Students had a tree-mendous time at “You Grow, Redbird!” on Tuesday in the Brown Ballroom of the Bone Student Center. “You Grow Redbird!” was hosted by Event Management, Dining and Hospitality (EMDH), along with six other ISU organizations to celebrate Earth Day and provide a break for students before finals. Students had the opportunity to pot their own plant, complete coloring sheets and learn about taking care of themselves at a self-care station. EMDH Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Samantha Schultz emphasized the importance of student self-care and its relation to this event. “Doing something like [this] gives [students] an opportunity to treasure Earth and treasure where they live,” Schultz said. “Then, they have to go on and keep thinking about it; they have to water their plant and give it sunlight, something that they should also be doing for themselves,” Schultz continued. In previous years, the event was the Succulent Cafe, but Schultz discussed why they changed it. “This year we rebranded to ‘You Grow, Redbird!’ because we try to add a wellness component to all of our events now, and it opened it up to what kind of plants we could use,” Schultz said. “We also partnered with the Multicultural Center to spread the word to more people.” Senior recreation and sports management major Clara Nesvacil appreciated the opportunity to destress on Earth Day. “I think it’s a good reminder to take care of our planet, that’s what Earth Day is all about,” Nesvacil said. Sophomore occupational health and safety major Kaytlyn McGray highlighted the need for students to take a break from schoolwork at this time of the year. “It gives people a sense of escape, and people are able to come here and not worry about a test they have to do later,” McGray said. McGray liked being able to pot a plant and taking care of something that benefits the planet. “We are able to give back to the community, planting our own plants and being able to house a plant rather than ripping it up from where it is,” McGray said. Schultz was happy with the turnout of students and said students were still arriving after an hour of being open. This was the last EMDH event of the semester, but Schultz encourages students to follow Redbird Life for updates. “We will be having a ton of fun things coming up in the fall, hopefully we will have a concert in the fall as well, but we’ll keep everyone in the know,” Schultz said.

Beast Games? No, this is Illinois State University’s very own “Reggie Games.” Alpha Gamma Delta and Pi Sigma Epsilon will host the inaugural event at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 27, at Hancock Stadium. Inspired by hits including the hit Netflix series “Squid Game” and YouTube personality MrBeast’s “Beast Games,” “Reggie Games” will follow a similar format. “Participants at Reggie Games should expect a series of physical, mental and luck-based challenges for the chance at the biggest cash prize: $1,100,” said freshman business management major Tyler Miller. “Participants should also expect a fun time, and spectators should expect a unique watching experience with the chance at raffles themselves.” Miller said he and his peers put in months of work to plan and execute this event. He said they handled correspondence with dozens of registered student organizations and meetings with ISU’s premium events director. “The greatest struggle with planning this event has been uncertainty. Since this is the first time an event like this has been attempted, it's difficult to plan ahead without knowing how much involvement and participants the event will hold,” Miller said. Steel Martin, a junior accounting major, also helped organize “Reggie Games.” Martin has a different perspective on the challenges of planning the event. “The greatest struggle in planning this event was finding out how to make the most interactive event for the players as possible without it being too reliant on skill or luck,” Martin said. Both Martin and Miller voiced similar feelings about what would make this a successful event. “This event will be a success if everyone who attends has a great time. If we can bring people together for an unforgettable experience,” Martin said. “It will validate the effort and dedication of everyone who helped make this happen. Moreover, it will solidify the concept so we can build on it for the future.” Attendees will be able to register at Hancock Stadium’s entrance on the day of the event. Additional information about the event is available online.

With April drawing to a close, many Illinois State University students are prepping for upcoming commencement ceremonies. The University will host five ceremonies at CEFCU Arena, with two Friday, May 9 and three Saturday, May 10. On May 9, the 4 p.m. ceremony will consist of the Mennonite College of Nursing and the College of Arts and Sciences Social Sciences. The 8 p.m. ceremony will feature the College of Arts and Sciences Natural Sciences/Mathematics and Humanities. On May 10, the 9 a.m. ceremony will consist of the College of Education and the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts. The 1:30 p.m. ceremony will be for the College of Applied Science and Technology. Last but certainly not least, the 6 p.m. ceremony will feature the College of Business. This is not a ticketed event, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. More information is available online.

