The Franklin: March 17, 2017

renovation

recruitment

feature

Custer Theatre grant:

Saint Joseph to Franklin?

Admissions recruits students from suspended liberal arts college

Pushing her limits: Kiara Patton fills big roles on campus

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Money to go toward improving sound amplication

Friday, March 17, 2017 | TheFranklinNews.com

Police-community panel opens door for conversation LEIGH DURPHEY

leigh.durphey@franklincollege.edu

A town-hall style meeting brought together members of the college and Franklin community to talk about community and police relations Tuesday afternoon.

Students, faculty and community members attended the event. Many of those attendees marched from campus carrying signs that read, “end police brutality,” “justice for all” and “enough is enough.”

But one attendee left feeling unsatisfied with the conversation.

“I think that in a lot of ways the event felt like a chance for the police officers to stand on the stage and say, ‘We have a really hard job. Give us the benefit of the doubt 100 percent of the time,’” Patrick Walls said.

Walls — son of math professor Angie Walls and a Franklin Community High School alumni — said he came to the event because he supports an open dialogue between law enforcement and communities.

He said he has had a “unique” experience with the subject. A Franklin native, Walls has been following the issue of police and community relations since August 9, 2014, when 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

Since then, Walls has visited Ferguson, participated in marches and even met with members of Congress on Capitol Hill to talk about these issues.

Now he tries to bring those experiences and the perspective he’s gained to Franklin while he is still here.

When audience members were invited to ask the panel questions,

Walls asked Johnson County Chief Deputy Randy Werden why the department felt the need to own military-issued equipment, such as a mine-resistant MRAP tank, which Walls said creates a feeling of fear in communities.

“I’m not going to apologize for having an MRAP,” Werden said. “I’ve seen it in action. Any piece of equipment we can get our hands on that can save an officer’s life or a civilian’s life, I’m all for it. To cover it up or make apologies for it, there’s no way I’m going to do that.”

Walls also asked Franklin Police Chief Tim O’Sullivan what the department’s policy on use of force was, citing national incidents where officers used their firearms in questionable situations.

“What we’ve learned as a law enforcement community is that you don’t want to get officers thinking that, ‘I have to do this [in a situation]’ because we make split-second decisions. If someone comes at me with a knife, I should be able to go straight for my gun. I shouldn’t have to think, ‘Oh, do I need my baton? Do I need my taser or my mace?’” O’Sullivan said.

“We’re being put under microscopes and judged by something that we had a tenth of a second to make a decision and someone’s had a week to sit and discuss every little part of it.”

Walls said the discussion shouldn’t end here.

“I think there’s a lot that can be done,” he said. “I’m not particularly satisfied with the answers I was given.”

Other members of the panel included

Franklin College sociology and criminal justice professor Jason Jimerson, 100 Black Men of Indianapolis executive director Ontay Johnson and Indiana State Police Department Sergeant Precious Jones.

Jones said she believes this open

dialogue is necessary to improving the relations between police and the community, and she takes an active role in participating in these discussions.

“I’m kind of stuck in between because, as you can see, I’m a black female,” she said. “I want to see what I can help do to bridge the gap between the ‘us versus them’ mentality. Who is us? Who is them? I’m both.”

Along with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, professor of philosophy and religion David Carlson helped lead and moderate the event. The department is one of the college’s organizations that encouraged students, faculty and staff to attend the event.

“I think there’s a lot more that we need to be doing as a community,” Carlson said. “This was an important start, and I appreciate the honesty that we received.”

Leigh Durphey | The Franklin

Top left: Sargeant Precious Jones of the Indiana State Police Department speaks at the panel as Johnson County Chief Deputy Randy Werden and 100 Black Men of Indianapolis executive director Ontay Johnson look on. Top right: Residence hall Coordinator Mike Rivera, assistant provost and dean of engaged learning Brooke Worland and psychology professor Ryan Rush carry signs while marching to the panel. Bottom: Students, led by professor of philosophy and religion David Carlson, march to First Baptist Church to discuss community and police relations.

