The Murray State News

The Murray State News October 24, 2014

TheNews.org

Vol. 89, No. 10

Racers confronting

RACE

Mari-Alice Jasper || Staff writer mjasper1@murraystate.edu

Mary Bradley || Editor-in-Chief mbradley9@murraystate.edu

On the Carr Health Building lawn, students, faculty and staff gathered, urging the community to speak publicly about racism on campus and change what has become a pattern of intolerance.

Beginning at 10 a.m., the “Eracism” teach-in was created to bring all members of Murray State together through a full day of speeches and conversation, and ended with a panel discussion titled, “Race and Courage in the Age of Yik Yak.”

FACULTY AND STAFF ON RACISM

Haley Hays/The News

Co-hosts and professors Peter Murphy and Mary-Tripp Reed, who were two of eight faculty, started the event that was created along with several students.

The first speech was the reading of a letter from President Bob Davies by Senior Presidential Adviser Renee Fister.

In the letter, Davies said Murray State is a “marketplace of ideas,” that depends on open thought and new paradigms.

“As part of this openness to new ideas and thoughts, we must further embrace our commitment to a diverse university community,” Davies said. “This includes not only a diverse population of students, faculty and staff based on gender, race, religion, color and creed; but also includes the sexual orientation of our members as well political thought, socioeconomic status and many other dimensions of diversity.”

Following Davies’ letter, Don Robertson, vice president of Student Affairs and chair of the President’s Commission on Diversity Inclusion, spoke. Robertson said Murray State should be safe for students to express their individuality and uniqueness – a part of the Student Affairs mission statement.

“As such, racism and bigotry has no place in this mission and certainly has no place in our campus community,” Robertson said.

Other speakers included: • Assistant professor of Humanities and Fine Arts, Carrie Jerrell • Assistant professor of Humanities and Fine Arts, Drew Seib • Assistant professor of Humanities and Fine Arts, Brian Clardy • Coordinator of Humanities and Fine Arts, Peter Murphy • Associate professor of Humanities and Fine Arts, Lissa Graham • Professor of Humanities and Fine Arts, Sarah Gutwirth • LGBT Program Coordinator Jody Cofer Randall • Vising Professor in Residence of Humanities and Fine Arts, Riley Hanick • Lecturer, Mary-Tripp Reed • Assistant professor of Humanities and Fine Arts, Joshua Adair Deidre Redmond, associate professor of Humanities and Fine Arts, said having this conversation on campus is important because racist incidents have taken place at Murray State and people seem to be unaware.

In the age of technology, students use social media to be discreet about their opinions. Redmond said last year, students fled to Twitter to post racist comments to @MSUAsians and @MSUBlackPeople, among others.

This year students are using a new app, Yik Yak,

see ERACISM, 2A

Clinton, Grimes Davies quiets Ebola rumors visit Paducah for campaigning Ben Manhanke || Staff writer

bmanhanke@murraystate.edu

Rebecca Walter News Editor

rwalter@murraystate.edu

With the heated Nov. 4 Senate election two weeks away, Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes brought former President Bill Clinton to western Kentucky to a crowd of 1,750 Tuesday.

Clinton reinforced many of the themes Grimes h i g h Grimes lighted during her challenge to U.S. Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, including bringing more jobs to Kentucky, raising the minimum wage, securing healthcare and jump-starting the Kentucky economy.

Clinton said it is crucial student loan interest rates be lowered so students can spend less time paying them back.

“This isn’t rocket science; it’s simple,” he told the crowd at McCracken County High School in Paducah, Ky. Clinton praised Grimes as a candidate, saying she has kept her composure under the weight of $50 million in negative campaign ads run against her by McConnell’s campaign and Republican groups.

“We aren’t going to get anywhere hating our neighbors,” Clinton said.

Clinton ended his speech by saying Grimes has the best interest of Kentuckians at heart and that he loved the crowd.

Earlier in the day, the for-

WHAT’S

INSIDE

mer president was in Owensboro, Ky., campaigning for Grimes.

This is the third time Clinton has campaigned for her throughtout this year’s U.S. Senate race.

This also isn’t the first time Clinton has made an appearance in Paducah. The night before the 1992 presidential election, he was in Paducah.

He spoke of that night and recalled losing his voice and saying to the people, “If you will be my voice tomorrow, I will be your voice for the next four years.”

While Grimes hasn’t said much about President Barack Obama, she praised Clinton – the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry Kentucky.

“I am a Clinton Democrat and that’s the kind of senator I will be for Kentucky,” Grimes said.

During her speech, Grimes showed support for term limits for senators.

“I will be handing (McConnell) his term limit on Nov. 4, and then we will go to Washington and work for term limits because 30 years is long enough,” Grimes said, referencing McConnell’s time in the Senate.

Gov. Steve Beshear, former Gov. Martha Layne Collins, Attorney General Jack Conway and former Gov. Julian Carroll appeared at the rally to show support for Grimes.

Grimes said she will be a senator for the people of Kentucky and will keep their best interest in mind in Washing-

see GRIMES, 2A

The virus Ebola, now ravaging several West African countries, turned from jokes to rumors last week as concerns of a possibly infected student on Murray State’s campus grew.

These rumors sparked response from President Bob Davies Monday morning.

Students, faculty and staff received an email from Davies addressing these rumors and informing the University about what measures are being taken to ensure there are no infected persons on campus.

Karson Crass, sophomore from Murray, said she was unaware of the rumor before reDavies ceiving the email, but was not surprised to hear there was one.

“With all the media coverage on Ebola everybody is getting a little hysterical about it,” she said. “‘Oh, we’ve got students here from Africa, they probably have Ebola.’ ‘Gosh, did you hear we have Ebola here?’”

Rachelle Peck, senior, said she learned of

the rumor from a tweet she read.

“I didn’t necessarily believe the rumor, but obviously with as much attention as Ebola is getting these days you can’t help but be a little nervous,” Peck said. “Also, the fact that we have so many international students here at Murray who may have come in contact with the areas that are affected made (the post) a little more believable.”

Murray State is hardly alone when it comes to false claims and rumors about Ebola-infected persons.

Stories of false infections have bombarded the media in the past month since the first case of Ebola was reported in the U.S. by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since the virus’ arrival in America, the CDC was flooded with more than 800 false claims of Ebola per day, according to the United Kingdom news outlet Daily Mail.

Jay Morgan, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, said the rumor started after word got out about a Murray State student who recently returned from studying abroad in Africa and was tested for Ebola.

“We asked that individual if they would go through a voluntary medical check, just for precaution,” he said. “They were very cooperative. There was nothing found, they are okay and there is no issue.”

He also added that the country the student traveled from already was cleared by the CDC of Ebola.

Morgan echoed Davies’ email that an infection in Murray is unlikely because of its rural area, limited international travel of the populace and the lack of a major metropolitan airport near the city.

However, he said, the University is still exercising safety measures stipulated by the CDC, as well as other health precautions.

“Our operating procedure has just been one of caution and common sense,” Morgan said. “Until students hear from the University that there is an actual case (of Ebola), basically everything they hear is rumor.”

Judy Lyle, associate director of Health Services, said this semester no students have come to Health Services suspecting they have Ebola.

She said they haven’t received phone calls from students’ parents expressing a fear of the virus being on campus which surprised her.

“There’s a nationwide panic about this in the media,” Lyle said. “Is it justified? I do think people ought to be concerned, but be concerned for more reasons than just one specific disease.”

see EBOLA, 2A

Fourth sexual assault reported Staff Report A sexual assault was reported at Springer Residential College at 12:36 a.m. Oct. 16.

This is the fourth sexual assault reported on campus this semester.

The incident is described as “unwanted sexual contact with an acquaintance,” according to Public Safety and Emergency Management’s crime log.

The victim denied prosecution and the case is now closed.

Since prosecution of the assault was denied, a timely notice was not sent out to the campus community.

There is no time restriction on when a timely notice is sent out and ultimately it is up to the discretion of Public Safety.

Roy Dunaway, interim chief of Public Safety, said if he felt campus was unsafe, a timely notice would have been sent out.

For a separate incident Oct. 9, a timely notice

was sent in a campuswide email as a provision under the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998.

No arrest has been made and the incident is under investigation, according to Dunaway.

When a victim declines prosecution, the incident is still included in the reported numbers for the Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report.

In the first nine weeks of this semester, Public Safety received more reported sexual assaults than in all of 2011, 2012 or 2013.

Dunaway said he hopes the rise can be attributed to education, awareness and approachability of officers.

“As interim chief, that’s been my goal, making officers on campus more approachable,” he said.

Mike Young, associate vice president of Student Affairs, said Public Safety informs Student Affairs of all incidents of sexual assault on campus.

WHAT’S ON THENEWS.ORG VIDEO

Watch our video coverage of Breast Cancer Awareness month at Murray State on TheNews.org.

MILLER BUILDING

Get the full story of the new dedication to Murray State’s 12th president Tim Miller at TheNews.org.

STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

OUR VIEW

AUSTIN PEAY

STACHE BASH

Strategic Initiatives Plan to span seven years, 6A

On campus housing could use some improvements, 4A

Football loses to give Austin Peay State first win, 1B

Students, faculty attend event and share stache photos, 5B

The News

News

2A

ERACISM

Kali Speaks, senior from Owensboro, Ky., said her job as master of ceremonies at the poetry reading was to moderate and ensure a safe speaking environment for participants.

“I asked several friends to come forward today and tell their stories, but they said they were too scared to,” she said.

In her own testimony, Speaks told listeners about a time she was accused of planning a robbery at a Benton,

Ky., Arby’s because other diners thought she looked guilty due to her appearance.

“I had been told not to go to Benton after 6 p.m.,” she said.

Speaks said the Trayvon Martin case resonated with her more because she was wearing a hoodie while she was in Benton that night.

Martin was a black teenager shot and killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in 2012. Zimmerman was aquitted in 2013.

Ariel Mitchell, junior from Louisville, Ky., said microaggressions, or daily racially based indignities, are proof that racism is internalized.

“We have to unteach these things that we have been told,” she said.

Mitchell said immediately pointing out bigotry on a daily basis is a way to combat subtle racism.

Tracie Gilbert, the minority 2014-15 faculty fellow, said she was at Murray State to help develop cultural diversity. In those efforts she has brought together a new group on campus, the Diversity Education Squad. The group has five active members.

Gilbert said the Eracism event was conceived in response to Yik Yak comments made in regard to the rally Murray State students held in front of Waterfield Library.

She said the event allowed her to analyze shootings, like one of black teenager Michael Brown.

“I felt the need to explain the ramifications of what happened to Michael Brown,” Gilbert said.

From Page 1

She said one of her main concerns about health safety on campus isn’t Ebola, but the flu season.

Ebola and the flu share common symptoms including

fever, headache, muscle weakness, pain and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting.

While Lyle said she was not worried about an increase in students with self-diagnosed cases of Ebola during flu season, she said Health Services will remain vigilant in their inspection of students to make sure it is flu symptoms that they are suffering from and not something else.

From Page 1 to publicize their racist opinions.

Redmond said for Murray State to have any progress, people have to talk about racism openly and in a way that embraces the need to move forward.

Redmond said when she spoke to her students about the racist acts occurring on campus, they had no idea it was happening.

“My students didn’t know what was happening approximately one minute away from my classroom,” Redmond said.

She decided to be involved with Eracism to model for her students how important it is to have this discussion.

“I wanted to make sure that I was there to show students that it is something I take seriously and that I am actually going to be about it,” she said.

