February 21, 2018

Indiana Statesman For ISU students. About ISU students. By ISU students.

Indiana Statesman

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018

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Volume 125, Issue 55

First SGA presidential debate in action Patrick Chavis Reporter On Monday night in DEDE II, the two candidates running for SGA president debated each other in the first of a series of debates that will be going on for the next two weeks.

Juniors Stephen Lamb and Maha Fahli are currently running up against Junior Caroline Kinderthain and Senior Wyatt Lawson in a very competitive race. Both pairs laid out their agendas that they would then implement if elected.

Before the event started, the pairs gave a small preview into what they would be discussing when the debate formally begun.

“We are running because we think we can have the biggest impact on campus,” said Lamb. “We know that whatever we do will have an impact past our tenure in office. Enhancing student engagement is one of our biggest goals and this will in turn lead to students getting the best out of their college experience. We want students to have impactful experiences outside of the classroom, which will improve their overall experience”.

Lawson and Kinderthain also briefly gave their main reasoning for running

and the end goal they sought to achieve.

“It made sense for Caroline and I to run, for we have a strong feeling of love for ISU,” Lawson said. “The biggest concept we stand for is for the general empowerment of ISU students. SGA has done a great job in the past, but we believe we can take it to the next level. I think our experience in prior leadership roles will help us make SGA stronger and more beneficial for students.”

Both pairs seemed to be very confident headed into the formal debate. The first Candidates to speak were Lamb and Fahli, who started off by stating their mission and then explaining what they described as their four-step plan that would be set into motion if elected.

These four pillars consisted of academic success, student engagement, inclusiveness, and mental health. They explained how these four areas worked hand and hand with one another and how crucial it was to improve all these areas.

Their speech shed light on the fact that often times on campus many groups of students from similar backgrounds, races, ethnic groups, or organizational groups in general will decide to associate with

SGA CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Life is terrifying – How scaring makes us care

Amanda Hobson

Jack Gregory Reporter Horror films have been around for almost as long as motion pictures themselves. Some of them are remakes and retellings of our favorite stories while others seek to scare the audience in new and inventive ways. They vary in almost uncountable ways, whether it’s the gore, violence, and psychological games of “Saw,” a standard-fare slasher like “Friday the 13th,” or it’s something classic like “Creature From the Black Lagoon,” all of these movies have one thing in common: they say something. This was the thesis statement of this year’s Women In Horror Month – a grassroots campaign going strong for nine years, although only showcasing at ISU for the second year.

The presentation, lead by Amanda Hobson, the assistant dean of Students and director of the Women’s Resource Center, explained why horror films are valuable sources for exploring societal fears and anxieties.

“I would say horror films are important because they do two things,” Hobson said, “They touch on our deepest fears and desires and they create intense social commentary.”

Citing films such as “Get Out,” “They Live,” “Night of the Living Dead” and many others, it is clear that these movies and the people creating them use mon-

ISU Communications and Marketing

From top left clockwise: Maha Fahli, Stephen Lamb, Wyatt Lawson and Caroline Kinderthain.

sters and violence as a metaphor for the horrors of everyday life, sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly.

To truly understand why horror films make us feel the way they do or show us what they show us is to break down what a horror movie is.

“It’s not all torture porn,” said Hobson, referencing movies like “Saw” and “Hostel.” Hobson then went on to explain that “horror” is a very broad genre, often blending elements from many other types of film. It’s an attempt to incorporate elements of monstrosity or strangeness in order to disfigure the everyday so that we, both the audience members and the creators, can explore our own fear and what makes us uncomfortable. In some ways, that disfiguration is the only way to expose the truth.

From the advent of the genre, horror movies have been exploring those uncomfortable truths as deeply as possible. “Night of the Living Dead,” for example, explores what it means to be “human” and what it means to be “other.” Having been made in 1968 with Duane Jones as the lead, there are obvious parallels to the social strife of the late 60’s between African Americans and White Americans.

“They Live” is about a homeless man in the 80’s discovering that the rampant consumerism overtaking America at that time is a plot by otherworldly beings to keep humanity subdued. Racial divides and consumerism aren’t ideas that the writers or directors came up with on their own; these movies are a response to the things they see in the world that they believe are wrong. They want to expose these injustices to the greater public and films are how they do it.

The presentation also exhibited movies that explore gender identities, sexuality, sexual violence – basically, any issue that can be brought up, there’s a horror movie about it. There’s also a pattern. Those “torture porn” movies exploded into popularity immediately after 9/11. They showcase our fears of being somewhere foreign or of something truly terrible happening

LIFE CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Celebrating 50 years of ISU’s Black Student Union

ISU’s Black Student Union reflect on acievements and history in the 50th anniversary.

Jada N. Holmes Reporter Triumphant in the gruesome face of adversity, consistent in the era of necessity, and persistent in faith and advocacy for the student community, Indiana State University’s Black Student Union collective reflects upon achievements and progression in Leadership through a 50th anniversary celebration.

Gathering in the heart of the Charles E. Brown African-American Cultural Center on Monday, February 19th, an intimate setting decadent in black and gold accents set the tone for what would be a united and profound share.

The umbrella organization commenced its recognition of the entity’s legacy at ISU with an initial welcome from current president, senior Devin Hinkle.

Expanding upon his presidency in recent experience, Hinkle addressed the support of his Executive board as a means by which his growth thus far is accredited. Enthusiastic Research

Assistant, Dr. Crystal Reynolds, followed immediately after to set the stage for historical accounts of what the African-American experience has been at Indiana State.

An extensive presentation entailing Black figures from the college, including university activists, alluded to the rich contributions that have been made to the institution amidst struggles for equity and representation.

The presentation highlighted the premise of Indiana State’s inclusive past, as well as the ills of stereotypical representation from which the university was not innocent.

Proceeding into an interactive segment facilitated by BSU alumni, Ms. Mary Allen Wise, the audience was prompted to network amongst each other to increase connectivity in every sense of the word.

Attendees were allotted 5 minutes of communication in an effort to see who could accumulate the most connections in the time frame. On behalf of alum-

Paige Carter | Indiana Statesman

ni, winners of the activity were gifted $25 gift cards effective for bookstores.

Additional commentary provided by former activists and organization members introduced the realities of strife, deeply encoded into every expression to relay how community impact was increased during their era.

Whether they were implications of demand lists, involvement records, protests, widespread movements pressures toward presidential influence, attendees were indeed ingulfed in a moment of true Black History.

