said. “Like when a girl will ask permission to do something from her boyfriend because he is controlling. Or even when men are rude and unsupportive about friendships that they can’t control.”

Oldham said that a controlling or selfconscious man is embarrassing to date. Having a controlling partner is not an individual experience, either. According to the CDC, over 61 million women and 53 million men have experienced psychological aggression within relationships. In my opinion, life is too short to be bullied by a partner, gender aside.

Oldham said that being in love isn’t embarrassing, as long as you aren’t in love with someone who is actively trying to embarrass you. She also touched on some women watering down who they are to keep or attract a man.

“Some change their interests to appease who they are with or trying to attract,” she said. “ at is not OK.”

ere has also been a shift in education and work that is a ecting the embarrassment scale of dating men. Women are increasingly passing men in the educational department. Scott Galloway, a professor at NYU, warned of something he calls the “mating gap”

in an interview with CNN.

Galloway said that for every two college-educated women, there will be one college-educated man. Men aged 16-24 are earning 10% less than women in full-time income. Galloway made a formula for what women want, and it is pretty simple. According to his research, women want men with future resources — not money right now, but drive, kindness and intellect. at doesn’t seem like just the bare minimum, and men that possess these traits would not be embarrassing to date or pursue.

“I feel like men do have better opportunities to have high-paying jobs without a degree like a welder or a lineman,” Oldham said. “I think it gets sticky when there is some loser guy who has a s----y job with no education, then is with a successful woman. en he turns insecure because he doesn’t like that she has an education, career and other things. I truly think it matters on how the man is doing.”

Kassity Lee, former ad chief of the DE and a senior at SIU majoring in advertisement and marketing, who is currently single, expressed her feelings toward the article after it blew up online.

“I took the time to read the article, and it seemed that the general statement is that people are tired of watching women’s personalities melt away the moment they partner up,” Lee said. “Especially in a dating scene that is frankly abysmal. Women don’t want to be pinned as someone who settles down and concedes themselves for a man when men have been giving the bare minimum.”

Lee explained how she had recently gone on a rst date with a man who openly told her that he doesn’t have any hobbies, without shame.

“Guys like that, women don’t want to be associated with, and they de nitely don’t want to be seen as giving themselves up for someone like that,” Lee said. “I don’t think it is inherently embarrassing to have a boyfriend, it’s embarrassing to shed your own interests, growth, everything, for someone who pales in comparison to you as an individual.”

Women are also sick of being caregivers to grown men. Sure, there are ways to care for someone and show appreciation, but then there is going to work all day, then going home to cook and clean for a man who sits on the couch.

“The sad reality is that a lot of men in the dating scene seemingly don’t want partners,”

boyfriends to uphold.

“When men decide to develop their own personalities, make compromises, and clean their apartments again, I think it will be less embarrassing,” Lee said. “I don’t see that day coming any time soon, though. One can hope.”

The Vogue article also touches on dating in the age of social media. Many women are choosing to “soft launch” meaning they are letting their following know they are in a relationship, just without directly posting their boyfriend.

Online dating and dating apps have also shifted the way people date. Tinder, the dating app where you can look at someone’s face and choose if you like them or not by

“In certain situations, yes, it is embarrassing. Like when a girl will ask permission to do something from her boyfriend because he is controlling. Or even when men are rude and unsupportive about friendships that they can’t control.”

Recently

- Gracie Oldham

engaged Carbondale resident

Lee said. “They want to be taken care of, they want to receive and just take and take. Women are tired of that … That is why it is embarrassing to say you have a boyfriend now, I think. People assume that you’re the victim of a personality-less man-baby, because so many people are.”

Lee explained that she would love to date again, under certain circumstances for

swiping left or right, has a few features that could be blamed for the current dating market. Instant gratification by seeing who likes you, who believes you are attractive, who wants to take you out on a date all feels very middle school. It is almost like you were passed a note in science class reading “will you be my girlfriend?”

Despite the feeling of Tinder feeling like

you are stuck in middle school purgatory, it is an 18+ app. There is a feature on Tinder called “free tonight” where people looking for hookups can join and find someone to sleep with for the evening. You can also add what you are looking for in terms of dating, and one of the options is short-term fun. Listen, I enjoy transparency as much as the next woman. However, I don’t think a person should be dwindled down to just being labeled as “short-term fun.”