STUDENTS ON RACISM

EBOLA

CORRECTION: On Oct. 17, The Murray State News listed Adam Horton as the Veteran Student Organization president. He is not. David Vowell is the current president.

Tinseltown

Tuesday

October 24, 2014

Kory Savage/The News

Formerpresident Bill Clinton speaks to a crowd in western Kentucky as congressional candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes and Gov. Steve Beshear watch from behind.

GRIMES

From Page 1

ton, D.C. “We have someone who has turned his back on the people of this state,” she said.

Grimes criticized McConnell’s attendance rate in the Senate during his time in office.

“If you showed up to work 7 percent of the time, you would be fired and with your help Mitch McConnell will be too,” Grimes said.

She discussed coal, one of the main issues in the election.

Grimes said on McConnell’s watch, thousands of coal jobs were lost and one of her main goals in office is to fix that

loss.

Grimes touched on issues regarding raising the minimum wage, lowering student loan interest rates and strengthening the middle class in Kentucky.

Grimes said even though her opponent claims she will be less listened to when it comes to on voting for important issues for the state, it will not be the case.

“This Kentucky woman will not sit on the back of the bench; no Kentucky woman ever will,” she said.

The latest Bluegrass Poll, released Monday, showed McConnell with a one-point lead over Grimes, 44-43 percent.

The poll has a 3.9-point error margin.

In the last Bluegrass Poll issued two weeks ago, Grimes

had a two-point lead over McConnell. However, in August, McConnell was up with a four-point lead against his Democratic opponent.

David Ramey, Calloway County Democratic Party chairman, said Clinton coming to western Kentucky shows how important the city is to the election.

“Clinton was excited to be back in Paducah; the area means a lot to him,” Ramey said. “The voters have respect for him and it was a great night.”

He visited with Grimes and Clinton backstage at the event.

Ramey said Calloway County supported Grimes when she ran for Kentucky Secretary of State.

He commended all of the supporters of Grimes’ cam-

paign.

“The young people and all Grimes’ supporters have been tremendous in this campaign,” Ramey said.

Allison Moore, spokeswoman for McConnell’s campaign, issued the following statement in response to Grimes’ rally: “It’s a good thing there are only two weeks left until the election because Alison Lundergan Grimes’ blunder of a campaign has finally hit rock bottom. Kentuckians have already figured out that Grimes relies on false attacks and baseless claims when she has either lost her Obama policy manual, her hypocrisy has again been exposed or when she’s trying to cover up her dad’s purchase of Silent Bob’s bus for her campaign to ride in luxury.”

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October 24, 2014 News Editor: Rebecca Walter Assistant Editor: Amanda Grau Phone: 270-809-4468 Twitter: MurrayStateNews

POLICE BEAT Oct. 16

12:36 a.m. A person reported a sexual assault in Springer Residential College. Officers and Student Affairs were notified.

A report was taken.

10:29 a.m. A person reported counterfeit money in Waterfield Library. Officers were notified and a report was taken.

Oct. 17 1:45 a.m. A citation was issued for possession of marijuana, careless driving and failure to produce an insurance card during a traffic stop.

12:13 p.m. A caller reported a medical emergency at Wells Hall. Officers and Emergency Medical Services were notified. The patient refused transport.

Oct. 18 7:52 a.m. Eight parking citations were issued in the James H. Richmond Residential College parking lot by an officer conducting parking enforcement duties.

5:45 p.m. A caller requested Emergency Medical Services at Elizabeth Residential College. Off icers, Emergency Medical Services, Student Affairs and the student’s parents were notified. The patient was transported.

Oct. 19 4:15 a.m. A caller requested Emergency Medical Serives at Elizabeth. Officers, Murray Ambulance Services and Student Affairs were notified. The patient was transported.

8:51 a.m. Officers issued citations for possession of marijuana and possession of drug parafernalia during a vehicle check.

Oct. 20 10:26 a.m. A caller reported smelling electrical burning in Lee Clark Residential College.

Officers were notified and found no evidence of smell or smoke present.

4:51 p.m. A caller reported a barn smoking at West Farm.

Officers were notified and the smoking was found to be tobacco. No threat of fire was found.

Oct. 21 12:41 p.m. A caller requested an apartment unlock in College Courts. Housing was notified.

1:46 p.m. A caller reported being stuck on the elevator in Hart Residential College. The caller said they were able to safely get out of the elevator, and facilities management was notified.

Oct. 22

1:22 a.m. A caller reported being harrassed at the Oakley Applied Science Building. Officers were notified and a report was taken.

5:14 p.m. A caller contacted Murray State Police looking for a missing juvenile from Calloway County.

Call of Fame Oct. 18, 10:49 p.m. - A caller reported a large fight at the West Kentucky Exposition Center. Officers were notified and the fight had dispersed by the time they arrived.

Motorists assists – 15 Racer assists – 7 Arrests – 0 Amanda Grau, Assistant News Editor, compiles Police Beat with materials provided by Public Safety and Emergency Management.

Not all dispatched calls are listed.

The Police Beat is also available every week on TheNews.org

News

3A

Hemp has successes, failures Ben Manhanke || Staff writer bmanhanke@murraystate.edu

“If you grow it, they will come,” said Chris Nelson from Marshall, Mo., standing in the remains of Murray State’s hemp crop, which was harvested Wednesday.

Nelson is one of many who attended the Hutson School of Agriculture’s pre-session to the second National Bioenergy Day celebration.

Nelson periodically traveled between Murray and Marshall since the hemp was first planted in May, taking pictures and gathering information on the growing process. He said his interest will hopefully inspire similar operations in his home state.

Local Kentucky farmers interested in growing hemp, state officials from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and University faculty and staff curious about the results of hemp efforts also attended the pre-session.

Tony Brannon, dean of the Hutson School of Agriculture, said the Huston School decided to host the pre-session because of the large amount of press the project has generated in the state and the nation.

Murray State’s research, as dictated by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, concerned the effect row widths and planting populations would have on the yield of the crop.

Planting populations of 25 and 40 pounds were planted in a 1.5 acre plot behind the Murray State Equine Center at West Farm using 7.5, 15 and 20inch rows. Seeds were planted May 12 and again June 12. The latter crops were primarily left to be harvested

Haley Hays/The News

Murray State’s hemp crop was harvested Wednesday with good and bad results. this week.

Brannon said the University’s findings could be summarized as, “the good, the bad and the ugly.”

The good: in growing hemp, Murray State found that the largest yields were brought about by seeds that were planted without being tilled.

The hemp grew fast in Kentucky’s climate, going from waist-height to shoulder-height in a week’s time, with some plants growing to be as large as 10-12 feet. The average height for the plants was 8-9 feet, and those planted in June were much shorter.

The bad: the University’s hemp crop did not germinate well in a traditional seed bed, tilled and packed

with soil or in rainy conditions. Brannon said the school’s lack of knowledge of “when to do what and how” contributed to many of the adverse findings, but these were learning experiences as well.

The ugly: “It’s an ugly plant,” Brannon said. “It’s just not a pretty plant in maturity.”

However, the Hutson School of Agriculture had more to celebrate than bioenergy and the completion of its hemp harvest Wednesday.

During his pre-session presentation, Chris Boucher, vice president of Agricultural Hemp for U.S. Hemp Oil, a division of CannaVest, gave the Hutson School of Agriculture a check

for $10,200. This money represented two non-recurring $3,600 undergraduate student work fellowship scholarships and a $3,000 stipend for the cost of its work.

CannaVest was responsible for supplying Murray State with the hemp seeds as well as those used at Eastern Kentucky University. The company specializes in developing, producing, marketing and selling hemp-based compounds and products and is based out of California.

“I think in the long term we can provide jobs and product (in Kentucky) and, most importantly, get more people involved in the agricultural hemp industry,” Boucher said.

He said in the next one or two years, CannaVest will begin the construction of several processing mills for cleaning seeds and wrapping hemp fibers for delivery, and a larger main factory in Kentucky. To sustain a hemp-growing business, he said they would need to grow a minimum of 10,000 to 20,000 acres of hemp by contracting out local farmers.

Following the presentations, the last of the hemp crop was harvested in a demonstration using machines donated by the AGCO Corporation, an agriculture equipment company based in Deluth, Georgia.

The Hutson School of Agriculture will compile its findings for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture for a presentation in December along with the other Kentucky universities who conducted research . A final report will be submitted to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture in March.

The Gentry House works to avoid shutdown

Mari-Alice Jasper || Staff writer mjasper1@murraystate.edu

Kimberly Mason, director and case manager at the Gentry House, could hear the phone ringing before she could get the door open to her office.

While on the phone she explained to a client how to fill out an application for Gentry House, but informed her that she would be put on a waiting list until a unit became available.

The bustling transitional shelter was ready to close down less than a year ago.

The Gentry House provides temporary housing for families in need.

Mason said that 3 to 4 families are on the waiting list at any given time.

THE ‘COUCH-SURFING HOMELESS’

The Gentry House is the only homeless shelter within a 20-mile radius of Murray. The Graves County Mayfield Mission is the next closest shelter. Mason said many Murray citizens do not believe there is a homeless population in the city.

“In Murray it’s not people on corners holding signs, it’s the couch-surfing homeless,” she said.

In its report to Murray City Council, the Gentry House said homelessness in rural areas looks different than in urban ones. Homeless families in rural areas may stay in temporary housing like motel rooms, campers and vehicles.

HOW GENTRY HOUSE HELPS

The goal of the Gentry House is to help the homeless help themselves, according to its mission statement.

In the 2014 fiscal year the Gentry House reported helping 18 adults and 27 children. More than 32 percent of those children were less than 5 years old. The Gentry House targets families because homelessness presents dangerous situations for children especially.

“We’ve helped 15 families since January and I think we will help up to 40 before the year is over,” Mason said.

Applicants are required to have full custody of their children, they must have an income and pass a background check before being ap-

proved.

The Gentry House reported that 38 percent of its clients were between the ages of 26 and 33 and 71 percent were female.

Mason said clients are housed in fully-furnished two-bedroom apartments rent-free and utility-free for up to 90 days.

The Gentry House reported 14 percent of its clients were victims of domestic violence seeking shelter and 37 percent were there because they were unable to afford housing and utilities.

“Everybody who comes here has a different situation,” Mason said.

BACK FROM THE BRINK

In December 2013, the Gentry House board of directors voted to close the agency because it lacked sufficient funding.

In January 2014, Mayor Bill Wells proposed that the city and county each give the Gentry House additional funds to keep its doors open.

The board met later and retracted its decision to close.

Robert Lyons, assistant dean-professor of Education, is the new board chairman for the Gentry House.

“Grant funding dried up and there is always lag time between need and donations,” he said.

The Gentry House hired a volunteer director during the spring and summer to save money for this fall and winter.

Lyons said the Gentry House would be able to cover 90 percent of its expenses this fiscal year.

“We’ve got enough money on hand to pay utilities, maintenance and operational expenses and salaries through July 1,” he said.

The new director, Mason, was hired in September to assist with fundraising and grant writing. She said she had to start from scratch revising policies and procedures.

“It’s been crazy and good all at the same time,” she said.

Recently the Gentry House submitted a grant to the Calloway County Rotary Club requesting funding for educational programs that would be offered to tenants.

“We want to teach classes about fi-

More than just a

number

When you break down who the Gentry House helps...

71.4 percent

...are female.

38.1 percent

...are between the ages of 26-33.

