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@kentwired KentWired.com WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2017
Flight degrees delayed by instructor shortage Lyric Aquino Humanities Reporter Kent State’s flight technology students are taking longer to graduate than expected due to a shortage of flight instructors and scheduling issues within the program. Kyle Cardwell, a 2015 flight technology alumnus, said he had difficulty with the program. Cardwell was at risk for becoming a holdover student - a student who doesn’t finish their flight course in one semester and has to finish the class during the next semester or over an extended break, like summer recess or winter break. “I started in 2010, and it definitely took longer than I wanted to complete the program because of the weather and lack of availability of flight instructors,” Cardwell said. Although Cardwell never became a holdover student, he found issues within the program that made it difficult for him and his fellow students to have reliable flight instructors — or any instructors at all. The ratio of students to flight instructors is extremely unbalanced, Cardwell said. “People were told to show up to the terminal everyday and if there was an instructor who showed up, it was theirs,” Cardwell said. “They had twice as many students as what they should have for the amount of flight instructors they had.” Musaad Alqahtani, a senior flight technology major, has been set back two semesters on his path to graduation. The university doesn’t give holdover students access to flight instructors right away for their next flight class, and Alqahtani said this forces students into later starts and perpetuates the cycle of holdover students. “When you’re a holdover student and finish your class and start your current semester’s classes, you don’t get an instructor,” he said. “They give the priority to new students or students who aren’t holdover students. I had to wait four weeks for my new instructor and it made me a holdover
Jimmy Bufalino, a senior flight technology major, flies in a small aircraft at the 20th Kent State Aeronautics Fair last fall. Aaron Self / The Kent Stater
student again.” Another student in the flight technology program at Kent State who wished to remain anonymous found difficulty securing a reliable flight instructor. “Last year, my flight instructor was out for having a medical procedure and put in for a replacement,” the student said. “I actually had to go find
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The pri¢e of going vegan Mikala Lugen Student Finance Reporter Since switching to a vegan lifestyle in March 2016, Kylie Orrenmaa has seen a positive impact in her life. She said she feels healthier, stronger and has more energy. “I care about animal rights and how the food I eat is processed and treated,” Orrenmaa, a sophomore pre-nursing major, said. A vegan lifestyle consists of excluding meat and other animal products from a person's diet and life. Instead, vegans rely on plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables and grains. Plant-based foods are filled
with fiber, water, healthy fats, proteins and energizing properties that stabilize your digestive system and blood sugar levels, according to One Green Planet. Since going vegan, Orrenmaa said she didn’t think it would impact the way she spends money at the grocery store, but her spending decreased. Orrenmaa said she often finds herself shopping at Earth Fare and Whole Foods to find vegan treats for her and her boyfriend, spending around $100 a week on organic and vegan groceries for the two of them.
SEE VEGAN / PAGE 2
one by myself because (the university) never gave me one.” The student said they believe the university is causing the flight technology students to lose money. “Because we have to stay extra semesters, we have to not only pay regular Kent State tuition and flight fees, but we also have to pay to live
out here,” the student said. “It also takes away our ability to make money as pilots, and it isn’t our fault.” Roger Sines, interim dean of the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology, said he is aware of the problems students are having. He thinks a big part of the problem began when the world pilot
shortage began in 2012. The shortage started when pilots began leaving the industry due to mandatory retirement and similar factors. According to Aviation Week Network, the Federal Aviation Administration mandated pilots 65 and older to retire.
SEE FLIGHT / PAGE 2
Evolving technology forces careers to adapt Rick Pongonis University Tech Reporter Murali Shanker, a professor of management and information systems at Kent State, remembers when Amazon was just an online bookstore, not one of the most dominant businesses in the world. The giant online retailer is one of the biggest examples of how technology has changed the way people live, work and shop. “A lot of what we take for granted now never existed 15 years back,” Shanker said. “There (are) a lot of things that have changed because of technology, and I think that’s always going to be true.” Shanker said today’s technology revolution means better communication and access to information people never had before, but it comes with a catch. “The flip side of this whole thing is sometimes technology removes us from really what we are, which is humans,” Shanker said “We leave that social touch in dealing with other humans face-to-face — Technology is our interface.” Te c h n o l o g y a l s o h a s changed the way business is conducted, resulting in the closing of stores. “As we get different technologies, it makes other technologies obsolete,” Shanker said. “If it is convenient, then people adopt it. They don’t want to go back to something which they perceive is less convenient or less efficient than they have." The Computer Store Mike Lockwood, computer technician at PC Surg e o n s , re m e m b e r s w h e n people used to come into stores seeking large desktop computers. Now most con-
Melissa Ziminsky, adult services director of the Kent Free Library, sits at her desk on Tuesday. Jana Life / The Kent Stater
sumers look for laptops. “Faster, smaller, better,” Lockwood said. “Operating systems are far beyond probably what anybody would’ve guessed 15 years ago.” Lockwood said technology has made his job easier, specifically hardware testing. “The process for scanning sectors of hard drives goes quicker, same with other components of it,” Lockwood said. “We have easier tools to use that scan all of a computer at one time and let us know if there are parts of the motherboard and hard drive that are bad." But as computers change, people must change too, he said. “The worst part is that it challenges the learning curve for people," Lockwood said. "Older jobs are lost — you kind of adapt or die.” The Library Computers help Melissa
Ziminsky, Adult Services manager, find books at the Kent Free Library with ease. She remembers when visitors of the library requested her to look up a book for them. Now they check online to see if that book is in stock. “People look up the books they want themselves,” Ziminsky said. “They use the computers here, but they also use their cellphones.” Ziminsky said she mostly receives questions based on repairs at the information desk. “We still have a lot of people who want paper manuals on how to repair their cars or small engine repair and even that we have a digital resource for them to use, but they still contact our library,” Ziminsky said. But constantly changing technology has its own problems. “The worst part is how quickly things are outdated,”
she said. “We get our patrons used to one format and then two years later things get updated. It doesn’t look the same, it doesn’t work the same, and we must teach them from scratch. Folks get frustrated.” Ziminsky said her job is moving toward building connections with the community with more hands-on things than ever done before. “We didn’t used to do many programs at all for our job patrons, we only had a couple book groups per month that were led by librarians and maybe one concert per quarter,” Ziminsky said. “Now we’ve connected with groups like Kent TimeBank to offer programs to our patrons that let them know that there are community groups of likeminded people.”
