The Murray State News

The Murray State News October 10, 2014

Vol. 89, No. 8

TheNews.org

Renewed law requires change in Campus Safety Report

Rebecca Walter || News Editor rwalter@murraystate.edu

Murray State had four instances of dating violence on campus, one complaint of domestic violence and four reports of stalking on campus in 2013, according to the University’s annual safety report.

This is the first year the Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report outlined these crimes, thanks to a change in federal law, said Roy Dunaway, interim chief of Public Safety

and emergency management.

The report, released on Oct. 1, includes statistics from 2011, 2012 and 2013.

It is required by the U.S. Department of Education.

Dunaway said additions come from Congress’ renew of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) last year.

It is a federal law under Title IX that provides funding for investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women.

Residential college task force to focus on improvements Kate Russell || Staff writer krussell13@murraystate.edu

Crusaders, eagles, hedgehogs, lions, ravens, rhinos, sharks and terrapins don’t usually have much in common.

But at Murray State, they share an ancestor – the Racer.

When Murray State put the residential college system in place 18 years ago, the University developed mascots for each residence hall to help reinforce a sense of community.

Those mascots and the sense of identity in the residential college system has set Murray State apart from other universities and has helped increased retention after the first year, according to officials.

“It has been tremendous in helping retain students and increasing their college experience, not only for the time they live in residential college but when they move into apartments,” said Bob Davies.

A task force, which began meeting last year, is looking into how improve or expand the residential colleges. The Residential College Review Task Force will make recommendations by the end of the 2014-15 school year.

“What we’re trying to do now is think, OK since ‘96 we’ve developed a really good model,” Davies said. “What are some the tweaks we need to make it even more successful and more effective in terms of those experiences, those extracurricular activities?”

THE RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE EXPERIENCE Every student, staff and faculty member at Murray State is assigned to one of eight residential colleges. Kenny Fister, chair of the Council of College Heads, said one goal of the system is to get more commuter students involved with on-campus activities.

Each college has its own intramural sports teams, quick recall team, resident advisers, resident director, faculty college head and college council.

“The colleges break up the

The act requires for those found guilty to pay restitution to victims and allows for civil redress in cases prosecutors chose to leave unprosecuted, according to the White House’s website.

President Bob Davies said he believes Murray State is a safe campus overall.

“One of the key aspects of our University is to always make sure our campus community is safe,” he said.

“However, bad things can and do happen, so it is important to promote ed-

ucation and know how to prepare and act in unsafe situations.”

The campus safety report also includes categories of rape, burglary and liquor and drug violations.

Dating violence statistics in 2013 were composed of four incidents reported on campus and two in a residential facilities. Domestic violence incidents reported included one in a residential facility.

Stalking was reported four times on campus and three times at a residential facility.

The number of reported incidents of rape in 2011 were two, one in 2012 and three in 2013.

These numbers are for on-campus and residential facilities.

There has been a slight decrease in burglary incidents from 20 in 2011 to 12 in 2013.

Dunaway said he believes this decline can be attributed to several different causes.

“Education and awareness pro-

see REPORT, 2A

DEBT DISTRESS

University into eight smaller groups, and it makes the students that come here feel like it’s not such a big place,” Fister said.

In 1995, former President Kern Alexander created a committee to increase student retention. The committee sent members to Ivy League schools in the U.S. and to universities in England to study their residential colleges. The next year, Murray State adopted the residential college system.

The residential college system originated in Great Britain at Oxford, Cambridge and Durham, according to the website collegiateway.org. The system spread to the U.S. in the 1930s when it was adopted

by Harvard and Yale universities. Murray State is listed on the site as one of the more recent universities to adopt a similar system. The site listed 30 universities in the U.S. with the college system, including Rice University, University of Pennsylvania and the University of California Santa Cruz.

“There’s also a lot of replication going on,” said Davies, who added that a national conference later this year will focus on the benefits of the residential college approach.

“But we don’t want to lose our niche on it.”

Ivy League residential colleges – such as those at Harvard – contain libraries, dining halls and even recording studios. Fister said most of Murray’s residence halls don’t have room for such amenities because many of them were built before the University had adopted the college system.

However, Murray’s residential colleges contain study lounges, areas for students to socialize, and in the case of Hart and Regents Colleges, cafes.

And as residential colleges are renovated, such as Franklin Residential College, areas for students to meet and mingle are being incorporated into the design, Davies said.

see COLLEGES, 2A

Photo Illustration by Hannah Fowl/The News

A student reads brochures on how to take out loans, the different loans available, receiving scholarships and grants and how to pay for college.

Students feel strain of college loan debt Mary Bradley Assistant News Editor mbradley9@murraystate.edu

Ben Manhanke || Staff writer bmanhanke@murraystate.edu

The college experience is arguably some of the best years of a person’s life, filled with friends, parties, networking and learning.

But following four years of fun, student loans bear down at around $20,000 an average estimate for a Murray State graduate.

For some students, a student loan of several thousand dollars a year is the only way to afford college and graduate with a degree. And the amount of student debts has only increased.

According to the Department of Education survey of 2008-09 graduates, nearly two-thirds of Bachelor’s recipients borrowed money, where

as about 45 percent of 1992-93 graduates borrowed money.

American college students and graduates owe a collective one trillion dollars in outstanding federal loans. Only mortgages account for more personal debt in the U.S.

STUDENTS WITH LOANS Joilyn Haught, freshman from Owensboro, Ky., has two student loans in order for her to attend college.

“I had to take out one loan for $1,000 and another for $1,750 because I applied for financial aid late and I couldn’t get enough money to use for my schooling,” Haught said.

She said the thought of the loans she has is overwhelming and while she has just begun her college career, she said it has added pressure to do better academically.

“I try not to think about it, but it’s always in the back of my mind that I will have to pay for it, and that’s not coming out of my head,” Haught said.

Haught is one of many at Murray State with loans, with 47 percent of Murray State graduates having average debt of $20,644, according to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.

see LOANS, 2A

By the numbers Student debt by institution

Kentucky State University $39,623

Morehead State University $28,768

Eastern Kentucky University $26,150 Western Kentucky University $26,110 University of Kentucky

$23,468 Murray State University

$20,644 University of Louisville

$19,886 Northern Kentucky University

$13,432 Source: the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

Davies gifts $117,000 to University Staff Report

Kalli Bubb/The News

BOOK SIGNING: Richard Davies from the University of Nevada, Reno held a book signing with the department of history. The signing was Sept. 30, and four of his books were available for signing. Davies is the father of Murray State President Bob Davies. Read the full story at TheNews.org.

President Bob Davies, his wife Cindy and daughter Katie made an $117,000 gift in support of student scholarships, academic enhancements and various student needs at the University.

“Cindy, Katie and I are very happy to support our students with this gift,” Davies said. “And I want to stress that this is a family gift. This is a major commitment from Cindy and Katie, too.”

Davies noted that his daughter and her interest in the equine industry was a big reason why they moved to Murray.

“This is truly a great University, full of excellent students, faculty and staff, along with alumni and friends who love this institution. As our Alma

Mater states, this is the ‘finest place we know,’” Davies said in a press release.

Davies’ salary is approximately $300,000.

When Davies arrived to the University in July, he researched and found that Murray State’s founder, Rainey T. Wells, raised almost $117,000 to seed funds for the University in 1922.

Wells together with a campaign committee with James Glasgow, Robert Broach, O.T. Hale, Nat Ryan, Thomas Stokes and Ben Grogan raised nearly $117,000 from more than 1,100 donors in 1922.

Gifts ranged from $5 to $2,500 and secured the location and initial funds for the University, which at the time

see DAVIES, 2A

WHAT’S ON THENEWS.ORG VIDEO Students share their thoughts on loan debt in our latest video on TheNews.org.

RACER FOOTBALL Follow @MSUSportsNews on Twitter and check out our continuing game coverage at TheNews.org.

WHAT’S

TRANSGENDER SURVEY

OUR VIEW

SOCCER WINS

TATTOO DECISIONS

INSIDE

LGBT Programming Office decides on annual campaign, 3A

Avoiding student-journalists hinders the community, 4A

Murray State women’s soccer adds another win, 1B

Future employment opportunities influence tattoos, 5B

News

2A

LOANS From Page 1 Murray State ranks sixth on a list detailing the average debt of graduates of the eight public Kentucky universities, according to the report.

The highest average debt is Kentucky State University at $39,623 and the lowest is Northern Kentucky University at $13,432.

Brett Mayberry, junior from Mount Carmel, Ill., has student loans along with a Parent PLUS loan.

A Parent PLUS loan is used to cover additional costs beyond subsidized and unsubsidized loans.

A separate application is used to receive the Parent PLUS loan and requires good credit history, citizenship and other loans in good standing along with other general requirements.

Mayberry said the repaying of loans is different for each person post-graduation because salaries and employment vary.

He said the struggle some student face is choosing a well-paying career over a career they have a strong interest in.

“It depends really on what your major is,” he said. “If you get a job that pays very well, obviously you’re going to pay off your student loans pretty quick. But, if you’re majoring in something that doesn’t pay very well but it’s what you like to do, it’s going to be a while before you pay those off.”

He said he wasn’t surprised student loan debt is more than one trillion dollars, simply because college is just expensive to attend.

STUDENTS WITHOUT LOANS Alexa Allen, sophomore from Scottsville, Ky., does not have student loans, but sympathizes with those who do because she sees the effect student loans and debts can have on others.

“I think (loans) prevent a lot of students from going to the school they want to go to,” Allen said. “Or, if they don’t get scholarships, they might not go to school at all.”

Allen said she can afford college through scholarships and the Kentucky Education Excellence Scholarship, or KEES, money.

She said she believes college has become increasingly popular and necessary, and student loans are essential for those who otherwise

The News

would not be able to afford higher education.

Jaclyn Whoberry, freshman from Louisville, Ky., said she has seen that situation play out with a friend.

She said her friend is attending a more affordable school to lessen the financial burden but is missing aspects of the university experience.

“A friend of mine is at a community college so she can pay for college and she’s kind of missed out on the college life because of it,” Whoberry said.

She thinks student loans can be difficult, but it is not unrealistic.

“You can always get help, you just have to want it that bad and then pay it off,” she said. “It’s definitely not ideal, but it’s necessary.”

HOW MURRAY STATE CAN HELP Jay Morgan, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, said there are multiple ways the University can help students with loan debt.

Between classes, educational seminars and lowering credit hours, he said Murray State has been able to maintain fairly low student debt.

He said there are personal finance and financial management classes students can enroll in.

Also, the Financial Aid Office offers seminars to explain to students the difference between various loans, along with what they do and don’t have to pay back.

Morgan said an important aspect in student loans includes the amount of credit hours students take and how many years they stay at Murray State.

“One thing we’re working on at Murray is we’re trying to lower the credits to degree that students are taking,” Morgan said. “I don’t mean the 120. Students are graduating with an average of 142 credits, all students across the board. We’re trying to bring that down to 134 or 135 and have got it down to 139. Each time we get it down we’re going to save students money long term because students are getting out on, on average, quicker.”

However, with loans or not, Morgan said having a college degree is worth it.

“A college education is still a good investment even if you have to borrow money to get through school,” Morgan said. “There are a number of unsubsidized and subsidized loans that students can get to get through and it still far outweighs, for the most part, people who don’t get a college education.”

October 10, 2014

REPORT From Page 1 grams conducted by Public Safety and Housing informing students about the importance of securing their property, increasing reporting of suspicious activity on campus and Murray State Police department’s presence in the residential colleges (have contributed to the decline),” he said.

Liquor violation arrests fluctuated, with 12 on-campus reports in 2011 and zero reports for residential colleges.

There were 11 on-campus reports in 2012 and two for residential facilities.