Concluding the ceremony was the serving of dinner, and the cutting of cake provided to commemorate the efforts of Black Student Union then and now.

BSU Public Relations representative, A’via Owensby, proved to be satisfied with the outcome of the evening, acknowledging the importance of having the organizations alumni involved in

50 YEARSCONTINUED ON PAGE 3

NEWS

Page 2

As fake videos become more realistic, seeing shouldn’t always be believing David Pierson Los Angeles Times (TNS) LOS ANGELES — All it takes is a single selfie.

From that static image, an algorithm can quickly create a moving, lifelike avatar: a video not recorded, but fabricated from whole cloth by software.

With more time, Pinscreen, the Los Angeles startup behind the technology, believes its renderings will become so accurate they will defy reality.

“You won’t be able to tell,” said Hao Li, a leading researcher on computer-generated video at the University of Southern California who founded Pinscreen in 2015. “With further deep-learning advancements, especially on mobile devices, we’ll be able to produce completely photoreal avatars in real time.”

The technology is a triumph of computer science that highlights the gains researchers have made in deep neural networks, complex algorithms that loosely mimic the thinking of the human brain.

Similar breakthroughs in artificial intelligence allowed University of Washington researchers to move President Barack Obama’s mouth to match a made-up script and the chipmaker Nvidia to train computers to imagine what roads would look like in different weather.

What used to take a sophisticated Hollywood production company weeks could soon be accomplished in seconds by anyone with a smartphone.

Not available for a video chat? Use your life-like avatar as a stand-in. Want to insert yourself into a virtual reality game? Upload your picture and have the game render your character.

Those are the benign applications.

Now imagine a phony video of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un announcing a missile strike.

The White House would have mere minutes to determine whether the clip was genuine and whether it warranted a retaliatory strike.

What about video of a presidential candidate admitting to taking foreign cash? Even if proved fake, the damage could prove irreversible.

In some corners of the internet, people are using open-source software to swap celebrities’ faces into pornographic videos, a phenomenon called Deep

Fakes.

It’s not hard to imagine a world in which social media is awash with doctored videos targeting ordinary people to exact revenge, extort or to simply troll.

In that scenario, where Twitter and Facebook are algorithmically flooded with hoaxes, no one could fully believe what they see.

Truth, already diminished

by Russia’s misinformation campaign and President Donald Trump’s proclivity to label uncomplimentary journalism “fake news,” would be more subjective than ever.

The consequences could be devastating for the notion of evidentiary video, long considered the paradigm of proof given the sophistication required to manipulate it.

“This goes far beyond ‘fake news’ because you are dealing with a medium, video, that we traditionally put a tremendous amount of weight on and trust in,” said David Ryan Polgar, a writer and self-described tech ethicist. “If you look back at what can now be considered the first viral video, it was the witnessing of Rodney King being assaulted that dramatically impacted public opinion.

A video is visceral. It is also a medium that seems objective.”

To stop the spread of fake videos, Facebook, Google and Twitter would need to show they can make good on recent promises to police their platforms.

Last week’s indictment of more than a dozen Russian operatives and three Russian companies showed how easily bad actors can exploit the tech companies that dominate our access to information.

Silicon Valley was blindsided by the spread of trolls, bots and propaganda — a problem that persists today.

Tech companies have a financial incentive to promote sensational content.

And as platforms rather than media companies, they’ve fiercely defended their right to shirk editorial judgment.

Critics question whether Facebook, Google and Twitter are prepared to detect an onslaught of new technology like machine-generated video.

“Platforms are starting to take 2016-style misinformation seriously at some levels,” said Aviv Ovadya, chief technologist at the Center for Social Media Responsibility. “But

FAKE CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018

Controversy to remove Confederate statue from UNC Jane Stancill The News & Observer (TNS) Several people have submitted petitions to the North Carolina Historical Commission to move the Silent Sam Confederate statue from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus.

Four petitions were received in January and February, said Neel Lattimore, director of communications for the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The documents are identical to each other, and similar to the one filed by Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration, which last year petitioned the commission to move three Confederate monuments from the State Capitol grounds to a historic battlefield in Johnston County.

A study committee is now taking public comments on the issue of whether to move the State Capitol monuments. It will make a recommendation to the full commission in April.

The petitions on Silent Sam say the statue poses “an ongoing threat to public safety,” citing potential violence between protesters and counter-protesters, continued police presence at the monument and even UNC’s deployment of an undercover officer who befriended protesters last year. The petitioners quoted previous statements from UNC Police Chief Jeff McCracken, who wrote last year “the statue now serves, more than ever, as a magnet drawing together extreme factions intent on committing acts of violence.”

The statue has also been vandalized in recent years, prompting the university to install 24-hour surveillance cameras. Earlier this month, a video emerged from last summer that shows a man climbing the

SGM|Zuma Press|TNS

“Silent Sam” guards the quadrangle in the oldest part of the UNC campus in this 2009 file image.

statue and beating it with a hammer.

One of the petitioners, Heather Redding, a 39-year-old Orange County resident, said there is nothing in state law that prevents private citizens from petitioning the commission.

“We figured it wouldn’t hurt to try,” Redding said.

The petitions come from members of the Campaign to Move Silent Sam, a group that wants to remove what it views as a monument to white su-

premacy and racism. University leaders have said they cannot take action on Silent Sam because of a 2015 state law that prohibits the alteration of historic monuments on state property. There are exceptions, however, to preserve the object, to make way for construction or transportation projects, or in cases when a building inspector has determined that the object poses a hazard because of its physical condition.

Last August, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt and UNC President Margaret Spellings signed a letter to Cooper, saying they were worried about an impending protest that could have been dangerous for students. Their letter followed deadly protests in Charlottesville. Cooper responded that the university could act to take down the statue, citing the safety threat.

But university leaders declined, arguing that their lawyers interpreted the law differently. Because the statue itself was still in good condition, they said, it didn’t qualify under the physical hazard exception.

Folt and Spellings have been under pressure from many students and faculty who want to see the statue gone, as well as others, including alumni, politicians and the Republican-majority Board of Governors, who want Silent Sam to remain.

The university did not join the Cooper administration’s petition to the historical commission. For now, Silent Sam still stands on campus, its fate in question.

