By: Meghan Smith

Travis Scott, a well-known multi-platinum selling rapper is under a lot of heat. Known for his wild and raging concerts, Scott may have gone too far this time. Scott is mostly known for his 2018 album “Astroworld '' featuring popular artists like Drake, Kid Cudi, and Juice WRLD. The success of his album led to a 2019 tour in which he made $53.5 million dollars. Not only was the album and tour successful but the brilliant, minded Scott took advantage of the success and created an annual event called Astroworld Festival. Astroworld Festival was held in 2018, 2019, and now 2021. Scott was born in Houston, Texas and pays tribute to his roots by having the festival located in Houston every time. The festival is a place where Scott fans come from all over the United States to enjoy the nostalgia of the album and listen to Scott along with other performances like Drake and Lil Baby. You can think of it as an equivalent to Lollapalooza. Previous success in Astroworld festivals lead fans to believe the same about Astroworld Festival 2021. Everyone was in for a rude awakening.
Astroworld 2021 started off early on November 5, 2021. There was a whopping total of 50,000 attendees at this festival. Some of the attendees got in by pushing through security in bunches and trampling people just to see Scott. All hell started to break loose when there was not enough security to take care of all the shoving and stomping over peoples’ bodies. Pictures surfaced of fans crushed against the railings just to see the performance. The most puzzling part about the entirety of this is how completely negligent the fans were to each other. There is no excuse for the lack of mindfulness that these concertgoers had for each other. The videos and pictures still surfacing today are devastating to see because of the confirmed deaths and injuries that arose. Overall, there were 8 confirmed deaths and over 100 people that needed medical attention. Pictures and videos swarm the internet of attendees screaming and pleading for Scott
to stop the concert and notice that people were physically getting crushed and trampled right before their eyes. One video shows Scott, keeping up the performance with an ambulance surfing through the crowd to help. Another devastating video came out of two concertgoers climbing onto the stage and screaming how a person just died and to go relay the message to have the show stopped. All warnings were ignored, and the show went on.
The aftermath of all this has been truly devastating. Although Scott is known for his raging concerts and wild actions, no one could really predict such traumatizing circumstances like this. While police and FBI are still investigating, fingers are being pointed in every direction. Travis Scott posted a series of Instagram stories that included him apologizing, sharing his condolences to all affected, and going on about how he would have never kept going if he knew what happened. He truly looked torn up over this... But could he have prepared more? Scotts’ girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, spoke out on her Instagram story as well defending her husband and sharing her grievances to everyone. Scott announced that he will be refunding every single person who was in attendance that day. He is continuing to comply with Houston police and FBI to help as much as possible. One of the performers of the night, Roddy Rich said he is donating all his earnings that night to the families and communities affected by this tragedy. A lot of information is still up in the air.
Due to the depth of hurt the Astroworld Festival is going to cause, let this be a lesson for all artists that want to be known for raging and wild behavior. The safety of your fans should always come first, no matter the price. Do not have such an extravagant festival if you do not have enough space or security to uphold the safety of the fans.
I would like to acknowledge the people whose lives were taken during this festival: Mirza Baig, Rodolfo Peña, Madison Dubiski, Franco Patiño, Jacob Jurinke, John Hilgert, Axel Acosta Avila,
and Brianna Rodriguez. My deepest and most sincere condolences go out to everyone who is and will be affected by this devastating time.