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New gallery serves as gateway for art and community SHELBY MULLIS shelby.mullis@franklincollege.edu

NE WS

OUT & ABOUT

3/18 Broad Ripple Winter Market Take a trip to Indianapolis to browse more than 20 vendors offering produce, baked goods, meat and dairy products. The market is inside Bent Rail Brewery & Restaurant, and is open 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

3/18 Franklin College Dance Marathon Head to Spurlock for an exciting night of dancing, food and games to raise money for Riley Hospital for Children. Participants must must raise $20 to attend the event, which runs 6 p.m. to 12 a.m.

3/18 - 3/19 Brickworld Indy LEGO Exposition Spend a day at the Indiana State Fairgrounds eyeballing 65,000 square feet of spectacular creations — all made of LEGO bricks. Tickets are $12 online or at the door.

FRANKLIN

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Issue 16, Volume 113

Executive Editor Leigh Durphey Opinion Editor Christina Ramey News Editor Ashley Shuler Sports Editor Quinn Fitzgerald Copy Chief Shelby Mullis Photo Editor Zoie Richey Web Editor Nicole Hernandez Ads Manager Jonna Kauffman Adviser Chelsea Schneider Publisher John Krull

@TheFranklinNews @TheFranklinNews

The Franklin

The Franklin aims for accuracy and clarity in all articles.

We take errors seriously and regret any mistakes. If you find an error, please send an email to thefranklin@franklincollege.edu.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017

When Gordon Strain, associate professor of fine arts, isn’t in the Johnson Center for Fine Arts, he can be found at the Franklin Department of Public Art, just a four-minute drive from the college.

Strain, known for his artwork, needed a space that wasn’t his house to complete larger-scale art projects.

His wife proposed that the two invest in a vacant building across the street from downtown Franklin’s Ann’s Restaurant.

“We thought, ‘Well, it’s a neat building. What are we going to do with the rest of it?’” Strain said. “Our dream is just to get more art into the community.”

With this dream in mind, the couple knew the space had more potential to serve as something more than an art studio.

After they purchased the space last October, both Strain and his wife wanted to open it to the public. Just a few renovations is all it took for the Franklin Department of Public Art to be ready for a grand opening by the end of November.

“We’ve now turned it into this gallery-studio,” he said.

From graphic designs to ceramics, and from paintings to handmade jewelry, the Franklin Department of Public Art has it all on display for the public to view and purchase.

When it initially opened, Strain

said the gallery served as a space for local artists to sell their work at zero commission for the holidays. But that proved to be more successful than he planned for.

“I’ve lived here 11 years and know a few artists here and there, but this has really expanded my knowledge on how many people are doing art in Franklin and are looking for a place to do art, to show their art.”

Since opening in late 2016, Strain said he has paid out around $10,000 to public artists, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive for him and his wife.

Local businesses such as Benjamin’s Coffeehouse have displayed work included in the art department’s latest gallery installment, Love Letters. The special exhibit featured art revolving around concepts of love and letters.

Strain said many people have expressed gratitude in the addition of an art gallery to the city. And several Franklin College faculty and staff members, including graphic design professor Wendy Shapiro and English professor Jameelah Lang, currently have work on display at the local gallery.

“One of our goals is to help continue to build that bridge between the community and the college,” Strain said. “If this is one little way we can help make connections, then that would be wonderful.”

Zoie Richey | The Franklin

FineArtsProfessorGordonStrainopenedtheFranklin DepartmentofPublicArtinNovember.Thebuilding holdslocalartworkandplanstohostaspringbreakart

In an effort to build community relations, Strain is currently planning a spring break art camp for children, which is set to take place during the week of March 27. He also recently hosted a free art class for Syrian refugees in the area.

But despite the success of the business, Strain said he is there for one reason: to create a space where art is accepted.