“I think a lot of people are waiting for the university to make a move,” Redding said. “It doesn’t seem like they ever will petition the historical commission, or they’re waiting to see what happens with the statues in Raleigh. … Even if the monuments in Raleigh are moved, then we’re going to have to start over by asking the university to make a similar request, and so it’s going to be this long, drawn-out process. I feel like they will make every excuse they can.”

So the petitioners decided to go it on their own, Redding said, and they hope the commission will act on their request.

Lattimore said the petitions are under review.

Missing Uber driver found in L.A. Hospital James Queally Los Angeles Times (TNS) LOS ANGELES — A 29-year-old Uber and Lyft driver who went missing in downtown Los Angeles more than a week ago has been found in a nearby hospital, authorities said.

Joshua Thiede, who was last seen driving his black Nissan Altima in the 1000 block of Wilshire Boulevard near the 110 Freeway on Feb. 11, was found less than a mile away at Good Samaritan Hospital late Monday night, according to Officer Greg Kraft, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Kraft did not know Thiede’s condition or when he arrived at the hospital. It was not immediately clear if Thiede was brought to the hospital by emergency personnel or checked himself in. The department planned to issue a press release later on Tuesday morning, Kraft said.

Thiede’s mother, Janet, thanked those who aided in the search for her son.

“At this time, we do not have all the details. We are just extremely happy that he is alive,” she wrote in a Facebook post published early Tuesday morning. “We are continuing to ask the LAPD to investigate the circumstances that landed him in the

hospital.”

The LAPD found Thiede’s car in Koreatown on Monday, but declined to offer details.

Thiede’s mother previously told The Times that her son has been driving for Uber and Lyft while working on a prototype organic shoe made of pineapple and hemp. His car’s key fob indicated he last drove out of the garage of his Los Angeles apartment on the night of Feb. 11, his mother said.

Phone records show that someone called 911 from his cellphone at 2:32 p.m. the next day, Feb. 12.

School shooting survivors make gun control push at Florida Capitol

Gray Rohrer Orlando Sentinel (TNS)

About 50 students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School met with lawmakers Tuesday, telling their stories of last week’s shooting that left 17 dead and urging them to pass gun control measures.

They’re hoping their harrowing stories of the shooting will spur lawmakers to action on bills to ban assault weapons sales, allow law enforcement under court order to confiscate guns of those with mental illnesses or set up a registration of assault weapon owners.

“They have to realize that it shouldn’t have to take such a big tragedy and me losing my close friend, my teacher and all these innocent kids losing their lives protecting each other — it shouldn’t take

Emily Michot|Miami Herald|TNS

Supporters showed up with signs to give encouragement to the Douglas students headed to Tallahassee, Fla., to demand stronger gun control on Tuesday, February 20, 2018.

that to make a change,” said Melissa Camilo, 15, a freshman at the school. “I think that they have to do something about it.”

Sheryl Acquaroli, 17, a junior at Douglas High, was on the other side of the

campus when the shooting took place and was able to get to safety. But she recognized a friend in one of the videos of the shooting.

“We were close, we had first period together that morning, and I had saw

her just that morning,” Acquaroli said. “I woke up the next morning, found out that my friend Helena Ramsey had been shot and killed. She died protecting other students.”

Some Republican Sen-

ate leaders are preparing a bill that would limit assault weapon sales to those 21 and older and place a three-day waiting period on long-gun purchases.

But the measures fall short of the complete ban on the sale and transfer of assault weapons advocated by Democrats and Douglas High students.

It’s also unclear if the House and Gov. Rick Scott would go along with the bill. Scott, a Republican, is holding three workshops Tuesday — the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Education and with law enforcement officials from around the state, focusing on school safety and mental health funding.

Scott could unveil proposals in response to the shooting after the workshops Tuesday, but hasn’t specified any gun regula-

tion bills he would sign.

With only three weeks of the legislative session remaining, and the historical trend of the GOP’s embrace of laws that ease gun regulations, Douglas High students face a steep climb to get new gun control measures passed this year.

But the new activists say they’re not going away any time soon.

“I don’t think they understand that we aren’t just going to give up when we get tired, because we are not going to get tired,” Acquaroli said. “We are young, they are old; we are the next generation. When they leave office we will be there to take their places.

And we are going to do something if they don’t do anything. So no matter what, change is going to happen and we are going to be sure of it.”

indianastatesman.com

SGA FROM PAGE 1 one another, often times excluding those who are different.

They also pointed out how the school in general often times fails in providing a more inclusive environment for all. Fahli, for example is an international student and when she first arrived at ISU she was required to attend a two hour international student orientation which primarily focused on facts about immigration and informed students how not to get deported.

Lamb and Fahli called for the reform of that orientation and for an increase in cultural awareness that would give students and faculty alike a more nuanced understanding of these cultures.

Mental health was another issue that was discussed in vivid detail by the two.

The fact that only five full time counselors were handling at least 6,000 counseling appointments was alarming to many in the audience, but that was only part of it. According to Lamb and Fahli, it takes about six to twelve weeks to receive a follow up appointment after your initial appointment took place.

Solving this problem is one of the pair’s concerns of upmost importance.

In response to this, Lawson and Kinderthain outlined their policies that they would promote if elected.

They strongly support a community of advocacy and cooperation among students. They hope for students to collaborate with one another on current sustainability efforts on campus to create a greener ISU. Another measure they would like to enact would be what they refer to as liberating the Forest, which would consist of implementing a system of leadership within

LIFE FROM PAGE 1 to you when and/or where you least expect it. “They Live,” as mentioned above, was created in response to the economic environment of the 80s. “The First Purge,” to come out late this year, released a teaser trailer that is meant to look like it could be any political ad that’s been on the air, talking about how great America is and how awesome Americans are and then finishes with a shot of a plain red hat that reads “The First Purge.” Any time something historically significant happens,

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018 • Page 3 the Forest in order to increase student involvement, and support for Indiana State Athletics. They intend to increase Sycamore pride by doing so.

Their central message was that through working on constructive projects with one another, students would naturally come together and interact with one another, empowering the students in the process.

After the formal debate, students were able to chime in and ask the candidates any questions they may have had.

One of the most thought provoking questions referred to all of the candidate’s stances on the decision by Res life to end family housing in the University Apartments.

This is a move that would affect a vast number of ISU students and when asked if the candidates would support students that deciwded to protest this, they unanimously agreed that the students would have their support 100%.

However, there are many students unaware that Res Life is even making this decision much less that SGA has a role in stopping the decision. This unawareness or lack of caring about SGA and its duties on campus are unsettling to students in attendance at the debate.