By: Brian Szramek 
The Chicago Blackhawks have had a major PR situation going on this past year with a former video coach accused of sexual assault by a former player from the 2010 Stanley Cup winning team. 
In a July amended lawsuit, a former Blackhawks player accused Brad Aldrich of making him perform unwanted sex. He did this by threatening him that he would never play in the NHL again, and with a baseball bat.  
Alrich left the Blackhawks in 2010. Since then, in 2014, served jail time for sexual conduct with a high school student in Houghton High School in Michigan. He has had similar allegations from hockey players from Miami University, where he worked before the high school job. 
The Blackhawks organization knew about this and didn’t do anything about it. Displaying unethical behavior by covering it up. 
Over the past decade the Chicago Blackhawks have been looked at as one of the best franchises in sports. But after this scandal, the trust-ability of the Blackhawks is in question. 
The Blackhawks have been under investigation now for over a year and clearly knew they couldn’t keep this cover up much longer. President of Hockey Operations John Mc.Donough was fired mysteriously.
The Blackhawks have done so many great things in the past few years so it’s hard for passionate Blackhawks fans to deal with this situation, and the organization has done a good job of distracting them. 
 
 Now this undisclosed player has now chosen to file for an independent investigation. So only time will tell if these allegations are true or not. 
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This semester, PRSSA’s student run public relations firm, PRi, has had the wonderful opportunity to work with the McLean County Health Department as their client. This has not only given members more involvement and leadership opportunities, but it has also allowed us access to professionals in the healthcare field who have taught us about myths associated with COVID-19. Below are, not all, but a few of the most widespread misconceptions about vaccines, testing, and other topics related to COVID-19.
Myth #1 - The COVID-19 vaccine contains a microchip.
The ole’ microchip myth. This has been a myth associated with a variety of vaccines, and the COVID-19 vaccine is no exception. The overall conception is that there is a microchip in the vaccine that will allow you to be tracked as well as alter your DNA. According to the CDC, not only is this an exaggeration of the truth, but it is a completely false rumor. Their official response was, “No. COVID-19 vaccines do not contain microchips. Vaccines are developed to fight against disease and are not administered to track your movement. Vaccines work by stimulating your immune system to produce antibodies, exactly like it would if you were exposed to the disease. After getting vaccinated, you develop immunity to that disease, without having to get the disease first.” You may have also learned the basics of how vaccines work in your junior high science class.
Myth #2 - Herd immunity is achievable if we let the virus spread through the population.
For this myth, we are relying on information from the Mayo Clinic Health System. So, what is herd immunity? Herd immunity is when a large portion of the population or community becomes immune to a certain disease making the spread from person-to-person unlikely. This results in the entire community being protected. Now, we will begin debunking this myth. First,
there is and never was any proof that being infected with COVID-19 will protect you from being infected again in the future. Since the virus does not create immunity, herd immunity is not achievable. Let’s assume for just a moment that herd immunity is attainable. Even then, experts estimate that 70% of the global population, almost 200 million people would have to recover from COVID-19 for herd immunity to even be considered as a possibility. So, the real question here is are you willing to risk 200 million lives to try and achieve something that might not even be possible. Let’s just get vaccinated so we don’t have to find out.
Myth 3 - COVID-19 is the same as the seasonal flu.
COVID-19 and the flu are both respiratory diseases that are the result of an infectious virus. There are also a few similar symptoms, such as coughing, fatigue, and headaches. These are also symptoms of the common cold, anemia, and caffeine withdrawals. Basically, the similarities among symptoms mean relatively little. This is where the similarities between COVID-19 and the flu end. While the flu is usually caught very quickly because symptoms typically appear between one and four days, COVID-19 symptoms may not be present for up to 14 days. This means that you could be walking around spreading the COVID-19 virus for weeks without knowing it. It doesn’t help that the COVID-19 virus is more contagious and spreads faster than the influenza virus. Additionally, blood clots and multi-system inflammatory syndrome are fatal symptoms associated with COVID-19 but not the flu. In short, COVID-19 and the flu are not the same thing.
The world has changed a lot since the introduction of COVID-19. It is scientifically proven that wearing a mask reduces the risk of being infected with COVID-19 up to 70%. Likewise, being fully vaccinated reduces the transmission of COVID-19 by 71%. Let’s all protect our family, friends, and ourselves by recognizing these myths for what they are: myths.

