The Murray State News

The Murray State News November 21, 2014

TheNews.org

Vol. 89, No. 14

International Justice Mission to help stop human trafficking

Charging for

CHANGE Murray Environmental Student Society proposes $5 increase to tuition for green initiatives.

Mari-Alice Jasper

Assistant News Editor mjasper1@murraystate.edu

Ben Manhanke || Staff writer

bmanhanke@murraystate.edu

A new environmentally friendly change in policy may come to Murray State next year to provide funding for green energy and sustainability projects around campus.

However, it’s students who would pay the bill, not administration.

The Murray Environmental Student Society is proposing the implementation of a “Green Fee,” a small increase to Murray State students’ tuition to fund both green energy changes to the infrastructure of the University as well as for research into green energy projects.

Jessica Brown, president of MESS, said their proposed Green Fee would raise students’ tuition $5 per student with the possibility of raising the fee to $8 after two years.

This fee would raise approximately $50,000 annually in support of green initiatives for Murray State.

“We could focus on all the little projects that need to be done around campus,” Brown said. “But instead of fighting two years to get solar panels installed, we can fight two years to get a Green Fee project done that’s going to pay for those solar panels and other projects.”

In 2009, MESS first raised the issue of having a Green Fee at Murray State supported by the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition, a coalition of environmentally conscious student organizations across Kentucky.

The next year, the group polled and collected signatures from 1,000 students in support of the initiative.

MESS found 92 percent of those polled would be willing to raise tui-

Graphic by Alex Hilkey

tion $1 for a Green Fee and 85 percent would pay $5 or more.

Brown said the Green Fee project quickly lost momentum as those in leadership positions in MESS graduated.

She said the group will re-poll students and collect signatures to present to President Bob Davies and the Board of Regents next fall.

Abbey Goss, sophomore from Dover, Tenn., said she wouldn’t mind paying the fee and $5 is a lot lower than she would expect to have to pay.

“I know that a big problem that is going to come up in the future is running out of natural resources,” she said. “I don’t mind paying a little bit to help out with that. I’d probably pay as high as $20.”

Alex Jackonski, sophomore from Cadiz, Ky., said he’d be willing to pay as much as $100 per year in the form of a Green Fee. “When you’re paying $3,000 for tuition, $5 won’t make that big of a difference,” he said. “If the students are benefitting from it, part of their tuition should go towards it.”

Blake Parker, freshman from Lexington, Ky., said he also would be OK with having a Green Fee, but $5 should be enough to meet Murray State’s needs and the fee shouldn’t be raised any higher.

More than 100 universities across the U.S. have already implemented Green Fees for their students including the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville.

Brown said the club hopes to petition 25 percent of the student body for signatures in support of a Green Fee next semester and another 5 to 10 percent of students next fall, before presenting to the Board of Regents.

“It’s a goal that’s practical because if you look at a lot of the other universities who have done this, it didn’t take them much more than a year,” Brown said. “We’ve been trying to work on this since 2009, but we just haven’t been driven enough for long enough.

“2014 is the year we have regained momentum and 2015 will be the year the Green Fee will be passed.”

Human Rights LGBT revisions postponed after concerns raised Staff Report The city council chambers overflowed with citizens and Murray State students Nov. 13 when the Murray City Council convened to discuss revisions to the Human Rights Ordinance pertaining to the LGBT community.

The Human Rights Ordinance regulates civil liberties of residents in Murray.

It does not list sexual orientation or sexual identity for protection, like it does for race or gender.

“To say that’s all we are adding would be an over-simplification,” said Jody Cofer Randall, chair of the Human Rights Commission.

Under the proposed changes it would be unlawful, based upon race, color, religion, natural origin, sex, age (over 40), gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status or physical disability of any type, to discriminate in employment, public accommodations or housing

WHAT’S

INSIDE

practices.

More than 75 emails from concerned citizens were submitted to the Murray City Council in the 24 hours before the meeting regarding the revisions.

Although Cofer Randall planned to present the commission’s recommendations, he decided to put it on hold due to the overwhelming negative response.

Revisions have been in the works for three years, said Jane Shoemaker, city council member.

Shoemaker said there was some confusion about the ordinance the Human Rights Commission will work to clear up.

“There’s a lot of fear and misconception and we want to straighten this out,” she said.

The Human Rights Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 8 to review the community’s input. The commission encouraged the public to attend and offer their thoughts directly.

Four women covered in painted-on bruises and draped with “for sale” signs caught the attention of students in the Quad earlier this month.

With rope-bound hands, the women passed out fliers and spoke with about 25 onlookers who stopped to ask about the demonstration Nov. 6 and Nov. 7.

The point was to increase awareness of Murray State’s International Justice Mission campus chapter and the group’s fight against human trafficking.

Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud or coercion usually for the purpose of sexual exploitation, according to the Rescue and Restore Kentucky organization which identifies and advocates for victims of trafficking.

About 160 victims of human trafficking have been identified in Kentucky since 2008, and 94 were trafficked as children, according to Rescue and Restore Kentucky.

Chelsea Holzschuh, senior from Murray, said the promotion was a form of “guerrilla marketing,” which she learned in her Integrated Marketing Communications class this semester.

“Our professor, Katherine Smith, is involved with the International Justice Mission, so she centers around them for our class projects,” she said.

Last spring, Smith coauthored a research paper “Human Trafficking: A Global Multi-Billion Dollar Criminal Industry.”

The International Justice Mission is a global organization that aims to protect impoverished and vulnerable people from violence in a developing world.

Michael Dobbs, senior from Winchester, Ky., said the International Justice Mission’s Murray chapter tries to align its activities with other international events aimed at raising awareness for human trafficking.

Dobbs started the local In-

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN OUR LAST ISSUE OF THE SEMESTER, AVAILABLE DEC. 5 The Board of Regents meeting, which will decide on imporant issues such as the smoking ban and an increase in staff pay.

Kory Savage/The News

Jody Cofer Randall spoke to city council members Nov. 13 in support of the revisions.

Everything on the new Campus Evolution Villages complex, including where it is being built and when students can move in.

6TH CIRCUIT

OUR VIEW

6th Curcuit denies gay marriage in Kentucky, 6A

Human Rights Ordinance should Masked men bring hype to the include LGBT protections, 4A basketball games, 1B

FAN FICTION

ternational Justice Mission chapter after attending a conference on modern slavery.

“Most (people) are unaware, but there are an estimated 30 million slaves in the world today,” he said. “These range from manual laborers to sex slaves.”

‘AN EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE’

Jisu Lee, freshman from South Korea, said she was involved with the project through her class and wanted to be part of a group trying to make a difference. Lee was one of the role-playing victims.

“Pretending to be a victim of human trafficking was an eye-opening experience for me,” she said. “It was unfair that I was for sale at such a cheap price.”

Holzschuh said some students asked questions and took fliers from the actors.

“Some people were confused and shied away from us,” she said. “Others looked at us funny and kept walking.”

She said people seemed intimidated at first glance.

Lee said being forced to stand like a product on a shelf while people walked by was dehumanizing.

“I did a lot of research on human trafficking and realized even in the 21st century there are still a lot of people who are treated as slaves,” she said.

GETTING INVOLVED IN A SOLUTION

The International Justice Mission landed on the U.S. News and World Report’s list of 10 non-profits “making a difference” in 2010.

The organization’s team includes hundreds of lawyers, investigators, social workers, community activists and other professionals who work in nearly 20 communities, according to the group’s website.

Its goal is to combat sex trafficking and prevent people from falling into slavery.

Impoverished women and girls are especially susceptible to human trafficking because the desperation of their eco-

see TRAFFICKING, 2A

WHAT’S ON THENEWS.ORG VIDEO

Check out our coverage of speaker Kirk Bloodsworth, who was released from a death sentence after DNA testing at TheNews.org.

ONLINE EDITION

Want to access The News but save trees, too? Check out our online edition of the paper at TheNews.org.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Read President Bob Davies’ letter to Mayor Bill Wells on the revisions at TheNews.org.

BLACK FRIDAY Find the best deals on shopping’s biggest day, 5B

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The News

November 21, 2014

Anti-discrimination director speaks of post 9/11 Amanda Grau News Editor

agrau1@murraystate.edu

Fatina Abdrabboh’s mixed background, with a mother from Arkansas and a father from Jordan, opened her eyes to a clashing world.

As Abdrabboh, director of the American-Arab Anti-Descrimination, spoke in front of students Nov. 13, she described the misconceptions she has dealt with throughout her life, especially post 9/11.

“I do a lot of traveling and I kid about it,” she said. “ I joke about how people, when they see me on planes are clearly thinking oh I hope she doesn’t sit by me, please don’t sit my me.

But some are unusually inviting and chatty and curious and I’m thinking there’s no way you think I’m that interesting.”

Those reactions, she said, were to the big elephant in the room: muslims.

“The thing that’s most disheartening is when the person that I’m next to on a plane, or next to on a train or wherever...that you know no matter what you say or where the conversation goes they want to believe in the ugliness because it’s easier,” Abdrabboh said. “Hate and ugliness is sometimes easier than working through the process of understanding.”

She grew up in Dearborn, Mich., where the Arab community has created a niche for itself.

She described it as a warm place for Arabs; a town with Arabic signs, restaurants serving delicacies from the Middle-Eastern region and festivals celebrating their culture.

Abdrabboh remembered sitting in a college lecture hall as a sophomore at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor when she heard that the Twin Towers fell.

“The American in me was trying to figure out what the heck had happened and the Arab

and Muslim in me certainly had to decipher what was going on,” she said.

The actions of those who planned and executed the attacks defined the Arab and Muslim generation, Abdrabboh said.

Trying to figure out what it all meant was her drive to follow her undergraduate degree from Ann Arbor with a master’s and a law degree. She also attended Harvard University and University of Pennsylvania.

The events of 9/11 called up her generation to help define what it means to be a Muslim-American during a period of ‘civil liberties erosion.’

“Now what is liberties rights erosion?” she said. “That means the curtailment or the denying of rights to people who look like me. People of the Arab or Muslim persuasion.”

Arabs and Muslims have never achieved equal status in the U.S. even before 9/11, Abdrabboh said.

She said it’s not that they lost equality after the towers fell, but that equality was lowered more than before.

But that event was only a snapshot of a much bigger Arab and Muslim culture.

Abdrabboh gave an example to explain how 9/11 reflected upon her culture: Say for instance The News came in and took a photo of one person in the lecture waving their fist, and printed the photo with the headline “Student attends Muslim-Arab power rally.” Readers would get the wrong impression of what the lecture was actually about from that one photo.

Abdrabboh said it is her job to fight stereotypes and mischaracterizations such as that.

Actively seeking information and not limiting education to the classroom is the best way students can combat misconceptions on their own, Abdrabboh said.

Photo submitted by Ihsan Alkhatib

Abdrabboh stands with assistant professor Ihsan Alkhatib (left) and Jeremy Pruitt (right), president of the Pre-Law Student Association.

TRAFFICKING From Page 1

Photo submitted by Adrien Argentero

Mannequins dressed in tattered clothes were on display at the University Store promoting IJM.

nomic situation makes them more willing to take risks, according to the International Justice Mission website.