SEE TECH / PAGE 2
Pick up a copy of Best of Kent this weekend
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Page 2 | Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Mental health course aids in national campaign Tyler Haughn Student Health Reporter In an effort to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and cultivate healthy discussion in students, Kent State University Health Services (UHS) hosted a two-day mental health first-aid course on April 17 and Monday. The course taught participants about depression, anxiety, psychosis and substance abuse disorders and told participants how to correctly identify when an individual is experiencing a mental health crisis. Kimberly Laurene, the coordinator of the mental health course, said she hoped the workshop ultimately spread awareness about the signs and symptoms of mental illness. “The goal is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and also to be able to link people on campus with resources and have people on campus be able to recognize if somebody is experiencing a
mental health crisis,” Laurene said. Laurene said she still believes there is a stigma regarding mental health, but is hopeful it will decrease with more education and knowledge. “The more we (know) about mental illness, (the more) people will be supportive and not make fun of people, think of them as crazy ... or any sort of negative ideas that may be out there right now,” Laurene said. UHS offered the course as a part of the National Council for Behavioral Health's campaign to train 1 million Americans in mental health crisis intervention — a goal they recently reached. UHS created the mental health first-aid course to reflect a general first-aid kit, helping the participants identify if someone around them is being affected by mental illness, said Deric Kenne, assistant professor of Health Policy and Management. “After taking the course, you would be better able to recognize if a classmate or student in your dorm were experienc-
ing depression that was more than a short bout of sadness or unhappiness — depression that was severe enough to cause the student significant difficulty,” Kenne said. Kevin Acierno, manager of Information Technology for Kent State Ashtabula, said he really liked how open and inviting of an atmosphere the course was. “I think that is one of the things we need to do as a society — it's teaching us to reach out, to put the smartphone down and have the face-to-face interaction,” Acierno said. Acierno said his sister struggled with anxiety and once had a panic attack while driving her car. Acierno and his two brothers had to help pull her out of the car. Acierno said after participating in the mental health workshop, he now feels more prepared to handle someone experiencing mental illness. “Things happen in your life that stick with you,” Acierno said. “That was just a panic attack, but if I could notice
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The goal is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness - Kimberly Laurene, project coordinator
some of the other mental illnesses that are there, whether someone is suicidal, schizophrenic, now at least I know the steps to help them.” Janayia Thompson, a senior psychology major who attended the workshop, said her mother struggles with clinical depression. “It explains to you more in depth about mental health,” Thompson said. “It smashes the stigma because you never know how somebody looks who is suffering from mental health issues.” thaughn@kent.edu
The Kent Stater
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Stater 240 FRANKLIN HALL KENT STATE UNIVERSITY KENT, OHIO 44242 Newsroom 330-672-2584 EDITOR
Jimmy Miller jmill231@kent.edu
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From Page 1
FLIGHT
FEATURES EDITOR
Benjamin VanHoose bvanhoos@kent.edu
Flight degrees delayed...
McKenzie Jean-Philippe mjeanphi@kent.edu
OPINION EDITOR
Lucas Misera lmisera@kent.edu
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Student enrollment peaked in 2014 with a total of 251 flight technology students and a total of 14 degrees were earned. Enrollment dropped in 2015 to 228 students but the amount of graduates peaked at 24. Enrollment declined significantly in the year 2016 dropping down to 198 students. The amount of graduates is currently not available. Brandon Hoy, a flight technology alumnus who graduated on time, said he was at risk for not finishing in four years. “I was a holdover student for my CFI (certified flight instructor) license,” Hoy said. “I wound up having seven different flight instructors.” The flight technology program “strives to advance aviation by providing an outstanding education ...,” according to their website. However, current students think otherwise. Kent State’s program doesn’t allow freshman to start flying to obtain their private pilot’s license until the second semester. On the other hand, pilots who already have their license are still able to enter the
We can’t produce pilots fast enough for all of the pilots that are leaving
- Robert Sines, CAEST interim dean
From Page 1
TECH
Evolving technology...