37.3 percent

...were unable to afford their current housing and utilities. ...of the 27 children helped in 2014 were under 5 years old. ...were victims of domestic violence

32.3 percent 13.6 percent

Provided by The Gentry House

nancing, parenting and coping skills,” she said.

Because the Gentry House is a nonprofit agency, it is responsible for self-funding annually.

Lyons said the Gentry House accumulated approximately $10,000 from fundraising in the 2014 fiscal year.

“The main responsibility of the board is to fundraise,” he said.

On Oct. 13, Wells named Nov. 15-23 to be “Hunger and Homeless Week.”

During this week the Gentry House will distribute miniature bank houses to schools to collect change for its fund, take up donation offerings at churches and request rebate nights at local businesses.

“Each year we plan on doing something bigger and better,” Mason said.

The Gentry House reported receiving $12,000 from the city and county and more than $6,000 from

churches.

Kate-la Nicholson, senior from Fulton, Ky., said she volunteered at the Gentry House for one of her classes.

“Even if you are attending school or have a job you can come here to get back on your feet,” she said.

Nicholson said she heard about the Gentry House at a nonprofit connections event hosted earlier this year.

She is accompanied by three other volunteers at Gentry House who help with daily projects and fundraising.

Lyons said next year he wants to work with student groups on campus to raise awareness about homelessness and the services the Gentry House provides.

“It is just as important as other causes the University supports, but it’s not something that people like to talk about,” he said.

Students in the dark about Regents arson Amanda Grau || Assistant News Editor agrau1@murraystate.edu

The general consensus for the open investigation on the Regents Residential College arson case is that no one should panic.

According to the report Public Safety and Emergency Management released to students via email Oct. 16, an arson case was under investigation.

The email did not detail when or in what way arson was committed, but explained what to do in case of a fire. The email also listed the Kentucky Revised Statute in regard to arson, which describes when a person is guilty of first-degree arson.

“This includes the burning of paper advertisement on a Resident Hall bulletin board,” read the email.

The actual event occurred Oct. 6 and a report was taken Oct. 7, nearly two weeks before the email went out. The email was sent in accordance to the

Michael Minger Life Safety Act and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure Act, which requires campus police to report campus crimes in a timely manner.

The burned advertisement and two smiley faces burned into the roof of an elevator in Regents are minor, said Squire Babcock, the faculty head of Regents. No matter how small the offense, Babcock said the case was treated as an arson case and should not be taken lightly.

“Of course I am concerned when there is an act involving fire in the residence hall,” Babcock said.

“We want everyone to know we are taking anything involving fire very seriously, and that absolutely no act involving fire, no matter how minor, no matter how innocent the intention, will not be tolerated.”

Erin Smith, senior from Dallas, is a residential adviser in Regents. Smith said she thinks the negative publicity stirred up by the event is unwarranted.

Smith said residential advisers were told little about the case, except that it was minor.

“All the publicity from this is creating this negative image for Regents,” Smith said. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”

Smith said after the email went out, residents came to her asking for information, but residetial advisors were not informed any more than other students.

Many students declined to comment when asked about the case and said they did not know enough about the event to answer.

Naomi Clark, freshman from Toledo, Ohio., and resident of Regents, said she knew only what she was told in the email from police.

“I don’t know that much,” Clark said. “But it doesn’t stress me out.”

Babcock said students and parents have remained calm throughout the incident.

“No students or parents have expressed concern to me over this, and I am confident that the residents of Regents do feel safe,” Babcock said.

4A

October 24, 2014

The News

Opinion

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

­

Our View

On-campus housing needs improvements The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board.

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When Murray State recruits new students, the residential college system is advertised as the best option for students. Residential colleges are different from dorms because they’re cohesive, they form a sense of community and they help get students involved through intramural sports and clubs.

Murray State believes in the colleges so much they require students who live more than 50 miles away from campus to live in them for two years. This wouldn’t be a problem for most students, but there have been several issues within the colleges that make this transaction unfair.

Within the last week, students and staff at Springer Residential

College have dealt with four reported cases of lice, a sexual assault was reported at Regents Residential College and a theft of more than $500 was reported at Hart Residential College.

If the University is going to prioritize living on campus to the point of making it mandatory, then the residential colleges should be the cleanest and safest places on campus.

The Residential College Review Task Force is meeting throughout the semester to make a list of recommendations on how to improve the system for the next academic year.

It is a positive that the task force is putting thought into improving extracurriculars and

retention, but the safety, functionality and sanitary conditions of the colleges should also be taken into account.

This is especially important because off-campus living is more competitive and less costly than living in the residential colleges.

The average cost of a double room in Franklin, Springer, Old Richmond, Hart, Regents, White, Elizabeth and Hester residential colleges is $2,288 per semester.

At apartment complexes geared toward students, like Campus Evolution Villages South, rent for a three bedroom apartment can run as low as $1,800 a semester per roommate.

Murray State should consider what students are paying more

than $500 a semester for. Are they paying for the community that is advertised? Or are they paying more to live with strict curfews, power outages, Wi-Fi outages, insects and crime?

The residential college system is something that many of us feel lucky to have. Some of us who lived on campus before living off campus were glad to experience the residential colleges. They are a place to make valuable friendships. However, if Murray State is going to make on-campus living the only option, then it should make it worthwhile.

Clean up the lice, get rid of the crime and make the colleges a place that students actually want to live.

The Captain’s Log

Garrison: Why we will always finish last

“We feed from the scraps that befall the grace of ‘Great Men’s Jowls.”

I first heard this line from its original author and future novelist Connor Jaschen.

We were having an everyday conversation about ladies and Zac Garrison literature, and Senior from he dropped this Franklin, Ky. line on me from the novel he is writing. It had a much greater impact on me than he thought it would.

I consider myself an avid reader and few lines in literature give me goosebumps like this line did. In today’s society, everything trickles down and 99 percent of us are at the bottom waiting for the scraps that somehow slip through the cracks.

“Land of the free and home of the brave” is beginning to turn into a business entity. With the current for-profit healthcare and education system, our basic rights are still available to us, but are being monetized right under our noses. We have the right to live and be healthy, but that doesn’t mean we have the ability to.

For those that aren’t fortunate enough to be able to afford health insurance, a child with an illness is enough to put a family in debt for the rest of that child’s life.

I’m sure we have all seen the pictures on the Internet of outrageous medical bills for small non-serious injuries – some of these numbers being upward of $65,000 for a simple surgical

procedure.

If you don’t have health insurance, all of this comes out of pocket. If you can’t afford health insurance in the first place you’re going to have to strike a deal with King Midas himself to get those medical bills paid.

Also, think about what incentive there is to release a cure for a chronic illness?

If you are a part of the unlucky percentage of the population to be plagued by a chronic illness, you have just become a lifetime paycheck for a gentleman who scuffs a $14,000 table as he props his well-oiled $3,000 loafers upon it to thumb through the money he collected by selling a treatment. Why cure it, when you can just sell the prescriptions?

This strikes close to home for many, including myself. I have seen amazing people in my life suffer from Alzheimer’s and diabetes only to be sold medications to keep them alive long enough to buy it again next month.

If the money you spent on all of these healthcare bills went to fund future medical research or went to the care of those less fortunate, we wouldn’t make much of a fuss about it. But when our right to health and life is monetized and someone makes a profit off of that, our eyes should be opened.

Many insurance companies see us as just a name on a list, a dollar in the bank and a ballot in a box. When we run out of money to send to someone higher up in the socioeconomic food chain, what use do they have for us then?

Now let’s talk about the for-profit higher education system that has become more prevalent in recent years.

We say we want kids to go to college to earn a higher education, but we put them in tens of thousands of dollars of debt for them to do so. I know people who have come out of school in $45,000 worth of debt to go home and work middle management at a fast food chain.

You may think this is preposterous, but a

degree doesn’t guarantee a job. It will help your chances to get one, but in reality you will pay thousands of dollars and spend four years of your life for a slip of paper that can be used as a receipt to prove you spent the money to earn your level of education.

Think about how crippling student loans will affect the economy in the long run. As student loan interest rates and college tuition rise like they have in years past, a whole new generation of newly employed millennials will have no choice but to be frugal. When they enter the workforce under thousands of dollars in debt, all of their money goes to food and student loan payments so they can try and pay it off as quickly as possible.

This is all money they will not be putting back into the economy and we will see a general decrease as younger generations become more frugal than previous generations.

In the past when a student graduated with a degree, they started a well-paying job that they got with said degree and immediately started to buy houses and cars that have heated seats and automatic windows.

Now, recent graduates are crashing on their parents’ couch and hoping their ’98 civic keeps running until they can actually find a job with a degree they paid $55,000 for.

When does it stop? What other parts of our lives can we transform from unalienable rights into a profit? We need to be aware of what’s happening.

The longer we are simply dollar bills to someone our names will start to fade. Once you accept only being a paycheck for someone, you become less of what makes you an individual.

Don’t be at the bottom begging for scraps from these so-called “Great Men.” You are too good to beg and you deserve the very best of what life has to offer.

Don’t spend it accepting what you’ve been given as you shove scraps into your pockets.

The News

Opinion

October 24, 2014

5A

Letter to the Editor The Jubilee solution will eliminate the student loan crisis. Following the Lehman banking debacle of 2008, the government-sponsored bailout of “Too Big to Fail” banks created an illusion of recovery because the bailout did not stimulate the economy.

Seventy percent of the economy is consumer driven, thus consumer spending must increase.

The U.S. economy is crashing as major retail chains close thousands of stores due to the decline in consumer spending.

This decline in spending is due to the loss of permanent jobs resulting from the collapse of the housing bubble and to massive debt carried by consumers.

A Catch-22 situation is occurring because job creation requires an increase in consumer spending.

Many college graduates cannot find jobs with underemployment becoming the norm as full-time, white-collar job opportunities never fully recovered after the recession.

The burden of growing student loan debt creates a further decrease in consumer spending.

We are a Christian nation with Judeo roots and God has a solution

Did she really say that?

Allow yourself a margin of error

for our economic dilemma.

The Jubilee law described in Leviticus 25 provides a national cancellation of private debts every 50 years.

This will ensure that no one would forever become trapped in debt and poverty. Providing immediate and future Jubilee debt relief for mortgage, student loan and credit card debt will prevent our nation from sinking into an economic depression.

Robert Dalquist Former student from Orange, Calif.

We still want to hear from you.

Are you concerned about a certain issue on campus or just want to share your opinion? The News is always accepting Letters to the Editor. For a chance to get your letter published in print or on TheNews.org, email your submission to letters@thenews.org.

I’ve got a Story for You

Valentine: Get a box It’s that special time of year again.

No, it’s too early for Christmas, despite the Walmart mannequins wearing vampire fangs and Santa hats. It’s too early for Thanksgiving, too.

It is the perfect time for vice presidents, volunteer event coordinators and publicity chairmen acrosscampus to get a Robert Valentine box. You might want Senior lecturer to get a big one. of advertising You see, the one big problem with the digital age is the prevalence of digital communication. Gone is the memo, the scribbled list, the minutes of the meeting or the printed letter from someone detailing the steps necessary to pull off the Homecoming fundraiser, the annual alumni dinner, or the Rho Rho Rho Kitten Toss for Male Pattern Baldness.

In place of old fashioned piles of paper are digital files, voicemails and emails that are always available – assuming you have access to the right computer, cellphone or iPad. Instead of planning

meetings, we can have group emails. Instead of a filing cabinet drawer in an office somewhere, we have Google Docs or a private Facebook or Pinterest or Twerper or Instacram or some other component of the latest social networking universe.