Worldwide, nearly two million children suffer in the commercial sex trade, according to the UNICEF report, “State of the World’s Children 2005.”

The Murray State University International Justice Mission Campus chapter is run by students with faculty advisers.

Dobbs said the group partners with justice agencies

We wish wish you you aa wonderful wonderful We Thanksgiving and and Christmas!

Christmas!

Thanksgiving

across the globe to investigate and hold slave owners accountable, and most importantly rescue and rehabilitate the victims.

The chapter will meet next in the Alexander Hall Auditorium.

Lee said students should get involved with the group and pay more attention to human trafficking.

“Girls and boys the same age as us are suffering from sex slavery, child labor and living in terrible conditions,” she said.

Photo submitted by Adrien Argentero

A mannequin dressed in chains and rugged clothes represents those trafficked.

The News

News

November 21, 2014

Ruling puts gay rights in flux

News Editor: Amanda Grau Assistant Editor: Mari-Alice Jasper Phone: 270-809-4468 Twitter: MurrayStateNews

POLICE BEAT Nov. 13 3:41 a.m. Officers received a report about a medical emergency at Hart Residential College. Student Affairs was notified.

3:52 p.m. A caller reported a suspicious person in the Quad and 15th Street area.

Officers were notified and a report was taken.

Nov. 14 8:00 a.m. A caller reported a motor vehicle accident on Megan Drive. No injuries from the accident were reported. The Murray Police Department was notified.

12:21 p.m. A theft of property of less than $500 was reported from Lee Clark Residential College. Officers were notified.

Nov. 15 9:05 a.m. The Murray Police Department reported a medical emergency at Hart.

Officers, Murray Ambulance Services and Student Affairs were notified. The patient was transported.

12:51 p.m. A caller reported a mechanical malfunction in a clothes dryer at Clark. The Heating and Cooling Plant and officers were notified.

Nov. 16 2:05 a.m. An officer conducted a check of a vehicle and persons at 14th and Olive streets. A citation was issued for posession of prescription drugs.

8:21 a.m. A caller reported an intoxicated person at Clark. Officers were notified and the person was arrested for alcohol intoxication in a public place.

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Nov. 17

2:00 a.m. A caller reported a threat of fire at Elizabeth Residential College. Offiers and the State fire marshal were notfied.

12:52 a.m. A called reported domestic violence at the Curris Center. The Murray Police Department and offiers were notified.

Nov. 18 1:16 p.m. A called reported possible debris in the Winslow Dining Hall parking lot. Officers were notified, but no debris was located.

10:12 p.m. A caller reported persons attempting to get on the roof of the Racer Arena. An officer conducted a check of the person and field interview cards were taken.

Nov. 19 7:56 p.m. A caller reported an oven fire at Hart. Officers, the Murray Fire Department, the fire marshal and the Heating and Cooling Plant were notified.

10:19 p.m. The Murray Police Department requested assistance from officers in locating a vehicle involved in a fight on Regents.

Call of Fame Nov. 14, 5:42 p.m. - A caller reported a possible theft of a vehicle at the Curris Center. Offices were notified and the car was later found.

No theft had occurred.

Motorists assists – 5 Racer escorts – 2 Arrests – 1 Mari-Alice Jasper, Assistant News Editor, compiles Police Beat with materials provided by Public Safety and Emergency Management. Not all calls are listed.

Police Beat is also available every week online at TheNews.org.

Supreme Court may hear case on gay marriage Ben Manhanke || Staff writer bmanhanke@murraystate.edu Following recent appeals made by Kentucky and three other states, the issue of whether it is constitutional to ban samesex marriage in the U.S. may finally be heard by the nation’s highest judicial power, the Supreme Court.

On Nov. 6, in a 2-1 vote, the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the right for Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky to deny same-sex marriage. Following this ruling, all four states affected have since sent appeals for their cases to be heard by the Supreme Court. Kentucky and Michigan joined Tennessee and Ohio in doing so Monday afternoon.

The Sixth Circuit Court’s ruling is the first to uphold states’ rights to ban gay marriage since the Supreme Court struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act last summer. This decision has been preceded by more than 30 similar cases where same-sex bans were found to be unconstitutional by courts in separate states.

Jody Cofer Randall, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender program coordinator, said the Sixth Court’s ruling may have been a strategic move by same-sex marriage proponents. “(Supreme Court Justice) Ginsberg said the quickest way to put marriage back before the court is to have a lower federal court rule in opposition to the landslide of what all these other courts are ruling,” Cofer Randall said. “If you want a bad ruling (on same-sex marriage), appeal it in the Sixth Circuit and that will get you the one opposing case you need.”

If the Supreme Court does hear any of the cases put before it, Cofer Randall said the effect of legalizing same-sex marriage nationally may not be in favor of the LGBT rights movement.

He said many small organizations have struggled in the wake of marriage being legalized in their state. As same-sex marriage has become the poster-issue for the movement, many organizations have seen a lack in financial and other support due to their state’s legalization.

“In states that are ‘post-marriage,’ LGBT groups are trying to figure out what does that mean for how we fundraise,” Cofer Randall said. “How do we meet our budget every year, how do we keep people engaged when everything they see in the media about the LGBT movement is something we are already finished with?”

Chris Hartman, director of the Fairness Campaign, a Kentucky-based LGBT rights advocacy organization, said he is

Hannah Fowl/The News

Jody Cofer Randall, LGBT program coordinator, said legalizing same-sex marriage may not favor the LGBT rights movement. not afraid of this happening to his organization which primarily deals with job, housing and public accommodation discrimination.

He said while the issue of same-sex marriage has taken central stage in the media and in the LGBT rights movement, it has broadened and deepened the national dialogue about people’s rights.

In a recent survey conducted by the Fairness Campaign, while 83 percent of respondents supported anti-discrimination laws in Kentucky, 50 percent also responded that they weren’t aware it was still legal in many parts of the state to fire a person for being homosexual.

Lisa Blanford, sophomore from Owensboro, Ky., said she was surprised to hear LGBT-identifying persons could still lose their jobs in Kentucky becuase of their sexual orientation.

“Workplaces are supposed to have non-discrimination policies, right?” she said. “And that’s discrimination.”

Katie Hayes, junior from Murray, said

she too was not aware this practice was still allowed in the Commonwealth.

“In this day and age I think we should be further on than we are,” Hayes said.

“We’ve gotten past racial discrimination for the most part and I know we’re still working on gender equality and all that, but not discriminating against others is such a natural thing that it shouldn’t be an issue any more.”

Hartman said while a win in the Supreme Court would be beneficial, there are many more issues that need addressing as well. “(The issue of same-sex marriage) has helped highlight the stark contrast in people’s rights,” Hartman said. “Marriage protections are great and will go a long way, but we’re talking about a totality of needs. We’re talking about a lot of folks just being able to put food on their table and who can’t get a job. We’re talking about filling basic needs for a large segment of our population so they are not treated as second-class citizens.”

Grissom awarded $500 toward psychology research Brittany Risko || Staff writer brisko@murraystate.edu

The office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity (URSA) awarded Layne Grissom, senior psychology major from Louisville, Ky., $500 for her project called “Hegemonic Masculinity.”

The program addresses the need of financial support during projects.

The award will provide up to $500 for supplies, literature searches, equipment, travel to field sites and other costs associated with approved projects, according to the Murray State website. The program allows undergraduates to build close working relationships with faculty and peers.

Grissom received $400 for her project that involves a creation of a new system of measure that determines if a man is metrosexual or hegemonically masculine.

Metrosexual is defined as an urban heterosexual male given to enhancing his personal appearance by grooming, beauty treatments and fashionable clothes, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Hegemonic masculinity, a popular concept in gender studies, proposes that men have dominant positions in society and women are subordinate according to sociologist R.W. Connell.

Grissom decided on the project because she

Jenny Rohl/The News

Layne Grissom, senior from Louisville, Ky., received $500 to create a new way to measure masculinity. was curious about why some males seem to be metrosexual and why others do not.

“At that time there was not an official scale so I couldn’t quite claim my results. So, to solve this problem I decided to go one step further and attempt to create a scale,” Grissom said.

Grissom received her approval to begin research on Sep. 18 and started her research about this topic on and off campus.

“I have run my first study on campus already showing good results on my validity and reliability with a sample size of 90 male participants,”

she said.

Each student who gets approved for the grant picks a faculty member they think could assist them in their studies.

Grissom’s faculty mentor is Jana Hackathorn, assistant professor in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

As a mentor, Hackathorn supports Grissom conducting research.

“I help the student ‘fine tune’ his/her ideas and make sure he/she is measuring, analyzing and interpreting things appropriately,” Hackathorn said.

Hackathorn decided to mentor Grissom’s project because she discovered an issue in the research literature.

“Currently, there is no way to actually measure the personality trait of metrosexuality,” Hackathorn said. “Some might not think that is a big deal, but what we find is that every time a relevant research project is conducted or a paper is published, a different definition is being used.”

Each student who receives a grant will automatically have the chance to present their topic at Posters at the Capitol and students have a chance to apply to present their topic at other conferences.

“I have currently applied and been accepted to present at Posters at the Capitol, and am waiting for a response on my application to South Eastern Psychological Association,” Grissom said.

Geier, Linzy named outstanding senior woman, man Amanda Grau || News Editor agrau1@murraystate.edu

Danielle Geier and Benjamin Linzy were named Outstanding Senior Woman and Man for December 2014 graduates.

Both students will graduate in December, and Geier is currently completing her student teaching in Belize.

Geier, who is majoring in secondary English education, has been a member of the National Council for Teachers of English since 2012, became the events coordinator of the NCTE last spring and is the vice president of Sigma Alpha Iota music

fraternity.

She has been the choreography director for Campus Lights and the choreographer for Murray Dance Company since 2012 and is a member of Drum Corps International.

“My goal for the future is to teach at the high school level,” in her application.

She would like to continue with her passion, dance in musical theater, teach it at the high school level and obtain her doctorate in medieval british literature.

Geier said she didn’t see the selection coming.

From a computer in Belize, she apologized for not having access to

Wi-Fi and explained her shock at winning.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to be selected,” she said. “I’m a hard working student, but didn’t see myself as ‘outstanding.’”

Linzy, who is majoring in criminal justice and history, didn’t have much time for celebration.

He found out he’d been selected while posting fliers for the Education Abroad office.

“I haven’t celebrated yet,” he said.

“There are plenty of miles to go and things to finish before graduation.”

After graduation Linzy said he’d let loose a little and open a bottle of wine with friends.

“I will admit I fist pumped though,” he said.

Linzy’s goal is to continue his education to a doctorate, then teach at the university level.

Already, he has earned awards for his undergraduate research and has been published in the American Leadership Journal in Student Research.

He has been on the Dean’s List for every semester of his college career and holds a 3.82 GPA. Linzy has given 15 presentations in six states, most of them regarding Muslim insurgency in the Middle East and fascist Italy. One was titled “Problem Solving Training: Zombie

Apocalypse.”

Linzy was awarded a Certificate in Terrorism Prevention for Law Enforcement Academic by the Institute for Preventive Strategies.

“I wasn’t nervous about whether I would get it or not,” Linzy said. “I knew that my application was strong and if someone had a better application, that they too deserved the award.”