“It was hard at first being in Franklin and not having a lot of art out there,” he said, speaking on his move to Franklin from Cincinnati, Ohio. “It’s great that now this community is wanting it and accepting it. That personally is wonderful, and it shows health and excitement of the entire community that we are at a place that art is on people’s mind. It’s not just something scary that weirdos do.”

Custer Theatre receives grant for updates, renovations BRITTNEY CORUM brittney.corum@franklincollege.edu

The college got a $30,500 grant to equip Custer Theatre with a new, quality sound system, projector and screen capability.

Custer Theatre is located in Old Main and is used as a recital hall for musical groups, a rehearsal space for theatre performances and an experiential classroom for various art courses.

The grant was given to the college by the Clarence E. Custer and Inez R. Custer Foundation.

The college has had a long-standing relationship with the foundation, ever since William Ruddick Custer—the son of the people the foundation is named after—attended the college in the early 1930s.

Since then, the foundation has been making big donations for his memory.

Before now, the most significant

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award the college got from the foundation was the original construction of Custer Theatre in 1988 after a fire devastated Old Main.

The money was used to build a “jewel box” theater, featuring a wooden stage and seating for 226 audience members, including balcony seating and historic floor-to ceiling stained-glass windows.

“With space at a premium on a small campus, the college works hard to make the best possible use of each location,” said President Thomas Minar in a recent press release. “This gift will allow for this prime space to be meaningfully used during the day by our students and professors, as well as enjoyed by our performers and our patrons during evening performances.”

To Casey Hayes, music department chair and director of choral activities,

it comes as no surprise that this grant is being used to fix the problems with the theater’s sound.

“We have had in the past, if we need sound amplification, we relied upon an antiquated pair of speakers hauled in and plugged into a guitar amp mixer and a single microphone,” Hayes said.

“The Custer Foundation grant allows us to continue to give Franklin College students the performance experiences that they deserve with a quality sound system that not only records rehearsals and concerts, but allows for the display of audio-visual productions as well.”

Installation of the new system is underway, with a targeted completion date this month.

The new system will be ready for various spring music performances, including an upcoming chamber concert at 7 p.m. on April 11.

College actively recruiting St. Joseph transfers ASHLEY SHULER ashley.shuler@franklincollege.edu

The college’s admissions office is capitalizing on a timely opportunity to bring Saint Joseph’s College students to Franklin College.

Saint Joseph — a private, Catholic college with a comparable liberal arts curriculum to Franklin College — is suspending operations at the end of the semester after years of financial issues and high debt, leaving its roughly 1,100 enrolled students without a place to go.

That’s why Franklin College is actively recruiting its students in various ways, including through a link on the college’s homepage: “Saint Joseph’s College student? Learn about transferring to Franklin.”

Franklin College has modified the application requirements for Saint Joseph students interested in transferring. The students are only required to submit the free transfer application and their college transcript to be considered for admission, according to Admissions Director Jennifer Bostrom.

The college typically also requires transfer applicants to submit a high school transcript, SAT or ACT test scores and a transfer student recommendation form.

Saint Joseph students also get their $100 enrollment deposit fee waived.

Because of the sudden closure, the college is also being more flexible with what Saint Joseph courses will receive transfer credit and will be applied to Franklin’s major requirements.

“This is in an effort to assist Saint Joseph’s College students with completing their degrees on time or in a timely manner,” Bostrom said.

Although the admissions office doesn’t have a prediction of how many Saint Joseph students will transfer, Bostrom said Franklin College currently has a handful of applicants moving through the admissions and financial aid process.

“Right now, we are just here to help Saint Joseph’s College students in finding their next place to call their college home as they go through a very challenging time,” she said.

Although Franklin College is trying to aid in a smooth transfer for these students, the college is not listed as one of the nearly 50 “Teach-Out” schools Saint Joseph is formally partnering with.

The “Teach-Out” process is designed to help Saint Joseph students complete their academic careers on time. The college has created initial agreements with nearby institutions like University of Indianapolis, Anderson

University, DePauw University and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, among others.

