Tommy Hughes Coversations Buley Art speaks on his on COVID-19 Gallery new Baseball career concerns exhibit Page 5 Page 7 Page 8 WWW.THESOUTHERNNEWS.ORG MARCH 10, 2021 VOL. 59— ISSUE 16 State covers cost of COVID-19 testing Southern granted $25 million for PPE sanitization equipment In this fund, colleges games continue to run and looking to ensure students’ Yale is a staggering is why I came to By Madeline S. Scharf were granted $25 million teams still regularly gather safety while continuing difference, with this test Southern,” said Boissard. Reporter for PPE, sanitization for practice. the program. It is nearly only costing $25. However, “I have made so many equipment, and other Giovanni D’Onofrio, the impossible to stay the the bill is no longer for connections through it. Weekly COVID-19 non-testing related assistant athletics director recommended 6 feet from the government, but for Lifelong friends, amazing testing has become a pandemic costs. of fiscal affairs, spoke on one another, so additional the school’s athletics coaches, it means a lot.” staple for students living While regular students why athletes are tested testing is a necessity to department itself. Boissard is proud of on campus. While the are covered of by the state, more. “We have to follow keep every team safe. Some may question why the care Southern has put students can get tests there is another group of our local conference However, athletics Southern would keep the into its consistent testing. without paying out of students who must go in protocol. The students are testing differs from regular athletics program open if it “Weekly testing keeps us pocket, testing is not free. for additional testing. tested once a week and testing. “The testing is incurs this additional cost, as safe as possible,” said According to Vice The university has kept less than 72 hours after through Yale,” D’Onofrio however, men’s basketball Boissard. Financial cost is President for Student the athletics department a contest with another said, “and the payment player Isaiah Boissard feels less important in his eyes. Affairs Tracy Tyree, each running during the school.” comes from the student that it is best to keep the Boissard said, “If testing test is not cheap. “Griffin 2020-2021 fall and spring With all this testing, the Athletics Department.” The program open and alive. means people can stay on Health is providing these semesters. This means athletics department is cost of testing through “The Athletics Department campus and for us (student tests,” said Tyree. “I believe athletes) to do things as the cost is $106 per test.” a team? That’s worth the Based on Southern’s cost.” website, there are 960 Regular students also students living on campus find the weekly testing who need to be tested. a comfort. Sociology Without considering major Rain Iaccarino, a commuters, this is a freshman, has found the weekly bill of around testing a huge positive. “I a quarter of a million support it,” said Iaccarino. dollars. How is this bill “I like it because it lowers afforded? the risk of having a COVID “The state of outbreak.” Connecticut is covering The lack of cost to the cost of our surveillance students is also a positive. testing for residential and “I appreciate that it commuter students,” said is free,” Iaccarino said. Tyree via e-mail interview. If testing were not free, According to the State Iaccarino says it would be of Connecticut Office of difficult to convince others Policy and Management, to pay for the weekly in April 2020, $230 million procedure, which at the dollars was dedicated PHOTO | ROMA ROSITANI $106 cost would quickly to testing in the state. Members of the Rugby team gathering in the academic quad, wearing masks and following guidelines. wrack up a high bill.” Mold found in Schwartz Hall Alumnus’ new book By Madeline S. Scharf be scarier.” His time in O’Brady and her Schwartz Residence Hall, up that was supposed to Reporter independent studies By Donovan Wilson roommate said they at the time of writing this be involved. helped him make his Reporter noticed the presence story, was not aware of ”It’s not me really that first book, Haunt. of mold in their room the current extension of has the health concerns, Southern alumni Ryan Over email, Shipley, Residents in Schwartz last semester and it was this situation. it was more for [my Meyer has officially a distinguished CSU Hall found mold in their sprayed and determined “As Rob stated in roommate] because she published his second Professor, spoke highly room last semester and not an issue in a timely the email, there was a has a bunch of allegries collection of poems, of Meyer and his work. thought it was taken care manner at the time. suspicion but this was and stuff,” O’Brady said. Tempest. A departure “Ryan was a good of until arriving back this However, after break inspected by the Director “ It didn’t really from his first book, student, very talented semester and finding that and a presumed health of Environmental affect me; she’s the one Haunt, which focused and a pleasure to have they are still experiencing and safety inspection, Health and Safety, Lisa that sleeps underneath it more on a thrilling, in poetry workshop,” these problems. they returned to the Kortfelt, as well as a – they sprayed some kind dark, horror, theme, Shipley said. “Students Health and safety room to find that the certified mold contractor of paint onto it and it was Meyer focused this like Ryan are the reason within residential dorms mold in both their room determined that no mold falling onto her. So that second book on identity I have taught for 52 is a major place of and their bathroom had was present,” said Cruz- kind of caused her to get and finding the truth years.” concern for all colleges persisted and had not Alonso. sick and go home.” about oneself. It was not only and Southern is no been taken care of or The point of While it would seem “This book focused on Haunt that was created exception to that rule. accounted for. They have miscommunication Kortfelt and her team innate anxieties,” Meyer at Southern. “A lot of Southern has their own continued to fight against between the students had determined this said, “And a fear of the Tempest’s poems were environmental health and it as O’Brady’s roommate and the higher ups seems mold did not pose unknown.” written at Southern,” safety department which continues to get sick from to happen with the significant health risks, Initially, Meyer said Meyer. “We were is run by Lisa Kortfelt. the mold but rather than persisting mold. Speaking mold exposure or mold came to Southern as a encouraged to write This department is the mold be properly with both Cruz-Alonso sensitivites can cause secondary education more literary focused employed to look into any taken care of or removed, and Robert DeMezzo, rashes and respiratory major. “I switched poems.” Quite a few of environmental health and the two are just being head of residence life, concerns like wheezing from secondary the poems he wrote for safety concerns including moved into a new room and they both had all and congestion. education to media classes are now included but not limited to mold in as of right now. the information on According to the CDC, studies and English,” in his newest volume. students’ dorm rooms. O’Brady has properly the original complaint “those with allergies to said Meyer. The shift from his “We found mold in our informed the correct from last semester but mold or with asthma As well as pursuing previous book of room last semester,” said people. Her and her had no idea about the may have more intense a double major, Meyer dark, horror-inspired biochemistry major Aleah roommate have informed current incident of reactions.” got involved outside of poems to poems about O’Brady, a sophomore all of the issues to their persisting mold. It is to be These intense reactions classes. Reflecting on his identity and the truth and Schwartz Hall RA who reached out to inferred that some sort may include fever, time at Southern, Meyer of oneself is a big leap. resident, “it was sprayed the head of their building of miscommunication shortness of breath, and said, “I was president at Even Meyer’s logo color last semester but it’s still as they are having their was happening between perhaps severe illness Bookmarks. I had a lot has changed during there and nothing was room moved. Anays O’Brady and her Resident such as pulmonary going on.” this shift, from a black said of it until we did.” Cruz-Alonso, director of Advisor and any higher fibrosis. Despite all this bat to pink. Meyers pressure, Meyer found attributes this shift to his time in Southern to many changes in his life. be a good one. When “Between Haunt and looking back, he said, Tempest, I went through “My time at Southern a lot of life changes. I was great. I was a bit came out, got a job,” overworked but to other Meyer said, “everything students I would say sort of fell into place.” get involved, but don’t One thing that has overdo it.” stayed consistent in his While at Southern, writing, however, is Meyer was part of an how music has made a independent study. difference between the During this study, young author. “Music Meyer was encouraged is a huge inspiration to to develop his style me,” said Meyer.