Linzy said it was an honor to be recognized by the University for the hard work he had done throughout his time at Murray State.

“Taking my place with those who have gone before me was truly humbling,” Linzy said.

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November 21, 2014

The News

Opinion

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

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Our View

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Editor-in-Chief • 270-809-6877 mbradley9@murraystate.edu Amanda Grau News Editor • 270-809-4468 agrau1@murraystate.edu Carly Besser Opinion Editor • 270-809-5873 cbesser@murraystate.edu Breanna Sill Features Editor • 270-809-5871 bsill@murraystate.edu Mallory Tucker Sports Editor • 270-809-4481 mtucker11@murraystate.edu Kayla MacAllister Chief Copy Editor • 270-809-5876 kmacallister@murraystate.edu Elizabeth Leggett Online Editor • 270-809-5877 eleggett@murraystate.edu Allison Borthwick Advertising Sales Manager • 270-809-4478 msunewsads@gmail.com Sarah Beitel-Starks Advertising Production • 270-809-5874 sbeitel@murraystate.edu

Human Rights Ordinance should be revised The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board.

It is rare when issues within the City of Murray are watched closely by students at Murray State. We typically stay within the bubble of University politics and don’t venture too far into the affairs of the city council.

However, the debate to make revisions to the Human Rights Ordinance has both students and residents voicing concern.

The Murray City Council convened Nov. 13 to discuss the inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people to the ordinance. Under the proposed revisions it would be “unlawful, based upon race, color, religion, natural origin, sex, age (over 40), gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status or physical disability of any type, to discriminate in employment, public accommodations or housing practices.”

As it stands, sexual orientation and gender identity are not included in the ordinance. When the city council proposed a revi-

sion, more than 75 emails came in from concerned citizens about why including LGBT members in the ordinance would be harmful to the city. This speaks volumes about the negativity people still experience in “the friendliest small town in America.”

Regardless of how people feel against sexual orientation or gay marriage, to say that LGBT members should be discriminated against when trying to be functioning members of the city is hateful and counterproductive.

These are people that want to give back by living here and working here. To turn them away and stifle their opportunities not only hurts them, but hurts the community as well.

Murray earned the title of “the friendliest small town in America” and uses it to attract tourism and students. We value the idea that people will say “hello” to us on the street or chat with us even though we are strangers.

However, when we push away

Fumi Nakamura Photography Editor • 270-809-5878 fnakamura1@murraystate.edu Joe Hedges Adviser • 270-809-3937 jhedges@murraystate.edu

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the LGBT community by refusing to protect them, we are saying we are only friendly to certain groups of people.

When The News covered the last city council meeting regarding the possible revisions, city councilman Robert Billington said, “I don’t have a problem with homosexuals, but I don’t support it. I have to look at this from a long-term perspective.”

Barring people from job opportunities, housing and public facilities is an act of bigotry. These are the most basic of civil rights.

To prevent LGBT people from these opportunities perpetuates the idea that the city does have a problem with them.

The community at Murray State has made an attempt to separate itself from these homophobic sentiments. President Bob Davies wrote a letter to Mayor Bill Wells to express his support of the revision.

In the letter, Davies said, “Murray State prides itself on being

an inclusive community that supports and encourages freedoms of democracy being shared equally and wholly by all individuals regardless of the race, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or age. Futhermore, Murray State, in living up to our ideals of being a ‘Marketplace of Ideas’ encourages a community in which all members feel safe to express new ideas and thoughts without fear of retribution and intimidation.”

If the revision is not made to the Human Rights Ordinance, the best thing we can do as a Murray State community is be as inclusive, supportive and understanding as we have been.

Just because the city is struggling to understand basic human rights does not mean we have to share the same ideology. The Human Rights Ordinance has not been revised for 44 years. It should be changed to better fit the needs of all people in the city, regardless of their sexuality.

The Captain’s Log

Garrison: Why you should date in college

When I was in elementary school, the teachers always told us they were preparing us for middle school. In middle school, the teachers always stressed how important it was for us to be ready for high school, and spent large Zac Garrison amounts of our curriculum Senior from making sure we Franklin, Ky. would survive the land of lockers. When I got to high school, I thought the cycle was over. Honestly, I’m not sure we could have used the term “college readiness” more in four years, and if you did, you would have had to make one hell of an effort.

Our whole lives have been about preparing for the next step. We make sure that we have the necessary tools and survival skills for whatever path we cross next, with each step being a little more prevalent than the previous. We learn our rudimentary principles like sharing and communicating in kindergarten and work our way up to the big stuff like critical thinking and not sleeping in until 3 p.m. regardless of your 8 a.m. class. Some of us didn’t pick up on that as quickly as others.

So, where do we learn about dating? Statis-

tically, we will be in a relationship with someone for most of our life. When do we learn those skills? I would have killed for a class in high school that taught us how to read basic female emotion and body language, which to this day, I still regularly misinterpret.

The thing is, we are never taught how to date or much about relationships. The schools want us to stand three feet apart from the opposite sex at all times and ignore the hormones that make us want to do the exact opposite.

Regardless of what the schools tried to do, we all dated anyway. In every stage of life, dating is different. My girlfriend(s) in kindergarten were great. The majority of our relationship was spent with me hogging her juice and her outrunning me on the playground, so obviously they were all pretty short-lived.

Grade-school girlfriends were also pretty dope.

Lots of notes being passed and parent-monitored play dates. They usually ended with a note that said she held hands with Riley, and that she was his girlfriend now; to love and to lose.

It kind of upsets me that dating is so frowned upon in college. The media we see about college relationships is all about the “hookup culture.” So when we leave high school, we expect to get to college and start perpetuating the stereotypical college lifestyle.

I don’t need to define exactly what this term means. I’m sure you can use context clues to figure it out.We need to realize college is another preparation step for the real world, and in my opinion the most important

one. I think part of this preparation needs to include dating. I’m not telling you to go out and try and find the love of your life, because it’s not necessarily that easy.

I even think failed relationships are an important part about preparing yourself for the future of adulthood.

How can we expect ourselves to hold healthy and mature relationships in the future, when we have never really had a serious relationship? I write frequently about how college is a time to be selfish. At this stage in our lives, we have a lot of time to spend but mostly time to invest. For the rest of our lives, it will be a give and take relationship between work and sanity and we won’t have the same amount of expendable time to invest into a relationship like we do in college.

As much as healthy relationships help us learn to be with someone, failed relationships help us learn how to cope and how to appreciate the healthy relationships when we find them.

Over the course of my life, I have lost a lot great T-shirts to terrible girls but each one of those experiences helped me realize what a healthy relationship is supposed to look and feel like.

Prepare yourselves for the future. Treat college like a sandbox for your future life and realize that part of that life will probably include a relationship. Be selfish with your time, but also invest it in things that will help you grow as a person. Treat your healthy relationships like they are few and far between and your failed ones as lessons learned.

Life is hard, but it’s a lot easier with the right person by your side. Remember that.

The News

Opinion

November 21, 2014

5A

Letter to the Editor Poll Results

50

We asked students how they felt about Kim Kardashian’s latest attempt to “break the Internet.” Here are the results of 66 people.

45

Did she really say that?

Moms can be sexy, too

Like our polls?

In our latest poll, we asked you how you felt about Kim Kardashian’s photoshoot for Paper Magazine. To participate in future polls, visit TheNews.org.

40 35

51%

30

I think it was in poor taste.

36%

25

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 don’t know or don’t care.

20 15 10 5 Respondents

We still want to hear from you

13% I thought it was tasteful and artistic.

I’ve Got a Story for You

Five things you shouldn’t ask your professor

Last week an old friend sent me an online column she thought might be useful to students preparing to enter the job market: “Ten Things You Should Never Tell Your Boss.”

For college students, there is a similar list of “Things You Should Never Ask Your Professor.”

We can Robert Valentine assume that proSenior lecturer fessors try to be as objective as of advertising possible when it comes to grading but, let’s face it, some things are just hard to forget when the red pen comes out.

Probably the most frequently offered Thing You Shouldn’t Ask (TYSA) is the one you usually ask when the prof runs into you on campus after you missed her 8:30 a.m. class. You are obviously not dead, there are no apparent injuries, and seriously ill students are not usually seen laughing like a hyena and telling jokes to a pair of Alpha Omicron Pis. Wisely, you skip the excuse about a mysterious

and violent illness that rendered you unable to walk the two blocks to class. Unwisely, you say, “Oh, hi, Doc. Did we, uh, like, do anything in class today?”

You will not get credit for showing a vague sort of interest in the class. Instead, the prof will assume you believe that, for each of the past 16 weeks, she has wasted 150 minutes of your time.

Regardless of your opinion on the matter, she thinks she has been earning the Nobel Prize in undergraduate teaching. She will not appreciate the suggestion that “doing anything” is a remarkable change of plan.

“

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

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

Comics

Let’s face it. Some things are hard to forget when the red pen comes out.

-- Robert Valentine, senior lecturer of advertising

”

The best thing to do is to look at your watch and exclaim, “Hey! He’s late again. Has anybody seen my worthless twin brother, (insert your name here)?” Then wander off, continuing to shout your own name as if calling yourself on your new iPhone 6.

A second TYSA has to do with turning in assignments. Submitting assigned work is a good thing, and the prof will usually tell you how to do that, and when. There are exceptions of course, but generally that’s when and how he wants it.

When you failed to complete it on time and pull

Cheers to ... Thanksgiving break Some of us miss our families, some of us miss a homecooked meal that doesn’t come from the dining hall. We get it.

You want to go home and enjoy a few days off. Safe travels!

Jeers to ... Homophobia in Murray More than 75 “concerned citizens” wrote emails to the Murray City Council about why LGBT people should not have equal protection of their civil rights. It’s the 21st century. Wow.

ye olde “broken printer” excuse out of its wellworn bag, try to avoid the casual question, “Can I just email that to you?” It’s another way of saying either “Let’s use up your toner bar; profs get them for free, don’t they,” or “I don’t know how to follow simple directions.” Pick one.

After a half-hour lecture on the causes of the Civil War, during which the instructor wept, paced about the room and exhorted your generation never to repeat the errors of the past, it is a bad time to pick up a pencil and pose the TYSA, “Will that be on the test?”

A fourth TYSA comes up at this happy time of year. Teachers want free time as much as you.

Still, they are under contract to teach when the University lets them, and many of them believe that they are doing a good thing.

Referring to the Monday and Tuesday before our annual ritual of overeating (Turkey Day), it is very risky to ask, “Are we going to have class?”

You might as well ask, “Aren’t you done yet?”

The final TYSA is the biannual favorite: “When is the final in this class?” It’s in the syllabus.

The University maintains an expensive website wherein, after a 15 minute search, you might find the final exam schedule. Sometimes, The News prints it for you. You should be thinking about it right now — not the day before the last class. You still have the syllabus don’t you?

“Ask,” says the ancient teaching, “and it shall be answered.” Just be sure you know how the question will sound when you say it out loud. Here’s a good question: Are you ready for Thanksgiving break?

Jeers to ... The city sticker sweep.

The Murray Police Department went on a ticketing spree for students who did not purchase a city sticker. A $100 fine on top of having to purchase the sticker too? That’s excessive.

