Omer Elsanusi, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering from Khartoum, Sudan, arranges flags from more than 30 countries Feb. 6 after the annual International Parade of Flags in the Student Center ballroom. Elsanusi and his wife, Asia Abobaker, marched with their country’s flag during the parade. Sudan was one of the seven initial countries banned from the United States in President Donald Trump’s executive orders. “It was great to participate in this multicultural event and to be part of this community,” Elsanusi said. “It makes you feel like home to some extent, especially in the current circumstances. Especially when you are supported by such great people. I think that’s what really matters.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Counterclockwise from left: Good Samaritan Ministries Executive Director Mike Heath supervises Aniyah Miller, 10; Carissa Bennett, 10; Jaden Garnette-Love, 10; Darren Johnson, 10, all of Carbondale; and Zachary Myers, of Memphis, Tennessee, as they fill Heath’s trunk with blankets, hats and gloves donated by the public Jan. 16 during the Boys and Girls Club of Carbondale’s Lend a Hand donation drive. The children held the drive for their annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service project. The Carbondale community was invited to drop off fresh fruits and vegetables, spare change, warm blankets, hats and gloves at the Boys and Girls Club, where they were later presented to Heath and Good Samaritan vice president Maurine Pyle. “This is fantastic,” Heath said of the drive. “This is our life bread, especially at this time of year when it’s cold.” Although the state’s stopgap budget provided Good Samaritan with enough resources for 2016 and 2017, Heath said without a real budget, the organization faces financial uncertainty beyond then. “We have tremendously generous donors here in town,” Pyle said. “All of these local donors and fundraisers keep us going. It’s a community of philanthropy.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)In a living room filled with his artwork, Joshua-Kyle “JK” Brandon, a senior from Buffalo Grove studying psychology, finger paints Jan. 31 between classes in Carbondale. The Marine veteran sought out SIU’s Counselling and Psychological Services after the deaths of his family members and a suicide attempt last year. “[My counselor] helped me ground myself and reminded me that, as a human being, I need to honor all my feelings,” Brandon said. “I was liberated, it really changed me.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Chris Weatherwax, co-owner of Saluki Dawgs, battles the steam escaping from inside his hot dog cooker while preparing one of his specialty hot dogs for a customer Feb. 18 by Pagliai’s Pizza on the Strip. Weatherwax and his friend Thomas Becker began the business in December and serve customers between 11 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Weatherwax credits Saluki Ventures, part of the Office of Economic and Regional Development, with helping them start and maintain their business. “Honestly, we wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for them,” Weatherwax said. “As far as getting locations, working with us to find out where we can go, who to talk to, they’ve been so helpful.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)India Marsh surveys the destruction of her Elkville home March 1 after a tornado ripped through the town and several surrounding southern Illinois communities Tuesday night. Marsh said she has lived in the house her whole life. “We really don’t know where we are going to go,” Marsh said. “This all happened so fast.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Michael Halpin, a senior from Dorchester studying equine science, and Sheila Puckett, an agricultural research technician, attempt to get a newborn foal to feed for the first time April 11 at the University Farms’ Equine Center. The foal was born to Honey, a mare owned by the university. The foal was named Marvel in reference to Marvel Comics, which was the theme for foal names this year. (Bill Lukitsch | @lukitsbill)Monte and Sharon Penrod, of Pocahontas, Missouri, embrace while watching the sunrise April 16 during the 81st annual Easter sunrise service at the Bald Knob Cross of Peace in Alto Pass. The pair have been married for nine years. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Winston Mezo, also known as the bagel man, shops for supplies April 27 at Wal-Mart in Carbondale before heading to the parking lot of Pinch Penny Liquors to open his “Winston’s Bagels” cart for the last time. Mezo officially retired April 30 though he was not able to sell his well-known snacks that Friday or Saturday because of severe weather. The Herrin native has been a fixture in the community since 1983. (Anna Spoerre | @annaspoerre)John O’Connell, a Ph.D. candidate in zoology from Miami, traverses wetlands Feb. 12 off Illinois Route 3 near Gale. The Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, through which O’Connell conducts his wetland research, could be at risk of losing $507,388 in funding if the university doesn’t receive state appropriations by July 1. “I imagine if funding is cut that that’s going to impact the number of students and maybe the number of faculty that we have,” he said. “We lost quite a few students last year because their projects were funded and their assistantships were funded through federal money that was blocked because of the failure of the state to pass a budget that authorized the spending of that money.” He said the different academic departments that use the lab overlap and mingle, and that the sharing of information in the lab is a way to collaborate and further their research. (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)Amina Butt, of Carbondale, shows a series of white flags with sayings on them to her son, Yusef, on April 13 at Carbondale’s Gaia House. About 25 community members gathered at the Gaia House for a vigil as a sign of solidarity with Syria amid the country’s civil war. Butt is a member of the Carbondale Muslim Center and her father is president of the city’s Interfaith Council, a collaborative group of local religious leaders. Butt said she wanted to bring her children to the vigil to teach them about the world and help them understand the ongoing conflict in Syria. “It puts their blessed life in perspective for them,” she said. (Bill Lukitsch | @lukitsbill)John Wojcik, a senior from Des Plaines studying marketing, takes a dip during a Polar Plunge event Feb. 25 outside the Recreation Center. Wojcik said this was his third year plunging and fourth year volunteering at the Polar Plunge. “It goes to a great cause,” Wojcik said. “It’s icy cold for a couple seconds, but you feel great after.” The plunge raised money to support the Special Olympics. (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)Marion Sai, of Carbondale, encourages her then 7-month-old son, Matine, as he walks around the table with help from Kathryn Neely, of Carbondale, on March 6 during an afternoon of sign-making at Gaia House in preparation for the “A Day Without a Woman” rally in Carbondale. “Civic engagement is a really powerful tool to speak truth to power,” Sai said. “I hope that by being exposed to this, [Matine] can be a part of a really positive, proactive group of people. I think his first words will probably be, ‘This is what democracy looks like.’” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Dean, a student in SIU’s Head Start program, and Alexandra Spillman, a student in the physician assistant program from Effingham, look at an X-ray of Curious George during a doll clinic March 8 at the Head Start center in Carbondale. Adam Guss, a student in the physician assistant program from Milan, said the kids pretend their dolls are their own children when they come to the clinic. “It just brings kids to light about making them more comfortable coming into the doctor’s office,” Guss said. “Seeing their dolls, or babies as we call them, be more comfortable then it makes them more comfortable coming into see us.” This is the fifth year for the doll clinic. Head Start requested the last names, hometowns and ages of children not be published. (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)Pravin Varughese’s mother, Lovely, folds her hands Feb. 11 during a memorial ceremony in the woods bordering Illinois Route 13, where police say her son died of hypothermia about three years ago. (Luke Nozicka | @lukenozicka)After exploring the flooded fields adjacent to Pleasant Hill Road in their canoe, A.J. Kimble, a senior from Jerseyville studying marketing, and Jace Munselle, a senior from Fairfield studying finance and accounting, carry the canoe back to their car April 30 in Carbondale. “This is usually the road I take to Giant City,” Munselle said. “Yesterday I was just driving around and saw it was flooded and blocked off. I haven’t been canoeing in a while so we decided to go.” The pair said they canoed for about two miles in the surrounding fields. “These are some of the most beautiful places to canoe,” Kimble said. “We saw a baby owl,” Munselle added. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
John Kenny, a senior from Aurora studying political science, stands outside his former home for one of the last times Feb. 23 before Dustin Wheetley, of Wheetley Construction, returns to continue tearing down the burnt Carbondale building. A structure fire engulfed the house on Nov. 23 and killed Kenny’s 20-year-old roommate, Alex Kierstead. “I can remember us all sitting in [that living room] not too long ago,” Kenny said. “I want to say that coming here to see [the house] is kind of a bit of closure, but it’s not really. It’s still an open wound. … A part of me wants to say good riddance to it all, but a part of me is just kind of numb. It’s almost better that way.