By Erica Paul  October 12, 2021

As we all know, the simple responsibility of being a student can be fairly stressful from time to time. Particularly for those of us in college, it can be overwhelming transitioning from high school. I'm currently a junior here at Illinois State University, so here's all the advice I've gathered throughout my experience so far.

Use A Planner
In my opinion this applies to any student. I'd hope that this is something on your school supply shopping list every year because it's definitely on mine. A planner is essential for time management.

I'm more of a visual learner so I prefer to have a physical planner that I can carry around with me during the day and reference as needed. This is something I use primarily to write down assignments and keep track of due dates for classes. Every Sunday, I look through the syllabus for each class and write down what I have to do for the week. Anything from reading a chapter to an exam will be recorded so I can focus on taking it day-by-day.

It's important to keep track of the who, what, when, where, why, and how. No matter how much you think you'll remember it, chances are you'll probably end up forgetting at least one thing. Save yourself the trouble and write it down.

Make A Schedule
The second most important thing next to a planner is a schedule. Academic classes are already going to be set in stone. Something I've been using since freshman year is a website called Free College Schedule Maker. This is such a helpful resource because of how easy it is to personalize. I highly suggest checking it out, https://www.freecollegeschedulemaker.com.

In contrast to this I also like to use Google Calendar. This is really convenient, especially because of how easily accessible it is. Since I'm involved in three student organizations, I use Google Calendar to sort out all the dates/times for various events. The cool thing about Google Calendar is that you can share it with others. It's just as easy as sharing a Google Doc for a group project.

These are tools I've been using for several years now and I can definitely say that without them I'd be a  mess. I'm naturally an organized person so this makes it all the more easy. 

Give Yourself Free Time
Now that you have a better idea of time management/organization, remembering to give yourself free time is something to keep in mind. It's just as important as being caught up with your academics and other activities. I think that everyone could use at least an hour to relax so you don't get burnt out after an exhausting day. We could all use that grace period for self-care.

Straighten Out Your Priorities
I know how tempting it is to take on every opportunity that's presented to you. I'll often give in and stop what I'm doing to spend time with my friends. No matter how small or big the occasion, I fall victim to FOMO (fear of missing out). Learning to say "no" is something I've been working on improving, and I can definitely say I'm getting better at it. Sometimes it sucks when everyone else is there except you, but it pays off in the long run when you reserve time for what's more important. 

……….

As a student, time management is something we learn to develop over time. I've had my fair share of practice and still struggle with it here and there, nobody's perfect. Do your best to stay organized but don't work yourself too hard. Remember not to be too lenient or you'll never get anything done. It's all about maintaining a healthy balance.

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     This summer brought one of the worst storm systems in recent history to the Midwestern United States with the August 2020 Midwest derecho. Iowa and Illinois were hit particularly hard. With large storms comes lots of power outages. These storms happened in the last week of my internship with ComEd, who provide most of the electricity to the Northern Illinois Region. These storms resulted in the second largest total outages in the company’s history.
     With their internet channels being relatively new and having never seen the high-volume flow of customer concerns and questions, they were required to implement new methods to reach all customers on the fly. The outage map that customers are typically directed to for outage restoration estimates crashed. The IVR phone system crashed and customers calling were not able to speak to a customer service representative. The feature on the website to report an outage went down. The only way left for customers to contact the company ended up being through social media. This began a rapid training of employees and interns from other departments, to respond to public and private social media mentions and messages. All that was able to be communicated to the public by the company was that the universal restoration time would take six days. Having interned with the social media team previously, I was able to reference my past training and used it to help respond to as many people as possible who reached out with their concerns  escalated the tickets of those in high-risk and vulnerable situations. The social media team trained over 50 employees from other parts of the company to respond to messages on their social media platforms so they were able to help escalate customer issues and relay information pertaining to how the company was moving forward given the situation they were in.
     It was an eye opening experience for me to be able to work during such an unprecedented time for ComEd. It taught me a lot about what is necessary to stay calm, prepare yourself and lead others during a communication crisis.