Juniors Rachel Zaiger and Mary Hendricks expressed this concern after the conclusion of the event.

“I think that a lot of good things were said by both sides, there needs to a bigger turnout,” Zaiger said. “This election will affect all students on campus, so people should make sure they show up.”

Both students agree that being involved in the student governmental aspects is crucial to getting your voice heard and creating a greater experience for everyone across the board. horror movies are there to help us explore how we feel about larger-than-life situations without having to actually put ourselves in danger.

Whether it’s obvious or not, horror movies can offer some of the most biting social commentary, and while that may make some people uncomfortable or even angry, those fears and anxieties are always worth exploring. Any truth we can glean about ourselves or the society we live in is valuable even if it hurts to hear. If we know about our shortcomings, we can improve and make ourselves better.

Apply at the Indiana Statesman today!

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FAKE FROM PAGE 2 doing things that scale is much harder.”

Fake video “will need be addressed at a deeper technical infrastructure layer, which is a whole different type of ballgame,” Ovadya said.

(Facebook and Twitter did not respond to interview requests. Google declined to comment.)

The problem is that there isn’t much in the way of safeguards.

Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert at Dartmouth College who often consults for law enforcement, said watching for blood flow in the face can sometimes determine whether video is real.

Slight imperfections on a pixel level can also reveal whether it is genuine.

Over time, though, Farid said, artificial intelligence will undermine those clues, perpetuating a cat-and-mouse game between algorithms and investigators.

“I’ve been working in this space for two decades and have known about the issue of manipulated video, but it’s never risen to the level where everyone panics,” Farid said.

“But this machine-learning-generated video has

come out of nowhere and has taken a lot of us by surprise.”

That includes researchers at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The U.S. military’s high-tech research lab, better known as DARPA, meets regularly with experts in media forensics like Farid and Li from Pinscreen. Discussion at a recent meeting in Menlo Park turned to Deep Fakes and ways to detect ultra-realistic fake video.

The consensus was bleak.

“There’s basically not much anyone can do right now,” Li said about automated detection tools.

The same conundrum faced the software company Adobe years ago when it became clear that its photo-editing program, Photoshop, was also being used for trickery. The company looked into including tools that could detect if an image had been doctored.

But Adobe ultimately abandoned the idea, determining that fraudsters could exploit the tool just as easily, said Kevin Connor, a former Adobe executive who now works with Farid.

“I think Photoshop is an overwhelmingly good thing,” Connor said. “But that doesn’t mean a good thing can’t be used for

50 YEARS FROM PAGE 1 the affair.

“They were the ones who set the pace,” said Owensby. “If it were not for them, a 50th year anniversary would not have been possible at all.”

With an objective to illustrate just how far Black Student Union has come, the event also inspired current leaders to take advantage of their opportunities and create the change they wish to know.

For A’via, becoming apart of this collective has allowed her to achieve such ideal development.

“Black Student Union has enabled me

bad.”

Proponents of artificial video say fake imagery is an old problem that’s regularly debunked. Consider the doctored photo that emerged in 2004 of presidential candidate John Kerry with Jane Fonda at an anti-Vietnam War rally.

Even an 1860 portrait of Abraham Lincoln turned out to be manipulated. The president’s body was replaced with that of a more heroic-looking John Calhoun.

The chance of stopping technology like computer-generated video from advancing is highly unlikely, experts say.

That means the onus is on those who read the news and those who report it to verify video the best they can. Students at a young age also need to be taught how to wade through news sources critically, said Nonny de la Pena, an early practitioner of immersive journalism, which often leans on virtual reality.

“To shy away from technology because of fears it can be dangerous is a huge mistake,” she said. “Technology is scary. You’re going to have negative consequences. But the positive potential far outweighs the bad.”

to become an even better person with time management. Having a leadership role in a college organization is big, and people will look up to you. They want to know what you know, and I have gotten better at speaking in front of people when we hold our student body meetings, and it is a great feeling,” stated Owensby.

Black Student Union alumni, collectively considered as Incorporated Gathering, reminisced lovingly, allowing current members to both understand the foundation upon which they stand, and the possibilities that await them—longing to be explored.

From 1968 and onward, the service of BSU is a service to ISU.

FEATURES

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018

Jada N. Holmes Reporter

A creative warrior thrives on the employment of passion as a weapon and is fearless in their submission to their craft.

For Wyatt Lawson, Indiana State senior who is studying Fine Arts, including Art history, and Nonprofit Leadership, obsession has been the epitome of his pursuits in the extraordinary realm of creation.

With the purpose of pushing the comprehensive limitations of audiences, practitioners, and even himself, Lawson strives to bring forth meaning and honesty through his journey as a painter and fine artist.

An artist revolutionizes a contemporary element of history in and with each masterpiece. Lawson, inspired by emersion, prioritizes the sharing of ideas projected by his works that foster a deeper appreciation of concepts.

“In terms of media, I identify myself as a painter; paint is where my whole journey in the art world began,” Lawson said.

Lawson explores various techniques, including oil painting on “non-traditional” surfaces such as wood, un-

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ISU Communications & Marketing

Wyatt Lawson, senior Fine Arts major.

stretched canvas, and glass.

Acknowledging the frustration of settling into one identification and avenue, Lawson taps into aspects of diversity by utilizing additional mediums like photography, digital art, and drawing to contribute to his multi-dimensional expression.

“I think it is hard for me to pin point a particular style that I identify with, though it is very easy for me to highlight content that I focus on,” he said.

Lawson proves to be no stranger to the portrayals of intimacy and romance, stating that such an essence is incorporated into most of his pieces. He recognizes his discoveries of sensual provocateur by “exploring the idea of what intimacy is, the individual, as well as how we identify intimacy between people.”

In his atmosphere, understanding the expression of romance is also essential.

“More often than not, my work is very sexual in nature,” Lawson said.

The ISU talent, since youth, has embodied artistic potential. And, with the assistance and support of instructors, continues to develop a stake in the world of Fine Arts.

“I owe my high school teacher for pushing me into that passion,” said Lawson. “The faculty in the art department has really pushed me out of my comfort zone as an artist.”

Lawson credits the allegiance of painting professor Nancy Nichols-Pethick for being a driving force.

“She not only pushes me, she is very real with me about her expectations and in helping me to develop expectations of myself,” he said.