Cheers to ... Basketball season We love football, but Kentucky is all about hoops.

Whether you’re cheering on the Racers or another team, sit down and take it all in.

It’s good to see the hardwood courts again.

Ever since Kim Kardashian exposed her bare bottom on the cover of Paper Magazine, people have buzzed with discussion.

This was cynically and correctly predicted by Carly Besser the magazine.

Opinion Editor They used pictures of Kardashian to “break the Internet,” maybe to a point beyond repair.

I will never argue against the accusations of Kardashian being spoiled and talentless. I’m fully aware that her fame is the result of coasting on others’ accomplishments. Her riches came from her father’s success as O.J. Simpson’s defense attorney and her assets doubled when she married someone (or two people) with actual jobs. I get that.

What concerns me, though, is how much slut-shaming I’ve seen since the photoshoot was released.

When I read the photo comments of the picture on Facebook, one sentiment was almost universal. “Kim, you’re a mother. How can you parade your body like this?”

Apparently, when someone becomes a mother, they should abandon their sexuality. If they give birth to a child, they will be vilified for going public in a sexual way. Kardashian’s career (if you can even call it that) before motherhood was wrapped in her sexuality. Why can’t she continue her career through her sexual persona?

If using her body for commercial success is what she is good at, then by all means, let her continue to do so.

Let’s remember where babies come from in the first place. I’ll give you a hint: they are a product of sex. To expect women to hide their sexuality because they are mothers makes no sense.

Motherhood is no longer just a job title that means they take the children to school every day, feed them and take care of them. It is also used as a way to police women’s conduct. If a woman does anything that doesn’t seem motherly or in good taste, she is reminded by society that she is a mother. You know, as if she forgot.

This standard is not parallel for men who are fathers. Despite being dads, celebrities like David Beckham and Brad Pitt are idolized and put on a pedestal for their sexuality. Did you know that Channing Tatum was a father when he played a male stripper in the movie “Magic Mike”? I bet a lot of people who went to see “Magic Mike” didn’t really give it much thought.

If these men posed partially nude for a magazine cover, I guarantee that nobody would comment and say, “How dare you? You’re somebody’s father. Have you no shame?”

Let me clarify. I’m not a staunch defender of bad mothers. If you have children, it is your responsibility to take care of them and be the best parent you can be. However, I’m defending mothers who are expected to hide their bodies, privatize their sexuality and revert to a nun-like aura of prudence.

Why must a mother’s sexuality be a direct reflection of how well she takes care of her children? Why should those things correlate? You won’t see me spouting off about being Kardashian’s number one fan, but the criticism of her decision is overtly critical. Let’s admit it. Moms can be sexy, too. cbesser@murraystate.edu

Turkey Roast

By Katie Wilborn

The News

News

6A

November 21, 2014

Panelists talk Murray State past, future Amanda Grau || News Editor agrau1@murraystate.edu

Teddy Martin || Staff writer emartin@murraystate.edu

Panelists Lucretia McClenny, Sonja Martinez and Kristie Helms were invited to Murray State for the Global Alumni Distinguished Lecture Series because of their accomplishments, but those accomplishments were born out of the experiences they gained at Murray State, they said.

McLenny, who graduated in 1972, said helping veterans is her passion. She has been an Army school officer for 30 years.

Breaking down barriers, bravery and trying new things will create opportunities for students, she said.

She learned those skills while studying at Murray State. She learned to step outside her comfort zone and strive for something greater, she said.

“The lessons I learned at Murray were lifelong lessons,” McLenny said. “The glass ceiling is broken. If you can believe it, you can do it.”

Helms, who graduated in 1993, spent the day telling journalism and mass communications students to “just do it” before speaking at the panel.

A former editor-in-chief of The News, her background in journalism, and taking chances, is what she said put her in the position she is in now.

Helms is vice president of interactive and social media in the global communications department of State Street, a custody bank in Boston. Twelve percent of global currency passes

Jenny Rohl/The News

Sonja Martinez, 2007 graduate of Murray State, speaks at the Global Alumni Distinguished Lecture Series Nov. 19. through State Street’s doors.

“I was very sure I wanted to be a newspaper reporter,” Helms said. “Everything I use I got from the JMC department.”

The experience she gained from the journalism department helped her discover the power

of taking initiative, she said.

“Don’t wait for someone to assign you something,” Helms said. “People who get stuff done on their own are always more successful.”

Martinez graduated in 2007. Her advice was to make the most of what you learn and to be

passionate.

“I use everything I learned from Murray State today,” she said. “Take advantage of Murray’s programs and find your passion. Passion keeps people going.”

The panelists took questions from audience members toward the end of the event, and several revolved around studying abroad.

Renae Duncan, vice president of Student Affairs, asked the panel what the importance of studying abroad was. Her question was followed by a student’s, asking how to get the most out of the experience.

Helms said she never studied abroad while at Murray State. In fact, she didn’t leave the country until a six month trip to Hong Kong at 39 years old. She followed that trip with visits to Sydney and Tokyo.

McLennon said students needed to slow down and enjoy the journey, not how to get somewhere as quickly as possible.

“Nourish your mind, body and spirit,” she said. “The destination will come. It’s about the journey. Stop and smell the roses.”

The panel gathered during International Education Week in order to stress the importance of global communication and student success, Duncan said.

“Study abroad equals the most important experience a student can have,” she said.

Bob Lochte, chair of the department of journalism and mass communications, said he liked the way the panel exemplified students striking out on their own and achieving goals.

“I think it’s important to stress the ability to find solutions and forge a path,” he said.

Officials strategize for University’s next steps Editor-in-Chief mbradley9@murraystate.edu

For the rest of the 2014-15 academic year, Murray State officials will plan initiatives for the University to aspire to for the next seven years.

Using students, faculty and staff input, the strategic initiatives executive committee will expand and approve goals based on reports from four different, individual committees. The committees all focus on six components of the University: academic excellence, student success, scholarship, research, creative thought and community engagement.

After holding town hall meetings for the four individual committees, the executive committee heard initial propositions. Jay Morgan, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, said all the town hall meetings haven’t been for nothing.

“The town hall meetings have been lofty and aspiring, but realistic,” Morgan said.

However, little student participation in the town hall meetings has been a setback.

In response, the committee may develop a student-centered town hall meeting in which all four committees will attend and students can hear and suggest initiatives to be added for the plan. A date for the meeting has not been established, but will be held in conjunction with the Student Government Association in January.

The committees created a minimum of six objectives based on their town hall meetings, and Morgan said each

town hall meeting had approximately 40 attendees.

Academic excellence committee objectives include recruitment and retention of faculty and staff, promoting community and international academic involvement, enhancing academic curricular and co-curricular activities and enhancing learning and teaching environments by providing developmental opportunities.

One important topic the executive committee highlighted was finding 35 percent of new employees’ spouses a local job within the first six months of employment. Morgan said the idea, however, strayed away from the University’s ability to do so.

“It would be a good goal to have,” he said, “but it’s not one the University would be involved with.”

Morgan said the University would be involved in dual career hiring, but could not guarantee employment for new employee spouses outside of the University.

The student success committee developed 13 objectives, including attracting and enrolling diverse and qualified students, improving graduation rates and a review of the University Studies policies.

According to the Murray State website, “the University Studies component of the Murray State undergraduate program provides students with a broad-based, liberal arts and sciences education as a foundation for their academic specialty.”

The program’s last re-evaluation took place in 2005, almost 10 years ago.

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The scholarship, research and creative thought committee highlighted a need for more undergraduate and graduate research and recognition for projects for both student and faculty.

Additionally, the committee agreed upon further expanding goals for creative thought, and specifically the arts.

The community engagement committee covered objectives such as engaging more K-12 students, providing more educational opportunities through extended campus sites, partnerships with nonprofits and organizations for economic development and raising the educational attainment level in all 18 counties in the region.

The committee focused on raising the educational attainment level, because only two of the 18 service region counties, Calloway and McCracken, meet state averages in baccalaureate degree education level.

Even though the executive committee reviewed all of the proposed objectives, revisions and additions are still possible in the coming months.

All individual committees and the executive committee welcome suggestions, and placed boxes in buildings such as the Curris Center and the Business Building.

Additionally, suggestions can be entered at the Murray State website. The committee has received 15 website responses as of Nov. 18.

Finalization of initiatives won’t begin until March, and the final presentation to the Board of Regents will be June 5.

Jenny Rohl/The News

Lucretia McClenny, class of ‘72, speaks about pushing stepping out of comfort zones at the Distinguished Lecture Series.

Jenny Rohl/The News

Kristie Helms, class of ‘93, speaks about how her time at Murray State taught her to take initiative in her career.

THENEWS.ORG

Mary Bradley

November 21, 2014

Section B

The News

Sports

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

From the Sidelines

Peace and blessings

FAN FICTION Meet the men, motivation behind the masks

Kory Savage/The News

Jacob Williams, Hal Abel, A.J. Glaser and Ray Hall dance in speedos as a University of Houston player shoots a free throw Nov. 14 at the CFSB Center.

Mallory Tucker || Sports Editor mtucker11@murraystate.edu

Four horse-masked men in speedos caught the attention of fans, students and professionals alike Nov. 14 in the CFSB Center at the men’s basketball game against the University of Houston.

While warmly received by some and hesitantly received by others, the prevalent feeling of the events was one of curiosity.

As many stories do, it all began with a girl. At least that’s how it all began according to Ray Hall, senior from Jackson, Tenn.

Last semester, Hall met a Murray State soccer player during intramural soccer who invited him to watch a game. Hall and his friend, Hal Abel, junior from Belleville, Ill., were two of few to attend a game over Easter weekend last semester. This began their career as Murray State super fans.

Basketball faces tough loss, big win Mallory Tucker || Sports Editor mtucker11@murraystate.edu

The Racers opened the season at home with a 77-74 loss to the University of Houston Nov. 14 before redeeming themselves with a 68-49 victory over former OVC rival Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Tuesday.

Former Houston Rockets assistant coach and current Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson looked displeased as he made his return to collegiate basketball only to see his team couldn’t find a lead against mid-major Murray State throughout the first half. The Cougars closed the gap with less than a minute left before halftime, however, as 5,056 fans electrified the air in the CFSB Center.

The Racers’ lead was cut to just 42-38 as the buzzer sounded.

“I coached Isaiah Canaan last year,” Sampson said, “so I’ve heard enough about Murray State from Isaiah, but I’ve been aware. I have a lot of respect for this program. It’s been good a long time. Murray State didn’t just get good. Hats off to Murray State. Great environment, great facilities, great program.”

During the second half, the Racers had a tough time with both shooting and working their offense around the zone defense the Cougars brought out.

“We were stuck with four guards, and we just weren’t prepared enough,” said Head Coach Steve Prohm. “And that’s totally on me. It falls on me and not on the guys. The zone bothered us. It slowed the game down for us offensively and it really got us out of rhythm.”

Houston took the lead with just over six

see BASKETBALL, 2B

WHAT’S

INSIDE

“We made signs and ever since then we’ve gone to all the soccer games and just been really loud and obnoxious,” Hall said. “We kept bringing more and more people and from there, the athletic department saw us and thought we would be good to start leading the student section.”