But, she said, libraries are still thriving. “It’s nice to know that, even in this time when technology is all around us and you can go on Amazon and download a book in a second, people still want to come to their library and get a physical book in their hand," Ziminsky said. “Or if you decide to download books at home, you can use the library to do that.” The Newspaper Darren Werbeck recalls when he worked strictly on print products 15 years ago. Now he’s managing editor of Ohio.com, the Akron Beacon Journal’s website. “My job has changed significantly in those 15 years because I was focused on writing headlines and editing stories for the newspaper,” Werbeck said. “Now I’m managing digital content only, which is a combination of our print content as well as multimedia elements.” Werbeck said technology has made his job more efficient. “You can look up things as simple as making sure a word is spelled right,” Werbeck said. “I go online to the Merriam Webster dictionary and look it up and be done
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in 30 seconds, whereas it would’ve taken me two to three minutes in the hard copy of the dictionary.” Werbeck said technology forces people to be adaptable. “Our jobs are just going to continue to evolve,” he said. “I think for decades we were settled into a certain mindset and a certain routine. I don’t think that’s ever going to be the case again.” The Consumer Paul Albert, executive director of Information Services, remembers when he used to have a used electronics store, CompUSA, around the corner. Albert said he used to buy computers and other electronics at brick-and-mortar stores, but now he mostly buys them at online retailers. “You can get so much more information nowadays,” Albert said. “It used to be that you’d go to a library and you could look up publications, which were months out of date, whereas now you can just sit in your house and go online to check everything out.” Sometimes, he said, he misses CompUSA. “When you can go and actually try something it’s a lot different than just seeing a picture of it and reading somebody’s reviews,” he said. “I think it’s very efficient and cost-effective, but I think you are kind of losing the social interaction that people used to have.” He said he often feels sorry for the people working at a store. “Sales people must know that every third customer is going to ask you a lot of questions and then buy the product online,” Albert said.
Our jobs are just going to continue to evolve - Darren Werbeck Ohio.com Managing Editor
ASSIGNING EDITORS
Planes sit on the tarmat at the Kent State Airport during the 20th Kent State Aeronautics Fair last fall. Aaron Self / The Kent Stater
program — they’re just a step ahead. “If I didn’t come into Kent with my private pilot’s license, I would have been a semester or more behind,” Hoy said. Students within the program are required to meet with their instructor five times a week, according to the layout of their program. Maureen McFarland, the senior academic program director, said the university wasn’t tracking the amount of times students met with their instructors. “We weren’t tracking on it, but now we are,” McFarland said. “We have an online training management system. It’s very clear whether they’re there five times a week or not.” The anonymous student said they had an issue with scheduling that couldn’t be solved with the online program. “I’m only scheduled to meet four times a week this semester,” the student said. “I can’t even meet those four times because I have class during my meeting time on one day and my flight instructor works their second job on another flight day.” McFarland said students are able to set their schedule based on their availability. She said there are two full-time flight instructors and 30 more part-time instructors for the 176 students; however, she said in some circumstances, students are still being scheduled to meet less than five times a week. Sines and McFarland said they are working to solve the issues within the program, including hiring a temporary third full-time instructor at the end of April. The college is accepting applicants
rpongoni@kent.edu
From Page 1
VEGAN
The price of going vegan
Along with Orrenmaa, freshman theatre studies major Talia Rockland saw a decrease in her grocery shopping bill since starting a plant-based diet. “The meat and cheese substitutes can be nearly threetimes more than a regular meat or dairy product,” Orrenmaa said. “On-campus is almost always more expensive too than off-campus.” To help maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, student vegans can get protein from lentils, tofu, black beans, quinoa, artichokes, oatmeal and more. “As with any lifestyle, choosing a balanced plate with food from each group is always the most important thing you can do to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” said Megan Brzuski, a Kent State nutritionist with Dining Services. “Whether eating organic, vegan or both, being sure to fill your plate with protein, fruits, vegetables and whole grain for every meal is the best solution.” Eating solely organic foods can be a challenge on the college students’ budget as well. Students shopping on or off campus can find that the healthier, cleaner options may be bulked up in price. “I’ll go to the store and the organic milk or organic blueberries will be a couple dollars more than the regular ones,” Orrenmaa said. Students who are willing to spend a couple extra dollars on the "dirty dozen" can avoid high contents of pesticides – peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes, spinach, lettuce and
for flight instructors and advertises for open positions. The college doesn’t receive many applications from instructors who didn’t graduate from Kent. Anyone with a CFI license, including students, is able to apply for flight instructor positions. In order to help ease the transition from student to instructor, the college has developed a new initiative. “We’re developing a new higher training manual for our certified flight instructors,” McFarland said. “They know how to be a CFI, but we’re teaching them how to be a CFI at Kent State. We’ll be implementing that this fall.” Despite the new implements the college is using, the pilot shortage will continue to affect the students. “I’m not sure the pilot shortage is going to be getting any better in the near future,” Sines said. The pilot shortage is estimated to end near the year 2035 in a study conducted by Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company. In 2016, the company predicted that that there will be as many as 617,000 new pilots in the nearly 20 year timespan. McFarland’s efforts to get both the students and instructors to use the online training management system has been helpful to students, Alqahtani said. “Maureen McFarland has been doing a great job, especially last semester,” Alqahtani said. “The system is helping, but I just don’t see it getting better anytime soon.” laquino@kent.edu