Numbers decreased in 2013, with four reports on campus and two for residential facilities.

Drug law violation arrests slightly

increased. In 2011 there were 16 on-campus reports and five for residential facilities. In 2012, there were 17 reports on campus and nine for residential facilities.

The slight increase in 2013 was 21 reports for on-campus and 17 for residential facilities.

On-campus reports are classified as any building or property owned or controlled by Murray State and those within the same geographic area, used by the University or in direct support or related to the University’s educational purposes.

Dunaway said the main goal of the report is to provide transparency.

Statistic for the report are gathered from Public Safety, the Housing Office, Student Affairs and law enforcement agencies holding jurisdiction in the location of the regional campuses.

The report included statistics from

COLLEGES

DAVIES

From Page 1

From Page 1

A CHANCE TO GET INVOLVED Murray State’s student retention and graduation rates have gone up in recent years. The University’s four-year graduation rate, for instance, has been above 53 percent since 2012, up from 49.6 percent in 2009.

But Davies said it’s impossible to know how much of that can be attributed to the residential colleges and how much stems from other retention efforts.

McKinley Hawkinson, sophomore from Carterville, Ill., said the residential college system gives students both on and off campus a chance to get involved. The Residential College Council, intramural sports and programs are among some of the opportunities to become involved in your college.

“Residential colleges provide a better opportunity for students to learn and grow instead of just live,” she said.

Hawkinson, who is in her first year as a resident adviser for Elizabeth Residential College, said she believes the big-

gest struggle for Murray State’s residential colleges is getting commuter students involved with college activities. But she said she will occasionally see students who live off campus come into Elizabeth to spend time in the lobby.

Because Hawkinson believes the residential college system is different than typical dorms, she said she is a little offended when people say they live in a dorm.

“You sleep in a dorm room but you live in a residence hall,” Hawkinson said. “All the other stuff, like commuter students and intramurals, make it a residential college.”

That sense of community extends to the president. In August, Davies, who was assigned to Springer-Franklin Residential College, helped students move into their halls. And during his interview with The News this week, Davies couldn’t hide his enthusiasm for the terrapins.

“Go Springer-Franklin College,” he said as he pumped his fist.

Fort Campbell, Henderson, Hopkinsville and Breathitt Veterinary Center, Madisonville and Paducah regional campuses.

Dunaway said the Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report is not only for students’ awareness, but also for parents and prospective students.

“Murray State and all other universities in the U.S. have an obligation to inform the campus community of possible safety risks and incidents occurring on campus,” Dunaway said.

To the University, it is beneficial across the board. “(The Campus Safety Report) serves as a way for us to monitor how we are doing as a University. It shows us what we are doing right, what we need to improve on and the areas we need to increase awareness to make sure our campus, students, faculty and staff are safe,” Davies said.

was considered a normal school.

This isn’t the first time Davies as donated a significant amount of money while being president of a university.

During his time at Eastern Oregon University, where he was previously president, Davies gave $120,000 for scholarships and faculty research.

Additionally, Davies secured more than $50 million in state funding for building renovations for his previous university.

“This is a wonderful gift from Bob, Cindy and Katie,” said Bob Jackson, president of the MSU Foundation in a press release. “This new enrollment will benefit students into perpetuity and establishes a wonderful legacy for President Davies and his family. Our University founders would be very pleased with this gift and what it symbolizes in advancing Murray State University.”

Other Kentucky university presidents have made donations to their universities that range in generosity and for different reasonings.

Western Kentucky University president Gary Ransdell donated $5,000 to his university this month, with his current salary being $427,824, according to the Bowling Green Daily News.

Kentucky State University Interim President Raymond Burse donated more than $90,000 of his salary for university workers earning minimum wage so their earnings can increase to $10.25 an hour.

Burse’s annual salary had been set at $349,869, according to the Lexington-Herald Leader.

University of Kentucky president Eli Capilouto gave a $250,000 donation to his university to establish a multi-disciplinary health research center.

“This is a symbolic and generous gift and displays President Davies’ and his family’s support for our University and its students,” Harry Lee Waterfield, Murray State University Board of Regents chair said in a press release. “We are very grateful for this support and very pleased with the leadership that he is providing.”

The News

News

October 10, 2014 News Editor: Rebecca Walter Assistant Editor: Mary Bradley Phone: 270-809-4468 Twitter: MurrayStateNews

Few city bike lanes endanger bikers

POLICE BEAT Oct. 2 1:58 p.m. A person reported suspicious activity at College Courts. Officers were notified and an information report was taken.

5:27 p.m A caller reported being stuck on an elevator in the Blackburn Science Building. Officers and Central Heating and Cooling Plant were notified.

Oct. 3 8:38 a.m. A person requested assistance with moving vehicles for roadway paving. All vehicles were moved and an information report was taken.

10:40 a.m. A caller reported a sparking microwave in Springer Residential College. Officers, Central Heating and Cooling Plant and the state fire marshal were notified. The microwave was placed out of service and the sparking was caused by a metal item inside the microwave. A fire report was taken.

Oct. 4 7:26 p.m. An officer was advised of a vehicle with a flat tire at the Roy Stewart Stadium parking lot. The owner was notified and an information report was taken.

8:51 p.m. Public Safety and Emergency Management was notified of a structure fire off campus at 14th and Olive streets. Officers and Student Affairs were notified.

Oct. 5 6:59 a.m. Officers received a fire alarm activation at the William “Bill” Cherry Agricultural Exposition Center.

Officers, Murray Fire Department and Central Heating and Cooling Plant were notified. The alarm activa-

3A

tion was due to a mechanical malfunction.

10:09 a.m. Officers conducted parking enforcement duties at the Roy Stewart Stadium parking lot. Three citations were issued.

Oct. 6 7:42 p.m. A caller reported a fight at the Wellness Center.

Officers were notified and a report was taken.

7:59 p.m. A caller reported a suspicious person at the Roy Stewart Stadium parking lot.

Officers were notified.

Oct. 7 9:32 a.m. Officers reported a verbal altercation at the Faculty Hall parking lot. Officers were notified.

11:02 a.m. A caller reported a burn mark in a Regents Residential College elevator.

Officers and the state fire marshal were notified.

Oct. 8 2:13 a.m. A person reported a possible fire at Springer Residential College. Officers were notified.

1:49 p.m. Officers reported a swarm of bees on Main Street. Facilities Management was notified.

Call of Fame Oct. 7, 2:48 p.m. - A caller reported an abandoned backpack in Wilson Hall.

Officers were notified and the backpack was returned to the owner.

Amanda Grau || Staff writer agrau@murraystate.edu

With little shoulder space on most city roads, the battle between biking commuters and drivers is a danger to both.

Rachel Williams, senior from Louisville, Ky., rides her bike to and from campus almost everyday. As an off-campus student, she finds the biggest difficulty is her own fear.

Williams recounted the times she has been almost hit by cars.

“I’ll give you my top three, and you can choose,” she said.

In one day, Williams was nearly hit five times. She has been shoved off the road, had her tire popped by glass, nearly collided with a truck that backed out in front of her and was almost hit when a truck tried to make a left-hand turn while she was making the same turn.

“I was coming around a curve, and a giant truck speeds up to go around me,” Williams said. “At the same time, another car was coming around the curve in the other direction and they almost hit each other and me.”

Williams, who lives off of North 16th Street, prefers to take an alternate route instead of riding on 16th Street through the Five Points intersection, which is notorious for traffic problems.

“Ideally, I’d ride down 16th, but because of traffic and itty bitty roads, I take back roads,” Williams said. “Small roads, big trucks: not good.”

Ben Manhanke

Mary Bradley, Assistant News Editor, compiles Police Beat with materials provided by Public Safety and Emergency Management. Not all dispatched calls are listed.

The Respect My Identity campaign officially kicked off in September with a program, “A Radically Candid View on Transgender Equality,” which featured Mara Keisling, director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

After advocating for transgender issues on campus for the past several years, Murray State’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Programming Office has chosen the focus of its annual campaign to be transgender issues.

With more programming scheduled throughout the year, Jody Cofer Randall, LGBT program coordinator, said the goal of the campaign is to better educate students, staff and faculty on the issues their transgender classmates and colleagues may be facing.

Cofer Randall said in surveys his office conducted in past years faculty and staff specifically identified wanting more information on gender identity and expression.

He said those surveyed wanted to learn how to bet-

Graphic by Summer Bush

Part of 16th Street has sidewalks that run down one side of the road, end at Lowes Drive and continues on the other side of the road until stopping at highway 120.

Travis Brown, projects administrator for Murray, began his job in July. Brown said that section of 16th Street is not under the city’s jurisdiction.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is responsible for maintaining it.

Brown said plans to renovate Five Points could be interfering with the completion of the sidewalks.

“We’re trying to make that big cluster of roads more feasible for cars,” Brown said.

“We’re looking at building a roundabout and clean it up

with decoration.”

The city recently finished installing more sidewalks throughout Murray. Extending current sidewalks is not in the city’s budget at this time, nor is adding bike lanes to the roads, Brown said.

“We’ve exhausted all of our funds,” Brown said. “We have plans there for more sidewalks for pedestrians, but they’re in holding.”

Brown said as the need for bike lanes increases, the city will pay more attention to adding bike lanes and paths.

As of now, there have been few complaints sent to City Hall regarding the lack of bike lanes.

“As far as we know, there hasn’t been much interest,”

Brown said. “We’ve had no real complaints from bikers.”

While there haven’t been many complaints, Brown said he has seen and is pleased with the uptick in the number of bikers throughout the city.

“It’s a good thing, I think,” Brown said. “We just don’t want them getting hit. As interest goes up we’ll look into it more.”

In the meantime, Williams said she hopes more drivers and bikers will pay attention.

“Awareness is key,” Williams said. “Bikers need to follow biking laws. They’re the same as laws for cars. It causes more trouble when bikers are swerving from the road to the sidewalk, back and forth. And wear a helmet.”

LGBT campaign focuses on transgender students

Motorists assists – 6 Racer escorts – 4 Arrests – 0

From a 2011 study by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce.

Hannah Fowl/The News

A commuter student bikes on a city sidewalk after class since bike lanes do not exist on the road.

Staff writer bmanhanke@murraystate.edu

ter work with and be better equipped in dealing with situations transgender students may have.

Broader national issues for the transgender community have also been highlighted already during the course of the campaign.

Excerpts from a 2011 study by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce were distributed during the campaign’s first event.

The study provided data on employment and public accommodation discrimination as well as homelessness and suicide.

According to the report, of the 6,450 transgender and gender non-conforming study participants, 41 percent reported attempting to commit suicide, 90 percent were discriminated against or harassed on the job and 53 percent have been disrespected or verbally harassed in a place of public accommodation, like a store or a restaurant.

Jo Bennett, founder of Eracer, a support group, said by now he is numb to statistics like these, but said people

should pay attention to such high statistics.

“These statistics are a reality check,” he said. “A lot of people have been shocked that this discrimination takes place, especially in the U.S., but we too are falling short in terms of basic human rights which have been accepted by the national community.”

Eracer was founded in 2012

by Bennett and fellow Alliance officer Morgan Randall, who is now president.

While the organization has functioned for the past two years as an anonymous and secretive support group for transgender and gender non-conforming students, Bennett said they are going to begin focusing more on transgender activism in the Murray State community.

“Compared to some schools, we’re ahead (in terms of transgender acceptance and education), and compared to others, we’re catching up,” he said.

“To me though, I feel we’re all still playing catch up.”

Eracer is disbanded for this semester and next while it is being restructured, but Bennett said he hopes the club will be active and fully functioning

again by next year.

The LGBT Programming Office has led smaller successful campaigns prior to the Respect My Identity campaign, also aimed at making the University more transgender-friendly.