It’s a vast improvement – until this time next year.

“

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

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

Comics

In short: no one knows what we did or how we did it.

”

- Robert Valentine, senior lecturer of advertising

Then we will find that Apple has upgraded Apple Docs and your e-notepad has been sent to the big recycling bin in the e-sky. Everything was on Dave’s computer, but that fell overboard while he was fishing while writing a humanities paper.

He lost the fish, too.

Andrea can’t remember the password for Google Docs. She has run through all the possible permutations of her ex-boyfriend’s statistics, including birthday, height, weight and number of times the sleaze bag lied about studying at the Signa Phi Naught house when he was actually out with Stephanie, her ex-BFF (assuming “B” still stands for “best”).

In short: no one knows what we did or how we did it. We only know it took a great deal of work and was pretty successful. Now what do we do?

“If only,” you will wail to an uncaring Shoe Tree, “we had collected all the lists, charts, programs,

plans, posters, receipts, records, thank you notes and spare keys to the rented golf cart and put them all in one place where we could find them this year!”

Well, “if wishes were horses,” as the old saying goes, “there would be plenty of hoof prints around here.” But wishes are not horses, nor are they careful records, summaries of activities, mailing lists, calling lists, guest lists or bucket lists.

Even if your event was part of the Great Beginnings and Luggage Migration Extravaganza, it’s not too late. Throw in the program, the menu, the list of people to email or call.

Write a one-page summary of all the things you did, people who were dependable and how long it takes to get 500 rubber noses shipped from China.

Save everything.

Then, get a box.

Make sure that the box is not given to Dave, Andrea’s ex-boyfriend, or ol’ Prof. Postulate who has been declaring his retirement since the reign of the Alexanders and who might just do it this year.

Someone is going to have to remember how we do Campus Lights, All-Campus Sing, Honors Day, Senior Salute, officer elections, new member installations, runs, walks, sleep-ins and all the other memorable events of spring.

It’s not too early to start making a plan to save all the “stuff” that will make it easier for next year’s wheel re-inventors.

Be a friend; help make life easier for the next class. Make yourself part of history.

Get a box.

Cheers to ... 4G LTE.

Jeers to ... False Ebola rumors.

We don’t know when or how, but AT&T and T-Mobile users will now see small improvements in their data. As smartphone users who often couldn’t get better service than the EDGE network, we’re happy to see the change. Thanks, mystery tower.

President Bob Davies sent a campus wide email in reaction to rumors circulated that a student at Murray State contracted the Ebola virus. There’s nothing funny about faking a deadly disease.

Jeers to ... Throughbrewed Cafe.

Pumpkin Spice Lattes are seasonal and the most popular drink right now. Throroughbrewed ran out of syrup. Buy that stuff in industrial size quantities, guys. Fall doesn’t last forever!

e

Cheers to ... Cooler weather.

Many of us are familiar with the roller coaster that is Kentucky weather, but it’s starting to actually feel like fall. It may be a little late, but it’s getting cooler and leaves are falling.

I dropped my first class last week. As a traditionally good student with the perseverance to stick things out, this took a toll on my conCarly Besser science for a while. I’ve Opinion Editor never been a quitter.

I wasn’t failing this class, but I didn’t feel confident in my performance. It wasn’t in my major, it wasn’t what I expected it to be and it came to the point where I would loathe waking up in the morning to attend. I lost sleep thinking about whether or not to drop the course, but in the end, it seemed like the best option for me.

While feeling bombarded with guilt, I had a revelation. I imagined myself as a middle-aged adult with a stable job, reflecting on everything I had to do to get to where I am. I thought about how I dropped that one elective course my senior year of college. Did it severely impact my life and my prospects for a career? No. Because we’re in college, we feel pressured to already know who we want to be and what we want to do.

We accept the fact that being here is hard work and it won’t be the fouryear party that “Animal House” made it seem like. But there has to be a line where we think of our happiness at some point. Sometimes, to be happy, we have to allow ourselves a margin of error.

This isn’t a testament to drop your classes because they’re hard or boring, but it is a way of letting you know that it will be OK if that’s the conclusion you come to. Whether it’s scheduling issues, one failed test, a bad paper or a feud between roommates, allow yourself to be wrong and move on.

Allowing myself to admit failure was something I had a hard time with in my first years at Murray State. In my transition from high school to college, there were a couple discrepancies in how I tested and handled my newfound adulthood.

I bombed a quiz and it upset me to the point of tears. I wondered if I even deserved to be here. Now that I’m applying to graduate, I know that one quiz didn’t stop me and I deserve to be here just as much as anyone else.

No one understands this better than your professors. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t want to see you fail either and they will be there to talk to you if you’re feeling disheartened.

Most of us have heard professors say “just because you failed the first test doesn’t mean you will fail the class,” so take your failures as a lesson to better prepare for the next obstacle.

As corny and sentimental as it may sound, we are all learning. With learning comes mistakes and with a commitment like college, you may find yourself making a lot of them.

Getting this editor position wasn’t smooth sailing.

I’ve had my fair share of typos, design errors and miscommunications. I have too much pride to say that I’m a horrible journalist, but I also have the integrity to say that I’m not perfect.

If you’re having a bad semester, your grades aren’t as stellar as you’re used to or you’re having a hard time acclimating to life on campus, just breathe. Don’t lose sleep over it like I did for four years. cbesser@murraystate.edu

Dunkyn Donroe

By Katie Wilborn

The News

News

6A

October 24, 2014

Records give glimpse into past

Kate Russell || Staff writer krussell13@murraystate.edu

Lisa Downey, records assistant in Registrar’s Office, sits only yards away from a time capsule.

The time capsule is not a trunk stored in the darkest corner of a basement or a container buried far below ground. It is a vault in the Registrar’s Office in Sparks Hall.

Downey is in charge of security maintenance for the vault. Approximately three weeks ago, she and fellow co-workers in the Registrar’s Office began to pull books, boxes and files out of the vault. They found documents and records dating back nearly 100 years to the beginning of Murray State’s history.

The materials pulled from the vault included enrollment records, faculty minutes, catalogues, academic records and records from when Murray State was a Navy Preparatory School.

Tracy Roberts, University registrar, said she didn’t know these specific documents were stored in the vault.

She said they began pulling the materials out to start the process of digitizing University records.

“If we can get it digitized, then everyone can read it,” Roberts said. “This is a time capsule right here.”

Though a majority of the information is confidential, both Downey and Roberts shared some of their favorite finds from the vault.

Downey read out of the Murray State Teacher’s College Catalogue from 1924-25 that Ken-

Kate Russell/The News

A handwritten enrollment book shows the list of every student from Sept. 24, 1923, to Jan. 24, 1930. tucky residents paid no tuition and nonresidents paid $18 per semester. Room and board was $4-$6 a week.

Downey enjoyed a section from one old collection that claimed there was “too much danc-

ing” on Murray State’s campus.

One of Roberts’ favorite facts was in the Faculty Senate minutes from the 1920s-40s. She read that President Rainey T. Wells borrowed all the money he could from Murray and Paducah,

Ky., banks, as well as tapping into his personal funds, and he still could not afford to pay faculty salaries. She said the minutes reported faculty willingly going without salary for a time so the University could stay open.

“It just walks you through the beginning of a university,” Roberts said.

Roberts said the Registrar’s Office will likely release “fun facts” in its newsletters or pass them along to other University officials to relay to the student body.

Jay Morgan, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, sent out copies of some documents in an email last week to faculty and staff.

He sent out minutes from the Faculty Senate meeting in December 1923, when the official colors of Murray State were decided upon. He also sent a Murray Teacher’s College Transcription Card, from when Murray State hosted naval cadets as a U.S. Navy Prep School.

“There’s so much neat stuff in there,” Morgan said. “There are old minutes of faculty meetings.

There are old transcripts of notable Murray graduates. There’s just a wealth of knowledge in these old documents.”

Ashley Rogers, assistant registrar, has also helped sort through the old documents.

Rogers said reading through the old catalogues and minutes has given her a strong appreciation for the work that went into making Murray State what it is.

“This makes it all come to life,” she said. “You can see they cared about the students at Murray State from the very beginning.”

Strategic Initiatives committee established for University future Staff Report

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In a mission to better the University and core components, Murray State officials comprised a committee to oversee “Achievement, Endeavor and Hope: The Murray State Plan,” commonly referred to as the Strategic Initiatives Plan.

The plan is under development as four individual committees work to gather objectives and success measures.

The plan’s development will span over the course of this academic year and will be implemented from 2015-2022.

The committees were comprised to focus solely on individual aspects of the University and its overall success.

Those committees are academic excellence, student success, scholarship,

research and creative thought and community engagement.

Through town hall meetings, conversation and input from the Murray State community, each committee will report to the executive committee, which will then report to President Bob Davies.

From there, Davies will present the plan to the Board of Regents.

The final Strategic Initiatives Plan will be presented to the board by June 5, 2015, and will be shown to students, faculty and staff at the beginning of the 2015-16 academic school year.

Further details on the Strategic Initiatives Plan can be found at http://www. murraystate.edu and the Murray State community is encouraged to attend town hall meetings.

Alex Hilkey/The News

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October 24, 2014

Section B

The News

Sports

Sports Editor: Mallory Tucker Assistant Sports Editor: Kelsey Randolph Phone: 809-4481 Twitter: MSUSportsNews ­­

Racers fumble at Austin Peay

Mallory Tucker || Sports Editor

mtucker11@murraystate.edu

It was a slippery slope for the Racers as fumbles and penalties dominated their loss against Austin Peay State Saturday at the new Governors Stadium.

This win was the first in 18 games for the Governors and Austin Peay’s first win under second-year Head Coach Kirby Cannon.

The fumbles began as a pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback K.D. Humphries to sophomore receiver Jesse Blackburn was apparently fumbled and recovered by the Governors to the endzone, but was ruled on the field to be an incomplete pass.

On the next play, a handoff to sophomore runningback Marcus Holliday slipped out of his hands, but was ruled down before the fumble. On the next snap, Humphries fumbled the ball but recovered it for a slight loss. This series of botched plays forced the Racers to punt on their opening drive for the second time this season, the first being in the Louisville game.

“We had a terrible week of practice, and it just snowballed from there,” said Head Coach Chris Hatcher. “I still thought we’d be good enough to come out and win the game. Defensively, we played well enough. We did give up a couple big plays. We had some untimely penalties – especially right there at the end where we had the personal foul out of bounds, which was just an unnecessary penalty on our team. But at the end of the day, you do that and you turn it over five times, you’re not going to win the ball game.”

The Racers were able to come out with the initial lead with a 36-yard field goal by junior kicker Carson Greifenkamp. Hatcher attributed one of the few positives from the game to his special teams. Kicking, kick coverage and punts were all handled well in the game, according to Hatcher, despite redshirt freshman wide receiver Zach Shipley stepping in to punt for injured starting punter Zach Bogard.

The Governors were the victims of slick hands in

Jenny Rohl/The News

Sophomore runningback Marcus Holliday drops a ball as Austin Peay State players pressure him at Governors Stadium Saturday. the second quarter as they fumbled but were able to recover. A pass from quarterback Mickey Macius intended for freshman wide receiver Jared Beard was dropped out of Beard’s hands. The Governors attempted to fake a punt for a first down with 3:30 left in the first half, but the Racers stopped them and took over at their own 46-yard line.

An incomplete pass intended for junior receiver

Janawski Davis kicked off another series of unfortunate plays for the Racers. On the next pass, Austin Peay’s sophomore cornerback Roderick Owens intercepted and returned the ball 39 yards to the Murray State 30-yard line.