potatoes. “If you can’t afford to eat all organic, just buying the ‘dirty dozen’ organically can reduce your toxin intake by 80 percent,” Stella Speigel, a holistic nutritionist, said. While buying vegan options on a budget off campus varies, on-campus vegetarian, vegan and organic options may be more accessible to students. For Kent State students, the university is one of the top 10 most vegan-friendly colleges in the United States, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). “We offer a wide variety of food options to help with any students’ dietary needs,” said Richard Roldan, director of dining services. “Gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, local and organic options are labeled throughout all dining halls across campus.” Becca Martin, a junior theatre studies major, buys a lot of her vegan meals on campus with her meal plan. “There’s at least one vegan option at any dining hall I go to,” Martin said. “Prentice has the most variety of vegan options for students.” Prentice Café recently became the first Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) certified full dining hall on a college campus in the nation. To top it off, students are able to take advantage of Veggie A-Go-Go, an affordable, on-campus vegan and vegetarian program at Eastway and Prentice Cafe with a callahead order. “This is such a great food program for all meatless eaters,” said Brian Downs, a senior disability studies and inclusive communities major. “I use it all the time to get great veggie pastas and pizzas. My
girlfriend is a vegan and loves it as well.” To stay on budget students can look to shop at local farmer’s markets to ensure quality and price. “Buying fruits and veggies from a local farmer’s market is your cheapest, healthiest option,” Speigel said. “They contain no contaminating pesticides or GMOs, which are bad for your health and the environment.” Furthermore, students looking to save money on vegetarian, plant-based or vegan options should buy ingredients and cook a meal at home to save some cash. “Restaurants with vegan options may charge double the price of the same dish made with regular meat,” Brzuski said. “Students can save a lot of money by cooking a meal themselves at home and avoiding the commercialized food fad.” Before scrambling to the nearest store and bulking up on substitute cheese, meat or different varieties of vegetables, find out where healthy, organic meat-free food options are that won’t break your bank. “People have this stereotype of vegans that we’re limiting ourselves,” Rockland said. “It’s a fairly easy lifestyle, especially at Kent. It’s what you make of it.”
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DIVERSITY EDITOR
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The shortage quickly became a global issue and the airline industry was left without enough pilots to fill their needed positions. Airlines started offering positions to flight instructors who had the number of airtime hours needed to fly commercial planes. Some airlines offered signing bonuses and many flight instructors quickly took advantage of these higher paying jobs in the commercial airline industry. The shortage not only caused problems with flight instructor retention at Kent State, but also at other universities as well, Sines said. Sines said he believes part of the problem is flight schools aren’t producing enough pilots. “The pilot shortage has definitely caused problem in keeping flight instructors,” Sines said. “That’s not just a problem at Kent State has. It’s a problem at any of the other universities with aviation programs, such as Ohio University, Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee — all of them.” Sines believes part of the problem is flight schools aren’t producing enough pilots. Kent State’s flight technology enrollment and graduation rates have been fluctuating over the past few years, according to the data found on its website. “We can’t produce pilots fast enough for all of the pilots that are leaving,” Sines said. Kent State’s flight technology enrollment and graduation rates have been fluctuating over the past few years, according to data found on its website. In 2012, there were 209 flight technician students in the program and 18 bachelor of science degrees were given out that year. The enrollment rate rose in 2013 to 225 students and 17 degrees were given out.
mlugen@kent.edu
This is such a great food program for all meatless eaters - Brian Downs, student
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The Kent Stater
Opinion
SUBMISSIONS
EDITORIAL BOARD
The Stater hopes to encourage lively debate about the issues of the day on the Opinion Page. Opinions on this page are the authors’ and not necessarily endorsed by the Stater or its editors. Readers are encouraged to participate through letters to the editor (email them to jmill231@kent.edu) and guest columns. Submissions become property of the Stater and are subject to editing without notice.
THE OPINION PAGE IS AN OUTLET FOR OUR COMMUNITY’S VARIED VIEWS.
Opinion Editor: Lucas Misera Senior Editor: Karl Schneider Managing Editor: Alex Delaney-Gesing Sports Editor: Henry Palattella Assigning Editor: Jack Kopanski Assigning Editor: Andrew Atkins
On
JOSEPH MCGRELLIS’ VIEW // To see all the cartoons this semester, visit KentWired.com
Ohio loses Simmons, KSU gains recruit On March 10, Ohio University forward Jaaron Simmons scored 25 points in the Bobcats 68-66 loss to Kent State in the MAC tournament semi-finals. The game now serves as Simmons’ last game in a Ohio uniform, as it was announced early Tuesday that Simmons will transfer to the University of Michigan. See full story at KentWired.
Cheers&Jeers Cheers to ... ageless wonders. A 101-year-old Indian woman participating at the World Masters Games completed the 100-meter sprint in slightly over a minute.
Jeers to ... plastic jeans. Topshop, a fashion retailer in the U.K., is selling see-through polyurethane jeans for $100. Per the item description, they are “guaranteed to get people talking.”
Right-wing concerns The annual ‘How the Browns A gang is not a trendy hashtag are justified screw up the draft’ column Dustin Lee Letter to the Editor
Matt Poe Columnist
I am writing in response to both Caelin Mills’ article, “Right-leaning students still feel unheard in wake of Trump presidency,” as well as the reactive letter to the editor to that article penned by Samantha Durr, director of political affairs and grievances for Black United Students. In Mills’ article, a number of Kent State students discussed the problems they’ve faced on campus because of their conservative political views. This is an issue, they say, that has become exacerbated due to the recent presidential election in our country. They offer up specific examples of the backlash they’ve received from fellow students across the university.