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Emmalie Hall-Skank, a senior from Streamwood studying interior design, gazes up from inside a bamboo forest March 5 during an afternoon hike with members of the Southern Illinois Pagan Alliance at the Marberry Arboretum off Pleasant Hill Road in Carbondale. The group hike was organized by Tara Nelson, founder of SIPA and a 2002 SIU graduate. “Because [Paganism] is a nature-based spiritual practice, for us, this is church,” said Nelsen. “Being able to watch this change of the seasons and recognize that this so much a part of human existence, like seriously, this is church. For us, being out in nature is more sacred than any building ever could be.” Although this was SIPA’s first group hike of 2017, Nelson said she plans to facilitate more group activities in the coming months. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Will and Donna Major share a dance Feb. 14 during Prairie Living’s Valentine’s Day Dance at Prairie Living at Chautauqua in Carbondale. The couple met and married in the assisted living community and celebrate their third anniversary in October. “We’re one of the few people left who can still dance,” Donna said. “So we always dance. As long as we can, we do.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)From left: Juliette Makara, a senior from Arlington Heights studying sports administration; Caroline Bush, a junior from Germantown, Tennessee, studying university studies and physical therapy; and Clair Bammann, a sophomore from Pontiac studying civil and environmental engineering, perform a piece titled “Helium” on April 29 during the Southern Illinois Dance Company’s spring concert in Furr Auditorium. “We had a great group this semester,” said Montana Taylor, president of the SIDC and a junior from Atlanta majoring in accounting and sports administration. “Everyone was really dedicated to making sure we had a strong, diverse concert that showed people our passion for dance and commitment to improving our technique and versatility as dancers.” (William Cooley | @Wcooley1980)Yilin Yin, 6, practices playing the piano Jan. 25 in the Student Center. Yin said she was practicing after her lesson earlier in the day. She and her mother were waiting for her father, Xunwu Yin, to finish work for the day. He is a visiting scholar in the mathematics department. (Branda Mitchell | @branda_mitchell)Jacquiese Robinson, a freshman from Chicago studying mortuary science and funeral service, pauses while listening to other demonstrators at a stop during a march across campus Jan. 20 as part of a student walkout event. “I actually came out to pretty much give people love and just be there for one another,” Robinson said. “Not to bash people or target anybody, but to show people that we are hurt, we’re emotional, and right now what we need is each other. Basically, to be there for my people.” (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)Demonstrators gather inside the Student Center on Jan. 20 during a student walkout event to protest the newly-inaugurated President Donald Trump. During the demonstration, marchers navigated around campus chanting sayings such as “Not my president” and “Black lives matter, no pussy grabbers.” (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)Melissa Snider, an alumna of SIU from Carlinville, and Laiza Olea, a sophomore from Chicago studying forestry, hold hands while forming a circle with other demonstrators near the conclusion of a student walkout event Jan. 20 outside Morris Library. About 50 demonstrators met in the Student Center and proceeded to march around campus in protest of the newly-inaugurated President of the United States. (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)Hannah Baker, a senior at Carbondale Community High School, participates in the Southern Illinois Women’s March on Jan. 21 in front of the Carbondale Civic Center. Baker said she attended with about a dozen other members of the high school’s women’s leadership club. “We’re just supporting the cause,” she said. (Anna Spoerre | @annaspoerre)Five-year-old Frankie June Rutecki, of Carbondale, gets a shoulder-ride from her mother, Katherine Rutecki, on Jan. 21 before the beginning of the Southern Illinois Women’s March at the Carbondale Civic Center. “We’re really disappointed in the election,” Katherine said. “It feels like we went backwards. So this march is a chance for us to come together and move forward.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Alihadi Srour, 8, of Carbondale, holds a sign during the Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois monthly vigil Feb. 4 on East Main Street. Srour was born in the United States and his mother, Nour Srour, was born in Lebanon. Nour believes President Donald Trump uses language that separates people based on their religion instead of uniting them. “I witnessed four wars when I was growing up and I don’t want my kids to see that horror in their lives, no matter where they are living,” Nour said. “I don’t want them to grow up and feel scared to show who they are or where they are from.” (Athena Chrysanthou | @Chrysant1Athena)Barbara Cosgrove, of Murphysboro, brushes hair away from the face of George McNeal, of Murphysboro, as he tries on a cloak made from the wool of a musk ox Feb. 8 at George’s Resale and Antiques, the used furniture store he owns in Murphysboro. Cosgrove said she tries to visit the family-run store at least once a week. “George is really good about offering everyone a fair price,” Cosgrove said. “They’re such a nice family. And everybody loves George.” McNeal began George’s Resale and Antiques 23 years ago. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Amy Preston interacts with Izzy, a pit bull mix puppy, on Feb. 14 at St. Francis CARE Animal Shelter in Murphysboro. Preston began working for the shelter as an event coordinator in January 2016. Izzy was adopted by a new family that day. (Bill Lukitsch | @lukitsbill)Kennedy Baker, 7, of Goreville, rides Dauber with the assistance of Dallas Broeker, a senior from Chadron, Nebraska, studying nursing, during a session of Specialized Equine Services and Therapeutic Riding on May 1 at Giant City Stables in Makanda. The session marked the second time Baker was able to ride a horse without the assistance of another rider to support her. “It’s like when you first see your kid making the first two steps by herself,” said Santiago Tomas, barn manager at the stables who typically rides with Baker. “It kind of gives you pride.” (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)Dan Anderson steadies his seven-year-old horse April as Joe Ivey helps Jurnee Thorner dismount on April 15 at Evergreen Park during Thorner’s sixth birthday party. Anderson, a retired carpenter, owns seven horses and recently began taking April to birthday parties. “I don’t want horses to be lawn ornaments,” he said. Anderson also runs a special needs program called The Challengers at his church, First United Methodist Church in Carbondale, where he gives pony rides to adults with special needs. (Anna Spoerre | @annaspoerre)Peyton Kross, of Little Rock, Arkansas, points to the crowd while in the character of Lady Boi on Feb. 25 during the Golden Gays Drag show in the Student Center. “Honestly drag has really helped me figure out who I am as a person,” Kross said. “With any gay kid growing up, you struggle with being too feminine or too this or too that. Drag has really put into perspective that yes, I have feminine qualities, but that doesn’t make me wrong or sinful. So drag has really just given me this incredible creative outlet. It’s performance, it’s music, it’s fashion, it’s hairstyling – all these things that I love so much and I found a way to bring them together.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Charmonique Rogers, a senior from Chicago studying psychology and Aesha Mathis, a senior from Chicago studying radio, television and digital media, make “The Door” hand sign representing Delta Phi Delta Dance Fraternity on Jan. 18 outside of the Student Center in celebration of the organization’s founder’s day. Mathis, the SIU chapter president, said it was founded on Jan. 18, 2000, and has chapters at universities across the midwest and south. “The whole organization is motivated by dance, but we are more than a dance team,” Mathis said. “We are sharing a passion.” In addition to dancing, the group participates in community service and collaborates with other greek organizations. Students interested in joining can attend an informational meeting at 6:22 p.m. Tuesday in the Student Center Delta Room. (Branda Mitchell | @Branda_Mitchell)Rich Cooper, of Salem, rests his hands on the neck of his mule, DC, after instructing him to lie down April 5 during the second annual McAllister and Friends Mule Ride at High Knob Campground in the Shawnee National Forest. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Jack Gebert, 24, of Crystal Lake, gazes up at the light spilling through a shaft inside the famous 55-foot-wide riverside cave March 17 at Cave-In-Rock State Park by the Ohio River. Gebert traveled to the cave with his 20-year-old brother, Daniel, while the two was on a three-day camping trip in the Shawnee National Forest. It was the brothers’ first time at the state park. “This place is really impressive,” Gebert said. “Obviously there are pictures on the internet of the cave, but actually being in it is just so awesome.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Anna Wilcoxen and Greg Hummel, both doctoral students in communication studies from Walnut and Ashland, Pennsylvania, respectively, prepare to go onstage for a rehearsal of “In Service of Venus” on Feb. 22 in The Marion Kleinau Theatre in the Communications Building. “[The production] deals with love, it deals with dating in the online world, it deals with working in the service industry and finding connections between those things,” said Wilcoxen, who wrote, performed in and co-directed the production. The play can been viewed at 8 p.m. Feb. 23, 24 and 25 in the Marion Kleinau Theatre. (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)Michael Thornton, a freshman from Naperville studying digital media arts and animation, carries an LGBTQ flag while crossing the pedestrian bridge March 20 en route to an astronomy class in Carbondale. Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Thornton described receiving both positive and negative responses. “I was in the library one day and this complete stranger came up to me and he’s like, ‘Hey I’ve seen you around with the pride flag. I really love what you’re doing and it’s really made a difference for me,’ and he gave me a cookie. Moments like that happen often enough for me to feel like I’m making a difference for other people.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Jae Schmidt, a junior from Saint Joseph studying clinical psychology, dances with prom date Justin Gunzel, a junior from Highland Park studying computer engineering, on April 22 during the SIU LGBTQ Resource Center’s third annual Pride Prom at Grinnell Hall in Carbondale. “It was beautiful,” Schmidt said of the prom. “It’s so important we have a formal event like a prom or homecoming like this where we can go and not feel judged.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)SIU men’s tennis graduate assistant coach Jonny Rigby comforts junior Daniel Martinez after the Salukis beat Wichita State 4-1 on April 1 in the last home match in Saluki men’s tennis history at University Courts. (Athena Chrysanthou | @Chrysant1Athena)Junior Athena Chrysanthou reacts to winning a point during her singles match against Missouri State junior Anelisse Torrico Moreno during the Salukis’ 6-1 win against the Bears on April 15 at the University Courts. Chrysanthou won her match 4-6, 6-2 and 10-5 in a deciding tiebreaker. “It’s always good to see a teammate win, especially when it’s tight and they’re the last one,” said senior Ana Sofia Cordero when asked about Chrysanthou’s win. “It’s just another special moment to add to this day.” The match marked the last home match in Saluki tennis history after it was announced in January that the men’s and women’s tennis teams would be eliminated effective July 1. “It hasn’t really hit us I think that it’s over,” Cordero said. “But it was very touching because we’ll never play here again.” (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)Members of the Saluki Swimming and Diving Team cheer on senior Bobby Wood as he competes in the 200-yard breaststroke on day four of the 2017 Mid-American Conference Men’s Swimming & Diving Championship on March 4 at SIU’s Edward J. Shea Natatorium. Wood finished the contest with a final time of 1:57.13. (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)Coach Barry Hinson attempts to excite the fans during the Salukis’ 83-69 win against the Drake Bulldogs on Jan. 1 at SIU Arena. (Ryan Michalesko | @photosbylesko)Bobby Wood, a senior from St. Louis studying aviation management, looks to distract the opposing team Feb. 1 during the Salukis’ 85-65 win against Bradley at SIU Arena. (Athena Chrysanthou | @Chrysant1Athena)Coach Barry Hinson hugs senior guard Mike Rodriguez as he and fellow senior guard Leo Vincent walk off the floor for the last time in their Saluki careers March 4 during SIU’s 63-50 loss to Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball tournament semifinals at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. (Sean Carley | @SeanMCarley)Freshman guard/forward Tiajaney Hawkins hugs senior forward Kim Nebo on Feb. 26 after SIU’s 69-63 win over Bradley at SIU Arena. Nebo, who was recognized as one of the team’s senior players after the game, scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in her last home game. (Luke Nozicka | @lukenozicka)Saluki sophomore guard Armon Fletcher bows his head during the singing of the national anthem prior to the start of SIU’s 60-53 loss to the Illinois State Redbirds on Jan. 11 at SIU Arena. Fletcher scored 12 points in the game. (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)Senior pitcher Chad Whitmer throws from the mound during SIU’s 3-2 win against the Evansville Purple Aces on March 31 at Itchy Jones Stadium. This image was created using a multiple exposure technique. (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)Junior jumper Austin Weigle clears the bar March 25 during the men’s high jump finals at the Bill Cornell Classic in Carbondale. Weigle placed third with his highest jump of 1.94 meters. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)Saluki women’s tennis players place their hands together Jan. 27 at Garden Grove Event Center in Carbondale during their first practice after hearing the news the team would be cut after this semester. Director of tennis Audra Anderson said the upperclassmen and maturity of the team help make the difference during this time. “It fires me up even more to have the best season,” Anderson said. “If anything it will help us because you don’t have anybody sitting back and saying ‘well there’s next year.’” (Athena Chrysanthou | @Chrysant1Athena)