By: Josh Pozniak

     In the early weeks of the 2020 spring semester, like many other students I thought I had a set plan for how my college experience was going to go. COVID-19 at that time was still in the beginning stages, and I never imagined it would impact us in the way it has. Once all  classes went online, and I was introduced to the new world of zoom, I found my once eager and motivated Freshman year self slowly slip away, and school had sadly felt like a low priority when it came to learning how to live through pandemic. 
       Amidst all the fast paced change, I had just applied and gotten the position of Secretary on the executive board for PRSSA. It was an impulsive decision, and although it seemed daunting at the time, being a part of the executive board for  PRSSA would be my one saving grace from making my new college experience feel completely hopeless. In normal circumstances, I thought that creating a successful college career was going to be scary and difficult, but trying to meet those same goals all while not being able to have in person social interaction with my professors and classmates seemed next to impossible. 
       At the beginning of this fall 2020 semester, I had a pessimistic view of how the rest of the year would go. In normal circumstances, I thought that navigating college was going to be difficult, but trying to meet those same goals all while not being able to have in person social interaction with my professors and classmates seemed next to impossible.  I felt like I was being robbed of crucial opportunities that would guide me toward a successful career in PR, and questioned many times if all the work I was putting forward was going to be worth it. 
        Being a sophomore, still trying to adjust to the PR major as well as a leadership position for a club revolving around PR came with more struggles than I would have liked. I’ll admit in the first few weeks of meetings for PRSSA I had a lot of doubt in myself and wondered if I was actually qualified for the position I had earned. But over these last four months and after I started to get to know everyone else on the executive board, it has completely changed how I view my future. PRSSA gave me back the motivation I thought I was losing and made me feel like my work had a purpose again. I am still very new to PRSSA, and still have a lot to learn, but this organization, in just a short amount of time, has allowed me to learn more than I could have ever imagined from just being in a classroom.  I know that the future is never guaranteed, and unexpected change is inevitable, but it’s much less scary now that PRSSA is a part of my life.

​By: Grace Huff

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     Growing up I had so many dreams to be so many things and when I came to college, I still had all those dreams. When it came to me choosing a major in college I didn’t know what major I wanted to commit to because everything interested me. When talking to my roommate about it she mentioned how much she loved the flexibility of being a communication major. 
     I didn’t take her comments about her major seriously until my sophomore year of college when I realized that I really needed to start to figure out what it was that I wanted to do with my life after college. I started to research different majors inside The School of Communication. That is when I found Public Relations, and fell in love with it. 
    While Public Relations is my major, I’ve noticed how much all the majors in The School of Communications are similar to each other. They all have their own unique quirks but they are all so similar at the same time. 
     Here are some of the things about being a communication major that appealed to me: 

1. It’s needed for all companies: The nice thing about communication is that without it a company will fail, which means that there are always going to be jobs in the communication realm. This was especially shown during this year with the global pandemic. Companies needed to be able to respond and show their support to their customers but they needed to do it in a responsible way. Without a communication team they would not be able to get their message out in a prompt and clear way. 
2. The job flexibility: Working in public relations, you have so many different options for jobs. You could do things like crisis communication all the way to event planning. This is such a great thing for people like me who have a hard time knowing what exactly it is that they want to do. With so many options if you aren’t happy with one, you’ll be able to find another job option that you will be happy with. 
3. The flexibility within the major: Most communication majors have some flexibility within the major to allow you to make it your own. The classes are fun but you also have the opportunity to add a minor if you have multiple different interests, or to take other classes that might be more out of your comfort zone. Doing this for me has really allowed me to find what I love to do and has given me a chance to be more creative. Following a strict plan of study might be good for some people, but I like to think communication majors are creative and having flexibility in what we do is a good thing for us. 

     I know being a communication major isn’t for everyone, but it has allowed me to reconnect with the creative kid within me. I am so thankful that I found The School of Communications at ISU. 