These movements have included allowing students to choose and be recognized by Murray State by their preferred first name in course rosters and on Canvas and the recent conversion and designation of several restrooms to gender-neutral.

Like these prior movements, the Respect My Identity campaign also contains an element of activism and policy change: the updating of the Murray State non-discrimination statement to include gender expression, identity or presentation.

While the statement does include sexual orientation, transgender identifying has yet to be added.

The campaign’s next event, a screening of the film “Microagressions: The New Face of Discrimination” is in partnership with the Women’s Center.

The screening will take place in November.

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October 10, 2014

The News

Opinion

Opinion Editor: Carly Besser Phone: 270-809-5873

Our View

Ignoring student media hurts us all The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board.

The News 2609 University Station Murray State University Murray, Kentucky 42071-3301 murraystatenews@icloud.com Fax: 270-809-3175

TheNews.org Lexy Gross Editor-in-Chief • 270-809-6877 cgross2@murraystate.edu Rebecca Walter News Editor • 270-809-4468 rwalter@murraystate.edu Carly Besser Opinion Editor • 270-809-5873 cbesser@murraystate.edu Hunter Harrell Features Editor • 270-809-5871 hharrell@murraystate.edu Mallory Tucker Sports Editor • 270-809-4481 mtucker11@murraystate.edu Kayla MacAllister Chief Copy Editor • 270-809-5876 kmacallister@murraystate.edu Elizabeth Leggett Online Editor • 270-809-5877 eleggett@murraystate.edu Allison Borthwick Advertising Manager • 270-809-4478 aborthwick@murraystate.edu Sarah Beitel-Starks Advertising Production • 270-809-5874 sbeitel@murraystate.edu Fumi Nakamura Photography Editor • 270-809-5878 fnakamura1@murraystate.edu Joe Hedges Adviser • 270-809-3937 jhedges@murraystate.edu

Write to us!

The News welcomes commentaries and letters to the editor. Letters should be 400 words or less. Contributors should include phone numbers for verification.

Please include hometown, classification and title or relationship to the University. Commentaries should be between 600 to 800 words. The News reserves the right to edit for style, length and content. No anonymous contributions will be accepted. All contributions should be turned in by noon on Tuesday of each week via email at letters@thenews.org. Contributions to The News are the opinion of the author and not that of The Murray State News.

The News strives to be the University community’s source for information. Our goal is to present that information in a fair and unbiased manner and provide a free and open forum for expression and debate.

The News is a designated public forum. Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The paper offers a hands-on learning environment for students interested in journalism. The campus press should be free from censorship and advance approval of copy, and its editors should develop their editorial and news policies.

The News is prepared and edited by students and is an official publication of Murray State University. The first copy is free. Additional copies are available for 25 cents at 111 Wilson Hall.

Katie Wilborn/The News

As journalists, our job at The Murray State News is to inform students about events on campus in an effective and accurate way.

As students ourselves, we are writing for this publication to become better prepared as journalists in the professional world.

However, both of these expectations are being hindered by the lack of cooperation by some Murray State staff, and we feel it must be addressed.

When we try to contact staff for stories, we are often avoided, stood up or reduced to restricted modes of interviewing such as email instead of in person. We sometimes wait weeks to hear back from sources, and we are not strangers to the feeling of losing out on a story because of this lapse in communication.

While it sounds like these restrictions only disadvantage reporters at The News, they affect everyone in the student body. We feel that as student-journalists, our primary objective is to make sure students are up-to-date on news that will affect their future at Murray State.

As people who pay thousands of dollars to study here, it is our right to inform and be informed.

However, that cannot happen without the cooperation of staff.

There have been instances in which some staff are advised to avoid certain reporters, to not speak with the media in person and to only give answers that are approved by certain supervisors in the department. Student workers must have permission to speak to us.

Because being involved in student media is our best practice for the world of professional journalism, we take our jobs here seriously. Barring us from public information, giving us the cold shoulder and leaving us uninformed hinders our ability to improve our skills. It also leaves us to wonder if there is more that we should be concerned about within the University.

This lack of trust between staff and student media damages many aspects of student life. How can students be passionate or involved in campus affairs if they are not allowed to know what the affairs are in the first place?

Murray State stresses the value of strong relationships between faculty and staff with the student body. The University pushes per-

sonalism with small class sizes, get-togethers with the president and more for students to feel that they can connect with other people who work on campus.

By ignoring student media and treating it as an enemy, Murray State staff is directly in conflict with this idea of strong relationships with students. Staff must work with us to uphold the values of honesty, integrity and transparency within Murray State.

We are not mudslingers, we are not gossip columnists and we do not report rumors.

We seek the truth and provide it to those who deserve it most – the student body. To treat us as such is ultimately a disservice for the people who are trying to receive a higher education at Murray State.

The Captain’s Log

Garrison: On changes in leadership As kids, we all played Chiefs and Indians at some point in time. I’m pretty sure we all had different rules or played a slightly varied game than others, but it was always met with high excitement and anticipation between the local neighborhood kids. If you think Zac Garrison about it, this Senior from is sometimes a child’s first taste Franklin, Ky. of leadership.

As chief, you were in control of the game.

It went at your pace and you called the shots.

On the other hand, if you messed up as chief, things come back on you, and all the other neighborhood kids think you’re not that great of a chief. As we grow up, it turns into the line leader. You were the first person in line, you led the pace and the direction, and everyone who was a line follower gave you their utmost trust that you would get them where they needed to go, even if it was only to the playground.

Our whole lives we have small tastes and glimpses of leadership that help us understand the rudimentary principles of what being a leader consists of. We learn at an early age that being a leader is a great honor, but that honor comes at the cost of increased responsibility.

As kids, we never grasp the severity or the importance of being a leader because most of our experiences as leaders are in games or exercises in school. At what age does leadership change?

As we grow older, the stakes rise. It’s no longer juvenile games in the park, but real life challenges and responsibilities that fall on your shoulders as a leader. For lots of people, leadership changes too early. Especially in college, we see individuals who are barely considered adults becoming influential leaders and having a group of people who look up to them. It’s crazy to think about how much the word “leader” has changed since being the tetherball team leader on the middle school playground. As tetherball team leader, your main job was making sure you picked the best tetherballers with the strongest arms.

If you won, you were the greatest tetherball team leader in K-12. If you lost, you were picked last for the rest of the school year.

There was always a sense of uneasiness in the back of your mind when picking the players that made you constantly question your actions and your confidence with your decisions, but you had to stay strong for the team and act like you had the strongest hand at the table.

The responsibilities of leadership have drastically changed since we were adolescents, but the way we go about leading has stayed pretty close to the same.

You have to be the one with the level head, who has all the answers and has the ability to inspire people toward a common goal. This seems easy in print, but it’s a lot more complicated than it looks.

Regardless of how confident you will be in a decision, you will always have someone question them. It gets frustrating, but you have to approach the situation with humility in order to get things right. If you are wrong in your assumptions or decision and someone says so, sometimes you need to admit you are wrong.

Take that shot to your ego and realize that being a leader is not the same thing as being a dictator. You need to hear feedback and criticism, or you will stay stagnant and never progress.

On the opposite side, there will be times in which you will have to hold strong to an unpopular decision because you know it is the right call. This is one of the more challenging aspects, especially if people you consider close friends are upset by the decision. For instance, when your best bud gets upset you picked Johnny “Strong Arm” Jenkins over him for the tetherball team.

As leader of the team, you have to realize and explain to your bud that your decisions are for the good of the team and as a leader it is your responsibility to make sure the team is successful.

Middle school was tough. Being a leader is never easy, or everyone would do it. The world would be a collection of chiefs with no Indians to follow. It’s a risk. It’s increased liability for not only your actions but the actions of those you lead.

You will have days where you want to pull your hair out and just quit, but those are counteracted by successes that happened because of your leadership skills. Accomplishing a goal, winning a prize or leading your team to victory makes all of those sleepless nights and hair-pulling sessions seem worth it.

Leading is tough for the risk averse. Lots of people will live their whole lives being okay with being a follower. It never bothers them to have someone lead them, and they never have the desire to call the shots themselves. Don’t be those people. Take chances.

Make differences. If you know you have a gift for leadership, share that with the world. Let your actions and your successes ring louder as you lead your tetherball team to victory. Whether you are an 8-year-old team manager making executive decisions on the tetherball court or a 50-year-old senior manager leading a marketing team toward a multimillion dollar deal, you’re still a chief. So I’ll end with this question for you: are you an Indian, or are you a chief?

The News

Opinion

October 10, 2014

5A Double Coverage

Letter to the Editor We launched Unseen, our anonymous photo sharing app, at Murray State in mid-September. It’s been great to see students quickly fill the feed with photos and comments.

After reading an op-ed piece by a Murray State student raising concerns about sexism in anonymous social media, we reached out to TheNews.org. We feel this to be important because we completely understand where the writer is coming from.

But while we realize how the unfiltered nature could make a first scroll through the app off-putting to some, we want to take this opportunity to let students know about the vision we have for Unseen and why we believe that anonymity can actually be a force for good.

College is a distinct period of time in a young person’s life because it is the first time most students have lived away from the community they grew up in. Surrounded by their peers and out of their parents’ home, it’s part of the typical college narrative that students go a little crazy with sex, drinking, caffeine

and ramen noodles. But on a more serious note, college is also the first time many students live and study among people who are different from them; the first time they have to make important financial decisions by taking out loans; the first time they are challenged to think about radical ideas and global problems. There’s a lot happening on college campuses, and not all of it is Facebook-friendly. But if something isn’t suitable for a status update, does that mean that it shouldn’t be shared?

We don’t think so. We believe there are meaningful connections to be made and unique experiences to be shared in anonymous spaces, and we want to build a community where students can do this free from the highly-publicized pressures of an online identity. There are lots of reasons why a woman might want to post a picture of her body on a public forum. For validation, feedback, to look for new sexual partners — and these are all perfectly reasonable and relatable.

And frankly, men post nude pictures

*drops mic, walks away*

to Unseen with the same motives.

We don’t think this is crazy. In fact, we think that the ability to show your body without shame or social repercussions should be something to celebrate. Sometimes we have embarrassing questions. Sometimes we have bad ideas. Sometimes we’re lonely or depressed or angry and just need a place to go to that isn’t going to latch onto our words and add them to an ever-increasing digital footprint.

Anonymity allows people to communicate honestly, in ways they’d never dream of on public profiles associated with their identity. But as strongly as we believe in the innumerable benefits of anonymity, we are fully aware that it gives way for hateful, seedy and otherwise problematic content. We do moderate to protect our users from malicious activity, but ultimately we believe that Unseen should be an honest reflection of the community it serves — racism, sexism, homophobia and all. But just as anonymity makes people feel safe to say hurtful and bigoted things, it also empowers

people to speak up against hate.

All of us in the Unseen office have been touched time and time again to see that often the majority of comments on posts that perpetuate hate and discrimination come from those who do not think that these viewpoints are acceptable. After all, this is your community and you do have the power to shape it. If someone voices an opinion that you find offensive, speak out. If you want something to disappear from the feed, bury it under better content.

We don’t believe that an anonymous community is one where users have no accountability for what they say.

On the contrary, we believe that anonymity can build a new sense of social responsibility that isn’t defined by shame, political correctness or self-censorship. In Unseen, Murray State can see a candid reflection of itself. If what you see upsets you, then you’ve got work to do.

Michael Schramm CEO and co-founder of Unseen College Station, Tx.

I’ve got a Story for You

Wait! Wait! Don’t tell me

Last week, I missed a meeting.

I could list 20 things that were occupying that little speck of burned-out cells between my ears where a happy brain used to be.

I’m not a bad person, and I have great respect for other people.