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COLLEGE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET AND LISTEN TO PEOPLE WITH DIFFERING IDEALS, OPINIONS AND PERSPECTIVES THAN YOURS. DUSTIN LEE
Samantha Durr’s response to this article, on the other hand, completely validates the concerns that those conservative students have. Her language and choice of words are aggressively intolerant. She even goes beyond attacking the interviewees in the article and lashes out at The Kent Stater itself for “permitting” the students to voice their opinions. And that’s what they are: opinions. They are not “misrepresentations” of university organizations or other students on campus. That’s a word that Durr is certainly fond of overusing in her letter. But to paraphrase Inigo Montoya from “The Princess Bride,” I don’t think that word means what she thinks it means. The students in Mills’ article have differing opinions and perspectives than Durr, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. That doesn’t make either party “wrong” or “bad.” Perhaps Colten Dalton, an openly gay conservative featured in Mills’ article, had a bad experience with PRIDE! Kent. Who is Ms. Durr to say his perspective is dismissive or disrespectful? In her attempts to defend the left-wing organizations from the alleged (read: nonexistent) demonizing the students in Mills’ article unleash, she herself has become the bullying, intolerant demonizer. Again, this behavior and attitude is exactly the kind of backlash conservative students are facing on Kent State’s campus and many other universities around the country. “Dismissive views won’t be tolerated” sounds like a person who is so threatened by an opposing perspective that they constantly have to assure themselves that their own worldview is beyond reproach. Jacob Tabler, one of the conservative students interviewed in Mills’ article, hits it on the head: “For the party that claims to be the most open-minded and tolerant, (liberals) seem to have a preconceived notion of what we are, usually that we are very hateful people. But they don’t take the time to understand what our positions are and more importantly why we think the way we do. If they would actually take the time to understand that, they might have a better opinion of us.” College is an opportunity to meet and listen to people with differing ideals, opinions and perspectives than yours. Unfortunately, a growing number of students seem to prefer living in an echo chamber surrounded by likeminded friends in an ideological “safe space.” This is not how we learn to be better people.
drlee1@kent.edu
It’s a tradition unlike any other, folks. Yes, the Cleveland Browns were mired in another season of misery this past year that resulted in the team claiming a whopping one victory over the course of 16 games. Of course, that lone victory had to come against the San Diego Chargers (now relocated to Los Angeles), and Phillip Rivers threw the damn game away when I needed him most in fantasy football. What an ass. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. The Browns own this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick and 10 other picks, marking the third straight year the franchise has owned at least 11 picks in the draft. Any team would be ecstatic to own the No. 1 overall pick, let alone a plethora of other draft picks that could be utilized to reverse its dreadful fortunes. But lest, I remind thee this is the Browns we’re talking about, and they are the model for turning situations that are seemingly impossible to screw up into hilarious whiffs that come at the expense of fan’s tears and my amusement. Essentially, this team is to the draft as Charlie Brown is to Lucy holding the football, resulting in miss after miss. So it is with great pleasure that I pose the question again and likely not for the last time: How will the Browns screw things up this year? Oh, the possibilities are endless! They could do the level-headed thing (which would be uncharted territory for this team) and use that first pick on a surefire thing like Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, a guy who will likely be able to be plugged into the system and contribute right away. After all, whiffing on the first overall pick is a major no-no when it comes to all professional sports. But remember, class, who are we talking about again? The Browns! So common sense be damned on undoubtedly taking Garrett. They could draft North Carolina quarterback and Mentor boy Mitchell Trubisky, who started just 13 games in his college career. Nevertheless, he’s the prototypical NFL quarterback with a big arm that requires every general manager the need to change their underwear and draft him