With dating apps, 73% of users have experienced some type of domestic violence, according to The Australian Institute of Criminology. A sobering statistic that makes people sit back and think if it could be them as they swipe right and left. Domestic violence is never embarrassing, what is embarrassing is the culture that makes fun of women for wanting stability, security or to just be treated like a human.

So, is having a boyfriend embarrassing now? Honestly, yes — if he is the kind of man who asks “wyd” at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday night. e embarrassment is not found in love; pretending you do not want love from anyone could be embarrassing. Embarrassment doesn’t inherently sit on the title “boyfriend.” e embarrassment lies in if you have a boyfriend who isn’t worth publicly claiming, or if you feel the need to water yourself down to make a man feel bigger.

It seems like the bar for expectations in men has made its way lower, buried somewhere in a pile of unsolicited pictures and “are you awake” texts. If your boyfriend clears the bar, congratulations. If he doesn’t? I guess that is between you and phoning a friend.

Staff reporter Mariah Fletcher can be reached at mfletcher@dailyegyptian.com

Joyful Noise claims $1K Karaoke Cup prize and trophy after tiebreaker at Hangar 9

Each Tuesday, 16 SIU RSO’s took over the Hangar 9 stage looking to take home the coveted $1,000 prize, bringing props, choreography and surprises with them. e crowds were lively each night, interacting with the candy and fake cash that was thrown from the stage.

e Daily Egyptian collaborated with Hangar 9 this semester to host the rst ever RSO Karaoke Cup.

Registered Student Organizations signed up to compete for a $1,000 donation from Hangar 9 to go toward their club. e competition lasted from Oct. 7 to Nov. 18, every Tuesday at 10 p.m.

e competition was lled with lots of di erent RSOs, including Alt. News 26:46, Forestry Club, Water Ski Club and PRSSA who all brought vastly di erent performances.

e nale took place on Nov. 18, where Joyful Noise and Fierce: Musical eatre climbed their way through the bracket to the championship.

In the championship round, the two tied with a score of 47 leading them to a tiebreaker. Both teams randomly shu$ed a playlist of songs provided by the Daily Egyptian. Both groups had 15 minutes to practice how they wanted to perform their songs. Ultimately, Joyful Noise, who performed to “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” by Big & Rich defeated Musical eater 47-45, taking home the winning prize money and trophy.

Judges were the DE’s own editorial board. Each judge would give a score from 1 to 10 based on stage presence, crowd participation, singing ability/ performance, out ts/costumes and a wild card factor. ere were ve judges each night, making 50 the max score that a performance could receive.

“Judging was so di cult because all the teams were phenomenal,” DE editor-in-chief Lylee Gibbs said. “ e turnout was fantastic and all the teams were wonderful. We are very grateful at the DE to have had the opportunity to work with Hangar 9 on this.”

Joyful Noise Choir began in 2024 and describes itself as a safe space for singers or musicians looking to highlight Black excellence through music and dancing.

“We just went out there, we had fun and we showed everybody who we were,” said president, co-founder and head musician, Ameriah Lockett.

Frank Burke has been hosting karaoke for about two years at Hangar 9 and got to see every performance throughout the tournament.

“It’s been so much fun seeing how creative everyone is with it,” Burke said.

Brandon Henry, Hangar 9’s general manager, has been the manager since it reopened in August of this year and joined the team in June. Henry has also been able to see all of the performances from each of the RSOs.

“ e choreography was amazing.

e song choice was really good, and it kind of showed the talent of what we have here homegrown on SIU’s

campus,” Henry said.

Some of the most memorable performances by the RSOs for Henry included the Forestry club throwing hot dogs, the energy that PRSSA would show up with every night with amazing crowd work and out t changes, and with Pagans, Occultists, and Witches of SIUC and Spanish Club performing with only one person.

“ at took some really amazing con dence,” Henry said of the clubs

that performed as individuals. “And they did a great job as well.”

“Our main goal was to nd a way to reach out to students, to get them involved in something outside of classes that the community could enjoy,” Henry said. “Obviously the prize money of the donation to the RSOs was probably a big catalyst for that, but we wanted to make it worth their time.”

Henry looks forward to potentially

making this an annual or twice a year event.