“Every time we’d move the ball, we would turn it

see FUMBLE, 2B

Volleyball ranked No. 1 Kelsey Randolph

Assistant Sports Editor krandolph3@murraystate.edu

Jenny Rohl/The News

Sophomore libero Ellie Lorenz sets a ball at practice Tuesday at Racer Arena.

After two wins last weekend, the Racer volleyball team is now 7-1 in the OVC and solo atop the conference standings.

Coming back from their 2013 season finish of 6-10 in the conference and a 2012 season of 4-12, the Racers have turned their fortune around.

“I think the team has all around just grown up,” said Head Coach David Schwepker. “We had a lot of young team members last year, and it’s hard to play at this level that young. The girls have grown together and learned how to work off each other. Hopefully they continue to grow and take every chance to learn a lesson.”

Including today’s match against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the Racers have eight regular season games left before the OVC Tournament.

“We’re halfway and it’s tough to determine how we will do,” Schwepker said.

“I don’t know what the magic number is to get us into the tournament, but I do

know we are working hard and it’s great to see us doing so well.”

The Racers passed a key test Friday with a three-set win over Belmont (6-2) in Nashville, Tenn. The Racers started with a back and forth battle in the first set before putting it away, 25-22. The women finished off the other two sets with scores of 25-21 and 25-19.

“We could have played better,” Schwepker said. “What I did like is that they kept playing and did not let the mistakes get to them. The team went hard and finished on top, which is what matters.”

The next day the Racers held a consistent score on all three sets against Tennessee State (2-6). They came out ahead of the Tigers 25-17 in the first set, 25-16 in the second and 25-17 in the third.

“We started all the sets pretty back and forth,” said Kristen Besselsen, redshirt sophomore from St. Louis. “Once we hit the 10-point mark we just kept going up. They made a lot of errors and we didn’t.”

Schwepker said Tennessee State

see RANKED, 2B

Soccer gains spot in OVC tourney, fights for first seed Peter Northcutt || Staff writer pnorthcutt@murraystate.edu

This season, road games have been unkind to the Murray State soccer team as it managed only one win away from Cutchin Field prior to its showdown with Eastern Illinois Oct. 17.

The Racers finally overcame their road losing streak, however, as they earned a crucial 1-0 victory over the Panthers, firmly securing their spot in the OVC Tournament.

Freshman goalkeeper Shelby Haworth was thrown into a starting role and felt the pressure of the road in her first season as a Racer. Haworth said her lack of college experience was overcome with help from the upperclassmen.

“I have to say that I think my teammates definitely carry me through it,” Haworth said. “Going on the road is always tough – playing on somebody else’s field and in somebody else’s stadium. But I feel like we’ve done well with it lately. We’ve definitely responded well to adversity after losing to SEMO and SIUE, but I think the girls are always really positive and are always just looking to fight. And that’s

WHAT’S

INSIDE

Jenny Rohl/The News

Senior defender Bronagh Kerins dribbles against Eastern Kentucky Oct. 12 at Cutchin Field as her teammates watch. always good going into road games.”

According to Haworth, the road success the Racers found against Eastern Illinois is better late than never.

“I think it’s always been a long time coming,” Haworth said. “Coach al-

ways kept saying that we just had to stick with it and turn the corner and we would start winning. I think we’ve done that, especially recently in OVC play. It’s a huge deal for us to get that win and be tied for first because we

really want to play in the OVC Tournament here.”

The Panthers didn’t just hand the game over, however. Fighting for its spot in the OVC Tournament, Eastern Illinois kept up with the Racers down to the last minutes of the match.

Despite a 13-4 advantage in shots on goal in the opening period by the Racers, the game remained tied 0-0 heading into halftime. The Racers continued to apply pressure in the second half, but were denied the go-ahead goal until late in the game. The Panther’s luck ran out in the 84th minute when they were penalized for a handball, resulting in a direct kick. Senior forward Pavlina Nepokojova took advantage of the opportunity and scored the game-winning goal for the Racers.

“I thought it was one of the best performances we’ve had,” said Head Coach Jeremy Groves. “We came out in the first half ready to score, and we created a bunch of chances. We did what we wanted to do, you know, we just didn’t score. I thought we defended well. Shelby (Haworth) didn’t really have a lot to do. Then the in the

see CLINCHES, 2B

Red’s Report

Women in sports: The growing cadre The world of women sports reporters hasn’t historically been large.

The Status of Women Kelsey Randolph in the U.S. Media 2014 Assistant reported Sports Editor that while the number of female sports columnists has slipped from 9.9 percent to 9.7 percent, the number of female sports editors increased to 9.6 from 6.3 percent the previous year.

Basically, I’m telling you it may not be growing fast, but the world of women in sports media is growing.

I recently became Assistant Sports Editor. For me, this is an accomplishment to be proud of because I went from never thinking I would write for sports to absolutely loving the field.

I was telling a male friend about my new position and his response was “women know how to talk sports?”

Yes. It’s the 21st century.

Women know just as much about sports as men. In my family there are women who are more religious about their sports than the men.

My dad would have never become a Major League Baseball fan if it wasn’t for my stepmom.

I’m pretty sure there was a conversation of “we won’t work if you don’t follow MLB.” I wasn’t sure I would like sports but the biggest reason I have enjoyed it so much is that I know there will always be a story no matter what, because stats don’t lie. Someone always wins, and someone always loses.

So why is there so much negative feedback on women reporters?

Kate Fagan, a writer for the female-focused sports news site ESPNw and ESPN, and one of my personal favorite writers to follow, did a special piece for the Huffington Post about the struggle for women in the sports writing field.

“A lot of time we say diversity is about political correctness, but the bottom line is it’s actually just really good business to have diverse voices across your platform who are going to look at stories in a different way,” Fagan said.

Diversity doesn’t have to mean just women either.

One of my best friends growing up, Annie Moore – who previously worked for WLKY-TV, Cn2 and The News Record and works for AOL, The Voice-Tribune and Grandstand University—has been all over following golf, basketball, baseball, football and more.

When I began writing for sports I went to her looking for some help and she told me, “I started out not knowing what I wanted to do or even if I was going to be good enough for the job but I stuck with it and look where I am at. Nobody can take that away from me.”

Kudos to you, Annie, and hats off to Fagan as well.

To my friend who obviously has no idea what sports writing is all about, I am sorry you are unaware of the growing cadre of female sports reporters.

Though it may not be growing fast enough, the number of women sports reporters is growing. I see more women on TV, on the sidelines and in the press boxes than I ever have.

Maybe if you truly watched sports and followed it as closely as you say you do, you would realize there are more women on the sidelines than ever and if you paid attention to the press box you might see some of the fabulous women that represent the field. krandolph3@murraystate.edu

FLAG FOOTBALL

INTRASQUAD

CRAZY IN LOVE

FLU SHOTS

Intramural leagues kick off new season, 3B

Baseball and softball play team scrimmages, 4B

Exhibit to educate students on domestic violence, 5B

Heath Services to offer students free vaccines, 5B

Sports

2B

CLINCHES

From Page 1B

second half we came out and they were a little bit better. We just kept plugging away and eventually we got our reward.”

At this point of the season, every game can significantly affect OVC standings.

With teams fighting for their postseason futures, the Racers are facing desperate opponents game after game.

“Last weekend Eastern Illinois was still alive and still had a chance to make the tournament, so it’s like we’re catching Groves every team on their biggest weekends,” Groves said. “This weekend we have Austin Peay and it’s a big weekend for them.”

The Racers continue their road stretch today as they travel to Austin Peay State to position themselves to win the OVC regular season title. The first place leader in the OVC has the privilege of hosting the OVC Tournament.

“I think a lot of things are going to be decided this weekend in terms of who’s going to win and who’s in position for second,” Groves said. “You know, right now SIUE is on six wins and one loss, and then underneath that there’s three of us at 5-2. So it’s going to be a big weekend.

Jacksonville State plays SEMO and SIUE, so it’s kind of the top three or four teams playing each other.”

Despite the close standings at the top of the OVC, Haworth knows that the Racers are capable of coming out on top.

“We definitely want to win the OVC Tournament and I don’t have a doubt in my mind that we can and we will,” Haworth said. “I haven’t really started looking further into the future than that but I think those are our biggest goals right now. We want to play the tournament here and then win it all.”

RANKED From Page 1B wasn’t at full strength, with some players out on injuries. Schwepker noted that the Tigers could be dangerous once they’re healthy again.

After the team faces SIUE today in Racer Arena at 7 p.m., it will face Eastern

The News

October 24, 2014

FUMBLE From Page 1B over,” Hatcher said.

Carrying momentum off the interception, Macius connected with Beard for a 30-yard touchdown and Austin Peay took its first lead in a football game since its 2013 game against Southeast Missouri State.

The Racers came back to action quickly as Humphries made two consecutive successful handoffs to Holliday for a large gain before Holliday fumbled on the third. The Governors recovered the ball at their own 23-yard line.

Murray State wasted no time in working its way back to a lead in the second half. Junior runningback Pokey Harris carried 24 yards for a touchdown just three minutes into the third quarter and the Racers took the lead 10-7.

Austin Peay’s Macius and Beard changed the game once again in the third quarter when they connected for a touchdown. Freshman kicker Dakota Vincil missed the extra point, and the lead stayed 13-10 with 6:01 left to play in the third.

During the Racers’ next series, Humphries scrambled from the 10-yard line before sending a pass into the endzone, only to be intercepted by Owens once again. Owens fumbled out of bounds, but Austin Peay received the touchback and took over from the 20-yard line.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called on both sides, offsetting for an Austin Peay fourth down. Austin Peay was forced to punt and Davis fumbled on the return, which was recovered by Owens at the Murray State 20-yard line.

Macius connected with Beard the third time of the night for a touchdown and the Governors took

Former Racer football player dies in car accident

Jenny Rohl/The News

Sophomore receiver Jesse Blackburn evades a Governor defender. the lead 20-10 with 26 seconds left in the third quarter.

A fumble finally fell into the Racers’ hands with barely seven minutes left to play in the game. Austin Peay’s freshman runningback Otis Gerron was forced to fumble by Murray State’s Travis Taylor and Demetrius Mason recovered it at the Austin Peay 31-yard line.

The Racers worked their way into position for a field goal and Greifenkamp added three points to

Staff Report Former Racer football defensive end Adrian Dinkins was killed in a car accident late Tuesday evening in Ridgeland, Miss.

Before Murray State, Dinkins played two seasons at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before signing for the 2012 season at Murray State. After one year, Dinkins went back to Mississippi to play for Delta State University.

Illinois Saturday at 11 a.m., also at home.

“The greatest thing we could have are our fans,” Schwepker said. “We used to do bad at home because they weren’t sure how to play together. Now they are confident and it pays off to see their friends and family in the bleachers. We love to have everyone get loud and crazy; it motivates the team.”

The Racers have played the weekend’s upcoming opponents on the road, winning in four sets against each.

Operation 1,024

the board from the 28-yard line. The Governors held onto a 7-point lead with 4:59 left to play.

After a forced punt by the Governors, the Racers took over from their own 44-yard line. They worked their way downfield before a fumble struck yet again. Humphries completed a pass to Harness to the Austin Peay 26-yard line before Austin Peay’s Montez Carlton forced the fumble and the Governors recovered. Austin Peay began its drive with just 3:01 left in the game.

