Personality - The McKendree Review

2Feb

By The McKendree ReviewNo Comments

Opinion, Personality

Throw-Back 2025 Music Review

By Ainsley Leal-Salazar On August 8, 2025, rapper JID released his fourth studio album, God Does Like Ugly. JID is known for his incredible flow and lyricism, and this album definitely continues that experimental genre. The album has 15 tracks, 14 songs and a single interlude, featuring Westside Gunn. The name God Does Like Ugly came from JID’s grandmother after they were talking about an event that happened in the world. This is a top three album of the year for me, alongside Alfredo 2 by Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist and Hurry Up Tomorrow by The Weeknd. This was a really enjoyable listen and I liked every single track. However, three stand out in particular.The opening song on the album “YouUgly” has a surprising feature from Westside Gunn- I was not expecting him to be on the a...

24Oct

By Delaney JudkinsNo Comments

Personality, Perspective

Small Gestures, Big Impacts

Story By Delaney JudkinsPhotography By mckendreeu Celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Life at McKendree is full of energy— buzzing with students juggling classes, athletic events, student organizations and campus traditions like Homecoming or Into the Streets. But with the hustle and bustle, we often miss the small things that make our McKendree community so wonderful. If you a see piece of trash on the ground, regardless of if it’s biodegradable or not, would you go throw it away? A random act of kindness is not for the benefit of being validated for it. It’s the idea that doing these little things will better yourself and others. Though a random act of kindness can be small, the impact can be great. At a time when stress can run high and students are navigating...

Celebrating the Retirement of Dr. Joni Bastian

28Apr

By Grace GrossNo Comments

Personality

Celebrating the Retirement of Dr. Joni Bastian

By Grace Gross, Editor-in-Chief Photography by The McKendrean As many of you know, Dr. Joni Bastian is retiring this Spring semester. "Dr. Joni Bastian, vice president for student affairs and one of the university’s most beloved staff members, has been serving the campus community and making plenty of positive changes for 3[6] years" (The McKendrean). In celebration of Dr. Bastian's many years of hard work, I interviewed her about her time at McKendree. What inspired you to pursue a career in student affairs and higher education? "I was very involved in leadership activities, including a New Student Orientation Leader, a Resident Assistant, a Student Ambassador, and a Preview Guide during my undergraduate years. I remained in close contact with my supervisors after graduation...

21Sep

By Kristina Ferry1 Comment

Campus News, Personality, Profiles

Behind the Scenes: Bogey the Bearcat

By: Kristina Ferry Bogey the Bearcat has been the face of McKendree University since the 1960s. The mascot has evolved over the years from a simple bear mask to a full-fledged suit. This month I have sat down with the dance team’s coach and Bogey’s caretaker, Sara Miller, to delve into the behind-the-scenes of who Bogey is, what his schedule is like and what students adore about him. Without spoiling the magic, Miller has provided more about who has the opportunity to play Bogey. She revealed that the privilege of playing Bogey differs from year to year but this year he is played by two students. These students are usually on the dance team but that is not a requirement to be Bogey. All that is required is for a student to participate in the work-study program and to sit down for an...

5Nov

By The McKendree Review1 Comment

National News, Personality, Profiles

Governor #42: Bruce Rauner

By Victoria Sananikone, Assistant Editor With the midterm election peeking over the horizon, some may say that governor Bruce Rauner has a storm coming for him. The candidates running for governor are strong and unique within their stances on how to further the success of the state of Illinois. However, Bruce Rauner has already succeeded in fulfilling this concept. Currently serving as governor number 42 of Illinois, his greatest mission was to improve all of the education systems across Illinois. He has been victorious with this goal in multiple different ways, but this success only came after he climbed to the top of the latter. Born and raised in Illinois, Rauner is a self-made businessman whose goal is to transform Illinois because it is his home, and “home is worth fighting for.” Hi...