“To me, it feels like we brought together a legendary newspaper and Carbondale nightclub to uncover a new legendary student group. I couldn’t be more pleased,” Hangar 9 co-owner Scott Moller said.

Sta photographer Emily Brinkman can be reached at ebrinkman@dailyegyptian.com

Williams, Salukis soar past No. 11 Redbirds, win 37-7

To close out the 2025 regular season, the Salukis traveled to Normal, Illinois, to play the No. 11 Illinois State University Redbirds in the nal regular season MVFC game on Saturday, Nov. 22. Southern Illinois sought out a .500 record in conference play with a victory, and the Redbirds looked to add to their winning season.

SIU won the coin &ip and opted to receive the ball to begin the game. e Salukis relied on their strong running game, rushing for most of their yards down eld. e drive ended with quarterback DJ Williams running for 12 yards into the end zone to put SIU up 7-0 early. Consistent with the rest of the season, the Salukis converted multiple 3rd downs and scored on the opening drive, a task they have done in every game this season but one.

Illinois State would begin the next drive by implementing their short game to gain yardage and eventually got deep into SIU territory with a 47-yard pass, threatening to respond. Similar to the Salukis’ opening drive, ISU quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse rushed into the end zone without much pressure to knot the game at 7-7.

Wide receiver Vinson Davis III returned the kick for an impressive 41 yards, putting the Salukis past mid eld to begin the drive. A couple of 1st-down passes and a rush from Williams put the Dawgs in prime scoring position. Despite a passing-heavy drive, Williams rushed into the end zone once again to

extend the Saluki lead back to 7 points.

e Redbirds looked to match the drive once again, but the strong SIU defense forced a turnover on downs, and the Salukis had an opportunity to extend their lead even further. Williams continued to rush and complete passes to his receivers e ciently, racking up 1st downs and applying pressure on ISU. e Salukis also failed to convert and turned the ball over to Illinois State.

e Salukis continued to chip away and get closer to their third touchdown of the rst half. After failing to nd a man in the end zone, kicker Paul Geelen nailed a 32-yard eld goal to give the Salukis a 17-7 lead. ISU lined up for a 51-yard eld goal, but defensive end Jake Parrella broke through and blocked the attempt, leaving SIU with a 10-point lead going into halftime.

The second half was underway, and neither team could push across any points, forcing three consecutive punts. Finally, the Salukis were able to get within field goal range thanks to a couple of large rushes by running back Eddie Robinson. Geelen stepped up again and tallied another 3 points, extending the SIU lead to 20-7.

e SIU defense struck again and forced the Redbirds into their third punt of the quarter. Following the ISU turnover, the Salukis were o to the races as they inched their way down eld, and their 12-play, 90yard drive ended with yet another Williams rushing touchdown.

e Redbirds and Salukis failed to score further to start the fourth quarter. Eventually, SIU was able

to get within eld goal range once again, and Geelen knocked down his third eld goal of the game, giving the Salukis a 30-7 lead, looking to nish strong.

While the game seemed to be out of reach, the Redbirds would attempt to inch closer when linebacker

Chris Presto intercepted a pass. Williams added to his impressive game with his fourth rushing touchdown of the game, essentially putting the game away. Williams now holds the single-season rushing yard record by a quarterback with 847 yards.

“Today, it all came together,” Williams said. “I am

happy I can go into SIU history.” e clock counted down, and the Salukis nished the regular season with a dominant win. With this win, SIU nished with a record of 7-5 overall and a 4-4 record in conference play. Illinois State ended with an 8-4 overall record and 5-3 in conference.

“ is is a really good football team, and I hope it ends in a playo berth,” head coach Nick Hill said. Sports reporter Noah Petschke can be reached at npetschke@dailyegyptian.com

of the game before forward Prince Aligbe made a layup two and a half minutes in. SIU put their foot on the gas from there, and they got the deficit down to 10-9 at the first media timeout.

The Salukis’ second unit impressed during their time on the court together, outscoring the Trojans 11-4 over the next five minutes to take the lead. A steal and a fastbreak layup from guard Jalen Haynes brought the score to 20-14 in favor of SIU with 11:05 left in the half.

Both sides seemed to find their footing at that point. No team could gain a competitive advantage and the back-andforth action led to Little Rock head coach Darrell Walker calling a timeout with 7:38 left until halftime, SIU leading 24-19.