“As bad as we played, three minutes to go in the game, we’re moving the ball, we’ve got a chance to win, we get a big first down and we turn it over for the fifth time of the day,” Hatcher said. “At the end of the day, you can’t go out there, you can’t catch it, you can’t throw it, you can’t hang onto the ball for them.”

The Austin Peay student section rushed the field as the clock wound down. The final score of Austin Peay’s first win in two seasons was 20-13.

“I just keep going back to it,” Hatcher said. “I mean, you’ve got a personal foul here, you get a personal foul down there where you’re going to force them to kick a field goal, and you turn it over five times, I mean, when you’re calling defense and you’re calling offense, you can’t call anything else if you’re not going to hang onto the ball. And that’s what’s disappointing.”

Hatcher believes it is up to his team to regroup before its next game against Kentucky Wesleyan College.

“We’re going to go out there, we’re going to prepare hard as coaches, we’re going to put us in the best chance to win,” Hatcher said. “We’ve got to find just a way to get back up, and it’s kind of up to them. We’ve still got five more games left. We can make a little hay here in the last part of the deal, but we missed an opportunity here.”

The Racers kick off against the Panthers Saturday at 3 p.m. at Roy Stewart Stadium.

“Playing with him on the field, it was always fun,” said Murray State senior and former Racer football player Jeremy Bracket. “Even when things were looking bad, he was still going to try to make a play to help turn the game around. He was always joking, and that’s what everybody remembered.

Everybody just liked him.”

As a senior on the defensive line at Delta State, Dinkins played in 10 games and started in seven. At Murray State,

Racer Athletics will host a promotional event at today’s home volleyball match against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at 7 p.m.

The goal is to fill Racer Arena with 1,024 students, playing off the date of the game.

he played in 10 games at defensive tackle as well.

“He just had that laugh that when you heard it, you knew it was him,” Brackett said. “It’s sad that I’m never going to hear it again. That’s the part that hurts the most. It’s crazy.”

Investigators say Dinkins was driving his Chevy Trailblazer when it rolled over and he was ejected from the car. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

The seats will be covered with free gold T-shirts, pizza vouchers will be handed out on campus and there will be free coffee at the game. The current record attendance of Racer Arena is 823 fans on Nov. 7, 2006, in a game against UT Martin.

Tracy D. McKinney, CIC Steven S. Dabbs, CIC Curtis J. Bucy, Agent

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Sports

October 24, 2014

3B

Cross-country stumbles Intramural football begins at the Bradley Classic Mallory Tucker || Sports Editor mtucker11@murraystate.edu

Richmond A and the Pylon Pythons kicked

Heath Ringstaff || Staff writer hringstaff@murraystate.edu

The men and women’s cross-country teams started out falling at the Bradley Classic in Peoria, Ill., Oct. 17 with the men finishing 22nd out of 26 teams and the women finishing 20th out of 30 teams.

The University of Illinois won the women’s race with all five of its the top runners placing 31st or better on the six-kilometer course.

The Racers’ best runner, freshman Meagan Smith, finished 68th with a time of 22 minutes 32 seconds on the six-kilometer course. Sophomore Emma Gilmore and freshman Caroline Grogan also cracked the top 100, placing 76th and 79th, respectively.

Head Coach Jenny Severns said the Racers

Place

had an off day at the Bradley Classic.

“We haven’t really had an off meet so far this season, so it was probably best to just get it out of the way now,” Severns said.

The men’s team was paced by Cole Cisneros, who finished 122nd with a time of 26:39 in the eight-kilometer race. Lucas Prather, Gavin Galanes, Mark Ventura and Evan Staviski rounded out the Racers’ top five finishers.

“It just happens,” Severns said. “Sometimes everybody has been training really hard, and it just happens.”

The Racers will run next at the OVC Cross Country Championship, hosted by Jacksonville State Nov. 1 in Jacksonville, Ala. “I believe that they are ready, and I think they are definitely ready to prove that we are better than what we showed last week,” Severns said.

MEN

122nd

Cole Cisneros (Jr)

Runner

Time

125th

Lucas Prather (Jr)

26:42

135th

Gavin Galanes (Fr)

26:58

143rd

Mark Ventura (Fr)

27:07

152nd

Evan Staviski (So)

23:25

Place

WOMEN

off the flag football season with a grueling scrimmage on Monday. The Pylon Pythons came out on top by just two points with a final score of 27-25.

Veteran flag-footballer and James H. Richmond Residential College Athletic Director Shawn Jones, junior from Benton, Ky., said the Pylon Pythons would be some of the biggest competition.

“It was a tough game,” Jones said. “It was the first game for us; we’ve got a lot of new faces.

We don’t have the team that they do. They’ve been around a lot longer than we have. But it was still pretty fun.”

The stress of preparation for the season falls heavy on Jones’ shoulders, because he organized two teams for Richmond and all of their practices. Despite the stress that accompanies his job, Jones enjoys getting involved as much as possible.

“I like the side sports,” Jones said. “I get to do all the sports that I didn’t play in high school – or I keep going off of those sports. I try to get into every single game I can.”

Richmond A and Pylon Pythons both know what it’s like to be champions, as Richmond took home first place in the residential college division last year and the Pythons placed first in the independent division.

“We’ve been first place the past two years,” Jones said. “So having this loss – especially to some of our seniors – it kind of makes them a little frustrated. Being on top, we want to stay on top.”

Pylon Pythons’ coach, senior Blake Hodges from Princeton, Ky., was excited to start the season with a win against a strong team.

“Flag football is just a lot of fun,” Hodges said.

“We get a lot of guys out here, and it’s more just fun to be around everybody.”

Hodges enjoys both the competition and relationships that form during the season.

The flag football season officially began Monday and runs until Nov. 24.

26:39

68th

Meagan Smith (Fr)

Runner

Time

76th

Emma Gilmore (So)

22:40

79th

Caroline Grogan (Fr)

22:42

149th

Ali Hester (So)

23:21

Keon Flintroy, senior from Louisville, Ky., plays for James H. Richmond Residential College in a game Monday.

153rd

Leah Krause (Jr)

23:25

Women’s golf finishes ninth

22:32

Tennis goes to round 16 in regionals Staff Report Murray State sophomore Eleonora Tchakarova made it to round 16 in last weekend’s Division I OVC regionals in Knoxville, Tenn.

Tchakarova was the only Racer to advance that far in the tournament, eventually falling to Courtney Colton of Vanderbilt, the No. 2 seed and eventual regional runner-up. Tchakarova clawed back from being down a set in her round 32 match against Alyssa Hibberd of Memphis Sunday morning, winning 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Senior Andrea Eskauriatza was the only other Racer to reach round 32 Sunday. She kept up with the eventual regional champion, Sydney

Campbell of Vanderbilt in their first set, falling 6-5, then lost the second set 6-2.

Two other Racers, senior Megan Blue, and Verginie Tchakarova – Eleonora Tchakarova’s twin sister – lost their first-round matches.

In the men’s regionals hosted by Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., senior Max Mclean and freshman Will True lost their matches in round 128. McLean lost to Luke Saunders of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 6-1, 6-1.

True also fell to Jeremy Schneider of Xavier 7-5, 7-6.

The women take on Jacksonville State Oct. 31 at Kenlake State Park, while the men’s team hosts the Murray State Invitational Oct. 31.

Kalli Bubb/The News

Heath Ringstaff || Staff Writer hringstaff@murraystate.edu

The Murray State women’s golf team struggled in the three-day Old Waverly Bulldog Invitational in Starkville, Miss.

The Racers started out the first round in 11th place, but improved in the final round with a ninth place finish overall.

The Racers finished ahead of South Alabama with carded scores of 309-301-306 and an overall score of 916.

Junior Abbi Stamper led the Racers in 20th place individually, with two birdies in the final round. Sophomore Sydney Trimble had an eagle in the final 18 holes of the invitational.

“One of the exciting moments was that junior

Abbi Stamper had a really good final round with two birdies,” said Head Coach Milkman.

“Another exciting moment was when Sydney Trimble got an eagle on her final 18 holes.”

Mississippi State won the invitational, finishing with a score of 858. University of South Florida took second with a score of 882 and following in third place was University of Houston with a score of 885. This three-day event marked the end of the fall season for the Racers.

“At the end of tonight’s tournament I told them that a winner is made in the off season,” Milkman said.

The women return to play in 2015 at the Bobby Nichols Invitational in Sevierville, Tenn., March 16-17.

The News

Sports

4B

October 24, 2014

Softball ends fall season with scrimmage Peter Northcutt || Staff writer pnorthcutt@murraystate.edu

The fall season came to a close Oct. 17 as Murray State softball finished its schedule with an intrasquad scrimmage. The Racers were initially scheduled to face Shawnee Community College in the final match of the year, but due to unfortunate circumstances Shawnee had to cancel last minute.

“The coach of the other team had a former player pass away, unfortunately,” said Head Coach Kara Amundson. “That obviously takes priority over softball. We tried to find somebody to play, but it was less than 24 hours to get somebody here, so we just made the call to do an intrasquad scrimmage.”

Despite the cancelled game, fans were still encouraged to attend the scrimmage. They were treated to two six-inning scrimmages in its last glance at this year’s team before the spring season.

“The competition we had out there with two pretty solid teams within our own team really was a good way to end the fall,” Amundson said. “It was competitive and everybody worked really hard. They did a good job of making it as much of a game as against somebody else as we possibly could.”

With a fully loaded roster this year, the Racers’ scrimmage proved to be more than just a filler for the cancelled game. Only nine starting spots are offered to the 23 rostered players, so every practice or scrimmage is an opportunity to secure playing time in the spring.

“It’s just a competitive thing,” Amundson said. “We have a ton of depth on this team right now so every time we go out to practice they’re trying to prove themselves and fight for a starting position. I think they are excited about the kind of talent we have moving forward; and the practices are fun when they are that competitive.”

The full roster translated to success on the field this fall as the Racers finished the season at 5-1.

The Racers started the season with two

wins over Lake Land College, followed by wins the next weekend over John A. Logan and nonconference rival Southern IllinoisCarbondale. The Racers ended their season with a doubleheader against Truman State, resulting in both a win and the lone loss of the season.

The Racers were led individually by senior infielder Alexa Becker who posted a .667 batting average.

She was followed by sophomore outfielder Mallory Young, junior outfielder Brianne Sanders and sophomore infielder Kaylyn Zierke, who each posted a .500 average.

The pitching staff was led by sophomore, Mason Robinson with a 0.64 earned run average while junior J.J. Francis followed with a 0.70 ERA. Looking back at the fall season, Amundson raved about her team’s performance, especially from the mound.

“I was really proud of our pitching staff and how they competed throughout and made adjustments, specifically throughout the fall,” Amundson said. “I think they have made it really hard moving forward to put them in a tiered position, if you will. Any one of them came out to pitch any day of the week which is great for us to be able to have four pitchers on staff who can come out and do the job. We had multiple kids playing multiple positions – some that they had never played before, and we took those challenges head on.”

Amundson said that she was pleased with her team from an offensive standpoint as well.

“I thought we did a pretty good job offensively for the most part – which you don’t always see in the fall. The next six weeks for us is trying to really break down the swing and make sure everyone’s in a good spot moving forward in to the spring,” Amundson said.

The Racers now enter the offseason with an eye on the upcoming season.

Its spring campaign will officially begin Feb. 6 as the Racers compete in the eighth Annual Red & Black Showcase hosted by the University of Georgia.

Jenny Rohl/The News

The Racers celebrate the end of their 5-1 season at the Racer Field.