higher than they probably should. This, my dear Browns fans, will likely be Tim Couch 2.0. They’ll jump the gun on Trubisky, take him at No. 1 and throw him to the lion’s den (not the adult store) behind a crappy offensive line. And why? Because every team panics and thinks they have to get a quarterback at number one, which, aside from a handful of guys like Andrew Luck and Cam Newton, rarely ever works out. Go ask the Rams when they took Jared Goff at first last year and the Redskins (kick rocks, Dan Snyder) when they bet the farm on No. 2 overall pick and glass-for bones-quarterback Robert Griffin III a few years back. Reports from NFL insiders have also stated the Browns may try to get Garrett at No. 1 and then trade up for Trubisky before a team like the New York Jets sweep in and poach him with the sixth overall pick. But again, who are we talking about? Shout it from the heavens, altogether now: The Browns! They can’t possibly pull off such a suave move and have it work out in their favor. Now, as someone who couldn’t care less about mock drafts and all that other crap, I’ve got the perfect move the Browns could make to ensure they don’t screw this one up. No one else has this idea so it’s mine and mine alone — I want all the credit. Take Garrett first. They’d be stupid not to. Then, use the No. 12 overall pick that they own and take Deshaun Watson, the Clemson quarterback who’s a proven winner, leading his team to two national championship games (winning one of them) and finishing as a Heisman finalist two straight years. It’s that simple. God, I could run an NFL team at this rate. All things considered, the draft is filled with last day surprises, twists and turns and some unexpected picks, and trades will take place. Still, this could finally be the year the “little engine that never could nor likely ever will” known as the Cleveland Browns finally steer this thing in the right direction. Or, it could be like every other draft year for them. Yeah, it’ll probably be like every other draft year for them. May as well start drinking for 2018! mpoe3@kent.edu
Megan Downey Letter to the Editor
You have more than likely seen laptops decorated with pink and purple Redbubble stickers or Instagram captions proudly displaying “Girl Gang”. Gangs are associated with toughness and grit, which counters the feminine and often innocent connotation that comes with the word “girl.” However, the phrase “Girl Gang” is unknowingly used with privileged differential meaning. If you Google “girl gang,” cute pink and black cursive appears along with pictures of tough-looking, yet feminine, women. Searching “girls in gangs” yields quite a different answer. Young women who are in vulnerable positions, whether from abuse, structural disadvantages, sexual assault, or other uncertainties may turn to gangs. Gangs offer these at-risk or underprivileged youths protection. They often have no other option but to enter into a life characterized by violence in order to survive. The fact that other women are able to use “Girl Gangs” is a form of privilege, and while there is something to be said for reclaiming words that oppress women, this particular phrase is heavily stigmatized for the girls who enter the criminal justice system as a result of gang-related crimes. For young girls with next to nothing, a gang is not a trendy hashtag. So, if you truly want to support your local girl gang, consider supporting a charity that works with at-risk girls. If one woman is losing, we all are, and that includes women in the criminal justice system who have been unfairly treated due to structural disadvantages and gender constructs. mdowney3@kent.edu
Page 4 | Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Perspectives
The Kent Stater
Photos and multimedia through the lenses of Kent State students
Richard Butu holds up the best of the day’s catch: two large mackerel from the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of Ghana on Thursday, March 30, 2017.
The Sea is a Goddess “As long as there has been Ghana, there has been fishing."
That is what the president of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Ghana told me in an interview during the two-week trip my classmates and I took with the International Storytelling class last month. Fishing is an important aspect of the culture and economy of Ghana. The people get more than 60 percent of their protein from fishing in the sea, lakes and rivers. Ten percent of the nation's population is directly or indirectly involved in the industry — around 2.5 million people. Ghana just recently celebrated its 60th year of independence
from Great Britain, so it is still a very young nation. People have been living in this part of West Africa for thousands of years using fishing techniques and tools that have not changed much except for steel products, outboard motors and nylon netting. From this long tradition of fishing comes their belief that the sea is a goddess, and she must be respected. No Ghanaian fishes in the ocean, touches the ocean or — for some — looks at the ocean on Tuesdays. They believe the ocean must rest and give birth to new fish for
Local fishermen in Choko, Ghana, mend a large pile of nets that were ripped on rocks while fishing in the Gulf of Guinea on Thursday, March 23, 2017.
them to catch, since she is their provider. Climate change, international competition and overfishing have recently hurt the fish stocks along not just Ghana’s, but West Africa’s coast. But the fish so many rely on for livelihood and survival are disappearing, and Ghana’s people are working hard to preserve the ocean for future generations so that fishing will be a part of it for as long as the people exist. Written and photographed by photojournalism major Aaron Self. Contact him at aself1@kent.edu.
Araba Kwaicwiwaa, 55, has been selling her fish at the Port of Tema for the past five years. Kwaicwiwaa hopes to sell the fish she bought in the morning of Wednesday, March 29, 2017, for a 50 Ghanaian cedi profit, about 11 U.S. dollars.
Left: Hundreds of needle nose-like fish are on display in one bowl at Araba Kwaicwiwaa’s stand in the Port of Tema, the largest port in Ghana. Bottom: A lone canoe motors out into the vast Atlantic off the coast of Ghana in search of fish.