The tides seemed to turn after the timeout and both defenses continued to lock in, but the Trojans found enough of an opening to tie the game at 25 with three and a half minutes left in the first half.

Little Rock guard Jonathan Lawson hit a 3-pointer with 1:06 left in the half to give the Trojans a 31-29 lead they would

not relinquish the rest of the half.

Another bucket gave Little Rock a 33-29 advantage heading into the locker room.

The Trojans momentum continued coming out of halftime. Forward Kachi Nzeh hit a 3-pointer in their first possession of the half and they were able to ride that momentum to a 40-36 lead with 15:32 left in the contest.

The Salukis picked it up from there, going on a lightning fast 11-3 run over two and a half minutes. A fastbreak layup from forward Rolyns Aligbe pushed the lead to 47-43, forcing Little Rock to take a timeout.

Disaster nearly struck for the Salukis when guard Isaiah

Stafford had a scary fall over the Best Seats in the House couch courtside with 8:20 to go.

Stafford exited the game briefly, but reentered soon after and has been deemed 100% healthy by head coach Scott Nagy.

“He’s good. He just landed flat on his back on the floor,” Nagy said postgame.

On the court, SIU continued to keep Little Rock at arm’s length. The Salukis were able to keep a 65-61 advantage heading into the final media timeout.

The Trojans were never able to retake the lead over the Salukis. SIU’s timeout with 53.3 seconds to go and a 71-63 lead gave the home crowd a chance to celebrate, and seemingly signal the end of the contest.

A free throw from Stafford capped the scoring at 74-65 Salukis.

Steffe led the Salukis with a career high 21 points on an impressive 67% shooting percentage from the floor. Haynes joined Steffe in double figures with 10 points. Haynes filled up the box score with four assists and two steals as well, and Nagy seemed to notice after the game.

“Really proud of Jalen. Thought he played great and gave us a ton of energy off the bench,” he said.

The Salukis now have nearly a week before they have to go on the road again. They travel to High Point, North Carolina on Wednesday Dec. 3 at 6 p.m., to take on the High Point University Panthers.

Sports writer Eli Hoover can be found at ehoover@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @hoovermakesart

Women’s basketball continue to struggle, fall 60-52 to WKU

After five straight games on the road, one resulting in a no-contest, the Salukis women’s basketball team returned home and hosted the Lady Toppers from Western Kentucky University on Nov. 30 in the Banterra Center. Looking to snap a 4-game losing streak, the Salukis couldn’t come out with a win and dropped the game 60-52 to the Toppers. e game started slowly, with

neither team scoring for a couple of minutes. e Lady Toppers would open up the scoring by draining a 3-pointer, and SIU guard Jeniah ompson answered with a bucket of her own. Guard Alayna Kraus knocked down a jumper, bringing the Salukis within two points. However, the persistent Toppers’ o ense was on full display as they sprinted out to a 17-13 lead after the rst quarter. To begin the second quarter, forward Indya Green scored two

Puzzle answers

for the Salukis, and Kraus put up back-to-back 3-pointers to give SIU its rst lead of the night at 21-20. ompson continued her e cient shooting night by quickly tallying six points to keep the game competitive. e Toppers would continue their strong o ensive performance and hold a 4-point lead to conclude the rst half. e third quarter was underway, and the Salukis would try to battle their way back to overcome the small de cit. e two teams exchanged

points until the Toppers went on a dominant 9-0 run, shrinking SIU’s chance of coming back. Guard Kayla Cooper put up ve points in the quarter, but the Salukis faced a 9-point de cit at 51-42 heading into the nal quarter of the game.

With their backs against the wall, the Salukis needed to have a strong fourth quarter to snag a victory, and they started well. Kraus swiftly added ve more points to her already impressive performance, and the Dawgs were within four. With some

missed shots and turnovers late in the game, the Salukis couldn’t close the gap and dropped the game by a score of 60-52.

e Salukis now hold a record of 1-5, and the Lady Toppers sit at 3-4. Southern Illinois Women’s Basketball will be back in action on Dec. 3 in Birmingham, Alabama, to face o against the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Sports reporter Noah Petschke can be reached at npetschke@dailyegyptian.com

Spoken word and other noises from Carbondale’s new Underground Poets Club

BRAYDEN GUY GUY@DAILYEGYPTIAN COM

Upon entering Hawthorne Art, it looks like the only artwork that would be done there is metalworking or carpentry.

e bare concrete oor, red and tan brick walls, old parked forklift, garage doors and warehouse support beams of the ceiling make the art studio have an industrial feel. Which probably does not match the space one would think of for an Underground Poets Club and Open Mic Night.