Kate Coffman, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid, said her office has submitted all the materials to qualify as a “Teach-Out” school. But the application, along with the other colleges offering to do so, is pending approval of the Higher Learning Commission.

“Our understanding is that the Higher Learning Commission has not approved St. Joe to offer Teach-Out agreements with any college,” she said.

“St. Joe has not updated their website to reflect that information.”

Saint Joseph’s Board of Trustees voted in early February to temporarily close the college’s Rensselaer, Indiana, campus after this spring semester because of growing financial issues.

The college chose to indefinitely suspend operations after coming to the conclusion it didn’t have enough money to operate. It has collected approximately $27 million in debt, has deteriorating facilities that require increased spending on maintenance and has struggled with stagnant tuition and alumni contribution revenues, among a slew of other factors outlined on their website.

IN BRIEF: FOUR PROFESSORS RECEIVE TENURE FOR FRANKLIN COLLEGE The Franklin College Board of Trustees granted tenure and promotion to four faculty members at its February board meeting.

Granting tenure to a professor means the college gives a permanent contract to a faculty member, who agrees to stay at the college long-term.

The following faculty members were given tenure: • Amy Bracken, an associate psychology professor who began her career at the college in 2011.

Bracken received her bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and her neuroscience doctorate from Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.

•

Meredith Clark-Wiltz, an associate history professor and department chair who joined the college in 2011. Clark-Wiltz received her bachelor’s degree in history, political science and English from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, her master’s degree in history from Bowling Green State University and her doctorate in history from Ohio State University.

•

Kim Eiler, an associate physical education professor who started working at the college in 2004.

Eiler received her bachelor’s degree in physical education from Biola University, her master’s degree in secondary education from Manchester University and her education doctorate from Auburn University.

•

Allison Fetter-Harrott, an associate political science professor and endowed chair in law and public service who joined the college in 2011. Fetter-Harrott received her bachelor’s degree from New York University, her master’s degree from Butler University, her law degree from Indiana University-Bloomington Maurer School of Law and her doctorate in education leadership and policy studies from Indiana University.

Departments host career transition workshop ABRAHM HURT abrahm.hurt@franklincollege.edu

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Career Services are working to ensure college students’ transition into the workforce is smooth.

Through a job search and transition into the workforce workshop last week, students learned how to write resumes and cover letters, as well as interviewing etiquette, with a special focus on issues that may arise for underrepresented students entering the workforce.

Kirk Bixler, assistant dean of students and director of career services, said he noticed many students want to work in proximity to where they chose to go to college. He said several Franklin College graduates look for companies with a small, family atmosphere opposed to huge companies.

One of Franklin’s biggest preparers is a series of mock interviews that happen in the fall and spring semester, Bixler added.

“This year, we will have about close to 200 students that do mock interviews

just through career services, and I know that they do them through some of the other departments,” Bixler said.

For Franklin’s 2016 graduating class, 71 percent are full-time employees, 18 percent are attending graduate school, while about 11 percent of the class is either part-time, still seeking employment or doing something else.

Bixler said that recent success for Franklin students stems from the involvement of the faculty in preparing students for jobs.

“As I talk to my colleagues at other schools, they can’t get their faculty members to help them out to do anything, and here, very routinely, faculty will suggest that students go to different events,” Bixler said. Senior Wil Gosser said his major departments prepared him for getting a job.

“Business and economics taught me how to problem solve and work extremely hard to find the answers and solutions I need to succeed in the classroom, which will transfer to

a job nicely,” he said. “Internships also helped me prepare for a job after college, as well.”

And programs like this are working — 95 percent of 2015 and 2016 Franklin College graduates are employed or attending graduated schools.

Of the college’s 196 graduates last year, high percentages of students went into the education field, the sales, marketing and banking fields, or social and community service fields.

2 0 1 6 G R A D U AT E S WHERE ARE THEY NOW? other (unemployed, part-time, etc.)

11% 18% graduate students

71% full-time employees

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FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017

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ABOVE ALL ELSE Freshman year, you couldn’t find Kiera Patton on campus.