Everyone works hard to pull in a net off the coast of Ghana on Thursday, March 30, 2017. Even the youngest crew member, 9-year-old Bernard Mate Butu, pulls alongside his elders. He and the other men on the boat all start young when they begin to learn how to fish. Most start around age 6.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017 | Page 5
The Kent Stater
Grimm leaving her mark on Kent State record books Samantha Ross Sports Reporter
Senior Maddy Grimm wanted to leave her last season on the Kent State softball team with a bang, and that’s just what she did this season. The senior from Stahlstown, Pennsylvania, has hit more home runs than any player in school history. She holds the first, second, third and fourth ranks in home runs per season at Kent State. Her career slugging percentage of .753 is 167 points better than the school’s second
Grimm drafted to National Pro Fastpitch League Samantha Ross Sports Reporter The Akron Racers selected Maddy Grimm into the National Pro Fastpitch League Draft on Sunday, making her the third player in Kent State softball history to get drafted. Emma Johnson and Brittney Robinson were the other two softball players to be drafted into the NPF. In 2015, the Pennsylvania Rebellion selected Johnson and the Racers selected Robinson in 2007. “We are very proud of Maddy and extremely excited for her to have the opportunity to continue her softball journey after college,” coach Eric Oakley said on the Kent State athletics website. “She is one of the best hitters in the country and a next level athlete whose defense and base running set her apart from your typical power hitter. It is exciting that Maddy is the newest member of the Kent State Athletics roster of pro athletes, and I know that she will continue to represent Kent State well.” Grimm leads the MAC in slugging percentage (.852) and on-base percentage (.526). This season, she has 15 home runs, 46 RBI and a .343 batting average. Due to NCAA regulations, Grimm cannot sign until this season is over. sross39@kent.edu
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Alec Slovenec University Diversity Reporter
best player. She has driven in more runs than anyone in school history — and still has at least 10 games to play. She is such a feared hitter that opposing teams have walked her almost 40 percent of the time — 20 percent of the time intentionally. “Maddy is a phe- Kent State senior infielder Maddy Grimm poses for a portrait in the David and nomenal softball play- Peggy Edmonds Training Facillity on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016. er,” coach Eric Oakley Nate Manley / The Kent Stater said. “She’s been tested three in a game he’d be like, ‘well that last by some of the best teams in the country, and at bat this should have been done.’ It’s not she’s performed. She’s one of the best playlike he was taking away any of my success, ers in the country.” he just kind of was like you can get better." Growing up, Grimm played a multitude It took just one visit to Kent State to make of sports. her want to be a Flash. “Basically any sport that you can think “It’s one of those things where you walk of, I tried for at least a year,” she said. “I did on campus, and you just know where you’re gymnastics, tennis, golf, figure skating when supposed to be,” she said. my brother was at hockey, soccer, basketball, And focusing on softball has changed her and softball.” mind about the game. At Ligonier Valley High School near “Eliminating all those other sports in colPittsburgh, she played softball, soccer and lege has made me find a passion for softball basketball. She was even the kicker for the that I didn’t really know I had,” she said. boys football team. “I didn’t really have any expectations “I went to a small high school, but there going into college, and I think that helped were different girls on the different teams,” me,” Grimm said. “If things were different, I Grimm said. “I saw the different dynamics could have gotten frustrated or it could have and started to understand what it took for set me back. I just went in and was like, ‘I’m that group to come together. Being around just going to help this team be the best that guys, seeing how they were kind of crazy we can be and I’m going to do the best I can about sacrificing themselves to win these in every opportunity I get.’” games helped me a lot.” Grimm has started all four years, and Grimm, a three-time all-state selection at Oakley said she has only gotten better. shortstop, led her high school to three con“A lot of times someone will come in and secutive conference titles. start as a freshman,” Oakley said. “They’ll But surprisingly, softball was her least kind of plateau and think ‘OK, I’ve achieved favorite sport. it and that’s all I have to do,’ but she was “I thought that it was so boring,” she challenged and tested every year. Somebody said. “I liked the intensity of basketball, and always came in and pushed her. She took in soccer you are constantly moving.” that as motivation to keep getting better.” Since softball was the sport she played Oakley says the way Grimm carries her the best, her father encouraged her to play approach is what makes her stand out. it or basketball in college. “When she walks on the field, you see “My parents always pushed me, but they this formidable athlete. She’s got the build,” were never hard on me to the point where I he said. “Some people just carry themselves was going to break. They knew what I could with a lot of confidence and a lot of swagger.” handle. My dad did a really good job at toughening me up as a kid. If I went two for sross39@kent.edu
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Diversity Week participants build ‘wall of oppression’
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As part of the College of Communication and Information’s Diversity Week, student volunteers built a large wall in the middle of the Student Center on Monday. At 11 a.m., students gathered to set up the “Wall of Oppression,” which represents a variety of relevant social issues that Kent residents face. Next to the wall were colored paper bricks, each color representing a different social issue. Some of the issues included racism, LGBTQ and religious intolerance, military or veteran issues, sexism, human trafficking and economic inequality. Amanda Leu, the coordinator of the Office of Academic Diversity Outreach, ran the event. Leu approached anyone who passed the wall and encouraged them to participate. Leu said she hopes CCI's Diversity Week will become a yearly event during the spring semester. “Really, the main goal with this (is) that I want people to start to recognize the fact that we can’t just represent our commitment to overcoming oppression; we actually have to do something about it,” Leu said. “And so, sticking a brick up on the wall — that’s great. But that’s only the first step. During this whole process, we’re handing out flyers about different organizations that you can get involved in that actually work to overcome these oppressive issues.” Volunteer and junior pubic relations major Charleah Trombitas helped promote the event. She spoke with students and, like Leu, encouraged them to add bricks to the wall. While supportive of all issues brought to the