Amy Pulpaneck, director of Athletic Marketing and Promotions, spotted the men for their enthusiasm and saw the potential in them to excite other students.

“We’re trying to do a bunch of new things to reach out to students this year and get them excited about coming to athletic events,” Pulpaneck said. “We reached out to this particular group of guys because they had kind of brought it upon themselves to be loud and crazy and cheer for our soccer team, which carried into volleyball season. We hoped they would help get others excited and spread the word about games.”

The horse masks were purchased by Racer Athletics as a tool to create excitement in the student section, just like the big heads at every basketball game and other promotional items. The speedo idea, however, came straight from the horse’s mouth, unbeknownst to Pulpaneck prior to the game “We love the energy and excitement that they bring,” Pulpaneck said. “The best part about these guys is that it’s student driven and student led.

When a student group is organic, it’s always going to be a lot better than if Athletic Marketing sits here and tells them what to do and when to do it. We hope more students grow to join them and come up with fun things to do during the games. When the students are there having fun, our teams play better.”

Both the speedo-clad masked men and Pulpaneck

see FAN, 2B

Volleyball advances in OVC Kelsey Randolph

Assistant Sports Editor krandolph3@murraystate.edu

On top of wining its opening match for the OVC Championship, the Racer volleyball team has produced the OVC Player of the Year and OVC Coach of the Year.

For the first time in his 16-year tenure at Murray State, Head Coach David Schwepker was named OVC Coach of the Year. He brought the Racers, who were 6-10 in the conference and 16-14 overall last year to 14-2 in this year’s conference season and 24-5 overall. Their record placed them as the No. 1 seed in the OVC for the tournament.

In addition to Schwepker’s award, sophomore outside hitter Scottie Ingram was named OVC Player of the Year.

Ingram is the second Racer to have this title since 1994, according to Goracers.com. She leads the league with 3.76 kills per set this year and has reached double-digits in kills 20 times.

Two teammates, junior outside hitter Sam Bedard and junior outside hitter and defensive specialist Taylor Olden were named to the OVC First Team at the OVC volleyball banquet Wednesday.

Thursday’s tournament began with Eastern Kentucky University (11-5) beating Eastern Illinois (8-8).

The second round saw Belmont (133) earn a win against Austin Peay (88).

The third match brought the Racers and Southeast Missouri State face to face with the Racers taking the win, which advanced them to the semifinals at 7 p.m. tonight.

The Racers (14-2) played a typical three set match against SEMO (7-9)

Haley Hays/The News

Junior setter Sam Bedard pushes the ball over the net during their opening Championship game Thursday night. and made the first sweep of the day.

The first set was relaxed for the team and it was able to take a 10point advantage and win 25-17.

The second set proved to be more difficult; the Redhawks gained an advantage 8-12 but in the end the Racers were able to pull through

and take the set 25-19.

“We had a little bit of nerves I think,” Schwepker said. “They were getting tensed up and you could tell they were nervous.”

The Racers took a quick lead in the final set in the match and ended

see VOLLEYBALL, 2B

It was almost a year ago to the week that I wrote my first column for The News.

I remember the forMallory Tucker mer Sports Sports Editor Editor, Ryan, asking me if I’d be willing to write one, which I now understand either means he was starting to trust me as a writer or he was just really low on content that week.

Either way, I took on the challenge and wrote my first column about my family and our Thanksgiving traditions.

Here it is, almost Turkey Day once again, and I’m feeling as thankful and sentimental as ever.

I have many things to be thankful for in life, but family is above and beyond No. 1 on my list.

It’s become obvious through my series of columns that family is important to me. Recently, I’ve been thinking about how we define family and what it is that makes family so special to all of us.

I have my biological family – my mom, dad, brother, nephews, grandparents, cousins, etc., and I also have my chosen family in my sisters of Alpha Delta Pi. They are both equally important to me, and have both raised me through different aspects of my life.

My mom and dad taught me everything I needed to know to be a (mostly) functional member of society. They taught me values like hard work and dedication and gave me enough morals to be a (mostly) respectful and respected human being. They fed me, gave me shelter and provided an education for me. They did this all without me asking, because that’s what parents do.

That’s what families are expected to do.

Then I came to college – the place where “you find your bridesmaids” (permitting I ever get married) – with the hopes of choosing my own family. I went through sorority recruitment and knew Alpha Delta Pi was the only place for me.

I was thrown into hundreds of women, some exactly like me, some my complete opposites. The same held true when I transferred schools and affiliated with the chapter here. Some girls looked, talked and dressed just like me, others were the ones who frustrate, challenge and confuse me, just like my real family.

With only one biological sibling, my older brother, I never could have imagined what I was getting myself into when I signed that paper to pledge myself to my sorority.

There’s always a black sheep of the family, whether we like to admit it or not. You know, the person that won’t watch football with you on Thanksgiving?

That’s the interesting thing about a sisterhood – at times we’ve all been the black sheep. We’ve all been frustrated, we’ve all been excited and we’ve all been burnt out. We’ve all succeeded in some things, failed in others and been mediocre at most. But the important thing is that we do it together, and someone always herds that black sheep back into the group.

If I were to write a list of blessings in my life, it would never end. But if it were in order of importance, my sisters would surely be at the top.

I guess I’m just being sappy because I’m thinking about being away from my closest friends for four days and then soon after for a month. Or maybe my mind is burnt out on the male-dominated world of sports and I want to focus on the women in my life for a second, but I think the moral of this column is that I’m thankful heading into the break. What are you most thankful for? mtucker11@murraystate.edu

RACER RUGBY

SEASON END

KIRK BLOODSWORTH

HOW TO

The Rugby Football Club offers competition to students, 3B

Racer football faces tough loss before last game, 4B

Death row exoneree shares stories, experiences, 5B

Throw the best friends-giving bash in Murray, 6B

The News

Sports

2B

November 21, 2014

Jenny Rohl/The News

Sophomore point guard Cameron Payne faces off against a Houston defender Nov. 14 at the CFSB Center.

BASKETBALL From Page 1B minutes left in the game, but the Racers fought to regain it.

With less than two minutes to play, senior forward Jarvis Williams drew a foul and sunk his free throws before a loose ball was recovered for a layup by sophomore point guard Cameron Payne, cutting the lead to

76-74. Murray State forced another turnover but Payne’s 3-point attempt was no good with 37 seconds on the clock.

The Racers took on their first road challenge of the year Tuesday as they faced MTSU for the 137th time in program history. This win against the Conference USA team gave the Racers a chance to improve in the areas they found flaws against Houston.

Junior forward Tyler Rambo regained eligibility after technicality

VOLLEYBALL From Page 1B it 25-19. The three-set sweep gave Murray State its 15th of the season.

“I am very pleased with how we played tonight,” Schwepker said. “I am excited how we do in the semifinals.”

Schwepker, who was excitedly cheering from the sidelines, said he was trying to get everyone to keep their noses down and stay focused.

With Tennessee Tech (9-7) and Jacksonville State (9-7) matching up

after the Racers they played five close sets.

But in the end Tennessee Tech came out ahead.

Today EKU will face Belmont at 4:30 p.m. and then the Racers play Tennessee Tech afterward. If the Racers win they will play in the final round against first match winners Saturday at 7 p.m.

“For now we are going to come down from the hype and focus on what’s to come,” Schwepker said.

issues within his degree progress prevented him from playing against Houston. He racked up five rebounds and went two for five in field goals and three for four in free throws in his 25 minutes of playing time.

A tough loss followed by a road win provides the Racers with the challenges Prohm hoped they would find in their difficult schedule.

“We need adversity,” Prohm said.

“This team needs a lot of adversity for us to get to where we need to go.”

FAN

From Page 1B hope the student section grows to mirror that of larger collegiate athletics and gain attention within the conference, if not nationally.

The horse masks were provided by athletics, but where did the speedo idea come from, and why did four young men, three of which have no swimming background, own them?

“We wore them for a Halloween costume, and then we wear them to distract the other team, mainly,” Hall said.

As with any controversial event, rumors flew during and after the game. According to the men, an off-duty police officer approached them and kindly told them to be careful not to “expose genitalia.”

Murray State Public Safety and Emergency Management Officer Lt. Jeffery Gentry reiterated that was the only concern.

Kory Savage/The News

Senior forward Jarvis Williams guards a Houston player as he attempts to inbound the ball Nov. 14 at the CFSB Center.

“We didn’t have a problem with them doing that,” Gentry said. “What we were trying to do is make sure, as we always do, to make sure our students are doing the right thing and make sure the speedo doesn’t come off. Be careful, make sure the speedo stays on. Other than that, nobody had an issue with them doing it.”

A miscommunication between a police officer and Don Robertson, vice president of Student Affairs, caused another police officer to approach them and asked them to stop.

Two of the men met with Robertson this week to make sure they weren’t out of line.

“I was really impressed actually,” Robertson said. “Two of the student leaders actually came to see me just to say, ‘Are there any issues?’ So I think they’ve done it all in a very appropriate manner. Just trying to have fun and generate school spirit, which I think can make the games more enjoyable.”

Robertson, who was at the game, said that he saw some activity going on but was more

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focused on the game than the student section.

No complaints from anyone have come to light since the Houston game.

“It’s just an idea to get students pumped up to come out to the game and just have fun,” said one of the masked men, A.J. Glaser, senior from Louisville, Ky. “Rather than just sitting there yelling ‘Murray State’ once or twice in the game. Our goal was to just get students more excited for the game so more would come out.”

So a common goal has aligned for all parties involved, and these three men, with the help of their fourth accomplice, Jacob Williams, junior from Lebanon, Tenn., plan to continue and even further improve their shenanigans at later, bigger games.

“Full student body participation,” Abel said. “Could you imagine having 10,000 plus students at a basketball game, screaming? In speedos it would be even better.”

Also, Hall would like to say hi to his mother.

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The News

Sports

November 21, 2014

3B

Women see first back-to-back triple digits Kelsey Randolph || Assistant Sports Editor krandolph3@murraystate.edu

The women’s basketball team recorded tripledigit wins in the last two games despite its open season loss.

The Racers began their season with a hard loss against the Ohio Bobcats Nov. 14, 111-61. This 50point loss proved to be a wake-up call to players to make some adjustments for the next games.

“I give a lot of credit to Ohio,” said Head Coach Rob Cross. “They did an outstanding job with 19 3’s in a game last year we knew they were going to be good coming back. We haven’t been very good in transition defense and matching up with people.”

Cross said the team’s two biggest problems were making shots and not attempting the extra pass.

With their first loss behind them, the Racers went on to play Alabama A&M, a Division II school, Sunday and scored their first tripledigit win since December 2006, according to Goracers.com. This time the Racers made the extra passes, and it worked.

“After the last game all we heard in practice was to make the extra pass,” said freshman forward and guard, Ke’Shunan James. “We had more focus and extra energy.”

The Racers took a 16-point lead, 24-8, in the first seven minutes. They went into halftime with a 42-32 advantage over Alabama A&M. “We knew they were going to fight,” Cross said. “Their coach came from a great school and we knew they were going to play with just as much fight. I was really impressed with how they flipped it around and played with the confidence with transition defense.”

This win gave them the momentum they needed to win their game Tuesday against Blackburn College at the CFSB Center.

