Dear Colleagues,

The fall semester of 2020 has begun, and the new academic year has offered a unique experience for students, faculty and staff of the College of Arts and Sciences. The semester began without convocation or other face-to-face welcome events. Instead, staff and faculty welcomed new students in virtual receptions.

Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many face-to-face classes are being taught in the classrooms, labs and studios on the SIUE campus. While some students are taking only online courses, nearly 60 percent of our students have at least one course with a face-to-face component. Many staff and faculty have returned to their offices. Everyone is wearing face coverings in campus buildings, and people are keeping their distance from each other.

Read Dean Leonard's full letter.

SIUE senior Abbi Ruppert had a different life plan when she chose to pursue higher education. But, like many, Ruppert changed course during her collegiate journey as she identified her true passion, and decided to refocus her studies and training.

Originally a public relations major with an art minor, Ruppert, of Nokomis, is now pursuing a bachelor’s in fine arts with an emphasis in sculpture. Among the accolades she’s received for her creative work is the Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Center (ISC) for her sculpture entitled “Steal My Ambitions.”

The piece is part of Ruppert’s current body of work, where she analyzes and dissects the female self-sacrifice complex. Made by fabricating a steel armature and stretching it with nylon, her website, abbiruppert.com, describes the sculpture as “balancing the contrast between sharp points and soft edges, exploring opposites of love and pain, of complacency and rage.”

Read the article.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” was penned in “The Declaration of Rights and Sentiments” and signed in 1848 at the first Women’s Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, N.Y., organized to amplify the need for women’s suffrage. The fight to win the vote for American women finally produced the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which was ratified on Aug. 18, 1920 and officially signed on Aug. 26, 1920.

On Friday, September 4, Carolina Rocha, PhD, professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature and director of the Women’s Studies program; and Laurie Rice, PhD, professor in the Department of Political Science and coordinator of the Civic Education Project at SIUE, delved into the history of the women’s vote and its importance during a Zoom presentation, hosted by the SIUE’s Women’s Studies program. 

Read the original article here.
Read the post-event article from The Alestle here.

A resume brimming with long, consistent and committed work involving advocacy for equity and social justice on behalf of working families in the region earned SIUE alumnus Louis Damani Jones a spot on the Catholic Charities of St. Louis board of directors.

“Our mission is largely a quiet one of charity and justice, touching the lives of diverse persons in need, ranging from domestic violence survivors, to those in mental health crisis, to immigrants and refugees,” said Jones.

Jones, who graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in social work from SIUE in May 2020, was appointed to the board in June. Currently, Jones is in the Master of Social Work program at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, where he is also a research assistant at Brown’s Center for Social Development. Jones is also an EngageDemocracy Fellow at the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement.

Read the article.

SIUE 2009 Alumni Hall of Famer and celebrated artist Edna Patterson-Petty re-introduced her “baby” after completing restoration work on “Monty, The Turtle.” 

Patterson-Petty unveiled her work of art at the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus on Friday, Sept. 4. For two months, the artist lovingly and tediously worked to repair “Monty” after he was vandalized. The turtle’s head was damaged, and it sustained a large gash on his right side, with much of the inside materials spilling out. 

“When I first saw it after the attack, I didn’t know if I could do it again,” said Patterson-Petty. “It was like an assault on me. When I did start working on it, I was nervous and wondered if I could restore it.” 

Read the article.

As local school districts adjust schedules and suspend certain instructional areas due to challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the SIUE Suzuki Strings Program is ensuring developing string musicians can pursue their training and fulfill their love for music by offering a new String Bridge program.

“We are excited to help incoming fourth graders start playing violin, viola or cello, and to continue the music education that fifth grade students received last year,” said Suzuki Faculty Teacher Mikaila Seo. “Music study is essential to every student’s personal development. It is imperative that students continue to be inspired musically, for music boosts creative thinking, focus, self-discipline, and is a stress reliever.”

Read the article.