“I was really homesick my freshman year,” she said. “I went home pretty much every weekend except for three.”

Patton, now a senior, spent the time she wasn’t in class going back home. She didn’t take advantage of the many experiences Franklin College has to offer.

“I like literally want to kick myself in the butt for not doing it,” she said.

But now she’s involved in so many things on and off campus she can’t keep track.

She went from never participating in any events or clubs to being a member or leader of four campus groups. She spends her time as an assistant in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, an assistant on the President’s Council for Diversity and Inclusion, the president of Student Foundation and a member of Black Student Union.

Just to name a few.

Patton is also a resident assistant in the Hoover and Cline residence hall. One of her shifts includes sitting in the dorm’s lobby from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

One of the more memorable experiences she’s enjoyed during her four years was her recent study abroad trip to Uganda. The trip was something she had been looking forward to since taking the Inner-City Missions course during her freshman year.

“Taking that trip was definitely life changing—being exposed to a different culture and being immersed somewhere,” Patton said. “And seeing how people live completely different than we live here in the United States was just eye opening and amazing.”

Taking advantage of every situation, from the moment students step foot on campus, is the best advice she can give to incoming freshmen.

“Even if you don’t like it, at least try it out,” she said. “Don’t ever just turn yourself down from an opportunity just because you don’t think you’ll like it. Try to explore it, see if there is a possibility there. Use your

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resources and take full advantage of what Franklin offers because it’s something way better than any public school could offer.”

Patton has learned many lessons, accomplished many goals and received distinctive awards during her stay at Franklin College.

One of her highest accomplishments happened recently when she won the student category in the 2017 Women of Distinction Awards from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Winners of the awards were selected based on how they support and promote the ideas of empowering women, commitment to the community through volunteer work and exceptional skills as a role model or mentor of women and girls.

Patton was shocked when she won the award and said the nominees for the award were just as strong.

“I feel like it’s an extreme honor just to be honored for doing the things love,” she said.

Friends of Patton, like senior Nathanael Beasley—who is one of her fellow Hoover and Cline resident assistants—have many things to say on what makes Patton the way she is. They say she’s down-to-earth, dedicated, hard-working and all around joyful.

Beasley also said freshmen can learn a lot from Patton.

“Follow her example. Be dedicated,” Beasley said. “Enjoy.

I mean she gets, you can tell she gets stressed out at times, certain classes and stuff, but I think she enjoys school.”

After she graduates in May, Patton will move onto a position she already has at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. She said her liberal arts education has prepared her for the position.

“Our liberal arts education has prepared us, in a sense, just to be ready for whatever career path, I would say, you choose to go down,” Patton said. “Just because we had so many opportunities and so much exposure to different things, and different studies and topics.”

@THEFRANKLINNEWS

STORY | ASHLEY STEEB @THEFRANKLINNEWS

DESIGN | SHELBY MULLIS

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PHOTO | MAX BOMBER

FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017

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Theater owners should show what the public wants to see

O OPINION

EDITORIAL When you think of the beloved classic “Beauty and the Beast,” the first thought you have probably isn’t that it is inappropriate to show.

However, one Alabama drive-in theater is refusing to show the new rendition of the classic Disney film to the public, simply based on the fact that a minor character, LeFou, is portrayed as a gay man.

Out of all the troubling themes included in “Beauty and the Beast,” the Christian-operated theater chose to focus on this one detail as a reason not to show it.

It appears that the owner of the theater is fine with the Stockholm Syndrome at play. They’re fine with the fact that Belle is locked in a castle, unable to escape. They’re fine with a human falling in love with an animal — a beast, at that. While one may argue that he ultimately turns into a human, calling it a simple metaphor for not judging people based on their looks, it’s still a little strange.