By: Sarah Johnson

     I have come to learn that the field of Public Relations (PR) is similar to theatre. Just like theatre, PR is all about knowing your audience, telling a story, daring to be creative, and knowing that the show must go on. I can attribute much of my personality and success throughout my time at ISU to my background in the performing arts. As I near the end of my undergraduate career, I am still finding ways that my nearly two decades of theatrical performing experience have equipped me with tools necessary to be a successful leader in the world of PR.
     At the start of the pandemic, I seized an opportunity to edit virtual and hybrid productions for a local Children's Theatre Company. Though I had little to no experience working as a video editor, I rose to the occasion and knew that the show must go on! Through this role, I have become an expert at using Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Audition, two softwares that I may use in my career in PR.
     Though the arts may be dark at the moment, there is still hope, and that is shown through the hard work of these children. People in all walks of life within the arts and entertainment industry are out of a job right now and need our help. Actors, crew, publicists and marketers and many more need emergency financial assistance. To donate to these workers during these difficult times, donate to The Actors Fund at www.actorsfund.org.

By: Alana Guggenheim 

When it comes to voting it may seem like one of the simplest acts to do because all you have to do is fill in a circle, however that is not the case. Voting has changed over the course of each decade from allowing colored people, to vote to allowing women to vote, to changing the age from 21 to 18 and things continue to change.
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The question now may be what makes me qualified to talk to you about voting? I have been an election judge since the primary election of 2016, and I have worked a total of eight elections. 

The general election of 2020 will be the first election that I do not work since I am away for college. Throughout these past four years, I have voted in every election. I have attended numerous trainings. I have worked every station that you see at your polling place. I have done voter check in, on-site voter registration, ballot distribution and the provisional table. 

The last election that I worked was on March 17, during those times the coronavirus was a huge concern. We wiped down every ballot box after it was used and every pen as well. Every voter entered their own ballet into the tabulator. Voting booths were six feet apart and when waiting in line voters were six apart as well. The pandemic is no excuse to not vote. We have held an election during a pandemic before and we can do it again. Just make sure you wear your mask to this one. 

Here are my tips and requests you should consider when going to vote. 
#1 Get there early. Polling places open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. in the state of Illinois.  
#2 Expect to wait in line. This may not always be the case but with the pandemic, the number of booths is limited along with space. My recommendation is to go as soon as the polls open 
#3 When checking in, please consider that over 90% of election judges are citizens that are now retired. Please be loud and clear when giving them your first and last name 
#4 Please follow all signs too allow voting to run smoothly within the polling place 
#5 Do not interrupt other voters in their ballot booths 
#6 Be kind to your election judges. We love it when you ask us how our day has been so far. 
#7 In the state of Illinois it is illegal to ask for an ID when checking in at your polling place. HOWEVER, if the election judge is having difficulty searching your name in the database, I recommend that you give them your ID. Unfortunately, names may be registered incorrectly or in a different format that the system does not recognize. By providing your ID, we can search up the correct name and allow you to vote. 
#8 My biggest tip of all is to take your time. You are not being timed, it is not a race, take all the time you need. 
#9 May be the most important one; it is illegal in the state of Illinois to talk about the individuals on your ballot when inside of your polling place. If you do so, you will be asked to stop. If you continue, you will be removed by the police and be arrested. You may bring information with you however it cannot be out in public, it cannot be on any clothing, on your head or on your face. You may search up candidates when at your voting booth and can search any other questions on your ballot. 
#10 Brag to your friends about voting. Because did you really go and vote if you did not post it on social media?  

We are currently living in times where we question if our vote matters and if our vote will be counted. As an eligible voter you have the right to do everything you can to be able to vote. You can register and vote on Election Day, all you will need is two forms of ID, one with your current address. If your polling place is giving you some difficulty, please call your Board of Elections office.

Happy and safe voting!

By: Yasmin Carrillo