After graduating Indiana State University, Wyatt intends to acquire a Master’s degree in Fine Arts, and to ultimately integrate his love for both creation and Higher Education.

“Being able to give back to Higher Education in a way that I am passionate about would be a dream!” Lawson said.

Video game review: Metal Gear Survive AJ Goelz Reporter

Photo courtesy of Chaarg

CHAARG is an organization that focuses on the health and fitenss of women.

Organization of the Week; CHAARG Sydnee Morgan Reporter Here at Indiana State we offer a wide variety of organizations that students are able to get involved in during their time as undergraduate, and even as graduate students. Different associations attract different kinds of people, and CHAARG, particularly, is dedicated towards the women here at State and different Universities across the nation.

CHAARG stands for Changing Health, Attitudes, and Actions to Recreate Girls! So what does this mean to a woman on our campus?

Brenna West, one of the founders of CHAARG here at ISU, said the focus of CHAARG is the health and exercise of college-aged women.

However, Brenna was not the only one who saw the beauty in

this chapter.

Hannah Rose, who is the current Ambassador, was also trying to make this organization into a chapter the same time West was. Now, after countless hours and detailed planning, CHAARG was brought here to Indiana State.

CHAARG wants to highlight the stress and pressure women feel the need to have to maintain a healthy, happy body. So many factors come into play when thinking about what to wear, when to exercise, and what not to eat, that girls are losing sight of what makes them whole.

CHAARG is something to look forward to for women. It not only suggests exercises and meal plans, but is also is backed up with a community of women that follow along the same journey as you. With personal friendships and interactions with other members, there is

a lot for women to get out of CHAARG. This organization is truly about the self-love you show to your body and keeping a positive mindset. CHAARG has plenty to offer like, “studio spotlights.”

Every week they are paired with a studio that the girls may have not had the chance to be a part of they were not in CHAARG. It gives girls an opportunity to try something new different activities include boxing, Insanity, Cross-Fit, yoga, and Pulse. The most intriguing part about these sessions is that they are all made specifically for the group, so not only are they getting lessons, but it is also has a major sense of person interaction So here is your chance to get involved and see what CHAARG has to offer.

On March 7 at 7 p.m.,

SEE CHAARG, PAGE 5

To the joy of many, “Metal Gear Survive” launched on Tuesday. To the dismay of many, specifically PS4 owners, found that the game would not start at midnight as it should.

When many PS4 owners would try to start “Metal Gear Survive”, they would go through the starting options (language, subtitles, brightness, etc.) only to come face to face with a screen informing them that they need to update the game and that it will not start without it. The solution seems simple, go out to the dashboard and check for an update for the game. This is where the next problem starts, there is no update.

The next logical step would to see if there is a system update the player missed. A gaming console is like a computer and at times the software needs to be updated. One can go into their options and check for the update to find that, most likely, their console is up to date. This begs the question, “what update?”

After scouring the internet an answer presented itself in the form of an article on Twinfinite

by Zhiqing Wan. Wan’s original article describes the situation and the frustration of purchasing a game and now having to wait for Konami to release a patch to fix the problem.

Wan’s article was later updated

to say, “Users are reporting that only PS4 versions of Metal Gear Survive are getting this update issue. Deleting and reinstalling the pre-loaded version of the game should make it playable.”

This is a simple fix to an obnoxious problem. It is common practice to pre load a game onto a console before release. The game will then unlock and allow players access to the game as soon as the game releases in their region.

Hopefully Wan’s article can help any still trying to figure out this issue.

“Metal Gear Survive” is set after the events of “Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes” in an alternate timeline where Mother Base and those residing on it are sucked into a different dimension. There players must survive in an open world infested with monsters and find their way home.

“Metal Gear Survive” is the latest release in the long running “Metal Gear” franchise from the genius mind of Hideo Kojima.

The series has had a vast amount success with some titles not reaching the levels of others. The last addition to the series was “Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain” in September of 2015.

After “The Phantom Pain”, Kojima had a split with Konami and did not work on “Metal Gear Survive”. Kojima has worked on many other projects other than the “Metal Gear” series and his

SEE METAL GEAR, PAGE 5

Samantha Shepherd | Indiana Statesman

Samantha Shepherd | Indiana Statesman

indianastatesman.com CHAARG FROM PAGE 4 CHAARG will be hosting their first event called, “Love Your Body,” in Dede 1. This will be open to all students, no matter their gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or anything more. This event will shine a light on the societal issues and stigmas that come with the ideals of body image people face every day of what it means to be “perfect.”

CHAARG is forcing a spotlight on problems, not only in our region, but also in our nation and world. They will be showing a Straight/Curve documentary to go along at their event, and there

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018 • Page 5 will also be snacks for everyone in attendance. Stop by if you have a chance or meet the women who started CHAARG at Indiana State.

If you struggle with body image and you want to feel empowered about yourself as a woman, then CHAARG just may be the perfect organization for you. This is open to anyone looking for an extra push in their day or maybe for an individual that needs to see the light in themselves.

Every Woman is Worth It, CHAARG! How do you get involved? The Chapter currently has almost 30 members and they are always looking for more

people to help create a unity of women here at State. CHAARG is an organization to fulfill your leadership abilities and they are currently looking for new executive members for the 2018-2019 term.

“I know for many girls, body image issues are a huge problem. I am definitely one of those girls and I have felt that CHAARG would be something extremely positive to bring to not only myself but to the women at Indiana State. I am an advocate for women of all shapes and sizes, and beating the stigma that women must be the same.” West said.

METAL GEAR FROM PAGE 4 last project, which will never see the light of day, was a “Silent Hill” game. Before he left Konami, Kojima and his team released “P.T.”, or the playable teaser for his upcoming game “Silent Hills”. “P.T.” was a major hit with players and reveled that Norman Reedus was doing motion capture for the game. Since leaving, Kojima has started a new studio, Kojima Productions, and is currently working on his upcoming PlayStation exclusive “Death Stranding”. To those wondering, yes Reedus is involved with this project.

OPINION

Page 6

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018

We saved the panda, but what about their habitat?

Whitney Slaton Columnist

James Berglie| Zuma Press |TNS

Robert Mueller on February 16, 2011, as he testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington, D.C.

13 Russians indicted in Mueller Probe Joe Lippard

Opinions Editor

Special counsel Robert Mueller unleashed another wave of indictments in his investigation into Russian election meddling last Friday.