By refusing to show the movie based on personal beliefs, the owner’s

decision leads to one question: Should arguing that the movie would take away movie theaters — chain or locally- a child’s innocence. How is “Beauty owned — be allowed to pick and and the Beast” taking the innocence choose the movies they show based on away from a child? A child is not going a character or to see that the theme of movie and OUR POSITION a movie? It’s know, just understandable by context, for a theater that Lefou owner to want to is gay. You pick the movies can’t look at that will be the someone and most profitable, immediately but deciding know they are not to show a gay. family-oriented If anything, PG film based p e o p l e on the sexuality should be of a minor worried about character is children quite ridiculous. s e e i n g It is 2017, and gay marriage is legal Stockholm Syndrome being played out in all 50 states. Therefore, having a on the big screen as if it’s no big deal. gay character in a film should not be Or the fact that Belle falls in love with a grounds to dictate whether you show beast who, at the time of falling in love, it. is not a human.

The Alabama theater and several Movie theaters are open to the others say they are protecting children, public, therefore they should show

The staff is in agreement that movie theater owners should not ban movies from their theaters based on personal beliefs. They should choose movies the public wants to see.

around campus: SHOULD MOVIE THEATER OWNERS BE ABLE TO CHOOSE THE MOVIES THEY SHOW BASED ON THEIR PERSONAL VIEWS?

Abby Lepper, freshman “We all know that banning books didn’t go over well. Why would we attempt to ban any form of art? People should be free to go to see movies wherever they like. Movie theaters don’t have to watch the movies they provide for others, but they should be provided. Allow the public to decide what they’d like to see.”

Meghan Yencer, sophomore

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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in the opinion section do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the entire The Franklin staff. Opinion editor ChristinaRameymoderatestheboardandits members,includingBrittneyCorum,Adrianna Pitrelli,MattThomasandAshleySteeb.Leigh Durphey, the executive editor, sits on the board. If you have an issue you would like theboardtocover,emailchristina.ramey@ franklincollege.edu.

To participate in future polls, follow @TheFranklinNews on Twitter.

We asked Franklin College students onTwitter: SHOULD MOVIE THEATER OWNERS BE ABLE TO CHOOSE THE MOVIES THEY SHOW BASED ON THEIR PERSONAL VIEWS?

62% No 27% Yes

55 people participated in this survey FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017

OUR BOARD

TWITTER POLL

“I think that if someone owns their own movie theater, they should be able to play whichever movies they want.”

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movies the general public wants to see. Theater owners should not be allowed to let their personal beliefs interfere with the films shown in the theater. Theaters provide a service to the public. If they don’t want to show a film to their own family, that’s fine.

But a theater is there to entertain the public, therefore, theater owners should show what the public wants to see.

11% Sometimes

Movie review: I’ll never stop ‘Singin’ in the Rain’

the last word

ASHLEY STEEB ashley.steeb@franklincollege.edu

Transgender athletes deserve right to choose

ASHLEY

STEEB

It’s been a never-ending debate: Who can compete in which sports? Should girls be allowed to play on the boys’ football team? Should boys be allowed to play on a girls’ sports team? When it comes down to transgender athletes and their participation in sports, what team should they compete on?

Unfortunately, the answer is not clear in today’s society. I will not pretend to have the answer because I don’t.

The topic is a highly debated talking point not only in sports, but in several areas of life. It can even be considered as controversial.

Cisgender athletes, or a person whose gender corresponds with their

birth gender, say it does not matter whether the athlete completed their transformation because they still have the bone structure of the gender they were born with, according to an article from The Washington Post.

In a study published by the Journal of Sporting Cultures and Identities, an athlete who transitioned from male to female and underwent a year of hormone therapy actually has less muscle mass, bone density and other features. Cisgender females also have higher levels of testosterone than transgender women.

Recently, a Texas high school wrestler who recently made the transition from female to male won a state girls’ wrestling title, despite his testosterone treatment, transition to male and desire to compete against fellow male wrestlers.

The high school student has the muscle mass of a teenaged male, but Texas policy requires athletes to compete as the gender stated on their birth certificate, according to a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article.