Jenny Rohl/The News

Jenny Rohl/The News

Infielder, senior Alexa Becker from Goreville, Ill., throwing a pitch at the intra-squad scrimmage Oct 17.

Sophomore, catcher Jocelynn Rodgers from Cypress, Calif., throws back to the pitcher during the intrasquad scrimmage.

Racer baseball competes in intrasquad scrimmage

Kalli Bubb/The News

GREAT HIT: Senior, Matt McGowan from Hopkinsville, Ky. shakes hands with red shirt-freshman catcher, Josh King from Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Men’s golf finishes sixth at Austin Peay Heath Ringstaff || Staff Writer hringstaff@murraystate.edu

Kalli Bubb/The News

PITCHER IS READY: Junior, pitcher, Cody Maerz from Louisville, Ky., pitches during the Intrasquad scrimmage.

Kalli Bubb/The News

PITCH IS OUT: Junior, pitcher Andrew Bramley from Louisville, Ky., pitches during the Intrasquad scrimmage.

The Murray State men’s golf team finished sixth out of 12 teams at the Austin Peay State Intercollegiate in Hopkinsville, Ky. Monday and Tuesday.

Junior Duncan McCormick led the men’s team, placing 14th with scores of 71-69-72 and an overall score of 212.

“Junior Duncan McCormick played in the lineup for the first time and had a really outstanding tournament,” said Head Coach Eddie Hunt. “McCormick had his best tournament since he has been at Murray State.”

The Racers finished ahead of Tennessee Tech, with an overall score of 871. Following Tennessee Tech was Eastern Illinois with an overall score of 873. The host, Austin Peay, won the event with a score of 842, just ahead of UT Martin’s 850.

Junior Brock Simmons played as an individ-

ual in the event and placed 57th. He shot rounds of 75-75-78 for an overall score of 228.

Hunt was disappointed in the results of the tournament at Austin Peay and said the Racers could have played better. He said the weather conditions on the course were some of the best the Racers have ever had at the Austin Peay tournament.

“We played OK, we just did not play as well as we should have, and we did improve a little bit on the last day,” Hunt said. “We could have played better.”

The Racers play in their final tournament of the fall season at the Old Corkscrew Intercollegiate at Florida Gulf Coast next Monday and Tuesday.

“It will be a really strong field with some teams we don’t normally play – some of the Florida teams,” Hunt said. “It will probably be one of the toughest field of teams that we will face this year. It should give us a good finish for the season and get ready for the spring season.”

Place

Golfer

Rounds

Overall

14

Duncan McCormick

71-69-72

212

15

Jordan Smith

71-70-73

214

32

Matthew Zakutney

75-74-71

220

49

Jared Gosser

74-77-73

224

58

Preston French

80-76-73

229

October 24, 2014

5B

The News

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

Crazy in Love to shed light on abusive relationships Madison Wepfer || Staff writer mwepfer@murraystate.edu

Every minute, 24 people become victims of rape, physical violence or stalking, according to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.

A large portion of those victims either attend or are employed by universities.

In regard to Domestic and Dating Violence Awareness Month the Women’s Center is hosting its annual interactive walk-through exhibit, Crazy in Love.

The exhibit is open from noon until 4 p.m. Monday, and from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday, the exhibit is open 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Curris Center ballroom.

“I think it gives students a tangible way to look at an issue that is not out in the open and doesn’t have a lot of light shed on it,” said Stephanie Smith, senior student worker at the Women’s Center. “It gives you a base to look at and think, do you see this in your relationship or someone you’re close to.”

Abigail French, director of the Women’s Center, said the exhibit includes five different rooms emulating the different stages of domestic violence in a relationship. The rooms have a bed, a desk and other common bedroom items. It also includes a video journal, narrating a young woman’s relationship with her partner.

“You get to see what she’s writing in her diary and how the focus of the couple shifts from being friends and being social to very demanding and very strict and structured,” French said. “It’s a very interactive-type thing. You see that relationship develop from what would seem like a normal relationship into a very unhealthy relationship. You get to see that cycle of violence.”

French said the purpose of the exhibit is to educate college students about how to spot early signs of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault in a relationship.

“They (students who walk through the exhibit) see things like this person being isolated from their friends. They see things like those ‘I’m sorry’ flowers and cancelled plans and different things that make participants aware of some of those warning signs,” French said.

It’s obvious to see a problem in a relationship when two people are arguing, but the subtle signs are more difficult to identify, French said. She said environmental and nonverbal clues are what students need to be aware of so potential dating and domestic violence can be prevented.

When in a circumstance with domestic or dat-

see LOVE, 6B

Features ­

S TACHE BASH Hannah Fowl/The News

Students pose for a photo in the Curris Center Rocking Chair Lounge at Tuesday’s Stache Bash. The photo was shared on social media to raise awareness for breast cancer.

Students share photos, raise awareness for breast cancer Tiffany Whitfill || Staff writer twhitfill@murraystate.edu

The Curris Center Rocking Chair Lounge was bursting with all things pink Tuesday.

Rubber bracelets, stress balls and fuzzy pink mustaches were dispersed to students willing to snap a photo of themselves sporting the trendy pink facial accessories.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. To raise support and awareness for breast cancer and research, the Murray State Women’s Center hosted Stache Bash.

More than 70 students and faculty members of different genders, ages and interests tried on pink mustaches and posed for a picture that was later shared on social media to raise awareness of breast cancer and show support for its survivors.

Following last fall’s Paint Me Pink event, the Women’s Center implemented a new strategy to spread the word about the event with those

who participated, as well as those who did not.

Kelly Herrenbruck, graduate assistant for the Women’s Center, said that the use of social media was the vital element of Stache Bash and its success.

“We are using social media as a key to raise awareness,” Herrenbruck said. “Everyone who came and wore a pink mustache was allowed to tweet their photos.”

Students’ pictures highlighted the event and were shared on Twitter as well as Facebook and Instagram using #stachebash.

Herrenbruck said that the Women’s Center wanted to implement new and different ways to show support for breast cancer research.

She said since mustaches are a pop culture icon and pink is the color of breast cancer awareness, the event would promote awareness through the photos.

Though Mary Jensen, senior from Mattoon, Ill., does not have a family member affected by breast cancer, Jensen said she had friends

and classmates with family members that have been diagnosed with it. Jensen said this event was a fun way to get students involved.

“It is breast cancer awareness month so it’s good to show support for the cause,” Jensen said. “It was good that they had information about being tested for breast cancer.”

Although breast cancer is not prevalent among college-age students, it is not rare. Students were able to obtain information from pamphlets and fliers including statistics on breast cancer as well as steps to take to better prevent and detect the disease.

Not only did students leave with more information about mammograms, self-examinations and early detection methods, they also left with powerful messages etched into rubber bracelets. The bracelets used words including strength, hope, faith and save second base, to further the event’s effect outside of the

see BASH, 6B

Health Services to offer free flu vaccinations to students Tiffany Whitfill || Staff writer twhitfill@murraystate.edu

Hannah Fowl/The News

SHAMROCK SHOOUTOUT: Teams prepare for a paintball match at Kappa Delta’s Shamrock Shootout at Wizard Land Paintball in Dexter, Ky., Saturday. All proceeds raised from the event went to Prevent Child Abuse America and Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky.

Leaves are changing colors, sporting events are in full swing, but what students catch this fall may not be a football.

Flu season is right around the corner, and college students have a high risk of catching the illness.

Health Services is pursuing ways to help students to fight the flu before it starts.

Vaccinations will be offered on campus Tuesday, Oct. 28 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Curris Center Dance Lounge as part of a flu shot clinic.

Judy Lyle, associate director of Health Services, is excited to administer the flu vaccinations for the third consecutive year.

“Our goal is to immunize as many students as possible,” Lyle said. “You never know how severe flu is going to be each year. We have had a documented case on campus and just a little bit of exposure can get it started.”

Lyle said it could be as easy as someone sneezing and the droplets contacting their desk to get someone sick. If the next person who sits at the desk rubs it and later rubs their nose or eyes, the flu may be spread.

Students are within close confines in the classroom and residential colleges. Therefore, the flu shot can benefit all students, whether living on or off campus, Lyle said.

Whitney Ballard, employee health nurse at Murray-Calloway Hospital, said stress and poor nutrition are factors most college students must overcome to fight the flu.

“If stress levels are high, your immune system levels will be low,” Ballard said. “We should all take precautions like washing your hands as often as possible, as well as any time before or after you

eat, blow your nose or come into contact with anyone else.”

It is also important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the flu in order to reduce the effects of the illness, Ballard said.

Common symptoms include a fever of 100 degrees or higher, coughing or sore throat, headaches, body aches, chills and fatigue.

With any immunization, complications may arise.

However, Lyle said that the most problems that students will have with the flu shot will be a sore arm.

“Immunization will decrease your chance of getting the flu,” Lyle said. “But if you do get (the flu), it will be less severe.”

Lyle said that if students catch the flu, they could expect to be sick for one week and feel fatigued the next week.

Some students may also be at a higher risk to catch the flu than others.

“Students that have issues with asthma or any underlying medical condition should definitely consider getting the flu shot,” Lyle said.

One factor students may see as an advantage is the cost of the flu shot at the clinic. Vaccinations given by Health Services or senior nursing students that work alongside nurse practitioners are free.

Receiving a flu shot from a pharmacy costs approximately $25, Lyle said. Flu shots given at doctor’s offices could include the price of the vaccine plus a co-pay.

Health Services has 200 vaccinations available for students wishing to receive a shot. Last year, 97 students took advantage of this opportunity.

The vaccinations will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Health services will continue to administer the vaccinations if there are any left over after Tuesday’s event.

The News

Features

6B

The week ahead...

SATURDAY

TODAY

SUNDAY

October 24, 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

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

7 p.m.

MSU College Rodeo, Expo Center

7 p.m.

MSU College Rodeo, Expo Center

2:30 p.m.

“Legally Blonde: The Musical,” Playhouse in the Park

Noon Crazy In Love- Dating Violence Exhibit (Title IX), Curris Center, large ballroom

8 a.m.

Student Flu Shot Clinic, Curris Center, Dance Lounge

9 a.m.

Crazy In Love- Dating Violence Exhibit (Title IX), Curris Center, large ballroom

8 p.m.

Alonzo Pennington Band, Wrather West Kentucky Museum

LOVE From Page 5B

BASH From Page 5B Curris Center.

The Women’s Center received donations from some students and faculty members who stopped by the event. These donations will be used for breast cancer research.

However, awareness and support were the two main goals of the event, which is part of the annual campaigns sponsored by the Women’s Center.

Because of the success with Paint Me Pink last year, the Women’s Center is considering re-installing the event next year. Last year, nail artists from local salons painted students’ nails pink for breast cancer awareness. Unexpectedly, several men as well as women, chose to paint their nails for the cause.

The Women’s Center considered the event successful because of the high interest and participation but has not made a definitive decision if the event will return next year.

If students would like to view photos from the Stache Bash, they can search social media using #stachebash.

information from breastcancer.org

ing violence, one should talk to the victim and make them aware of the facts of the situation.

Skylar Oakley, junior student worker at the Women’s Center, said talking should be the first step, but there’s only so much a friend or family member can do to help.

“You can confront them and talk to them but you can’t change anything,” Oakley said. “Another reason we do this event is so victims can start to think about, ‘has that happened to me?’”

Compared to other universities, French said Murray State is no better or worse than the majority of college campuses in the U.S. However, the problem is victims reporting these acts.