table, Trombitas said she is most interested in issues like sexism, mostly because she is a woman who plans on heading into the workforce. Of the student participants, sophomore managerial marketing major Jay Kanapesky said veterans deserve to be part of the Wall of Oppression. “Well, I feel like with all the issues that are heavily reported on by the media, things like veterans are swept under the rug,” Kanapesky said. “I didn’t see any of the colored bricks with veterans on it.” Viewing the wall and its array of colors is meant to bring to light the issues people of Kent State care about. “You can kind of see what people care about more so than other things just by looking at the colors,” Kanapesky said. Leu said the most important idea to take away from the Wall of Oppression is its issues are not limited to just issues heavily discussed. She added that many more people are underrepresented by society. “My main message that I care about promoting to people is that diversity is not as narrow as we’ve been focusing on for the past decades,” Leu said. "It’s a lot more diverse in its definition than what we really realize. And we can really help a lot more people and do a lot more impactful things when we recognize that holistic comprehensive definition of what it means to be a diverse person.” The wall will be up all week between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the Student Center. On Friday at noon, CCI Diversity Week participants will destroy the wall on the third floor of the library. This is meant to symbolize the goal behind the wall: to figuratively, and literally, tear down oppression. aslovene@kent.edu
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REBUS PUZZLES
Page 6 | Wednesday, April 26, 2017
The Kent Stater
Sports
SPORTS EDITOR: HENRY PALATTELLA // HPALATTE@KENT.EDU
Bullpen propels Flashes to victory over visiting Falcons Nick Buzzelli Sports Reporter Kent State manager Jeff Duncan knew he was going to pull starting pitcher Joe Vranesic early in Tuesday’s game against Bowling Green. Though Vranesic, a redshirt freshman, cruised through the Falcons’ lineup during the first 3 2/3 innings, surrendering zero runs on five hits, Duncan wanted to protect the righthander’s arm since he was only making his second career start. When Vranesic reached 65 pitches, Duncan went to his bullpen — a staff of relievers that came into the game with an 11 inning scoreless streak dating back to Friday’s 15-inning win over the University of Toledo. Despite the fact that the bullpen allowed the game’s tying run to reach the plate, Kent State closers Zach Spangler and Patrick Dayton combined to record all three ninth-inning outs via strikeout in the Flashes’ (2512) 3-0 win over Bowling Green (10-
26) in a midweek game at Schoonover Stadium that doesn’t count toward either team’s Mid-American Conference standings. “I thought we did a really good job pitching and we want to keep (the bullpen’s scoreless) streak growing,” Duncan said after the game. “I think we’re playing good baseball, good enough right now. … I thought we hung in there and got some really good pitching performances.” Redshirt freshman pitcher Austin Havekost — a native of Seville, Ohio — picked up the win, his second of the season, after throwing a scoreless seventh and eighth innings in which Kent State scored all of its runs. Neither teams were able to get much offensive production until the bottom of the seventh when the Flashes struck first on a Josh Hollander double that scored Nick Kanavas from second. After Luke Burch reached base on a fielder’s choice with one out in the eighth, Dylan Rosa drove a 2-2 pitch
to center that scored Burch from first. Tim DalPorto, the following batter, then smacked a base hit up the middle that brought Rosa home and gave Kent State a three-run lead. The Falcons had the tying run at the plate in the top of the ninth after Spangler walked Bowling Green’s Cam Daugherty and hit Jake Wilson with a pitch. But Duncan brought in Dayton with two outs, and the left-hander was able to get pinch hitter Ty Suntken looking on a 3-2 pitch to end the game and give Kent State its sixth straight win. During that stretch, which began with last week’s road win at Youngstown State University, the Flashes have outscored opponents 35-14. For Kent State to continue its winning streak this weekend against Central Michigan University, the top team in the MAC’s West Division, Duncan said it will have to get strong pitching early in the series. “I think Eli Kraus starting that
Kent State redshirt junior outfielder Nick Kanavas slides into home plate to score the first run of the game against Bowling Green State University in the bottom of the 7th inning at Schoonover Stadium on Tuesday. Deidre Pulley / The Kent Stater
series off. (It) will be important for him to have a quality start. And then our bullpen continuing to hold it right and then playing good defense and
getting timely hits,” he said. “That’s the name of the game.” nbuzzel1@kent.edu
KSU sweeps doubleheader against Youngstown Samantha Ross Sports Reporter
Kent State freshman infielder Jade Williams takes a swing against the Zips at Lee R. Jackson field in Akron on Saturday. Angelo Angel / The Kent Stater
When Kent State and Youngstown State University played last season, the Flashes had a three-run lead until pitcher Ronnie Ladines gave up a grand slam, which put the Penguins on top for good. The roles reversed this year when Ladines hit a grand slam in the seventh inning of the second game to give the Flashes a 5-4 victory. “She’s absolutely the person we would want up at bat in that situation,” coach Eric Oakley said. “She has had a few grand slams in her career. She does a nice job of being calm and seeing the ball and making sure she hits it hard.” Overall, the Flashes (21-24, 9-9 Mid-American Conference) made the
most of their opportunities Tuesday as they swept the Penguins (23-26) in the double-header. “It was great because we played a different lineup a couple times,” Oakley said. “In both games, we went to our death a little bit. We didn’t pitch (Ladines). We played a couple different people at different positions that they haven’t been playing in. It gave them an opportunity to get some experience, and it gave us an opportunity to see what they can do and they stepped up.” The Flashes led game one from the beginning, beating Youngstown State 7-1. With bases loaded in the first inning, junior utility Allie Luther’s two-run single gave the Flashes its first runs. The seventh inning brought in the final two runs for Kent State when freshman utility Olivia Sborlini tri-
pled to right center. Freshman Madi Huck pitched the whole game with five strikeouts and allowed one earned run. The Flashes scored its first run in the second game due to an RBI by junior outfielder Emily Dobbin, which allowed freshman catcher Vanessa Vodan to score. The final four runs were scored off of Ladines grand slam in the seventh. Senior Janel Hayes pitched game two and had three strikeouts and allowed four runs. “They did great,” Oakley said of Huck and Haye's performances. “They did everything they could to give us a chance to win the games today.” The Flashes take on the University at Buffalo this Friday at 3 p.m in Buffalo, New York. sross39@kent.edu