The National Collegiate A’s guidelines, released in 2011, for transgender athletes states a femaleto-male student may compete on the men’s team and forgo competing on the women’s team. A male-to-female student cannot compete on a women’s team until they complete one year of testosterone suppression treatment.

In the meantime, they may compete on the men’s team until the one-year treatment is complete.

Many critics of the Texas teen’s case say the state needs to adopt something similar to the NCAA’s policy. If they did so, the teen would be allowed to compete on the men’s wrestling team.

Long story short, athletes who have made the complete transition to the opposite gender should compete in the gender division they currently identify with. Until they permit co-ed sports across the athletic spectrum, adopting similar rules to the NCAA’s transgender policy is the only way to maintain fair competition.

Original movies are the best way to go

CHRISTINA RAMEY Everywhere I look, classic movies are being remade. Are screenwriters running out of ideas? Do they sit around and watch movies, asking themselves whether they could make it better?

Let’s be honest — remakes will never be as good as the original.

When watching a film remake, I never get the initial rush I get when I watch a movie for the first time.

There isn’t as much anticipation. I find myself comparing the movie with the original.

I already know what is going to happen and how it will end.

These films usually have different actors portraying the classic characters.

This means these actors have different acting styles and mannerisms. It can be frustrating when you expect a character to be portrayed one way, but they act completely different.

But this isn’t to say all remakes are

terrible. I really enjoy watching the 2013 rendition of “The Great Gatsby” with actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Actually, I prefer this over the original 1974 film.

“The Great Gatsby” is just one of a few remakes that are potentially better than the original. For example, I prefer watching the original “Friday the 13th” from 1980 over the 2009 version. Despite my love for actor Jared Padalecki, who plays in the most recent version, I will always prefer to watch the original film.

I’ll continue to watch remakes, but I can’t promise I’ll enjoy them as much as I enjoy the originals. @THEFRANKLINNEWS

My all-time favorite movie to ever be made is “Singin’ in the Rain.”

I love the movie so much that I can quote a majority of the movie lines from memory. I even went to a special showing of the movie in January.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released the musical comedy movie in 1952 and has an all-star cast with Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly.

While the movie did not win many awards back in the day, it is considered the fifth best American-made movie of all time.

I will admit that I initially could not stand the movie. At the time, I was too young and stupid to appreciate all of the movie’s little quirky nuances.

I also did not appreciate the movie’s genre.

“Singin’ in the Rain” follows the lovable Gene Kelly’s character, a silent movie star having a difficult time transitioning to the world of talking movies.

Lina Lamont, played by Jean Hagen, happens to be my favorite character in not only the movie, but also in any movie ever created.

She plays a high-pitched, blonde, stupid female who is rude and desires to be the center of attention. Lina Lamont is the main love interest in all the movies created by Kelly’s character, Don Lockwood.

She is threatened by Debbie Reynolds’ character, Kathy Selden, because Don Lockwood falls in love with her instead. She is also much better at acting and singing.

Lamont was not made to be a likeable character, but she steals the show anyways. She has all of the best lines, and she’s hilarious.

Yes, this movie may seem ancient.

But sometimes the best movies are the classic films that made Hollywood what it is today.

I give this movie a 12 out of 10 stars.

Why? Because it deserves it. Whether you enjoy musicals or not, I suggest you give it a try because you may just be surprised.

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double the fun

For a majority of athletes, there is one established sport where the player excels. But for a few, they are able to play two sports while balancing a social life, academics and sleep.

“Being an athlete is mentally and physically challenging, but having two sports helps me redirect my focus and take a mental break while challenging myself in different ways,” said junior Abby Stayer, a doublesport athlete in women’s soccer and lacrosse.

On top of sports, Stayer is a double major in psychology and Spanish.

She finds it hard to juggle two sports with academics, but said it’s fulfilling because it allows her to constantly set goals for herself.

“After one season ends, it is nice to refocus and work towards another goal,” she said. “I do not get as drained out from constantly competing and working to improve in one specific sport.”

As a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and Psi Chi International Honor Society, Stayer puts her academics above her athletics, which causes her to sacrifice some of her extracurricular activities.