French said many victims

are afraid to come forward and tell someone about the issues they are facing with their partner because of the consequences that may ensue within the relationship.

Therefore, it is important for friends and families to be educated about the signs so they can recognize when a loved one may be in a violent relationship.

“Interpersonal violence is extremely under-reported,” French said. “Especially with dating and domestic violence, there could be some very severe consequences if that partner found out that you talked to a counselor or an advocate or the police, so there’s a lot of fear about reporting.”

Even if it isn’t being reported, that does not mean it is not happening, French said.

“If we can make you aware right here of these things that are unhealthy, then that can keep you from ever getting to the point where it’s extremely dangerous,” French said.

Graphic by Summer Bush

Festival of Champions ends, 40th anniversary plan begins Taylor Inman || Staff writer tinman@murraystate.edu

Jenny Rohl/The News

High school bands from across Kentucky compete in Festival of Champions Saturday.

This year marked the 39th annual Festival of Champions, a regional high school band competition hosted by Murray State’s Racer Band and music department.

Festival of Champions saw another successful year, with 15 high school marching bands traveling to Murray to compete against each other, once in a preliminary round and again in final competition.

Madisonville North Hopkins took home the grand champion traveling trophy at the end of the night. Its 2014 marching show “Musica Apasionado” earned a final score of 88 out of 100.

Daviess County was the reserve grand champion with its show “The Red Brick Road” and a score of 87.

Calloway County came in third with a score of 84.1, Marshall County in fourth place with a score of 81.45 and Murray High came in fifth with a score of 81.45.

While Festival of Champions may be a high school competition, Racer Band took over the home field and

pleased the audience with its renditions of “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, “Feelin’ Good” by Michael Buble and “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars.

In its second performance, Racer Band performed “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals, “Tom Sawyer”

by Rush and “Talk Dirty to Me” by Jason Derulo.

John Fannin, assistant director of Racer Band, said Racer Band always delivers in its performances, but Festival of Champions gives the group a chance to perform for a special kind of crowd.

“A marching band audience where everybody knows all the technical aspects of what goes into making that show come together gives Racer Band the rock star experience,” Fannin said.

“At Festival of Champions everyone in the band feels like a rock star.”

But it’s not all fun and games for Racer Band and the music department at Festival of Champions, he said.

The work that goes into making Festival of Champions the biggest competition in the region takes all 250 Racer Band members.

“The logistics of Festival of Cham-

pions are astronomical,” Fannin said.

“The student leaders start getting ready for it about a month before. We have to set up all the work stations, we have students parking cars, we have a shuttle service and student leadership helps with all of that. We have students showing bands to their warm up area, we have students running concessions, selling T-shirts and programs. Every single person in the band is involved.”

With the close of this year’s Festival of Champions, planning the 40th anniversary of the competition begins.

“We have to reserve the stadium, hire the judges, and make sure the CFSB Center doesn’t put on a concert the same day we have our competition,” Fannin said. “We have to prepare Racer Band for 2015, by getting the copyrights for the music and putting the whole show together. These are just all the preplanning things we have to take care of. It’s a yearlong process to get ready for it.”

Though there are no concrete plans for the next Festival of Champions, the brainstorming will begin next month.

Students, faculty celebrate Oktoberfest, German culture Madison Wepfer || Staff writer mwepfer@murraystate.edu

Faculty, community members, students and the International Cultures and Languages Association (ICALA) gathered Saturday to celebrate bratwurst, sauerkraut, polka and beer.

The fall harvest festival, commonly known as Oktoberfest, has been a worldwide event since the tradition began in 1810.

Murray State German professor Reika Ebert said many places host a version of Oktoberfest, which includes music, dance, food and beer.

Germans who attend the event often wear traditional outfits.

The women wear long skirts with an apron and white blouses with puffy sleeves and the men wear decorative lederhosen.

“The original event was inspired as a wedding in 1810 by the crowned prince of Bavaria, Ludwig I, and his wife, Therese,” Ebert said. “This (the Murray State Oktoberfest) has been a tradition from before I came here 15 years ago.”

The first Oktoberfest in Germany began during the marriage of Ludwig

I and his wife.

The couple invited the entire town of Munich and the people in surrounding towns to their wedding.

Prince Ludwig I decided to continue the event every year in the fall to celebrate his and his wife’s anniversary.

Ebert said every year the festival grew bigger and bigger and spread to different areas of the world.

The festival is common all over the world, but the largest Oktoberfest is in Munich.

The second largest Oktoberfest is in Cincinnati. For the Murray State Oktoberfest, Ebert and her colleagues planned an evening of games, dance and plenty of food.

The event began with a trivia game about the history of the festival and some facts about Germany.

Then, attendees performed a circle dance to authentic German polka music. Last, the attendees enjoyed a traditional German meal, complete with bratwurst and beer.

In order to host these events, Ebert said ICALA must raise money. The main fundraiser for ICALA and the modern language faculty is their booth at Tent City.

Hannah Fowl/The News

Reika Ebert, professor of German at Murray State, teaches students and faculty a traditional German dance at Oktoberfest.

The money raised helps ICALA fund scholarships for study abroad.

“We split the profit – the student organization gets half, and they distribute as they like at the end of the year for scholarships and so does the faculty,” Ebert said. “ICALA can dis-

tribute it for books, general expenses for study or they can take it for study abroad.”

The department of modern languages at Murray State includes five languages. Each of the five groups hosts one large event during the aca-

demic year.

Oktoberfest is just one festival, dedicated to German heritage, brats, sauerkraut and beer.

Many more events related to other languages such as Spanish, French and Japanese are yet to come.

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October 24, 2014

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Pop Culture Corner

Oscar de la Renta

Celebrity Encounters

Overheard conversations

Marchesa @MarchesaFashion Deeply saddened by the loss of Oscar de la Renta. The industry has lost a true artist and inspiration. He will be very missed.

11:07 a.m. 21 Oct 2014

Bill Clinton @billclinton Oscar de la Renta’s remarkable talent was matched only by his generous heart. I will always be grateful for his friendship & beautiful life.

11:34 a.m. 21 Oct 2014

Poppy Delevingne @DelevingnePoppy Rip Oscar de la Renta… you made us girls feel the prettiest we could EVER be…

9:37 a.m. 21 Oct 2014

Victoria’s Secret @VictoriasSecret “My job as a designer is to make a woman feel her very best.” – the legendary Oscar De La Renta. #RIP 7:53 a.m. 21 Oct 2014

ZELLWEGER SPEAKS ON TRANSFORMATION Actress Renee Zellweger became a trending topic on Twitter Tuesday after photos of her at a red carpet event caused a buzz.

The star’s appearance had fans claiming she was “unrecognizable.”

She credits the transformation on “living a different, happy, more fulfilling life.”

Photo courtesy of hdmovietrailers.eu

Brad Pitt stars in ‘Fury’ as a sergeant in the World War II battle movie. The film was released in theaters Oct. 17.

‘Fury’ outguns rivals, kills box office John Gruccio || Contributing writer jgruccio@murraystate.edu

‘KIMYE’ CELEBRATE HAWAIIAN BIRTHDAY Kanye West treated his wife, Kim Kardashian West, to a birthday trip to Hawaii this week.

The couple was spotted sharing breakfast in Maui.

The couple celebrated Kardashian West’s last birthday by getting engaged.

Soundbytee “Walk like you have three men walking behind you.”

-Oscar de la Renta

“Fury,” another long-awaited film, cashes in on being a real war movie.

Since “Saving Private Ryan,” there has not been another like it. With a killer cast and a score that would give a horror film a run for its money, “Fury” is a brilliant success.

“Fury” takes us back to the last leg World War II. A battle-hardened sergeant by the name of “Wardaddy” and the rest of his crew must take its Sherman tank on a deadly mission behind enemy lines in Nazi Germany.

Each man is tired and homesick, but they must continue their fight so they may see home once more.

As they become outnumbered, outgunned, they will face odds so far out of their depth that their attempts will render them heroes as they fight to the end.

The film stars Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Pena, Jon Bernthal and Jason Isaacs. “Fury” is written and directed by David Ayer.

When producing a movie of this magnitude, it is important to have one lead actor who can take charge of the screen.

This film was destined for greatness when Brad Pitt took on that role as Sgt. Don “Wardaddy” Collier.

Pitt commands and shows tough love as he leads this small group of talented actors. Pitt could be our generation’s Charlton Heston.

I don’t know if there is something in the water in Hollywood, but with other films this month such as “Gone Girl” and “The Judge,” we have seen so many bigname actors give such levels of complete vulnerability and Pitt does exactly the same. As a film lover, I find this refreshing.

Lerman shows what is likely the most dramatic change of the whole film. Starting out as a naive and innocent misplaced solider, he becomes a hardened and battle-ready tank gunner.

Seeing Pitt and Lerman together on screen is spooky because as you watch the two of them together you know deep down that Lerman could quite possibly be the next generation’s version of Pitt.

Lerman, who has already worked with Russell Crowe and Jim Carrey, is astonishing in this film.

We see this kid we all love struggle and then bear witness to the brutal schooling he must take to manhood.

Manning the rest of the tank is the trio of LaBeouf, Pena and Bernthal. LaBeouf is such a revelation and gives a performance so profound that all of his past transgressions as an actor are forgiven.

Pena provides comic relief especially since Bernthal is unrecognizable as a hardcore redneck with a heart of gold.

Ayer, who recently directed the gritty cop drama “Sabotage,” has another success on his hands.

Not only do you feel like you are in Nazi Germany, but the actions out of these five unlikely souls is brutal.

With an eerie score by Steven Price, we are able to see the demons these men have as they try to survive war.

Quick Facts Title: “Fury”

Rating: R

Cast:

Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Pena, John Bernthal and Jason Isaacs

Similar to: Birdman John Wick Nightcrawler

People hear reporters on television and in magazines talk about how celebrities are “just like us.”

But the idea that someone Breanna Sill whose entire life is docAssistant umented in Features Editor tabloids and drives around in a $200,000 Range Rover can be anything like you sounds absolutely insane.

But in reality, it’s the truth.

With the experiences I have had with celebrities in the past, I’ve learned they are just as normal as anyone.

They get excited about redecorating their homes or starting new businesses just as any non-famous person would.

I figured this out the first time I was able to seat-fill at the CMT Awards in 2011.

I was sitting next to Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band and he was mid-conversation with Kenny Chesney, who was in the row in front of us.

Chesney was almost falling out of his seat to hear about how excited Brown was to tell him about his new record label he was starting all on his own.

You could tell Chesney was just as happy and excited as Brown was for his new adventure.

Another time I saw this kind of normalcy and frienship among celebrities was at the CMT Awards this past June. Carrie Underwood was sitting to the left of her husband, Mike Fisher, and I was to the right of him.

During a commercial break, Blake Shelton walked over to talk to the couple and share some exciting news in his and his wife, Miranda Lambert’s, life.

Shelton told the Fishers about the pond he and Lambert had started building even though they, hadn’t gotten their pond permit approved by the city yet.

Shelton couldn’t get over the fact that they had to have a permit to dig their own pond.

“Where I come from, if you wanted a pond you just went out in the back yard and started diggin’,” Underwood said to Shelton, in the friendliest little way you could imagine.

Although all of us may not be blessed with a million dollar voice or Oscar-worthy acting chops, people are people.

We all have our similarities no matter how different we think our life is from someone like Carrie Underwood.

Odds are, you are more alike than you think. bsill@murraystate.edu

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“1989” by Taylor Swift

Rent It

“Behaving Badly”

Play It

“NBA Live 15”

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