Their game against Blackburn, a Division

III school from Carlinville, Ill. began with an administrative technical foul due to lack of jerseys for the Beavers.

For the second game in a row, the Racers earned a triple-digit win by dominating the game 110-31 against the Beavers. This is the first time in program history that the Racers have scored back-to-back triple-digit games.

The Racers had a 21-point advantage before the Beavers managed to make a two-point shot.

By the end of the first half the Racers were up by 43 points.

“Going into the game we knew it was going to be fun,” James said.

With almost five minutes left in the game, the Racers were one point from hitting the 100-point mark. The team struggled to make the point by forcing shots.

Cross said they were once again quick to forget about throwing the extra pass.

He said there were new players playing to gauge how well they worked with the veteran players.

Everyone on the team racked up at least one rebound during the game, and all players with the exception of sophomore point guard LeAsia Wright added a point to the score.

Cross said Wright, who scored 18 points the previous game against Alabama A&M, graciously stepped back to allow other players to step in and make shots.

“I am very grateful that Blackburn came to play,” Cross said. “They came and played hard the entire game despite the fact they were behind.

This game gave us several opportunities to try out offense plays and play against opponents and not each other.”

The next home game is against the Lipscomb University Bisons at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25.

The Racers will then go on to the Cardinal Classic in Muncie, Ind., Nov. 29-30.

Freshman point guard, Olivia Cunningham shooting against an Alabama A&M Bulldog point guard.

Jenny Rohl/The News

Rugby provides sport alternative Alex McLaughlin || Staff writer cmclaughlin1@murraystate.edu

Fumi Nakamura/The News

Rugby player Travis Nelson competes against alumni last season.

The Murray State Rugby Football Club provides an alternative for athletes to satisfy their need for competition in place of college athletics.

Rugby football, referred to simply as rugby is a sport with a long history. It was allegedly invented in 1823 by Englishman William Webb Ellis who found the rules of soccer too restricting. Legend has it Ellis picked up the ball during a soccer match and ran with it, forcing the opposing team to tackle him.

Though this story is most likely fictitious, it is widely accepted, as the International Rugby Board, as named the World Cup trophy the William Webb Ellis Cup. It took 51 years for rugby to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

American ingenuity quickly took hold, and rugby gave birth to American football.

Rugby is still played by many in the U.S. and Murray State’s Rugby Football Club continues that tradition by providing students on campus with an alternative form of football or soccer.

Rugby and American football are known to many as the most dangerous and

physically demanding sports.

For Connor Dec, junior from Chicago, these qualities are what attracted him to rugby. Dec came from a high school sports career that included American football and wrestling. Though his focus in college became the pursuit of his exercise science degree, he needed to find a way to fulfill his competitive spirit.

“I wanted to compete in something when I came to Murray,” Dec said. “My preference was obviously a contact sport and rugby fit perfectly. I knew a few guys who played and I asked if they were still taking people for the team. Turns out they are always looking to get more people involved.”

The team hosts an alumni match once a year, where alumni can face off against the current crop of players. This match attracts alumni who attended Murray State as far back as the 1970s.

The Rugby Football Club has found alternative ways to make their presence known on campus.

Its most coveted tradition is the rugby dress match, where another Kentucky team is invited to Murray to raise money and play a full contact rugby match of 80 minutes in dresses without pads or

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Caleb Nelson, senior from Niceville, Fla., said he was lucky enough to attend a high school that had its own established rugby club. He said rugby has had a positive influence on his life, whether it be physical fitness or life lessons.

“In a very simplistic way, it has taught me to pick myself up after every fall,” Nelson said. “It helped me realize you can always pick yourself up and bounce back. More importantly, it taught me a great deal about friendship. It taught me the opposing team isn’t always the enemy.

One of my favorite things about rugby is the camaraderie between teams.”

Nelson said he became attached to the sport in high school and that if students are willing to get past the stereotype of rugby being an overly dangerous sport, the same will happen to them.

“I would argue that rugby is actually the safer contact sport you can play,” Nelson said. “The rules of rugby prevent head on head collisions and there are serious penalties for dangerous tackles and unsafe play. We don’t wear pads and there is danger, but the referees are there to make sure everyone plays it safe. Rugby is challenging, not crazy.”

Sports

4B

Flag football stays warm in the harsh cold Da’Sha Tuck || Contributing writer dtuck@murraystate.edu

Despite the bitter cold, intramural flag football players were out on the field Tuesday night. Alpha Sigma Alpha lost to Kappa Delta 13-6.

At the beginning ASA had a solid defense but couldn’t hold back KD’s A team who soon took the lead.

Natalie Hoesli, junior from Owensboro, Ky., made the first touchdown of the night and after that there was no stopping her.

Though there were few people on the field, there was a constant stream of cheers.

Maddie McNeil, freshman from St. Louis, sat bundled on the sidelines watching her sisters.

“I’m just here to see my Kappa Delta ladies,” McNeil said.

She said that being away from home isn’t easy but she sits in the cold to support her sisters because KD is her home away from home.

Players of ASA were just as excited to watch their sisters even through the unpleasant weather.

KD’s captain said she was proud of her sister’s and looks forward to more moments like this.

“It’s the first win of the season and it is cold but I feel great,” said Sarah Dotson, senior from Louisville, Ky. Dotson was enthusiastic and said she looks forward to more of the intramural games in the spring.

The News

November 21, 2014

Racers fall near end of season Mallory Tucker || Sports Editor mtucker11@murraystate.edu

Despite a strong showing on both the offensive and defensive fronts, the timing wasn’t there for the football team as it fell 43-36 to Eastern Kentucky Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium in Richmond, Ky. The team started well offensively as junior runningback Pokey Harris returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, the second straight week he racked up a full 100-yard kickoff return. Harris is the third player in conference history with two 100-yard kickoff returns, the second player to have two in the same season and the only player to complete the feat in back-toback games.

“Pokey’s done a good job,” said Head Coach Chris Hatcher. “But all in all, I think all of our special teams. ... Pokey’s just had two really good returns in back-to-back games. Once he gets an open field, he’s very fast. Fastest guy on our team. I’m real pleased with his performance, but those other guys have really taken a lot of pride in trying to spring him loose.”

The Colonels returned the favor with just over five minutes left in the first quarter as they added a two-yard rushing touchdown to the board.

Junior kicker Carson Greifenkamp hit a 25-yard field goal to put the Racers back on top before the start of the second quarter.

The Racers continued to add to the score and ended the first half with a 20-point lead.

Still, Hatcher believed his team didn’t fully capitalize on a fourth-down conversion and opportunities that could have given his team a 35-point lead.

A successful first half couldn’t counteract fatal mistakes in the last minutes of the game, however, as redshirt sophomore quarterback

Kalli Bubb/The News

Junior wide receiver Jeremy Harness runs the ball against UT Martin Nov. 1.

K.D. Humphries threw an interception.

“You’ve got a redshirt sophomore quarterback back there that’s been playing really well,” Hatcher said. “He just made a bad throw at the end of the game. He threw a bunch of good ones, and then makes a bad throw at the end of the game.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s home game against Tennessee State, Hatcher anticipates a physical mismatch.

“Athletically, I would put them at the top of the league, year in and year out, since I’ve been here,” Hatcher said. “It’s going to be a tough game. I mean, it always is. We’re beat up; I’m sure they’re beat up.”

Tennessee State (5-6) is coming off a bye

week after beating Austin Peay State 31-27 Nov. 8. Hatcher expects to see lots of size on the line for the Tigers and physical players on both sides of the ball. He said their offense will work to pound the ball and run play action passes past the Racers, which he hopes to limit by staying strong in the trenches. Offensively, they’ll be working to keep the ball on the perimeter.

The last game of the season will be no different than any others as the team pulls out all the stops.

“I think we’ll play well this week,” Hatcher said. “I thought we would play well last week, and we did. It wasn’t good enough to win, but we played probably the best we’d played in a while.”

Cross-country ends season with good consistency placing Alex McLaughlin || Staff writer cmclaughlin1@murraystate.edu

The cross-country team ended its season at the Southeast NCAA Regionals Nov. 14 in Louisville, Ky. EP Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky. 33 men’s teams and 38 women’s teams were hosted at regionals. A total of 448 men and women were in attendance to contest the Southeast Regional title.

The Murray State men’s cross-country team finished 27th out of 33 teams while the women placed 28th out of 38 teams.

The men posted the sixth smallest split of the day between their first and last finisher.

What the team lacks in high placings, it makes up with consistency. More importantly they are young, improving and excelling in a field

of runners which includes representation from some of the top schools in the country, said Head Coach Jenny Severns.

Severns said she is excited about the development of the team. This year only one female runner will graduate.

Severns is working with several talented freshmen and a large number of experienced juniors.

“This year has been really smooth with training,” Severns said. “The team just seems to get better every day. I was really happy to avoid injuries all season. We never tried to do killer workouts, but every day the team put in the hard work.”

Severns said the team’s effort in training and races suggests the future is bright for Murray State cross-country. With the high returning

number, Severns is hopeful for a good season.

“We finished a lot better consistently over the course of the season,” said Severns.

She said she is happy with where they are in the season because they beat teams like Notre Dame.

Both teams continue to show consistency despite how hard it is to be a long distance runner according to Severns.

“Place-wise we were the same in OVC, but at regionals we were way higher,” Severns said.

“I am really excited to see where we go in the future. Our freshmen are running really well and they have lots of time to develop.”

Lucas Prather, junior from Mahomet, Ill., said the new training regimen that the cross-country team has adopted is showing up in the form of better performances in races.

“The weight room training was completely different this year,” Prather said. “We have been doing more training in the pool. I was prepared as best I could be this year. I ran my personal bests in 10k runs this season. The team prepared themselves the best they could to be ready for races.”

Prather said the season has many positives, but he is not letting himself get complacent.

“The guys are running their best races of the year,” Prather said. “At the end of the season everyone is happy with how it ended, but nobody is jumping for joy. There are teams we want to beat badly. After this year, everyone knows there is so much more improvement we can make with our new approach. I am looking forward to having good spring training to prepare us for next fall season.”

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5B

The News

Features Editor: Breanna Sill Assistant Features Editor: Madison Wepfer Phone: 270-809-5871 Twitter: MSUNewsFeatures

Features ­

Stop, drop and SHOP

The official start of the holiday shopping season to commence on Black Friday twhitfill1@murraystate.edu

With Christmas approaching as fast as the winter weather, students may turn to Black Friday deals in order to save money this holiday season. Whether shopping for family, friends or coworkers, Black Friday makes it easy to find low prices and items that fit any personality.

This list is a compilation of deals that are suitable for some of those personalities that students may be shopping for late Thursday evening or early Friday morning.

The Gamer: XBox One with Assassin’s Creed Unity and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag ($330) There is an easy way to complete your checklist with this bundle from Gamestop. Bundles are a one-stop shop for gamers.

Hours: Deals begin on Friday at 12 a.m.

The Fashionista: Entire store 50 percent off Whether shopping for your closet or for someone special, Old Navy is reducing prices by 50 percent. Shop for pieces to stay warm or buy in advance if you are wishing for warmer weather.

Hours: Deals begin at 4 p.m.

Thursday.