“Because of my classes this spring, I do not have the time to play spring soccer which is very difficult, but my team knows that I am still a

dedicated member, and they come out to support me in lacrosse,” Stayer said.

Junior Bret Roberts is another multi-sport athlete, participating in women’s soccer and track and field.

Roberts faces the same problem as

multisport athletes find two sports enjoyable and rewarding

SPORTS

Junior Bret Roberts

Stayer as she is constantly sacrificing time in one sport for the other.

“I do have to miss out on some stuff because I cannot do everything even though I would like to,” Roberts said. “It is hard when the two sports conflict and I have to choose one or the other because either way I am missing out and it’s kind of a lose-

lose situation.”

Another issue with playing multiple sports is that an injury during one sport can potentially affect participation in the other sports.

During Roberts’ sophomore year, she suffered a concussion from track Junior Abby Stayer

and field as a pole vaulter. When it came time to play soccer in the fall, Roberts had to sit out almost the entire season.

“Bret did sustain an injury in track that affected her ability to train and play soccer, but despite how it happens, injuries do occur,” said Justin Sullivan, women’s soccer head

coach.

Sullivan said he still finds a way for athletes to participate in the sport with their injuries.

“They are certainly undesirable any way you look at it, but we attempt to be very personal in our approach so even if a student-athlete is out, they can still help us in a myriad of ways,” he said.

From a coaching perspective, playing multiple sports can prove to be troublesome mainly due to scheduling, according to Sullivan.

Within the two sports, Sullivan said good communication is key when managing sports and academics.

Aside from the negatives, Stayer said being in multiple sports is rewarding. She added that the coaches and teammates of both her teams are supportive of her.

“Both teams are very supportive of my being a duel-sport athlete, and they always come out to cheer us on,” Stayer said.

For Roberts, the most rewarding part about handling two sports is seeing all the hard work pay off.

“I have learned that your body can do a lot more than you think it can, and it really is amazing how much you are capable of if you are willing to work hard and push through the pain,” Roberts said.

STORY & PHOTOS MEGAN POWELL | DESIGN QUINN FITZGERALD

Softball seeks improvement after eight-game Florida trip QUINN FITZGERALD elizabeth.fitzgerald@franklincollege.edu

For the fifth year, the Grizzlies’ softball players left their snow boots in Indiana and headed for Kissimmee, Florida, last week.

The team played eight games in a span of four days during the Citrus Games, a series of collegiate level games hosted by Diamond 9 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.

“We try to do that every year because the weather is so bad up here that we couldn’t play,” said head coach Butch Zike.

The team ended the road trip 4-4, which freshman Kayla Selzer see as a sign for improvement.

“Overall, I don’t think the team

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FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017

performed at our best,” Selzer said.

“We went 4-4, which might not seem too bad to some, but I think our team is capable of much more.”

Zike agreed, adding that the trip showed many areas for improvement, specifically offensively.

“I think our overall play was just about what you would expect early in the season. We need to improve a bit defensively, improve a lot offensively,” Zike said. “We didn’t hit in clutch situations very well, and if we had, we would have won a couple more games.”

During the trip, the softball team played against some of the top-

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ranked teams in the nation including the nation’s number two team, St. John Fisher. Despite the challenge and 1-0 loss, Selzer said it was one of the best games of the trip.

“The team really came together, fought hard and competed,” she said.

“This game really showed that we can compete with anyone.”

While Zike said the trip went as he expected, he noted that he was overly impressed with the team’s intensity throughout the games.

Aside from competition, Zike said the trip was great, especially being able to play at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

“It’s a fantastic facility with class, and it was just a great experience for the players and the coaches,” Zike said.

Overall, Kayla Selzer said she was pleased with the trip and the team’s performance, and ultimately called it a learning experience for the entire team.

“Although we did have some hard losses, I think we learned a lot individually and as a team that we can take away and improve on,” she said.

The team plays again today at 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. against Capital University at Grizzly Park.