But the art studio Hawthorne Art has begun hosting the Underground Poets Club: Music and Poetry Open Mic Night on the rst and third Wednesdays of each month with free admission.

e paintings and artworks on display immediately ground newcomers into a space of creative potential and outlet. A large painting titled “In the Doldrums” is on display in the center of the studio. It mixes a scene that looks like a painting from the Renaissance, but also has contemporary branded items in the background. It was painted by the owner of Hawthorne Art, Brooke Yandle, who wants the art studio to promote and assist artists.

e lighting also helped make the industrial vibes feel more cozy. Christmas lights were loosely hung around the support beams of the ceiling, giving o a warm incandescent glow. A lamp spotlighted the small square stage and microphone. e light created a huge silhouette of whoever got on the stage to perform.

An intimate crowd that could be counted on two hands came to the Nov. 19 open mic night. So, the ve- to 15-minute time slots became merely a suggestion.

omas Shaynor read multiple of his poems that had a free verse style; he described them as “raw” and “unedited.” Even though there was no strict structure or meter to the poems, there was a ow, like a stream of consciousness. His poems focused on relationships and warfare.

A powerful stanza that stood out during his performance of a poem with an anonymous name was:

“I feel like I am kicking a dead horse / until it transforms into a zombie and chases me down / it wants to bite off my ankles.”

Anise Noice performed a noise set with just a Boss Metal Zone pedal and a vocal e ects processor. e high-pitched whines, low rumbles and white noise created by the pedal were like cursed radio chatter. Noice gave another performance the

“Hawthorne has always been an experiment and a mission to push creatives to their limits and o er them the space to do their best work,” Yandle said. “ e open mic is naturally a way to bring in musicians, writers, performers, and others to workshop and have fun.”

following ursday night at Hawthorne Art as the bassist of the hyperpop band Bunni. ursday night also featured performances from Katt Holiday and Superhotnova.

Yandle even read a poem from deep within her Notes app titled “Autophobia.”

e poem was about a small wooden boy and dealt with the theme of fearing oneself.

After performances were given, participants would rejoin the audience, and conversations broke out about art, the creative process, being genuine and embracing cringe.

e Underground Poets Club Open Mic is one of the many events that are hosted at Hawthorne Art. It is an opportunity to practice performing to

a small and appreciative audience and connect with artists.

“I challenge anyone reading this to pick up a guitar, a trumpet, or a pen and prepare for our next meeting,” Yandle said.

Sta Reporter Brayden Guy can be reached at bguy@dailyegyptian.com.

71. Dabbling

72.

PUZZLE PAGE

*answers on page 10

1. Tub

73. Drip slowly Down

2 .Workplace regulation agency

3. Unglazed brownish-red earthenware

4. Pulls

5. Ingenious sales devices

6. World’s largest economy

7. Expression of incredulity

8. Scrap 9. Despise 10. Parched 11. Small lake

12. U N nuclear watchdog

13. Swirl 19. Warning signal 21. Touchdown forecasts

German state 26. O founder 27. Temporary peace

29. Single-masted sailboat

31. Electrically charged particle

32. Maritime refugees

33. Tea-growing Indian state

34. Inclines

37. Southern hemisphere constellation

40. “He’d make a lovely corpse” (Dickens:

“Martin Chuzzlewit”)

42. 1,000%

45. Kind of card

47. Arti cially-colored

50. Went on the lam

54. Like Mayberry

56. Travel stamps

57. “I --- my wit’s end”

58. Projecting part of the brain

59. Common fertilizer ingredient

60. Shopping center

61. Height of Denver

63. Dull

64. Sudden

66. Employ

Weekly Event Calendar

*To play Sudoku, ll a 9x9 grid with digits 1 through 9 so that each row, each column, and each 3x3 subgrid contains each number exactly once.

Your guide to upcoming local events over the next 7 days! December

5 3 4 WED THURS FRI 7 SUN 6 SAT 8 MON 9 TUE