The Social Butterfly: ($499) Apple iPad Air 2 and $140 gift card The gift that keeps on giving is offered at Target. If students are planning on purchasing the newly released iPad Air 2, they can receive a $140 gift card that is included in the price. This gives consumers multiple uses for their money and figuratively reduces the price of the iPad Air 2 to $359.

Hours: Deals begin at 6 p.m.

Thursday.

The Hostess: 50” Panasonic TV ($199) Those who want to watch sports, sitcoms or anything on cable can experience a theater-like setting with the 50-inch Panasonic TV. Best Buy offers a deal with one of the lowest prices for this particular size that can be appealing to entertainment lovers of all ages.

Hours: Deals begin at 5 p.m.

Thursday.

The Musically Inclined: Beats Pill Portable Speaker ($99.95) For those who like to take music with them anywhere, the Beats Pill will be reduced by 50 percent at Walmart.

Hours: Deals begin at 6 p.m.

Thursday.

If students still haven’t found what they are shopping for with these deals like these, there are many stores that will be open Thanksgiving night and Friday morning for specials.

For those planning on eating turkey early enough to shop on Thanksgiving evening, K-Mart will open at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving.

Also, J.C. Penney will open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving and Macy’s will open at 6 p.m.

Both J.C. Penney and Macy’s are opening at least two hours earlier than last year.

Other stores that will be open on Thanksgiving include: Target, Sears, Staples and Toys R’ Us. There are conflicting viewpoints on stores opening on Thanksgiving Day. Many shoppers believe the holiday is a time for family and employees and shoppers should be spending that holiday time at home with their families instead of in the mall.

For those consumers who do not want to get out on the holiday, there are still many deals available on Black Friday.

Some of the stores who will be open starting Friday include: T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Costco, Home Depot, Dillard’s and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Graphic by Alex Hilkey

Tiffany Whitfill || Staff writer

Student wins body-building competition Taylor Inman || Staff writer tinman@murraystate.edu

Haley Hays/The News

Ali Abuhasson, sophomore from Saudi Arabia, trains twice a day to prepare for upcoming body-building competitions.

Many people try their entire lives to reach physical perfection. Society can be obsessed with the “perfect body” and what it means to be healthy.

There are people out there pushing this goal to the next level.

They don’t just strive for the perfect body; they compete for what they see as the perfect body.

Ali Abuhasson, sophomore from Safwa, Ash Sharqiyah, Saudi Arabia, recently won overall champion in his division at Music City Muscle, the biggest body-building competition in Nashville, Tenn.

Having competed in men’s physique competitions for two years, he competed against people who have been in competitions for as long as 10 years and won.

“I believe that I got lucky; there were 290 competitors and I won,” Abuhasson said.

Luck plays the tiniest part in this rising sport, where contestants have to prepare their bodies in radical ways.

“I start training very hard two weeks before my competition,”Abuhasson said. “I wake up at 5 o’clock every morning. I tell myself before I wake up that if I want to win this competition I have to do something different.”

Abuhasson says he trains more as

a competition nears.

“I go to the gym two times a day when it gets closer to a competition,” Abuhasson said. “So I go to the gym at 5 a.m., I do faster cardio and drink a lot of amino acids to maintain muscle. I make sure to eat a lot of clean protein. Sometimes I can eat up to 20 eggs a day and I drink coffee before my second workout of the day. Caffeine is an excellent fat burner, for those who know how to use it. If you drink coffee before you work out, you will notice a difference after one week.”

Abuhasson is no stranger to sharing his nutrition and workout secrets.

He has many followers on Facebook and Instagram where he shares how he prepares for competition.

“I try to clarify everything since it’s a new sport,” Abuhasson said.

“I post my diet and my workout routine, because I have a lot of people asking. And I try to help people diet. I believe that if you treat people nicely, and you tell them all the things you do, that will take you to the top. And I’m still learning myself. I do not claim to know everything about this sport.”

Abuhasson got involved with men’s physique competitions two years ago, when he started working out at the gym.

“I really liked it and my fam-

ily, who is always so supportive, stepped in and said ‘Hey, you have nothing to do, why don’t you focus on this and do competitions?’” Abuhasson said. “And so I did, and I really liked it.”

Abuhasson is on the fast track to being successful in his sport and is looking to pick up sponsors at the Pro Show in St. Louis in 2015.

Being as successful as he is at such a young age, he said he could not do what he does without his brother’s support.

“He’s always with me, when I’m doing diets he calls and checks on how I’m doing with them,” Abuhasson said of his brother’s constant support. “I can’t do this alone. You work out alone, you cook alone, but you have to have someone to share these things with. He is now doing body-building competitions himself and we share a lot of things. We are always reading up and learning.”

By this time next year, it is possible that Abuhasson will be competing in worldwide competitions with sponsors and more people wanting to know how he is able to do what he does.

No matter how much he works out and diets, Abuhasson said you have to stay positive for any of it to work.

“It’s all about staying positive,”Abuhasson said. “I believe you can do anything if you stay positive.”

Death-row exoneree speaks on DNA testing importance

Nickel Creek performer presented alumni award

Madison Wepfer

Taylor Inman || Staff writer

Assistant Features Editor mwepfer@murraystate.edu

“It could happen to anyone,” Kirk Bloodsworth, program officer for “The Justice Project,” said as he spoke at the Freed Curd Auditorium Nov. 14.

Bloodsworth became an advocate for DNA testing and abolishing the death penalty after he spent more than eight years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.

Bloodsworth’s life was just beginning in 1984.

He was engaged and moved to Baltimore, Md. He had lived there less than a month when policemen came knocking on his door and arrested him for killing and sexually assaulting 9-year-old Dawn Hamilton.

“I had never thought about the death penalty much in my life,” Bloodsworth said. “I was a commercial fisherman on the Eastern Shore.

I had never been arrested in my life. I was an

honorably discharged Marine with no record or criminal history.”

He was convicted when a witness drew a photo of Hamilton’s killer. The police ran the photo, plastering it on newspapers and televisions. That was when Bloodsworth’s neighbor believed she recognized him in the photo. She told the police, and Bloodsworth was arrested and taken to court.

“I told anyone and everyone that I was an innocent man,” Bloodsworth said. “I used to sign letters that way. I would say respectfully submitted, Kirk Noble Bloodsworth, A.I.M: An Innocent Man.” Bloodsworth said there were a significant number of suspects in the case. This was because the witnesses, two 8 to 10-year-old boys, saw Dawn’s murderer in the dark. Therefore, it was difficult for them to make out any facial features or distinct characteristics.

The trial lasted several years. Finally, Bloodsworth was found guilty on all charges and sen-

see BLOODSWORTH, 6B

tinman@murraystate.edu

Scott Thile has been an instrument technician in Murray State’s Old Fine Arts Building since 1995.

Scott has been helping his son, Chris, since he was 5 years old. Chris was a prodigy on the mandolin.

He did everything he could to help his son’s music career since he picked up the mandolin.

Twenty-eight years later, at the Taste of the Arts Auction, he and his wife Kathy accepted the award for the 2014 Outstanding Alumni in Fine Arts on their son’s beThile half.

Chris is known throughout the world as the mandolin player for the progressive acoustic

bluegrass band Nickel Creek.

He only spent two years here at Murray State, but his father says that he got an experience here he couldn’t get anywhere else.

“Even though Chris is incredibly talented musically, he hadn’t been exposed to classical music a whole lot,” Scott said. “So he didn’t have a background to get into a high profile performance school.”

Scott said at Murray State, faculty were able to nurture him and he made progress quickly, so it ended up being a perfect environment for him. His progression could not have happened anywhere else, he said.

Chris was 16 years old when he started taking music classes at Murray State.

In Chris’s acceptance video for his award, he remembers learning how to take an academic approach to his music that he had not gotten to do before.

“All throughout my career I’ve tried to achieve the disillusion of the intuitive and aca-

see THILE, 6B

The News

Features

6B

The week ahead...

SATURDAY

TODAY

SUNDAY

November 21, 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

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

7:30 p.m.

“South Pacific” musical, Robert E. Johnson Theatre

11 a.m.

Tymeless Hearts Holiday Bazaar, Curris Center Large Ballroom

10 a.m.

Regional Farmer’s Expo, Expo Center

10 a.m.

Animal Encounters, Nature Station, Land Between the Lakes

9 a.m.

Peaceful Spirit Yoga, Carr Health, second floor dance studio

All day Thanksgiving Break begins

All day Thanksgiving

Understanding diversity International Education Week showcases international culture on campus Hunter Harrell || Staff writer hharrell@murraystate.edu

Looking around at the faces on campus, it is obvious our University is diverse. With approximately 1,100 international students on campus this year, an increase from years past, the involvement in International Education Week increased as well.

International Education Week is a week dedicated to promoting cultural education and exchange throughout the world, according to the United States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs website. Celebrated in thousands of universities across the nation and in more than 100 countries, International Education Week provides Murray State students with various unique opportunities to learn about other cultures and share their own culture with others.

“International Education Week was established to celebrate diversity across the U.S.,” said Melanie McCallon Seib, director of Education Abroad and chair of the Global Campus Committee. “Murray State hosts a conference centered around a theme each year that invites faculty, staff and students to both present and attend interactive events.”

This year the 13th annual International Education Week was titled Understanding One Another: A Global Endeavor. Hosted by Institute for International Education at Murray State,

the event consisted of a wide variety of activities, all geared toward helping attendees of different cultures understand other cultures or their own more.

More than 35 events ranging from a Chinese calligraphy workshop to an international bazaar attracted a variety of students from different cultures to the Curris Center all week long.

McCallon Seib said with such a wide array of presentations, lectures, activities and workshops students were able to find exactly what they were looking for, whether fun or educational.

“Depending on student interest, there are study abroad sessions, student sessions presenting research and idealism, political and social policy sessions, education sessions, interactive calligraphy and even some world trivia,” McCallon Seib said. “There is something for everyone.”

Unlike other universities which host a guest speaker or two, the events scheduled for International Education Week are planned by a multitude of organizations and individuals on campus, which is why there are so many diverse events.

Though McCallon Seib and others from the Institute for International Education at Murray State organize the week, individual events were hosted and sponsored by different groups across campus.

“Events for International Education Week are invited in a formal Call for

Proposal each fall,” McCallon Seib said. “Some are proposed by academic departments with a specific goal in mind. Others are proposed by students who wish to showcase their research.”

Events such as the four separate installments of “Activities to Expand the Mind” in the Curris Center Rocking Chair Lounge, sponsored by the College of Education and Human Services and a Human Development and Leadership class (HDL 692) were popular among students this week.

Thursday’s Global Alumni Lecture Series featured three Murray State graduates who spoke about their careers in global affairs.

McCallon Seib also said events that tied in current events, much like the lecture series, had a large turnout throughout the week.

Wednesday’s International Bazaar in the Curris Center Ballroom hosted by the International Student Organizations and International Enrollment Office brought a crowd as well. More than 40 countries’ cultures were represented by booths. Each culture had representations through food, music, art and dress which attendees explored while socializing.

Students who missed out on these events can still catch the tail end of International Education Week today.

Three different presentations will be offered at different times, beginning at 11 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. in the Curris Center.