But I missed the meeting.

I have to admit my first impulse Robert Valentine was to find an Senior lecturer excuse or shift the blame. Of course, of advertising there was no one else to blame. So, most humbly, I apologized.

There was nothing more I could do. An excuse — even a good one — wouldn’t change anything.

I mention that because other people do not extend the same courtesy to me, or to most other instructors on campus.

Instead of confessing a preference for partying over writing a paper (and who would disagree?), professors and teaching assistants alike hear a long litany of reasons that a 200-word paper didn’t get done on time.

A scientific survey would probably show “non-working printers” as the principal cause of late work. This is a pretty feeble excuse from a generation that knows more about electronics than the guys who sent the first men to the moon. All at

Cheers and Jeers Cheers & Jeers is written by the Opinion Editor.

Questions, comments or concerns should be addressed sed to cbesser@murraystate.edu

Comics

once, at 8:18 a.m., all the printers in all the labs on campus collapse just as your printer, your roommate’s printer and all the other printers in Hart Residential College did at 8:08.

In the 60’s, packs of tame, herbivorous dogs roamed the campus eating homework on the very morning it was due, because we didn’t have printers. It’s one of great mysteries.

“

All these gullible, innocent profs got here by spending an absurd amount of time at college. They have heard it all before.

”

- Robert Valentine, senior lecturer of advertising

From magically malfunctioning automobiles to grandmothers in declining health, the list of creative excuses is as varied as it is unlikely. However, it isn’t suspicion of “creative truth telling” that bothers the faculty.

It is the lack of literary creativity and artistic panache that disappoint the poor professor. He just wants to take his collection of written wonders and spend an entire afternoon reading the Millennial version of pure genius. A better excuse would, at least, lighten the burden of having to look at your desperate, last-minute travesty in his non-existent spare time.

Remember: all these gullible, innocent profs got here by spending an absurd amount of time at college – more than you. Most of them, like you, had

periods during which they had a great time being young, unburdened by children, houses, jobs and the smothering presence of well-meaning parents.

There is no excuse you can produce that they haven’t either tried or observed with fascination in the hands of a roommate or boyfriend. They have heard it all before, from near-fatal crashes to alien abduction.

As alumni from across the planet descend on Murray State for Homecoming, you should take the time to ask them about the wildest con they ever pulled to escape the penalty for late work or an unauthorized month-long holiday. It will amaze you.

Short of time? The problem is that instructors don’t have time, either. It takes time to receive papers in two different forms over a one-week period. That’s why the good ones force you to produce a repair bill or a death certificate. The tired ones just nod and say, “Sure; of course. Sorry for your loss. Better luck next time. Turn it in when you feel like it.” If you don’t care what you’re doing, why should they?

Try this: “Oh, crap! I didn’t know you meant for me to write a paper, too! I thought that was just for muggles!” It may re-energize them. It will certainly make you unforgettable.

Look: We all come up short in our intentions at some time or another. This is a good time to discover how to avoid that. Sure: sometimes the car breaks; sometimes you feel lousy and sometimes Grandma is seriously, terrifyingly ill.

At the other times, however, you should just do the work the same day it’s assigned; give it a day or two and then improve it. When it is time to turn it in, drop that proofed, stapled work of art onto the desk with pride. Everybody wins, but mostly it’s you.

Cheers to ... Bill Cosby

Jeers to ... Ebola

The sultan of amazing sweaters, comedian and star of “The Cosby Show” will do a standup routine Saturday at the CFSB Center. He says the darndest things, so bring some pudding pops and get a couple of laughs in. You won’t want to miss it.

We were used to reading about it in faraway places, but now, Americans are being quarantined for the deadly disase. We hope there will be progress for a cure soon.

Also, quit joking about it on Facebook. Way too soon, you guys.

Jeers to ... Stephen Collins

Cheers to ... the Supreme Court

The former 7th Heaven dad is in the hot seat for allegedly confessing to child molestation after his estranged wife released an audio recording.

To think that you taught us so many life lessons, Pastor Camden.

For refusing to hear cases in five states that wanted to keep their same-sex marriage bans. Now, 30 of the 50 states allow gay marriage.

Equality isn’t so far from now, after all.

Lexy Gross Editor in Chief

A wise, chubby yellow bear with a love for fine honey once said something that makes sense of goodbyes.

“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

This week, I say goodbye to The Murray State News and

all of its people.

I’ve designed 44 front pages, 14 special sections and one 52-page annual magazine. I’ve held weekly meetings with three different Murray State presidents. I quit counting my bylines on TheNews.org after 40. I’ve covered Board of Regents meetings, Murray State volleyball, budget issues, smoking bans, track and field, football, a presidential search, a contract nonrenewal and that’s just skimming the surface.

I’ve spent full 24-hour periods in the newsroom. I’ve napped on my futon (which isn’t comfortable, by the way).

I’ve been screamed and cussed at, and I’ve been hugged and thanked.

I’ve laid on the floor with Kayla MacAllister, our chief copy editor and one of my best friends, and I’ve cried out of stress, anger and laughter.

I’ve been told I wasn’t good enough.

I’ve been told I didn’t know what I was doing. And I’ve been told I’m a great editor. Whatever the truth may be, I know this room with no windows and impressively stuffy indoor conditions has changed my life.

I’ve worked at The News since the end of my freshman year and I’m so thankful for the experience and the people who have passed through the glass doors on the first floor of Wilson Hall.

I want to take a little bit of space and ink to thank the people who have supported me the most.

Kyser Lough and Joe Hedges have guided me, listened to me complain and calmed me down on many occasions.

Kyser, especially, has genuinely played the devil’s advocate when I needed it the most, and has provided life lessons I’ll always carry with me.

Orville Herndon is the most reliable and hard-working staff member I’ve worked with. He’s helped every time I’ve hugged our printer at 2 a.m., praying it will come to life or every time I’ve screamed from Quark crashing. I’ve never said thank you enough.

Austin Ramsey is more of a role model than he’ll ever know. As the editor-in-chief before me, he set the standards for excellence at The News. He knows the importance of strong writing, of community and of the people in the newsroom.

He has more courage than most people I’ve met in my life.

Rebecca Walter is one of my best friends, and has been for many years.

Since we were kids, running around the halls of St. Paul Lutheran Church, we’ve always been strong personalities. She’s been my roommate twice, listened to my rants after a long day at work and is a passionate, dedicated news editor.

I also have to thank Ricky Martin – (no, not “Living La Vida Loca”) – a former sports editor at The News and The Murray Ledger & Times. He is the first person I called when considering changing my major to journalism. He’s always been there to celebrate my victories and let me know when my ego was growing too large. Of course I want to thank the rest of the staff who has been here since I have – none of what we do would be possible without you. From the laughter to the threats of quitting, I’ve appreciated every single one of you.

And the University staff – Don Robertson, Catherine Sivills, Dana Howard, Jay Morgan and so many others – you understand and appreciate the role of college media. Nothing is more important to us.

So, as I empty out my little office and hand my key over to incoming Editor-in-Chief Mary Bradley, I hope you all know how much this has meant. And I hope you give her a smooth ride.

I’ll miss The News and Murray State when I’m in Chicago this winter and wherever I go from there. But you will all be just fine without me.

Homecoming

By Katie Wilborn

The News

News

6A

October 10, 2014

Annual farm event provides fall fun Mari-Alice Jasper || Staff writer mjasper1@murraystate.edu

Orange pumpkins, bales of hay and golden mums blanketed the fields of Stanley Pullen Farm in preparation for crowds of school children attending Murray State’s annual Fall on the Farm Sept. 30.

Murray State students operate the event.

Tony Brannon, dean of Hutson school of Agriculture, said the idea for Fall on the Farm came from his wife.

“She went on a field trip to learn more about farm life with our son’s class to a farm a couple of hours away,” Brannon said.

When she came back, she insisted that Murray could do it better.

Eleven years later Fall on the Farm is going strong. Rhea Ann Wright-Holland, Academic Services coordinator, said the event has grown over the years.

“We used to just have schools from Murray come, but now they come from as far away as Jackson, Tenn.,” she said.

Fall on the Farm is open to school trips during the week and then open to the public on the weekend.

More than 200 Murray State students signed up to work at the event, Wright-Holland said.

Fall on the Farm is hosted by the Agriculture Leadership Council.

The council is composed of two representatives from each of the clubs in the Hutson School of Agriculture.

At Fall on the Farm, a personal collection of antique tools were on display.

File Photo

Children enjoy the corn pit at the annual Fall on the Farm event last year at Stanley Pullen Farm. The event is operated by Murray State students.

Luke King, senior from Burkesville, Ky., owns all of the tools displayed.

“This is a fraction of what I own,” King said.

His collection is a product of countless hours spent at yard sales and auctions.

“In a big pile of junk, you’ll almost always find some old farm tools,” he said.

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the exhibit put on overalls and straw hats to teach an audience of children how to use farm tools from the past.

Leah Cline, junior from Crofton, Ky., said she frantically sewed her farm dress the night before the demonstration.

“We all work really hard to make this event happen,” Cline said.

Cline has worked at the antique tools booth for three years and said her favorite tool to talk

about was the old iron.

“I tell the children that I used to have crooked toe, but that I dropped the hot iron on them to straighten them out,” she said.

The antique tool booth is sponsored by Collegiate Farm Bureau and has been at Fall on the Farm for four years.

Children were given a lesson on how to milk a wooden cow. Participants also learn how to churn butter.

The cow is sponsored by the Sigma Alpha Professional Agriculture Sorority.

Gayle Hemker, junior from Bartelso, Ill., said lessons from the farm tend to resonate with the kids more.

“This is a great opportunity to educate children in a hands-on way,” she said.

“Thank God For a Farmer” was the theme of the corn maze this year.

Ryan Morrow, agricultural technology coordinator, has been responsible for designing the maze for the past 10 years.

“I try to make it harder every year, but this is the hardest I have ever made it,” Morrow said.

Pumpkins, T-shirts and concessions were on sale at Fall on the Farm.

Brannon said that an average of $7,500 is dispersed among the clubs after the event.

Morrow’s mother, Pat Morrow, was a volunteer at Fall on the Farm.

“This year I am selling T-shirts, but last year I worked at the end of the corn maze,” she said.

This is the eighth year that she and her husband have driven from Missouri to help with the event.

“It does your heart good,” she said.

Pat said Fall on the Farm teaches children the importance of agriculture and gives college students a chance to practice their leadership skills.

“I hope they continue to do Fall on the Farm because I have seen the joy that it brings,” Morrow said.

New chief facilities officer named Staff Report David Burdette will serve as interim chief facilities management officer until the University conducts a national search for Kim Oatman’s permanent replacement.

Burdette retired in July 2013 as vice president of finance and administrative services and treasurer of the board of trustees at Central Michigan.

Burdette began his career in higher education at Buffalo State College in New York, then served in the administration at State University of New York at Fredonia, Radcliffe University in Virginia and

President Bob Davies invites the university community to attend a

Town Hall Meeting to discuss the Strategic Initiatives work that is underway.

The meeting will be held in Freed Curd Auditorium on Monday, October 13, beginning at 2 p.m.

Indiana University in Pennsylvania. He is a retired officer from the U.S. Army.

Jackie Dudley, vice president of Finance and Administration Services, said Murray State is fortunate to have Burdette join the staff.

Oatman She said Oatman will be missed, but Murray State will be in good hands.

Oatman accepted a similar position at

the University of Louisville.

He starts Oct. 27.

Oatman said the move was a good opportunity for him that allowed him to be closer to family.

This shift in leadership comes as the University begins three large construction projects.

The Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville, Ky., the construction of New Franklin Residential College and the new Engineering and Physics Building are underway.

Oatman said his departure will not affect their progress.