31Oct

By The McKendree Review8 Comments

Personality, Perspective

Tattoos With a Story

By Halle Douglass Actor Johnny Depp once said, “My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story.” There is not a day that goes by where I do not see a student or professor on campus with at least one tattoo on their body. Most of the tattoos are simple and small, like quotes or crosses. However, there are some that I have looked at and thought, “Wow, I’d love to know the story behind that particular tattoo.” I got the opportunity to talk to a few students and staff members about their interesting tattoos. Here are their stories. I first spoke with junior Olivia Toth, who told me the story about her dream catcher tattoo, located on her thigh and hip: “This tattoo is basically a huge dream catcher with flowers and feathers, and splashes of paint in the background," Toth said. "It sounds ...

Caitlyn Westfall: Empowered Woman Empowering Women

29Oct

By The McKendree Review4 Comments

Personality, Profiles

Caitlyn Westfall: Empowered Woman Empowering Women

By Halle Douglass There is an anonymous quote that says, “Leaders become great not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.” After hearing McKendree Alumna Caitlyn Westfall’s story about her experience in Sigma Sigma Sigma, I could not agree more. I recently met her during formal recruitment, where she shared her story with all members, old and new. I felt incredibly moved and inspired by her story. Westfall came to McKendree as a freshman in the Fall of 2010, and she had convinced herself that she was not going to join a sorority in college. Shortly after the start of her freshman year, Caitlyn’s best friend asked her to accompany her to the involvement fair because she had been interested in joining a sorority and wanted to visit the tables. Caitlyn was ...

8Oct

By The McKendree ReviewNo Comments

Personality, Profiles, Sports

Krysten Baker: Coach and Counselor

By Kenneth Spisak Krysten Baker goes by multiple names: Krysten, Coach Baker, Ms. Baker, KB. Depending how you are acquainted with her, one of these will be how you address her. Baker is on the coaching staff for McKendree’s track and field team as the throwers coach. Not only is coaching essentially a full-time gig, she also has her daily job of a high school guidance counselor for Columbia High School. Often times I wonder how coaches got into their beloved sport from the get-go, and after kindly agreeing to an interview, Baker answered that very question. “I technically got involved in track and field in 5th grade," Baker said. "We had a small team at my elementary school where we had modified versions of regulation track events. It was in 6th grade when I actually joined my junior hig...

1May

By The McKendree Review8 Comments

Campus News, Personality, Profiles

When Maya Angelou Came to McKendree, and What Became of Our Gift to Her

By Greg Kassen, Contributing Writer On Feb. 4, 2003, Dr. Maya Angelou, a St. Louis native, spoke as the keynote speaker at McKendree’s Founder’s Day celebration honoring 175 years of operation. At this time McKendree was not yet a university. Angelou, who is arguably the most influential literary voice to speak at the college, drew in a packed crowd of 2,600 listeners in the Statham Center. Dr. John Greenfield, a retired professor who taught for 33 years at McKendree, attended that day. He recalls: “It was in the big gym and was totally packed. She was very moving and powerful when she related how she had the strength to persevere in the face of many obstacles --abuse, poverty, racism. It was probably the best attended speaker event since I've been here.” Angelou died a year later in May...

A Dedicated Life of Numbers: Questioning Dr. Ryan

23Apr

By The McKendree Review3 Comments

Campus News, Personality, Profiles

A Dedicated Life of Numbers: Questioning Dr. Ryan

By Quinn Polaski, contributing writer Dr. Dennis Ryan is a professor of Mathematics at McKendree University. He currently holds three degrees: a bachelor’s, master’s, and a doctorate of applied mathematics. These were all earned at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Here at McKendree, he has taught every mathematics course that is offered; some of his favorites are Complex Variables, Calculus, and Statistics. When he was working at a larger university, he taught entry-level math courses, with class sizes that would range anywhere from 60-80 students. In contrast, the largest math class that I have taken at McKendree had about 18 students. These UIC math classes were not by any means difficult for Dr. Ryan to teach content-wise. They did contain students who were n...