Students for Justice in Palestine at Illinois State University (SJP-ISU) held an “Ecocide in Palestine” protest Tuesday to raise awareness about how the war in Palestine contributes to the climate change crisis. As students walked through the Bone Student Center, March, SJP-ISU’s outreach and organization chair, shared excerpts from Andreas Malm’s climate activism book, “How to Blow Up a Pipeline.” March said that Hurricane Katrina and the Flint, Michigan water crisis represent the dangerous cycle happening throughout much of the world. “It’s just a cycle that keeps repeating itself,” March said. The discussion was then brought back to Palestine and how damaging the war is to the planet. “War is not separate from the climate and it never has been,” March said. According to SJP-ISU’s Instagram, the United States’ military is currently ranked as the top institutional polluter in the world. “The destruction and contamination of the agricultural land, air quality, water supplies and native wildlife in Gaza is a deliberate act of ecocide,” the post read. Several students supported the protesters as they walked by. A renewable energy student shared the importance of supporting a cause like this one. “It can be very isolating [for people] to just sit on their phones and read everything that’s horrible in the world and think, ‘Well, nobody cares,’ or ‘I’m special because I care and everyone else is dumb,’ but they have to get out there and let themselves be a person,” the attendee said. March emphasized the power of community and its role in activism. “It’s really important, especially now, to understand that action is possible and it’s possible in [our] communities,” March said. “We’ve seen how the federal government has worked to suppress protests, especially pro-Palestinian protests, and it’s largely been an intimidation tactic to get people to stop showing up for their communities.” March hoped that the protest would encourage others to support SJP-ISU’s message and similar advocacy efforts. “When [we] see our community stand up for something, we recognize that there is something to stand up for, and I think that is really important for kicking people out of their complacency and realizing that they can be fighting for something too,” March said.

Illinois State University President Aondover Tarhule was among numerous university and college presidents nationwide who co-signed a letter denouncing recent actions by the Trump administration. Over 150 university and college presidents co-signed the April 22 letter, orchestrated by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. The signers ranged from large public universities to each of the Ivy League institutions, excluding Dartmouth College. The letter urged leaders to unite against "the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education." "We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live and work on our campuses," the letter said. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has paused federal funding to several of the country's top universities including Columbia and Harvard. NBC News reported the move was made to pressure those universities to change its admissions processes and penalize student protesters.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Students Ending Rape Culture at Illinois State University (SERC) is hosting several events throughout the month to show support and raise awareness. SERC hosted its Consent Day event last Wednesday at Schroeder Plaza. Several campus organizations came together to share and explore the different ways consent plays in a student’s daily life. SERC representative Lauren Bounds shared what the organization does for the campus community. “It can mean so much for so many different students[and] it can be really comforting for survivors,” Bounds said. Consent Day is one of the many events SERC hosts throughout April. Different campus RSOs and local organizations attended and discussed the importance of consent. “It is so integral is our daily lives…it can be as small as how we interact with our loved ones, our friends, but also people we’ve never met before,” Bounds said. SERC representative Evan Carr noted that consent is sometimes misunderstood. “There are a lot of misconceptions about when consent is needed and when it’s not. Oftentimes, it is framed around sex in particular, but consent is just the bare minimum requirement for most of our interaction between people,” Carr said. Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, MERGE, Pride at ISU, Queer Coalition, Student Counseling Services, Black Girl Code, the YWCA, OSF Healthcare, Bobzbay Books and Mid Central Community Action were some of the on-campus and local organizations in attendance. Teal ribbons, the official color for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, were available to students. Additionally, OSF Healthcare had a sample test kit for students to learn about the process of sexual assault testing. More information on SERC’s upcoming events for its Sexual Assault Awareness Month campaign is available online.