The working title for the Strategic Initiatives plan is Achievement, Endeavor and Hope: The Murray State Plan.

We welcome your ideas and questions throughout the strategic planning process to ensure Murray State University is the “University of Choice.”

STREAMED LIVE AT

www.murraystate.edu

October 10, 2014

Section B

The News

Sports

Sports Editor: Mallory Tucker Phone: 809-4481 Twitter: MSUSportsNews

Out of Bounds

Soccer’s streak snapped Peter Northcutt || Staff writer pnorthcutt@murraystate.edu

Jenny Rohl/The News

Freshman forward Harriet Withers dribbles downfield at Cutchin Field Sept. 28 against Jacksonville State.

Racer rifle places second, remains nationally ranked

Wins and losses are coming in bunches for the Murray State women’s soccer team as they defeated Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State to tie a school record for longest win streak before losing to SIU Edwardsville and Southeast Missouri last week.

Finding success after some early season struggles, the Racers came into OVC play against Tennessee Tech riding a three-game win streak. The momentum didn’t carry over into the first half as neither team could find the back of the net in the first period.

Senior forward Julie Mooney got things going for the Racers in the second half, however, as she scored her eighth goal of the season in the 52nd minute. As the Racers dominatined the pace, Harriet Withers and Lyssie Wright each tacked on a goal to win the game 3-0.

Goalkeeper Shelby Haworth saved all three shots on goal for her second shutout of the season.

The Racers increased their win streak to five, tying a school record, as they defeated Jacksonville State 3-0.

The first half was scoreless until the final minute when Pavlina Nepokojova fired in a shot that ricocheted off a Jacksonville State player to score the first point of the game. After the break, Murray State continued its attack as Taylor Stevens got a foot on a corner kick in the 56th minute to score her first goal of the season and the Racers’

Kelsey Randolph Staff writer krandolph1@murraystate.edu

Since the season opened Sept.

28, the Racer rifle team has remained ranked among the top 10 in the nation.

Head Coach Alan Lollar said the results reflect that all the team’s hard work and dedication to practices are paying off.

“It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish,” Lollar said.

“You are really only competing against yourself. It’s a race that you run by yourself. You can’t prevent someone else from doing well so you focus on yourself.”

The Racers opened their season at home against UT Martin Sept. 28, finishing with a win at Pat Spurgin Rifle Range with an aggregate score record of 4,6724,597. Murray State’s top aggregate score of the day – 1,175 – came from junior Tessa Howald from Ozark, Mo. Howald scored 594 in the air rifle and 581 in a smallbore.

This score ties her previous high against Morehead State in 2013.

“I feel confident this year because we have all worked to-

gether to support one another,” Howald said. “You take something small you need to work on and turn it into a strength. That’s exactly what we do every week.”

The team’s lone senior, Kelsey Emme, from Piedmont, S.D., had a solid start to her last season. She tied with the top score in smallbore at 584 and then paired with a 590 in air rifle ending with a total of 1,174, just one point behind Howald.

“I’ve learned a lot in my last few years on the team,” Emme said. “I learned not to stress as much. We’ve grown to rely on each other because you won’t have a best day every day.”

Lollar said he’s confident going into the next few weeks’ matches.

He said he’s excited every time they go to a match.

The team traveled to Oxford, Miss., last Saturday to compete in the Ole Miss Invitational that included eight other teams.

The Racers placed second. The Racers finished with a collective score of 4,662, only 14 points behind the winning team, Jacksonville State. The Racers scored 2,313 in small-bore and followed

second goal of the afternoon. Stevens was not done, however, as she headed in the final goal off another corner kick to give the Racers the 3-0 victory.

“The first two conference games, we talked about going 2-0 and that’s exactly what we did,” said Head Coach Jeremy Groves. “I think we were coming off a lot of confidence from the previous three games. We played really well going forward, and we created a bunch of chances against both teams. Jacksonville State was a tough team, they beat the reigning champion 2-1 on Friday night so to beat them we kind of caused a few stirs within the league which was good.”

The five-game win streak was not lost on the players.

“We had five games in a row which is really nice,” said Junior defender Taylor Stevens. “They gave us confidence and let us know that what we were doing in practice was working and that we just needed to keep doing that to keep the wins.”

But five wins would be all they could string together as the streak was snapped Oct. 3 by SIU Edwardsville.

The Cougars struck first but Murray State retaliated in the 69th minute of the game as Stevens scored her third goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1.

Although both teams had their chances to break the dead lock in regulation, neither could get the job done and sent the match in to overtime. The intense competition continued in the

see SOCCER, 2A with 2,349 in air rifle.

For the second straight match, Howald led the Racers with an aggregate score of 1,168.

“My goal for the season is to always shoot my best because I face something different each week,” Howald said. “My best is to just do what I can and be consistent with it.”

Freshman Ivan Roe finished two points behind Howland with 1,166. Ben Estes had the team’s top score in smallbore and had the third-best score for the team with 1,165 points.

The team heads to Lincoln, Neb., to compete against Nebraska State today and Ole Miss on Saturday, which also is in Lincoln.

The team returns home for the MSU Tri-Match against Jacksonville State and TCU Oct. 25.

“It’s not about where you start, it’s about where you finish,” Lollar said. “It’s a funny sport because you don’t line up to compete against everyone else, you line up to compete against yourself. The sport is about finding that one thing each week and improving upon it for the next match.”

Softball splits Truman State series Peter Northcutt || Staff writer pnorthcutt@murraystate.edu

Jenny Rohl/The News

Freshman catcher Julia Liceaga squats behind home plate during the doubleheader against Truman State Sept. 28.

It was a tale of two teams Sept.

30 when the Murray State softball team split a doubleheader with Division II Truman State at Racer Field. The Racers came out flat in the first game and lost 6-5 but bounced back in the second game by trouncing the Bulldogs 8-0.

The first game looked promising for the Racers in the opening innings as they scored three runs in the second inning to gain an early three-run advantage. However, by the top of the sixth, Truman State had regained the lead at 5-4.

In the bottom of the sixth, Julia Liceaga stole home after a single from Alexa Becker. That tied the game at 5-5. The seventh inning proved to be Murray State’s undoing as the Bulldog’s Ally McReynolds sacrificed to score Alexis VanNostrad from third. The Racers couldn’t pull even in the bottom of the inning and the game ended at 6-5.

“I think in the first game we did well enough offensively to win,” said Head Coach Kara Amundson.

“Defensively we came out really

strong. We struck out the side which I think we’ve done in a lot of our first innings of our games.

I don’t want to say that we went downhill from there, but we didn’t play well. We didn’t play solid defensively throughout the rest of the game.”

Amundson said that she isn’t used to seeing her Racer team play like they did in game one.

“We would score runs and then we would give up runs in the next half inning,” Amundson said. “It just isn’t indicative of what we have been doing or indicative of what we want to be doing defensively. I think it was good for us.

I hate losing with a passion, but I think it was good for us in a way, to help us realize that we can’t settle for anything and that we have to stay focused.”

The Racers took the wake up call to heart as they came out in the second game with vengeance. Pitchers J.J. Francis and Mason Robinson combined to throw a no-hitter in the second game. Robinson struck out six batters with no walks in the

see SOFTBALL, 2A

Blood, sweat, but mostly tears Y o u know I’ve never really thought about it before, but after reading the latest headlines about PluPeter Northcutt to’s resurinto Staff writer gence the planet fraternity, I can see how Pluto and I are a lot alike. We are both generally smaller in size than our peers. We both tend to be pushed to the outskirts in social situations. We both have been kept down by the man.

But most of all, Pluto and I are fighters. That’s right, just like the dwarf planet with a giant’s heart, I am rising up from the ashes of irrelevancy to once again waste about three minutes of your time.

After the debacle that was my first column a couple weeks ago, I expected to be banned from writing ever again. But alas, miracles do happen, folks. Be thinking of who you want to play your character in the Disney movie they will make about this very moment. I call Denzel.

But today we have a much more important topic to talk about. Last time I claimed that I would take on the heaviest topic in the sports world by curing the disease that is obnoxious sports commentary on social media, but quite simply I lied to you. This week’s topic would look at that column and in disappointment scream, “IS THAT ALL YOU GOT? COME ON, YOU’RE PLAYING LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN A BALL BEFORE.” Yep, this week I am talking about crazy sports parents. Nothing has caused more psychological scars in the minds of little league athletes than the people sitting in the bleachers who gave them life.

Now I must add a disclaimer before I continue. My parents have never yelled irrational things at minors in the context of athletics.

This isn’t to say that they are better than any other parents, only that they were less than informed when it comes to the ins and outs of sports. Throughout my soccer and basketball playing days, my mom read every novel ever written, and my dad broke the Brickbreaker world record all while encouraging me with, “Way to go, Pete! You kicked a 3-pointer!” I give them an ‘E’ for effort.

Even though I was not a direct victim of this verbal parental assault, I breathed it in second-hand.

In a small town where the only thing more exciting than your 8-year-old kid’s game is the season premiere of Duck Dynasty, the parents’ pent-up energy is unleashed on their unassuming children. It was like my third grade basketball team was Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea and the waves of boisterous parents on either side were about to crash in on top of us if not for those pesky boundary lines. It amazes me that full grown adults can act like they have wagered their entire estate on the outcome of a basketball game that features six-foot goals.

At this point it wouldn’t surprise me if Upward Sports is running an underground gambling ring, honestly. It would actually explain a lot.

I say all of this as a plea for the future. We are at a stage of life where it is possible for us to create little people. And those little people are going to want to play sports. And they will play them really terribly. It will be just awful.

Literally, the worst. But we have to band together and fight the urge to yell at our children to stop double dribbling. There are more important things in life than our offspring’s athletic prowess. Now if they double dribbled in their pants, that’s a different matter entirely as it is embarrassing and smells awful. But that is another column for another day. pnorthcutt@murraystate.edu

WHAT’S

SPORT SHORTS

OVC PLAY

NEW HANGOUT

FALL FESTIVITIES

INSIDE

All things Racer Athletics in a minute or less, 3B

Volleyball starts strong in conference play, 4B

Bust a move or be a gamer at Murray’s new club, 5B

Plan your sweet and spooky outings for October, 6B

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October 10, 2014

SOFTBALL From Page 1B

Kory Savage/The News

RACERS READY: Sophomore runningback Roman Clay runs through a tunnel of fans before the Jacksonville State game Sept. 27. A crowd of 10,897 fans filled Roy Stewart Stadium for Family Weekend, and Saturday’s Homecoming looks to follow suit.

31-3 1989 34-37

the score of the 2013 homecoming game against Austin Peay

the first year Murray State held Tent City festivities

SOCCER From Page 1B first overtime period as both teams struggled to find an advantage.

It took a second overtime period to decide the game when Emily Grahl scored off a corner kick to give SIU Edwardsville the 2-1 victory.

“This weekend we knew would be a big test for us because we went on the road,” Groves said. “We haven’t been great on the road this

the score of the 2013 triple overtime loss against Southeast Missouri

year so it was a huge test. On Friday night we gave a pretty decent account of ourselves. I think we did enough to get out of there with a tie with like four or five minutes left in the second overtime period, but we just gave up one on a set piece which is really disgruntling. And I think it hurt a lot going into Sunday.”

The loss came as a disappointment to the Racers. They were only one win away from breaking the school win streak record.

“It was really disappointing,” Stevens said.

“And we went in to overtime, too, which was even more disappointing because we were really, really close to breaking it.”

READ MORE ABOUT SATURDAY’S GAME IN THIS WEEK’S HOMECOMING SPECIAL SECTION

The Racers continued their weekend road trip as they visited SEMO on Sunday and walked away with their second straight loss.