Thirteen Russians and three companies were charged with eight various crimes ranging from aggravated identity theft to conspiracy to defraud the United States.

The 37-page indictment charges that the thirteen Russians and the Internet Research Agency, the Russian government’s online troll agency, has since 2014 engaged in disseminating political propaganda in favor of then-candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, while also spreading false and

damaging information about opposing Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

According to the indictment, the Russians used fake Facebook and Twitter accounts to create division among Americans. The IRA instructed their online “specialists” in an internal memo to “use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump – we support them),” according to the indictment. The IRA also reproached a Russian-run Facebook group called “Secured Borders” for a “low number of posts dedicated to criticizing Hillary Clinton.” The page was told that “it is imperative to intensify criticizing” Clinton.

Some advertisements that were funded by the Russians said things like, “Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Deserve the Black Vote” and “Trump is our only hope for a better future!”

Many, many accounts called Clinton “Killary,” while other accounts posted things like, “Choose peace and vote for Jill Stein. Trust me, it’s not a wasted vote.”

The indictment also charges that these Russians stole the identities

of Americans to fraudulently represent fake grass-roots movements in support of both Clinton and Trump.

Many of the “Not My President” rallies that we heard so much about were, in fact, Russian-sponsored, as were many of the pro-Trump rallies, including one particular Trump rally in Florida, where Russians worked directly with unaware Trump campaign staff.

The news of the indictments seemed to make Trump apoplectic. Beginning soon after the news broke, he tweeted, “Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong - no collusion!”

For some reason, Trump seems to think that since Russia began interfering in US politics before he ran for president (the second time), he was immune to their influence. That makes no sense. In addition, whether or not the outcome of the election was affected doesn’t change the fact

MULLER CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

to increasing populations these forests are being logged or fragmented.

Bamboo forests that are fragmented by roads or buildings cause pandas to lose portions of their habitat, and some can be killed trying to cross to the other side. According to the WWF, fragmentation is the greatest danger to panda habitats due to growing populations.

Fragmentation separates bamboo sections and does not allow pandas to migrate easily either. When the bamboo runs out of a panda’s habitat, they follow the bamboo to a new area.

However, fragmentation does not allow the pandas to easily move to another area. In fact, if these areas are so far apart, the pandas could die of starvation.

Fragmentation also does not allow pandas to move and join other pandas, causing breeding to slow and population to decline.

Logging is another aspect that affects pandas.

While logging was banned in China in 1998, the logging that has been done continues to impact their habitat today. The logging that was done has separated pandas into various areas in China, creating the same affect that today’s fragmentation does.

Another aspect hurting panda habitats is the harvesting of bamboo. Bamboo is harvested for many reasons; however, none of which are extremely important for human health.

In fact, bamboo is mainly used for decorative purposes. Canes, plants and cooking ware are all types of products that are made from bamboo, that do not need to be and just cause harm to pandas. Next time you think about buying bamboo anything, find an alternative that does not

It was only a couple years ago that the giant panda was labeled endangered. Now they are labeled as vulnerable, but there is still more we can do to save them. With our help, pandas were saved from extinction by setting up reservations and protections for them. However, while we have saved the animal, we have not done anything for their habitat. Their home and food sources are being cut down, killed or used for tourism.

Pandas were helped away from extinction by massive efforts from communities and governments, mainly through making reservations – areas to allow them to grow population in a safe, sectioned off area. Overall, there are 67 reservations set up by the Chinese government that are the homes to two-thirds of the panda population, according to the World Wildlife Foundation. While these pandas are safe and growing their population, they are not wild animals. Their habitat and food sources are monitored and controlled by conservationists to ensure that they can keep their population from dropping to endangerment. These reserves have the perfect habitat set up for pandas; they are ensured to have plenty of bamboo for the pandas to eat and trees for them to live in. They are also protected areas, so that the pandas can live safely without having to worry about anything life-threatening.

Now that pandas are no longer endangered, we must focus on their habitat and food source. Pandas live in bamboo forests in various locations throughout China; however, due PANDA CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

A case for small steps to fix a big gun problem Ramesh Ponnuru Bloomberg View (TNS)

In the effort to reduce gun violence, or gun massacres, should we go big or go small? Should we concentrate on steps that have a consensus behind them, at the risk of not making much difference? Or should we seek to transform American law and culture, even if success looks pitifully unlikely?

The movement to regulate gun ownership has pursued both strategies at once, fighting for incremental progress toward the goal of much tighter restrictions. But the tensions between these strategies are inescapable.

The people who advocate a ban on handguns are a useful foil for the people who don’t want any restrictions at all. Yet centering the debate on small changes can demoralize advocates who want to end a bloody status quo.

New York Times columnist Bret Stephens has been arguing that we should be ambitious, and set our sights on the Second Amendment. Working within the constraints of the amendment leads to policies such as banning assault weapons

and instituting background checks for private gun sales. These regulations will, he thinks, have “negligible” effects on homicide rates. He urges us to “do something more than tinker at the margins of a legal regime that most of the developed world rightly considers nuts.”

Only after repealing the Second Amendment, Stephens says, will we be able to have rational gun laws. What those laws would be, he is consistently evasive in describing.

He acknowledges that a repeal campaign looks quixotic today, but cites the struggle for same-sex marriage as an example of an unlikely triumph. It is a terrible analogy, for two main reasons. First, same-sex marriage never went through a five-decade period of sharply declining popularity. A ban on the civilian ownership of handguns has.

Second, same-sex marriage was able to prevail even though a large minority of Americans opposed it. Even now about a third of the country opposes it. What Stephens is proposing is a constitutional amendment, and the normal amendment process requires the support of twothirds of both chambers of Congress and

three-quarters of the states.

The first step of the Stephens plan is, in other words, to get nearly everyone in the country to agree that the Constitution should not protect gun rights. He offers no explanation of how this would be accomplished. His columns amount to wishing away the disagreement he seeks to overcome. And he has the gall to say that conservatives who reject his idea are the ones who don’t “offer anything except false bromides and empty prayers.”

I’m tempted to respond that offering thoughtless clickbait is no great service.

But the impulse to go big is understandable, especially when you consider the tinkering alternatives that are usually suggested. A ban on assault weapons looks like the worst of both worlds. It would be very hard to achieve — a Democratic Senate mustered only 40 votes for it after the Sandy Hook massacre — and have almost no effect even if it succeeded.

Stephens is right about that.