Haley Hays/The News

Chinese international student, Xiankun Xu, showcases his calligraphy at a workshop Monday.

How to: Throw the ultimate Friends-giving dinner Tiffany Whitfill || Staff writer twhitfil1@murraystate.edu

There are two reasons why students are looking forward to next week: three days off of school and Thanksgiving. Some students will travel by car or plane to spend the holidays with family and friends while others may celebrate Thanksgiving in Murray.

For those who will not be traveling for the holiday, there is a way to bring the spirit of good food and company to Murray. Gather friends and the best recipes around to begin your “friends-giving.”

PREPARATION:

The first step to coordinating a Thanksgiving celebration is to choose the venue for the affair. Whether at an apartment or a local meeting house, there are many ways to transform spaces to create a warm and inviting site.

bold statement piece for your event may be a conversation starter later that night.

A simple centerpiece that will be appreciated by all can be influenced by the colors of fall. Grab a few empty wine bottles or candle holders and paint them either red, yellow or orange.

Add Thanksgiving appeal by using a white paint marker to write words like give thanks, friends, feast and gratitude. To add flair to these bottles, add a few strands of decorative flowers and stems that complement the pieces.

guests in the room, this classic twist to the popular “20 Questions” game will have everyone learning a little more about their friends.

One guest will begin by selecting another guest as the “mystery identity” but will not tell who it is out loud. Each guest will then get to ask a yes or no question about the “mystery identity” until the group has reached 20 questions. They will then have one guess to solve who the “mystery identity” is.

FOOD:

There are many ways to end a party with friends. One of those ways is to play a movie that enhances the bonds of friendship and Thanksgiving.

Some popular movies centered around friendship and Thanksgiving include: “Son in Law,” “National Lampoon’s Thanksgiving Family Reunion” and “Home for the Holidays.”

Thanksgiving was originated to spend time with friends and give thanks and gratitude. With good food and company, any place, even if it’s not permanent, can feel like home for the holidays.

Enjoy home cooked meals by having a pot-luck with friends.

Each friend may be responsible for preparing an appetizer, entree, vegetable or dessert. Allowing multiple people to create the dishes spreads the responsibility of the time-consuming cooking practice and adds a personal flair to each dish. Check out TheNews.org for a full recipe for an herb-roasted turkey breast with pan gravy.

DECORATIONS:

Burlap and lace are popular trends during the fall season, as well as autumn hues like gold, maroon and hunter green. Creating a

GAMES: No party can be complete without fun and games. For those friends who know either very little or everything about the other

MOVIE:

THILE

BLOODSWORTH

From Page 5B

From Page 5B

tenced to death.

“When the gavel came down on my life, the sentence was death,” Bloodsworth said.

“The courtroom erupted in applause. ‘Give him the gas and kill his ass,’ is what they said.”

After the sentence was announced, he was sent to a penitentiary where he would serve his time until he would be put to death.

“I was taken to one of the most notorious penitentiaries in the country, the Maryland Penitentiary, where a guard was recently disemboweled by one of the inmates.”

Bloodsworth said he had to come to terms with the fact that this would be his new home, and he would have to make the most of it while he could. He made acquaintances at the prison and strengthened his faith through books.

He worked in the library at the penitentiary where he spent a lot of his day reading. One particular book stuck out to him.

It was a book about a murderer who took a DNA test, which, in the end, proved his innocence.

DNA testing for criminals began in 1984.

The phenomenon was only beginning to surface during the time that Bloodsworth was in prison.

After he read about the test, he immediately requested to call his lawyer to allow

demic approach to music,” Chris said in his speech.

“That was all started with my time at Murray State University with the incredibly open minded professors in an environment that fostered all kinds of curiosity,” In this environment, Chris was able to take in all sides of music. He recalls a particular class with one of his favorite professors.

“I remember sitting in classrooms listening to Dr. Brown play Dubbusey, but to hear Dubbusey with that intuitive approach,” Chris said. “He had such a liquid relationship between the intuitive and academic approach to music. All sorts of light bulbs went off in my head.”

Chris began his music career at 8 years old when his family and some friends of the family, the Watkins’, formed Nickel Creek, which included Chris on

Jenny Rohl/The News

Kirk Bloodsworth speaks to students and community members about his experiences and upcoming book. him to take the test. Bloodsworth’s lawyer agreed to give him the test, and his innocence was proven.

“I was the first person in the United States to be freed by post-conviction DNA testing from a capital conviction. That was June 28, 1993,” Bloodsworth said.

Since then, Bloodsworth has become a member of Witness to Innocence, an organization for death row survivors and their

families.

The organization strives to make death row survivors leaders by telling their stories across the U.S. and encourages people to help abolish the death penalty.

Bloodsworth’s story has inspired a book called “Bloodsworth: The True Story of One Man’s Triumph over Injustice” and a documentary called “Bloodsworth - An Innocent Man” that will be released in the spring.

mandolin, Sara Watkins on fiddle and Sean Watkins on guitar.

The group would go on to be successful, raking in four Grammy nominations and one win for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Chris’ accomplishments make it clear why he was awarded the honor.

He has been successful on his own as well, winning everything from the MacArthur Genius Grant to winning two Grammys on his own, as well as being nominated and winning several other bluegrass and folk awards.

Though Chris couldn’t make it to accept the award himself, in his acceptance speech he addressed how he saw his time at Murray State and said he planned on making a return performance sometime in 2015.

“I am so, so thankful for this award. I’m very sorry I couldn’t be there in person,” Chris said. “I have some ideas for things hopefully we can do together next year. Thank you so much, and I hope to see you very soon.”

The News

Features

November 21, 2014

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“Normal” Barbie

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Marie Claire @marieclaireau Meet Lammilly: the average doll that wants to change the way girls think about their bodies 4:17 p.m. 19 Nov 2014

Washington Post @washingtonpost The creator of “normal Barbie” wanted to send a message that “reality can be beautiful.”

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2014 SEXIEST MAN ALIVE ANNOUNCED Jimmy Kimmel announced Tuesday that Chris Hemsworth is People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, 2014.

Hemsworth credited his sexy charisma to Matt Damon and thanked his parents for “putting this together,” referring to his body.

“I learned everything there is to being sexy from Matt,” Hemsworth said.

Photo courtesy of youtube.com

‘Dumb and Dumber To’ fails to impress John Gruccio || Contributing writer jgruccio@murraystate.edu

SEXUAL ALLEGATIONS, COSBY CANCELLATIONS Netflix postponed a special starring 77-year-old actor Bill Cosby, and NBC canceled the development of a new series after model Janice Dickinson told Entertainment Tonight that she had been drugged and raped

by Cosby 30 years ago.

Soundbyte “I think you’ve bought me a couple of weeks of bragging rights around the house.”

-Chris Hemsworth, on his win of “2014’s Sexiest Man Alive.”

Twenty years ago, we were introduced to a film that showed us all how truly stupid a pair of characters could be. I am speaking of the film “Dumb and Dumber.”

Whether it be the scene where Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels eat a series of hot peppers and then scream for their lives or when Carrey adds laxatives to Daniels’ hot chocolate, only then for the audience to see Daniels unleashing hell on the toilet, these scenes were funny to all of us in our adolescence.

However, they do not fare well now that the majority of us have grown up.

Sadly, the same can be said about the sequel.

After 20 years, Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne are still the best of friends, but when Harry finds an old postcard from his former flame, Fraida Felcher, detailing that he has a daughter, the two friends embark on a road trip to find her.

While on the trip, Harry must decide whether or not he is ready to accept the responsibility of being a father. With Lloyd by his side, what could go wrong?

“Dumb and Dumber To” stars Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Laurie Holden, Rob Riggle, Rachel Melvin, Steve Tom and

Kathleen Turner. The film is written and directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly.

For Carrey and Daniels, this film was more about going back to their roots than anything, I believe.

“Dumb and Dumber” was one of the first comedies that made Carrey a household name. Seeing the duo back together again does bring back a lot of happy memories.

When you watch them together, it seems like no time has passed. The kind of utter enthusiasm they bring and play off of one another shows how well they work together.

However, even with their larger-thanlife performances, the movie still fails, as gags from the previous films are done to bring new laughs.

The majority of the film’s supporting actors only contribute to the chaos of lending new light to the old gags.

As funny as Riggle is, his character in the film is almost a complete play off of the thug with an ulcer from the first film.

One thing that does add a bit of laughter to the film is the number of unexpected cameos.

Sequels are such a tough nut to crack.

For the Farrelly brothers, who were at one point in time kings of adult comedy, with such films as “Kingpin,” “There’s Something About Mary” and “Me, Myself

& Irene,” have fallen far with their last couple of films.

I hope these guys can figure out a way to get back in the game; they do have talent. I’m not sure how many more of these sleepers we can take.

“Dumb and Dumber To” is not the worst comedy of all time.

If you are feeling nostalgic and want to kill some time, you should check it out. It is definitely good for a few laughs.

Quick Facts Title:

“Dumb and Dumber To”

Rating: PG-13

Cast:

Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Rob Riggle, Laurie Holden, Kathleen Turner

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A big and rich time

Breanna Sill Features Editor

As everyone already knows, CMT invaded campus last week and it was kind of awesome if you’re into having celebrities, free stuff and television crews all over

campus.

As if I wasn’t already excited enough about the event, it was announced that one of my favorite bands of all time was the main act. I know not everyone was stoked about Big and Rich performing, but I could not have been more ecstatic.

My love for Big and Rich stems way back to just before the beginning of their career, when “Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy” was still a rising single and not the country anthem it is known as now.

I have always been down for a good concert, even when I was a child. My mom has always been right by my side, but it was a rare occurrence that my dad would volunteer to come along with us. Not to say he hadn’t been dragged to concerts with us before- Britney Spears circa 2001, for example. However, when we heard Big and Rich were coming to Paducah, Ky., back in 2005, he was on board.

I will never forget throwing on my peasant skirt and cowboy hat and toting my homemade sign to the concert with my parents.

We all had so much fun and it is one of my happiest and most special memories from my childhood, which brings me to why the Big and Rich concert in Murray was so special for me now, nearly 10 years later.

My dad lost his battle to cancer in 2010, four years ago this week.

Every year since then when the holiday season rolls around it always feels more bittersweet, but this year, because of the amazing opportunity Murray State won, it made it all seem more bearable.

Being able to rekindle that connection with not only Big and Rich last week, but with my dad, was something that I could not be more thankful for. I will never forget being able to experience that concert with my dad and the connection I felt being able to see them again.

I could feel my dad’s spirit right there with me that night, enjoying the concert right along with me.

I wish there was a way to let all the people at CMT know how much this concert meant to me, but I truly am thankful to Murray State’s students, faculty and anyone else who voted in the contest for the opportunity to relive that memory. bsill@murraystate.edu

Out this Week

Read It

“Hope to Die (Alex Cross Series #22),”

by James Patterson

See It

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1”

ellness W a m A ni l

alth and e H

Larisa Bierds, DVM 2477 State Route 94 E Murray 270-753-4830

Present your Racercard for a 10 percent discount on your first visit.

Hear It

“No Fixed Address,” by Nickelback

Rent It

“22 Jump Street”

Play It

“Super Smash Bros.”

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The News

November 21, 2014