The Racers let their opponent score the first goal for the second straight game but pulled even at 1-1 off a penalty kick goal from Mooney in the 36th minute.

The Redhawks’ Natasha Minor scored the final goal as she found the back of the net in the 79th minute, propelling SEMO to the 2-1 victory.

“Sunday we gave a really good account of ourselves,” Groves said. “We outshot them and I thought we had the better chances but again a couple of mental errors and we lost the game

first four innings, while Francis finished the game with just one walk. The Racers improved on defense and the offense showed potential as well in the second game by scoring eight runs on 12 hits. Sophomores Jessica Twaddle and Maggie Glass led the way for the Racers as both went 3-4 at bat while Glass finished with three runs, three RBIs and a homerun.

“We came out guns a blazing,” Amundson said. “We had a combined no hitter from Mason Robinson and J.J. Francis, which is a big deal.

They did a great job, they attacked the zone, our defense executed, and I think the whole day offensively we did a good enough job to win both games. In game two, I was really proud of how our pitching staff came out and kind of led the charge. It was two very different Racer teams in that span of two games.”

The execution and consistency from the Racers in the second game was a welcomed sight to Amundson after the lackluster performance in the first game.

“The second game was a complete turnaround,” Amundson said. “The first game was kind of like a minor wake up call for us moving forward. Like I said, it was a good learning opportunity and it was good to take a few minutes in between the games and reflect and be able to refocus. Game one was definitely a good learning opportunity for us.”

Although the season is winding down, Amundson still sees opportunity for growth from her team.

“The biggest thing I want to see from us is a sense of urgency and getting better in every inning,” Amundson said. “That’s something I say to the pitching staff a lot. We need some sort of focus and refocus every inning because there is a substantial time period between one defensive inning and the next, it could be 10 or 20 minutes before you go out and play again.

So really it’s just refocusing every inning we go out there. Those are the types of things that I’m really looking forward to see.”

The Racers will finish their fall season in one week as they take on Shawnee Community College at Racer Field on Oct. 17.

and we’re back to 2-2 in the conference.”

Despite the setback, the Racers must regroup and bounce back this weekend as they take on Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky at Cutchin Field in Murray.

“We’re just taking it one game at a time,” Stevens said. “We have Morehead on Friday so we are going to work really hard this week in practice, beat Morehead, and then we have another game on Sunday to try to get another streak going.”

Catch the Racers in action today as they kick off at 3 p.m. against Morehead State at Cutchin Field.

The News

Sports Kappa Delta rallies against Regents

October 10, 2014

3B

Mallory Tucker || Sports Editor mtucker11@murraystate.edu

Jenny Rohl/The News

Cierra Massengale, sophomore from Benton, Ky., bats for Kappa Delta Tuesday night against Regents Residential College.

A slow start didn’t stop Kappa Delta Tuesday night as they came from behind to defeat Regents Residential College in the intramural playoff tournament.

Regents took an early two-run lead in the second inning and was uncontested in the third as both teams’ defenses quickly ended the opponents’ efforts. In the top of the inning, KD started to show its determination as the women took Regents out in a one-two-three sweep.

Regents returned the favor by catching two KD pop flies to left field and throwing out a KD player at first.

The game’s favor changed in the bottom of the fourth as KD rallied its way onto the scoreboard with four runs. An exciting half-inning of close calls and headfirst slides into home turned the momentum in KD’s direction as the women ended the inning up 4-2.

“The game started out really slow,” said Julie Danhauer, sophomore from Owensboro, Ky. “We started behind, and then in the fourth inning we came back and ended up winning, which was really exciting.”

KD’s fielders held Regents once again in the top of the fifth, and their hitters added another run to the score in the bottom of the fifth, totaling the score to 5-2. KD quickly ended play in the top of the sixth with a series of concise outs, ending Regents’ playoff hopes, and their season.

“Playoffs are way more fun than the regular season, because it’s a lot more competitive, and we’re playing a lot more teams, so we get to see more girls and get more play with other people,” Danhauer said.

Intramural softball wraps up its season this week and flag football begins Oct. 20.

You can find the final intramural softball standings on IMLeagues.com, and check out bonus coverage on TheNews.org.

Cross-country competes at Notre Dame Staff report

The Murray State men’s and women’s cross-country teams both cracked the top 20 Oct. 3 at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind. The men placed 19th out of 23 teams in the Gold 5 Mile race, while the women finished 18th out of 27 teams in the Gold 5k.

Sophomore Alicyn Hester paced the Racers, finishing 61st with a new personal best 17:57, which was more than a minute behind the winner. Meagan Smith also improved on her previous personal best with 18:07 – good enough for 81st of the 216 runners.

Grand Valley State swept the men and women’s races. Each of their top five runners placed among the first 25 finishers in the respective races.

For Murray State, Gavin Galanes, Cole Cisneros, Mark Ventura and Lucas Prather finished in the top 150 on their way to 19th place.

Head Coach Jenny Severns said she saw improvement.

“Slowly and surely the guys are getting better.

They keep moving up and that’s all you can ask for,” she said.

Three women competed in the JV 5K. Elizabeth Lay led the team by finishing in 20:12.8, followed closely by Jacquelyn Thate and Heatherly Paschall.

The Racers will travel to Peroria, Ill., Oct. 17 to compete in the Bradley Classic.

Sport Shorts Basketball begins practice, women’s schedule announced

Humphries, Harness break school records

Softball excels academically, volleyball standout earns weekly honor

The men’s basketball season is underway as of Wednesday when the Racers began practice in the CFSB Center. Changes in NCAA policy made in 2013 make for a different season-start than the usual practice date in the middle of October.

Head Coach Steve Prohm said he’s excited to get going, according to GoRacers.com. According to Prohm, the team has been working two hours a week for several weeks now, and Wednesday was their first of 30 days of practice. A short weekend off for Fall Break allowed the team to recuperate before going into its first official practice. The men will try for their 28th consecutive winning season, the fourth-best active streak in the country.

The women’s basketball team also had its share of excitement this week as Head Coach Rob Cross announced the 2014-15 schedule Monday. They will play 15 home games, including Big Ten, Missouri Valley and MAC matchups. The season opens at home Nov. 14 against Ohio at 5 p.m. This will be the Racers’ first time playing the Bobcats since 1998. For the full women’s basketball schedule, check TheNews.org.

A tough overtime loss to Tennessee Tech last Saturday was scattered with spurts of greatness as redshirt sophomore quarterback K.D. Humphries and junior receiver Jeremy Harness both broke school records.

Humphries broke former All-American quarterback Casey Brockman’s school record of 45 for most completions in a game by going 48-for-62 with a career-high 386 yards, including one passing touchdown and two rushing. In just his third collegiate start, Humphries also earned the title of the Adidas OVC Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the conference Sunday afternoon. The Montgomery, Ala., native had no interceptions and a completion percentage of 77.2 percent.

Harness broke a 47-year-old school record for receptions in a game with 19 catches totaling 146 yards, which included one touchdown. Former Racer Harvey Tanner set the record at 16 in 1967 against OVC rival Austin Peay State.

Murray State softball had eight student-athletes honored by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as All-America Scholar-Athletes for the 2013-14 academic year, as announced Oct. 2. Recent graduate Leslie Bridges, seniors Alexa Becker, CheyAnna Gaskey, Molly Hargrove and Mallory Richardson, junior Erica Howard and sophomores Jessica Twaddle and Mallory Young each earned the award, meeting the requirement of a 3.5 or better GPA for the previous school year.

As a team, the Racers finished 32nd in all Division I teams and third in the OVC with a team GPA of 3.409. This is the third consecutive season that Racer softball has finished top 40 in the nation, coming in at 37th in 2011-12 and third in 2012-13.

Another honor was bestowed upon Racer Athletics as sophomore outside hitter Scottie Ingram was named the OVC Vol-

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Volleyball starts OVC strong Kelsey Randolph || Staff writer krandolph1@murraystate.edu

The Racers continued their undefeated home streak and started their OVC season strong over the last two weeks.

The team went 3-1 with home victories against Southeast Missouri State, UT Martin and Eastern Kentucky and just one road loss to Austin Peay.

Head Coach David Schwepker said the women have gotten used to winning, and the support of the crowd at home games is helping their morale.

“This year the girls are ready for the crowd, and they know what to expect,” Schwepker said. “Being at home means they know the floor, the lights and the atmosphere. All these contribute to doing well.”

The Racers (12-4, 3-1 OVC) defeated Eastern Kentucky last weekend at home. It was a typical OVC match-up as the teams traded points back and forth the whole game.

The Racers won in four sets. They took the first set 25-20, then fell 22-25, before winning p with a 25-16 and rounding out the fourth set 26-24.

Sophomore Scottie Ingram had a career high of 24 kills and a personal record 34 kills for the week, with 10 in the loss to Austin Peay.

“It feels really good to transition from last year to now,” Ingram said. “We are working well as a team and contributing to the overall performance as a team.”

Sophomore Ellie Lorenz was one dig away from meeting her record high of 24. Her outlook for the season is as positive as the rest of the team’s.

“I feel really confident,” Lorenz said. “Everyone

wants to win. We don’t have anyone who is just playing, every girl is playing to do their best and win.”

Coming back from three losses at the Valparaiso Tournament Sept. 19-20, the Racers played SEMO on Sept. 26 at home with scores of 26-14 in the first match, 25-20 in the second and 25-21 to take the third set.

“I wanted to see how they would rebound,” Schwepker said. “We all talked and had good practices, and I was very happy with how they came out of the weekend.”

Ingram said the win was just what the team needed after a three-set loss at Valparaiso.

“I am glad we came back strong,” Ingram said. “OVC is looking promising to us. We are still learning and there is always room for improvement.”

But she said the team is aiming to win the OVC. After playing SEMO, the Racers matched up against UT Martin on Sept. 17 at home. The Racers won in four sets, playing 25-21 in the first set, 26-24 in the second but falling 25-23 in the third set before winning the fourth set 25-15.

“I believe the girls had high hopes and were feeling confident about their win the previous day,” Schwepker said. “I am glad they were able to come back from the previous week and stay strong.”

Following the previous weekend wins at home, the Racers lost to Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn.

The Racers play Saturday in Charleston, Ill., at Eastern Illinois. The Panthers fell to 7-10 and 1-3 in the OVC after a five-set loss last week to Belmont. And on Sunday the Racers play SIU Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Ill. The Cougars also lost their last match last week and are winless in the OVC and 8-11 overall.

File Photo

Middle blockers practice at Racer Arena before starting OVC play.

When it rains, it pours for golf Women cut short in Cincinnati Heath Ringstaff || Contributing writer hringstaff@murraystate.edu

The Murray State women’s golf team was stifled by Mother Nature Tuesday at the Bearcat Classic as heavy rain soaked the final round of the tournament.

The Racers took eighth place after the first day of the tournament at TPC River’s Bend Maineville, Ohio. But they were unable to move any higher because the rainfall took out rounds two and three. The final scores of the Classic were determined by the firstround scores.

Head Coach Velvet Milkman said one of the big challenges the women’s team faced during this tournament was the weather.

“We had rain delay every day and on the first day was cut from 36 holes to 18 holes,” Milkman said.

The Racers were led by the trio of Sophie Hillier, Abbi Stamper and Sydney Trimble at a 6-over-par with a score of 78 – good enough to tie for 22nd place out of 96 players at the Classic.

As a team, they scored 314 in the first round of the tournament Monday for eighth overall in the field of 16 teams. The Racers’ score tied them with Xavier and Wofford.

Milkman said going into the tournament the main goal for the team was to put themselves into a position to win the tournament, which they had done on the first day.

“I feel like had the tournament finished we would have won or at the worst taken second overall,” Milkman said.