That doesn’t mean we should just accept current levels of gun violence and mass murder. The fact that gun violence has been declining for decades should counsel against fatalism. John Cornyn of

Texas, the number-two Republican in the Senate, and Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy, the chamber’s leading proponent of gun regulation, have a bill to address deficiencies in the background-check system.

Several states have considered gun violence restraining orders that would enable the disarming of people who give evidence of posing a danger to others.

Governments could also create duties to report such dangers, and impose liability on people who give others they know pose a danger access to guns (or bombs).

These ideas are consistent with the Second Amendment. They can earn support from people who favor gun rights.

And they might save some lives. None of them, it is true, would “solve” the problem of gun violence or eliminate the incidence of massacres.

They acknowledge the reality that our country has hundreds of millions of guns and deep divisions over them. They are small, practical steps, useless for providing inspiration or generating invective.

But we should not miss the opportunity for modest improvements because we prefer the comforts of fantasy.

Editorial Board

Wed, Feb. 21, 2018 Indiana State University

www.indianastatesman.com

Volume 125 Issue 55

Grace Harrah Editor-in-Chief statesmaneditor@isustudentmedia.com Rileigh McCoy News Editor statesmannews@isustudentmedia.com Joe Lippard Opinions Editor statesmanopinions@isustudentmedia.com Claire Silcox Features Editor statesmanfeatures@isustudentmedia.com Andrew Doran Sports Editor statesmansports@isustudentmedia.com Danielle Guy Photo Editor statesmanphotos@isustudentmedia.com Ashley Sebastian Chief Copy Editor The Indiana Statesman is the student newspaper of Indiana State University. It is published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the academic school year. Two special issues are published during the summer. The paper is printed by the Tribune Star in Terre Haute, Ind.

Opinions Policy The opinions page of the Indiana Statesman offers an opportunity for the Indiana State University community to express its views. The opinions, individual and collective, expressed in the Statesman and the student staff’s selection or arrangement of content do not necessarily reflect the attitudes of the university, its Board of Trustees, administration, faculty or student body. The Statesman editorial board writes staff editorials and makes final decisions about news content. This newspaper serves as a public forum for the ISU community.

Make your opinion heard by submitting letters to the editor at statesmanopinions@isustudentmedia.com.

Letters must be fewer than 500 words and include year in school, major and phone number for verification.

Letters from non-student members of the campus community must also be verifiable. Letters will be published with the author’s name. The Statesman editorial board reserves the right to edit letters for length, libel, clarity and vulgarity.

indianastatesman.com

MULLER FROM PAGE 6 that Russians interfered in the election. Trump is simply moving the goalposts. First he said he believed Russian president Vladimir Putin when Putin said Russia didn’t interfere in the election.

As far as Trump’s whole “no collusion” claim, maybe he should have thought about that before his son tweeted out emails showing a coordinated effort between the Russian government and the Trump campaign. Don-

PANDA FROM PAGE 6 cause harm to an animal or their habitat.

Tourism is yet another problem that harms pandas. In China, there are many tourist buildings meant to have access to pandas, so the tourist can see a wild panda while they are visiting the country. However, these buildings are just another way to harm the habitat of these wonderful animals that we have tried

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018 • Page 7 ald Trump, Jr. was told that damaging information on Clinton that Russian agent Natalia Veselnitskaya offered him was “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump,” to which he responded, “I love it.”

It’s like Trump heard all the people tweeting at him pointing out that he had shifted the goalposts, because two days later, he tweeted, “I never said Russia did not meddle in the election, I said ‘it may be Russia, or China or another country or group, or it may be a 400 pound genius sit-

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been any one of many other people. Sources or even individuals.”

However, in that same interview, he said “I don’t believe they interfered. That became a laughing point, not a talking point, a laughing point. Any time I do something, they say ‘oh, Russia interfered.’”

On top of that, in November, Trump met with Putin. After the meeting, a reporter asked him about Russian election interference, to which he replied, “Every time he sees me, he says, ‘I didn’t do that.’ And I really believe that

when he tells me that, he means it.”

Of course Putin would deny interfering with another country’s democratic election – that’s counterintelligence 101. And Trump is shown to be a liar again, his ship sunk by his own words. We have indictments on our hands, which means Mueller has evidence necessary to charge individuals in the case of election interference. To call this situation “fake news” any longer is simply not true.

to hard to protect.

While there is little we can do in person to help save the pandas’ habitats. We can make sure that we continue to support the panda population. In person, we can avoid bamboo products and encourage others to not buy them either. If you happen to take a trip to China, avoid bamboo forests and do not disturb wild pandas. As a community, we can all discourage fragmentation of bamboo forests and promote the welfare of pandas.

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ting in bed and playing with his computer.’ The Russian ‘hoax’ was that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia - it never did!”

Except Trump did say that Russia didn’t interfere in the election at all. The news outlets he despises have been publishing article after article calling him out on denying the Russians’ efforts. Trump is correct that he did say what he says he did; in a Time magazine interview, he said, “I believe that it could have been Russia and it could have

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Sudoku answers from Monday’s issue

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SPORTS

Page 8

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018

Sycamores looking to finish season strong against Evansville and Bradley Jay Adkins Reporter

The Indiana State Sycamore’s men’s basketball team will face their last two regular season opponents during this week. On Wednesday, the Sycamores will compete against the University of Evansville Purple Aces. On Saturday, The Sycamores will compete against the Bradley University Braves in their final game of the regular season before the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference begins on March 1.

The Indiana State University Sycamores are 11-17 on the season and currently on a four-game losing streak, including losses against the Missouri State University Bears (81-62), Loyola University Ramblers (7571), Drake University Bulldogs (90-76), and the Southern Illinois University Salukis in overtime (76-72). The University of Evansville Purple Aces are 16-13 on the season and currently on a three-game losing streak, including losses against the Missouri State University Bears (5572), University of Northern Iowa Panthers (41-47), and the Loyola University Ramblers (66-76).

This will be the second matchup between the Sycamores and Purple Aces this season. In the first matchup, Indiana State defeated Evansville with a final score of 71-66.

Sophomore guard Jordan Barnes leads the Sycamores in

points per game (17.3), assists per game (3.7), and minutes per game (33.6) for the season. Senior guard Brenton Scott leads the team in rebounds per game and steals per game with 5.7 and 1.8, respectively. Junior center Emondre Rickman leads the team in blocks per game with 0.8 blocks.