Jacklyn Van Meter placed 35th with an overall score of 80. Freshman Moa Folke shot an 81 to finish 47th, while sophomore Minta Yin had an overall score 83, placing her 63rd.

The Racers finished one stroke behind

seventh place Memphis, which had an overall score of 313. Cincinnati, the home team, won with a team score of 307, one stroke ahead of second place Morehead State and two ahead of Eastern Kentucky.

Bowling Green State placed fourth with 310, Toledo was fifth with 311 and UAB finished sixth with 312.

Murray State’s Anna Moore, playing in the individual events, shot 80 for the round, which landed her in 35th place in the individual pairings.

The next challenge for the Racers is at the Austin Peay Intercollegiate Monday and Tuesday in Clarksville, Tenn., at the Clarksville Country Club.

“I expect the momentum from this tournament to carry over and give us some confidence going into our next event next week,” Milkman said.

They’ll get another taste of OVC competition. Austin Peay hasn’t hit the links since Sept. 30 when the women finished 11th and 88 strokes behind tournament winner Troy State.

Follow us on Twitter: @MSUSportsNews Check out game updates, profiles and columns at TheNews.org.

Men place 15th at Cardinal Intercollegiate Heath Ringstaff || Contributing writer hringstaff@murraystate.edu

The Murray State’s men’s golf team finished 15th at the Cardinal Intercollegiate at the University of Louisville Golf Course in Simpsonville, Ky., last week.

Head Coach Eddie Hunt said senior Jordan Smith had yet again another outstanding tournament.

Smith continued his steady play throughout the tournament for the Racers with scores of 74-73-73. That gave him an overall score of 904.

Smith has already posted a pair of 296 top-five finishes this fall and is 47th in the nation in scoring average.

Murray State sophomore Matthew Zakutney finished 34th with scores of 75-71-79 and an overall score of 225. T.J. Ferry was next with scores of 73-78-78 and an overall score of 229. Junior Preston French placed 54th with an overall score of 231.

Junior Brock Simmons finished 82nd with an overall score of 244, and junior Duncan McCormick in the individual slot for the Racers finished 62nd with an overall score of 232.

This week, the men’s golf team took on the Paris Landing State Park course in Buchanan, Tenn., with 36 holes to play in the Skyhawk Fall Classic hosted by UT Martin. The men placed fifth overall in the tournament of nine teams.

The Racers encountered difficult weather as overnight rainfall caused an hour delay in the first round of the tournament.

The rain continued into the next day and caused a 90-minute delay before the final round of the tournament. The players battled windy conditions during their final round.

Hunt said the extreme weather conditions on both days of the tournament were challenging.

“The main problem on both days was the weather the first day we were supposed to play 36

holes the forecast was for rain all day,” Hunt said.

Smith came home with his third top-five finish with the last four events that he has competed in.

Smith got his third top-5 finish during the Skyhawk Classic on Tuesday. Smith had scores of 69-69-74 with an overall score of 212.

“Our senior Jordan Smith had another outstanding tournament and up to this point I believe he has had an outstanding year up to this point,” Hunt said.

The Racers finished in fifth place with scores of 287-284-303 and an overall score of 879, with Alabama State taking home the win with an overall score of 853. UT Martin came in second place with an overall score of 856, Southern Illinois third with 863 and Tennessee State finished fourth with an overall score of 878.

Hunt said his team played well at first, but he was disappointed in their play as the rounds progressed.

“We played well in the tournament during the first two rounds and during the third round we just did not play as well,” Hunt said.

Other Murray State scores included Jared Gosser with the 18th spot with rounds of 73-7078 and an overall score of 221 and Matthew Zakutney in 23rd place with rounds of 72-78-73 and overall score of 223. French shared 23rd place with scores of 73-72-78 and another overall score of 223. The Racers played the final round of the tournament with four players after T.J. Ferry was disqualified.

Murray State had three players competing as individuals. Brock Simmons placed 27th with scores of 71-79-74 and an overall score of 224.

Duncan McCormick finished 34th with scores of 76-74-76 and an overall score 226. Sophomore Myles Morrissey placed 42nd in the field of 53 players with scores of 74-83-73 and overall score of 230.

Murray State’s next event is the Austin Peay Intercollegiate Oct. 20-21 at The Links at Novadel in Hopkinsville, Ky.

October 10, 2014

5B

The News

Features Editor: Hunter Harrell Assistant Features Editor: Breanna Sill Phone: 270-809-5871 Twitter: MSUNewsFeatures

Features

Tattooed or employed

Photo illustration by Fumi Nakamura

Kade Cullop dresses in casual attire and business attire to represent the stigma still associated with tattoos in the workplace.

Future employment opportunities influence tattoo decisions Tiffany Whitfill || Staff writer twhitfill@murraystate.edu

It is hard to find anything more permanent than ink in skin. Younger generations are accepting this form of self-expression more, but the career world is a step behind.

“USA Today” cited a study conducted by careerbuilder.com that showed 31 percent of human resource managers said visible tattoos could negatively influence impact on their decision to hire someone. Bad breath outweighed this percentage in the survey.

Some Murray State students who have tattoos or are considering getting a tattoo have been influenced by their career choice.

Rebekah Moss, junior from Edmonton, Ky., said that the placement of her tattoo was influenced by her future career.

“I would have loved to have them somewhere more visible,” Moss said.

“To make sure that I could get any job that was offered to me, I had to make sure they were easily covered.”

Keenan Hall, freshman from Memphis, Tenn., said he does not have a tattoo yet but has taken his career choice into consideration.

“One time I was joking about a tattoo on fingers,” Hall said. “But that wouldn’t work out at a job.”

Some students believe although some industries tolerate tattoos in the workplace, others do not.

Lindsey Bullers, senior from Clarksville, Tenn., agreed that age can influence the tolerance of visible ink in the workplace.

After being told tattoos could harm chances of securing a job in her career field, Bullers said she still believes that a person’s individuality should be accepted.

“The world is trying to become more accepting of different things and (tattoos) should be one of them,” Bullers said. “I don’t think people should hide who they are.”

For some candidates with tattoos, being hired is a task of its own. Connor Moore, sophomore from Mount Vernon, Ill., debated on whether to get a tattoo. Moore said he has a friend with tattoos who recently searched for a job. His friend was not rejected but his prospective employer raised questions about them.

Moore also said certain jobs were more accepting than others. Art related careers, factory, labor jobs and blue collar jobs were a few that Moore highlighted.

“It all depends on your career,” Moore said. “I don’t want my accountant or banker to have one.”

Hall also agreed with Moore that the nature of the job matters in the

tolerance of tattoos. He said tattoos that might be offensive should not be shown in the workplace but many tattoos are a form of expression.

“I don’t think (tattoos) are a bad thing,” Hall said. “(Tattoos) shouldn’t affect the job field.”

Ross Meloan, director of career services, highlighted a study conducted by Be Hired Reach company showing that 89 percent of business currently report checking online social media accounts during the hiring process. Further data shows that one in three companies reject a candidate based on something they have found online.

Meloan said online presence should be monitored and although companies may not see a tattoo during an interview, social media accounts might make them visible.

His advice to students who are searching for jobs is to be cautious of

Faces&Places

Jitterbug’z provides fun for all ages Hunter Harrell || Features Editor hharrell@murraystate.edu

Whether you can cut a rug and jitterbug, or resort to corny dance moves like the sprinkler and the cabbage patch, people of all ages dance.

Named after the dance, Murray’s Jitterbug’z Dance Club and Arcade opened July 4.

The building is located at 1306 S. 12th Street. Jitterbug’z is made up of two separate halls, one for the arcade, concessions and party rooms and the other is a large, open room with a dance floor, deejay booth and pool tables on the other end.

The building boasts tinted windows on the outside with hours of operation and amenities they offer inside painted on them.

Bright lime green, firey orange, mellow yellow, electric blue walls and accents welcome guests when they enter the arcade. The dance hall walls are darker for effective lighting when the music is bumping.

Jitterbug’z currently has 10 arcade games and expects to get about 10 more to be delivered throughout the next few months.

There are two rooms available to guests to rent out to play video games on the XBox One or PlayStation 4.

The concessions area offers Coke products and a variety of food options, including hot dogs, nachos and pizza provided by Gatti’s Pizza.

In March, Jitterbug’z owner, Brad Billington, began the process of opening the dance club and arcade.

Before opening Jitterbug’z, Billington’s business across the state line lost customers, in part because of the Murray City Council vote to extend drinking hours to 1:30 a.m. in October 2013, he said.

“We previously owned Cosmo’s, which was a bar, in Puryear, Tenn.,” Billington said. “We decided once Murray extended their drinking hours, it kind of hurt business. We thought we could do something to bring the crowd back, but our only other option was to move to Murray and try out the (the dance club and arcade) on the youth first to see how it would go over.”

Billington said Cosmo’s went from 350 to 400 customers every Saturday night to 90 people as soon as the drinking hours were extended.

After three months of renovations, Jitterbug’z opened to the public mid-summer. Billington, his wife and his father-in-law opened the business’ doors to teens for dance nights, birthday parties and as a place to hang out. Billington said, however, the high school and middle school students did not show as much interest as expected.

“We had an issue with the high schoolers and middle schoolers dwelling together,” Billington said.

“The high schoolers don’t really want to hang out with the middle schoolers, and that kind of threw us off. But now, we are venturing to many other things.”

In the interest of attracting more

see JITTERBUG’Z, 6B

your tattoos.

“If it is visible, and on a part of body that can cover with clothing, I would recommend doing that,” Meloan said. “Do what you can to cover (tattoos) with natural clothing.”

While most students believe tattoos are a form of self-expression, people with more tattoos have reconsidered their options.

“USA Today” examined data from a Pew Research Center survey and found that of the 45 million U.S. residents with tattoos in 2013, about 17 percent regret getting them.

Meanwhile, tattoo removal has increased by 440 percent in the last decade, according to IBISWorld which is a market research firm.

Though tattoos are a form of self-expression and are becoming more socially acceptable, students should consider career paths in their overall decision.

Roots 5 entertains, educates students Taylor Inman || Staff writer tinman@murraystate.edu

Kory Savage/The News

Jitterbug’z Dance Club and Arcade has a variety of arcade games, concessions and a large dance hall.

The annual Roots 5 Concert took the stage of Lovett Auditorium Tuesday, entertaining its audience with the sounds of bluegrass and country music.

There was a large turnout at the historic theater, where the audience was treated to performances from Newton and Thomas, Chris Scruggs and the Stone Fox Five and guitarist Kenny Vaughn.

The concert was sponsored by Murray State’s history department and the English and philosophy department.

Ted Belue, coordinator of the Roots concert, said the music played at the concert are ancient tones that underlie a majority of today’s American Music.

Each year Belue hosts this concert with genres ranging from bluegrass, jazz, swing, country and blues. He said roots music led to today’s sounds.

Belue teaches a class on “American Music Roots History” at the University and brings these artists here to demonstrate those Roots kind of sounds.

“Our music is traditionally based Roots wise, but we deliver it in a contemporary fashion,” said Mark Newton, part of the

see ROOTS, 6B

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6B

The week ahead...

TODAY

SUNDAY

SATURDAY

October 10, 2014

If you would like an event to appear on the calendar here or on TheNews.org, email us at features@thenews.org. Please submit events by noon Wednesday for consideration.

MONDAY

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THURSDAY

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7:30 p.m.

National Pan-Hellenic Council Step Show, Lovett Auditorium

11 a.m.

Tent City, Roy Stewart Stadium 8 p.m.

Bill Cosby, Far From Finished Tour, CFSB Center

1 p.m.

I Wish I Was a Werewolf program, Land Between the Lakes

7 p.m.

The Female ‘O’ (Title IX), Curris Center Theatre

9 a.m.

Peaceful Spirit Yoga, Carr Health Building, second floor dance studio

1:30 p.m.

Nonviolent Sexuality Series (Title IX), Mason Hall

11 a.m.

Racer Wellness Yoga, Carr Health Building, second floor dance studio

JITTERBUG’Z

ROOTS

From Page 5B

From Page 5B

faces to Jitterbug’z, Billington and his family members brainstormed ways to have a little something for every age group.

Wednesday night is now host to line dancing for anyone ages 18 and up. Thursday nights are reserved for college students. For now, Friday nights are open for 18 and under.

The business has allowed groups of college students to host dance parties and other events there as well.

“We allowed a fraternity to host a back to school bash and that went over really well,” Billington said. “We had 360 people attend. We stopped at 360 – our capacity is about 400, but I don’t think we should try to fit 400 people in there.”

While the original intent to target the youth in the area did not work out as well for Jitterbug’z, Billington said overall, Jitterbug’z ventures to branch out and bring in more people have been successful.

“I know how it is with new business,” Billington said. “No new business just pops off unless you’re the Cook Out and you just get lucky one day when McDonald’s is shut down. Something new like this takes a little while to catch on. The good thing is we don’t get the same kids every Friday. We are starting to see new faces.”

Billington said he looks forward to the opportunities he will have to expand the business and provide a place to cut a rug for not only college students, but the entire community.

Newton and Thomas duo.

Mark Newton and Steve Thomas were first to perform, playing songs off their album “Reborn.”

They also threw in some gospel music, and even brought in some Scottish folk music, and had someone play bag pipes for one song.

The duo has a Grammy Nomination, a CMA nomination and several International Bluegrass Music Awards under their belt and have been together for almost three years.

They ended their set with their most successful song “Old McDonald Sold the Farm.”

“It’s sort of a play-off of ‘Old McDonald’ in this day and time not being able to keep his farm and having to sell it for development,” Newton said.

“So it has a little serious content to it, but it’s fun at the same time. It stayed No. 1 for about four or five months on the Bluegrass charts, and the video we had for it went No. 1 too, so we’ve had a lot of success with it.”

The second band to play was Chris Scruggs and the Stone Fox Five. Chris Scruggs, grandson of Bluegrass musician Earl Scruggs, was born and raised in Nashville, Tenn.

He has played with musicians arraying from George Jones to Zooey Deschanel.

He also took part in many Grammy-nominated projects and movie soundtracks like Cormac McCarthy’s “All The Pretty Horses.” When he is in his hometown of Nashville, he plays every Sunday at the Stone Fox night club with his band.

Scruggs said he and his band have the “pre Elvis sound,” the way country music sounded before it was affected by the arrival of rock ‘n’ roll.

“The country music we play was more the style

Hannah Fowl/The News

Chris Scruggs and the Stone Fox Five perform performed at the 5th annual Roots Concert. The band was one of three acts at the event. that was popular in the ’40s and ’50s, like honkytonk style,” Scruggs said. “After Elvis happened and rock ‘n’ roll became big, they started changing the sound of country music to keep up with the times. So the music we play is after World War II and before the rock ‘n’ roll craze happened.”

The concert focused on letting the audience, especially the younger generation present, and experience the Roots music sound.

“One of the special things about music in the last 100 years is that we have the ability to record music,” Scruggs said. “So once a performance is

captured, it’s there forever. And that’s wonderful, but there is a different experience when you hear something live. Especially roots music, be it country, bluegrass, jazz, blues, or rock ‘n’ roll for that matter. It’s a different experience to be in a room with those players when they’re performing.”

“There’s less and less of the kind of country we play,” Scruggs said. “So I think it’s very important that young people who are interested in this kind of music to take it on, learn about it, emerce themselves in it and share it with younger generations to come.”

Five festivities for fall Madison Wepfer || Staff writer mwepfer@murraystate.edu

‘Tis the season for pumpkin picking and trick-or-treating.

This year, as the leaves begin to fall and the weather begins to change, events and programs are geared at getting people into the spirit of fall and Halloween in Murray, Paris, Tenn., Paris, Ky. and Paducah, Ky. Whether students are looking for date ideas or a great way to get out of the house and spend time with friends, here are some options for fall fun.

See a spooky show Playhouse in the Park, located in Chestnut Park will present its Halloween show, “Wait Until Dark.”

The suspenseful show is a game of cat and mouse between three con men and a married couple.

The show will run for two weekends beginning Oct. 16. The performances will be at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Kory Savage/The News

MR. MSU: Barrett Pazderka, junior from Belleville, Ill., was crowned Mr. MSU by Paige Bucker from Paducah, Ky., and member of Alpha Omicron Pi in its annual “Mr. MSU” pageant on Sept. 26.

Tinseltown

Tuesday

For a little outdoor fun, Wurth Farms LLC in Paducah will host its “October

Oct. 14 How to Train Your Dragon Oct. 21 How to Train Your Dragon 2

New Life Campus Ministry Curris Center Theatre - 7 p.m.

Enjoy the outdoors

Days” this month. The events include pumpkin patches, hay rides, balloon animals, a petting zoo, live music, a straw maze and inflatables.

Students looking for a way to spruce up the dorm room or apartment for the season could pick pumpkins and make jack-o-lanterns or create a fall wreath with gourds or corn cobs.

Located at 1720 Friendship Road, Wurth Farms is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 1-4 p.m. on Sunday.

Venture through a maze Students looking to get a little fresh air and a break from studying from midterms or school in general may enjoy Julie’s Pumpkins in Paris.

Julie’s Pumpkins is a family-owned farm and country store. It offers hot dog and marshmallow roasts on the weekends as well as hayrides through its pumpkin patch and a corn maze.

It is located at 1069 Ruddles Mill Road and is open daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Pick a sweet treat Another option for getting outdoors and enjoying the fall weather is Reed Valley Orchard located 239 Lail Lane in

Paris, Ky. Grab a bucket and get picking.

The orchard offers apple picking, berry picking, a country store and historic nature trail. The orchard has a variety of baked goods and a honey exhibit.

The orchard owners say the nature trail is a historic step back in time. According to local lore, Jesse James and his brother once camped on the trail as they were traveling through the area.

Explore a haunted house

Those who are looking for a little more gutsy (literally) experience this fall, can visit Talon Falls in Melber, Ky. The haunted park is located on a 50acre farm, and it’s filled with terrifying attractions including the Talon Falls Screampark, the Dead End Haunted House, the Sinister Circus in 3D and Twisted Tales.

The park is open 6:30-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 6:30-9 p.m. on Sunday.

Daring and fearless students could even apply to be a part of the “scream team” at Talon Falls.

Whether it be a creepy doll or the human butcher, the park is always in need of people willing to spook guests at its exhibits.

The News

Features

October 10, 0, 20 2014

Pop Culture Corner

7B Celebrity Encounters

FEATURED TWEETS Jon Gabrus @jongabrus you know you have been in LA too long, when all you can think about is the other actos on #7thHeaven losing out on all those residuals 4:27 p.m. 1Oct 2014

Kyle Harvey @HarveyWins Glad I never watched #7thHeaven. Where’s Chris Hansen?

4:28 p.m. 7 Oct 2014

Jeff Cox @WxManJeffCox So much #7thHeaven sadness. First thenews about Stephen Collins and now the news that Sarah Goldberg passed away! No reruns either!

11:03 a.m. 8 Oct 2014

Joe ‘Monk’ Pardavila @joepardavila Good thing Stephen Collins doesn’t play in the NFL. He would have been suspended for 2 games. #7thHeaven 10:58 a.m. 7 Oct 2014

‘7th Heaven’ star accused of child molestation Stephen Collins, wellknown for his role on the sitcom “7th Heaven,” has been accused of child molestation.

Police confirm that they have an open investigation into whether the actor molested a girl in the 1970s.

Reruns of the sitcom have been pulled from networks.

Photo courtesy of northparktheater.org

Ben Affleck stars in “Gone Girl,” a mystery novel turned motion picture that was released in theaters Oct. 3.

‘Gone Girl’ mystery implores viewers John Gruccio || Contributing writer jgruccio@murraystate.edu

Lively and Reynolds announce pregnancy Blake Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds have announced their pregnancy.

On Monday Lively took to her lifestyle website, Preserve, and posted a photo cradling her baby bump. This will be the couple’s first child.

As one of the most anticipated movies to hit theaters this year, the film “Gone Girl” does not disappoint. With an amazing cast and great direction by David Fincher, the same man who gave us such films as “Se7en” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” this film is getting a lot of acclaim, and it deserves all of it.

On the evening of their fifth anniversary, Nick Dunne reports to the police that his wife, Amy, has gone missing.

With an intense and determined search soon underway, Nick becomes the focus of a media frenzy and finds himself the lead suspect in his wife’s case. As the stress of everyone questioning his moves and motives starts to get to him, the portrait of Nick and Amy’s blissful union begins to crumble to pieces. Soon Nick’s deceits and strange behaviors are called into question as he is asked the most direct question he has ever faced

in his life: did he kill his wife?

“Gone Girl” stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Patrick Fugit and David Clennon. Fincher directed the film with a screenplay by Gillian Flynn, who wrote the novel the film is based on.

Ben Affleck has been the subject of additional attention because of his casting as Batman in the forthcoming 2016 film, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

With that being said, Affleck is unrecognizable in this film. He completely detaches himself from the image we all see both morally and even more so emotionally. With his performance in this film and others like “Argo” and “The Town,” this man will have no issues getting another Oscar in the near future.

On the other hand, Affleck’s on-screen bride, Pike, does not play your typical naive and vulnerable wife. Pike gives just as much of herself as Affleck does in this film.

Besides the two wonderful leads, this

film has one of the best supporting casts I have ever seen. From the creepy, rich ex-boyfriend played by Harris to the role of Affleck’s loving twin sister, Margo, played by Coon, all of these roles are phenomenally played. If not for these supporting members, I do not know if Affleck and Pike would have shined as brightly as they did.

While I believe this is not the darkest film that Fincher has directed, it is definitely a thrilling mystery that he can add to his already impressive repertoire of intense films.

Fincher teamed up once again with his musical cohorts, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who outdo themselves once again with a beautiful score that helps drive the mystery.

As far as the story goes, one of the first things I was impressed with in this film was that you did not have to read the book, even though it is a great novel, to find yourself immersed in the story. This film will surprise you and it will implore you to try and solve the mystery.

CMT is coming to town I would just like to take this time to say thank you to the entire student body and faculty and everyone else who voted for us Breanna Sill to win the Assistant Features CMT College Town Editor Sweepstakes.

Do you guys realize what a huge deal this is going to be for all of us students? How can anyone not be as excited about this as I am right now?

We are being promised a huge country act for free, right here on our very own campus.

It could be anyone, and it will probably even be someone the University would not have been able to afford under any other circumstances.

I know social media on campus has been getting a bad rap lately, but I think this contest is proof that sometimes, well most of the time, social media is used for good and not evil.

Without word about the contest spreading like wildfire around campus over social media, the idea of a university as small as ours beating out other schools three and four times larger than ours would be downright crazy.

Everyone who voted should give themselves a pat on the back, and if you did not vote, you might as well go pat someone on the back who did and say “thank you.”

Because no one knows exactly who the big name is that will visit our campus, it has become everyone’s favorite game to try and place a bet on who it will be.

My hopes are that they will not only bring a large-name country act, but also a smaller name also.

I am holding out hope for my favorite up-and-comer, Sam Hunt, to make the bill.

Students are hoping acts like Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert and Tim McGraw are names being considered for the main act.

While the wait is on for the final word, everyone go dust off your cowboy hat and best pair of cowboy boots, because CMT is coming to town. bsill@murraystate.edu

8B

The News October 10, 2014