Redshirt junior guard Ryan Taylor leads the Purple Aces in points per game with 21.6 points. Junior forward Dainius Chatkevicius leads the team in rebounds per game and total blocks on the season with 5.1 and 31, respectively. Sophomore guard Dru Smith leads the team in assists and steals on the season with 94 and 43, respectively.

Redshirt senior guard/forward Blake Simmons leads the team in minutes per game for the season with 35.8 minutes.

The Sycamores will face off against the Purple Aces at the Hulman Center this Wednesday at 7:00 PM. The game can be seen on TV on ESPN3 and can be heard on the radio on the Sycamore Basketball Radio Network (97.9 FM).

The Bradley University Braves are 18-11 on the season and most recently had a matchup against the Valparaiso University Crusaders, a 64-77 loss. The Sycamores and Braves matched up against each other earlier in the season (an 81-73 Braves victory). Sophomore guard Darrell Brown leads the Braves in points per game (13.4), assists per game

Athletic Media Relations

Jordan Barnes (2) lead the Sycamores in points, assists and minutes per game for the season.

(4.5), and minutes per game (32.3). Senior forward Donte Thomas leads the team rebounds per game and steals per game with 7.1 and 1.0, respectively.

Freshman forward Elijah Childs

leads the team in block shots per game with 1.4 blocks.

The Sycamores will face off against the Braves on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. The game will be played at the Carver Arena in

Peoria, Illinois. The game can be seen on TV on CBS College Sports and can be heard on the radio on the Sycamore Basketball Radio Network (97.3 FM).

Sycamores rally for 74-70 win at Bradley Patrick Walsch

Athletic Media Relations

For Indiana State, a sweep has never felt so good. When that opponent is Bradley, that is saying something.

The Sycamores rallied from a 15-point second quarter deficit for their 12th win over Bradley in 13 tries, maintaining their hold on fifth place in the Missouri Valley Conference and eclipsing their league win total over last year’s mark in a thrilling 74-70 victory at Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria on Sunday afternoon.

Ashli O’Neal led all scorers with 21 points, Alexis Delgado broke out of a funk with a 5-for7 performance from beyond arc and Indiana State (9-16, 7-7) snapped a three-game skid with the win.

“Alexis was obviously the difference for us,” Indiana State interim head coach Josh Keister said. “She’s a great shooter, she’s a good player. She has been struggling the last few weeks and she’s just really hung in there, put the time in the gym and for her to have that type of success today is tremendous. It came at a great time for us.”

But the Trees didn’t get the win without a little help. Delgado missed a jump shot, hitting the backboard and barely missing the rim as O’Neal grabbed

the rebound. Bradley’s Anneke Schlueter, perhaps not realizing only six seconds remained on the shot clock, immediately fouled O’Neal.

With the shot clock turned off, Bradley (12-14, 6-9) was forced to foul O’Neal again, who promptly hit both free throws, pushing the lead to 73-70. After Gabi Haack, who led Bradley with 19 points and four 3-pointers, missed on a desperate 3-point shot, Indiana State’s Ty Battle grabbed the rebound, got fouled, made a free throw shot with 0.8 seconds left in the game and clinched the victory.

While it may seem a relaxing sequence of events when read, it was anything but. Bradley coach Andrea Gorski used her final timeout to move the ball past half court to set up a potential game-tying shot. But despite the high tensions in Renaissance Coliseum, the Sycamores remained calm and composed.

That might be surprising for a team whose only other double-digit comeback this year came at the expense of an Evansville team on Jan. 5 that has now lost 16 straight games.

“This group is really growing up,” Keister said of his team’s composure and focus. “They were disappointed in their effort Friday night and they knew that we were a better team than that.

They really wanted to show that

today. The maturity level of this group is really growing, along with the confidence. I’m not sure we would have been able to do this a few weeks ago but it is a big sign for us.

More than just confidence and composure, the cylinders all began to click for the Indiana State offense Sunday. The Trees shot 41 percent from the field, posted a positive assist-to-turnover ratio (15:13) and scored more points than they have in a game in three weeks.

“It came down to the ball movement today,” explained Kesiter. “That is something we have stressed for the last two days. We didn’t have it Friday night at Illinois State but today the ball movement was much better. Bradley did a good job of mixing up defenses. Regardless of what they were in, we had great ball movement and great player movement. When you do that, you are going to get rhythm shots and we had a lot of good looks today.”

That ball movement – and aggressive rebounding – helped Wendi Bibbins (14 points, 11 rebounds) to just her third double-double of the season.

The Sycamores now return to Terre Haute for their final two home games of the year and an opportunity to stay in the top half of the conference standings.

Athletic Media Relations

Romeo Harris (25) doubled home a run in the seventh to push the ISU lead.

Sycamore Baseball takes down UNLV to close Marucci Desert Classic Tim McCaughan

Athletic Media Relations

Athletic Media Relations

Ashli O’Neal (3), led all scoreres with 21 points.

Indiana State baseball picked up a 4-2 win over UNLV during the final day of the Marucci Desert Classic in Las Vegas to split a two-game series with the Rebels.

The Sycamores (2-2) jumped out to a lead in the fourth inning when Jake Means doubled to center, scoring Roberto Enriquez. Jarrod Watkins chopped a ball to third that was misplayed allowing Romero Harris to cross the plate in the sixth. Harris doubled home a run in the seventh to push the ISU lead to 3-0.

Harris and Clay Dungan led the way offensively with two hits apiece. Jake Means and CJ Huntley also collected an RBI each in the win.

A turning point in the game came in the eighth inning as UNLV put runners on second and third after a fielding error and a double to right. Reliever Ethan Larrison kept the Rebels off the scoreboard, striking out

three UNLV batters, maintaining the Sycamores’ 4-1 lead.

UNLV (3-1) made it interesting to start the ninth as Max Smith homered to open the frame, but Larrison would gather himself on his way to a three-inning save.

Tyler Ward (1-0) made his season debut for the Sycamores, tossing six innings and allowing just one run. The junior righthander allowed back-to-singles to open the game, but settled in to retire 12-straight UNLV batters.

In total, Ward faced 24 batters, striking out three, walking one and allowing just one extra-base hit.

Rebel starting pitcher Chase Maddux was charged with the loss, falling to 0-1 on the season.

Indiana State travels to Tennessee next weekend for a round-robin tournament starting Friday at Lipscomb, Saturday at Middle Tennessee and Sunday at Belmont.