The Murray State News

The Murray State News August 21, 2015

TheNews.org

Vol. 90, No. 1

Alternate route

Mold in biology building contained Bailey Bohannon

Contributing writer bbohannon@murraystate.edu

Mikayla Marshall Contributing writer

mmarshall5@murraystate.edu

Nicole Ely/The News

State route construction, which will last until fall 2016, receives mixed reviews from students Abby Siegel

Contributing writer asiegel@murraystate.edu

Murray State drivers are experiencing the negative effects caused by construction on State Route 121, a $13.6 million construction project that is expected to last until fall 2016.

While the final goal of the project is to provide less congestion around the CFSB Center, the construction has temporarily removed the turning lane onto Gilbert Graves Drive, causing greater congestion on the road that averages 11,000 cars daily.

Jim Smith Contracting Company, LLC, of Grand Rivers will be coordinating with the University to minimize the constructions effects during important Murray State events.

Kristin Livisay, junior from Memphis, Tenn., said she believes the construction is a potential disaster, especially with homecoming and basketball season approaching.

While the University has sent out email reminders, Livisay said more signs could be used to inform those who may be unaware of the construction occurring, such as out-of-state students.

Livisay said she believes the safety of those needing to walk to the stores and restaurants across from the CFSB Center could be at risk, and the road was fine the way it was before construction.

“It’s very unfortunate for walkers,” she said.

Livisay lives on campus and is taking an alternate route to her residential college than she previously took to avoid the overwhelming traffic.

Like Livisay, Karlie Blain, sophomore

Nicole Ely/The News

from Grayson, Ky., is finding an alternate route to her residential college.

Blain said she is mostly inconvenienced by the stoplight at the entrance to WalMart Drive.

“It takes more time than necessary,” she said.

She now avoids this road to prevent sitting at the light for extended time.

Once the improvement is complete on the one-mile stretch between South 12th Street and Bailey Road, State Route 121

will become a four-lane highway with a center turning lane near the CFSB Center.

“I think it is a little dangerous because the road is so narrow,” said Ganesh Taluri, graduate student from Hyderabad, India.

Despite living off campus with no car and having to walk to class, Taluri said the only time he felt the hindrance of construction is when he goes to Hibachi King, a local restaurant, with his friends.

see 121, 2A

Mold was suspected to reside in nine classrooms in a wing of the Jesse D. Jones Hall Aug. 6 by University officials, but further testing revealed mold had spread to three more rooms.

The classrooms affected were closed and scheduled for remediation four days later and the scheduled time for re-access to those classrooms initially investigated has not changed.

The first step is to determine the type of mold causing the problem.

The University and the Jesse D. Jones Science, Engineering and Technology faculty took the approach that the mold should be dealt with completely and immediately, as it can affect people.

“No mold is good mold,” said Steve Cobb, dean of the Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology. “We didn’t want any of it, because all of it has the potential to be allergenic so we wanted to get it all out of there.”

The type of mold causing the delays is still unknown but will hopefully be revealed upon further testing.

An air test and a tape test will be performed to see if any mold still resides in the air or on any surfaces.

Cobb said he received an update Aug. 17 that said five rooms are now cleared and all equipment used in those rooms have been disinfected. However, the equipment has not yet been put back into the classrooms because they will again be inspected before being reopened to the public.

Cobb said he and other faculty members have an ongoing theory: over the summer, the biology wing underw ent maintenance work on the air conditioning system. This is speculated to have caused high humidity and a moist climate, along with condensation for the building during the late part of July, which he says is a perfect environment for a

see MOLD, 2A

Faculty discouraged from giving early finals Courtney Scoby

Contributing writer cscoby@murraystate.edu

Interim Provost Tim Todd sent out a reminder last week to inform faculty not to schedule tests during the last week of classes.

According to the email, if professors choose to schedule tests during this week, that information should be communicated clearly to students in the course syllabus or in the schedule of activities for the course. The message provided no consequence for professors scheduling tests during the final week of classes.

WHAT’S

INSIDE

In the email, Todd said the excessive scheduling of tests during the last week of regularly scheduled classes, coupled with upcoming final examinations, may place students at a serious disadvantage.

Students have mixed feelings about this policy, however.

Rachel Phelan, junior from Bardwell, Ky., said she didn’t think changing the policy would make much of a difference to her by the end of the semester.

“I do understand that with a busy school schedule, work schedule and home life that

much dedication to studying for two tests back to back might not be possible,” she said. “But I don’t really understand why it would be a big deal to have a test that week.

If anything, it would make the information more present in your mind on the final.”

Arden Mynatt, senior from Louisville, Ky., said she appreciated the policy change and wanted her professors to be clear on their expectations from the beginning of the semester.

“I think it should be stated up front, because that will give you more time to study,” Mynatt said. “I’m OK as long

as I’m aware.”

She said that although she does not mind taking tests during the final week of classes, she is not fond of professors who change the scheduled test dates mid-semester.

“I have had tests that were supposed to be earlier, but the professors were like ‘No, let’s push it back to that week,’” she said. This is often how tests end up scheduled during the last week of classes.

Students are also concerned about the large number of final papers, projects and assignments that are inevitably due at the same time.

“I did not have any tests

scheduled the week before finals, but I did have three huge papers due that week which, in my opinion, is just as bad,” Phelan said.

Phelan said students can struggle to find time for all of their schoolwork, often while balancing jobs, volunteering and participating in campus activities. This becomes even more difficult at the end of the semester when final projects and final exams collide.

“It’s more stressful because you have more projects and assignments due, and you have to study for that test on top of everything,” Mynatt said.

NEW FRANKLIN

OUR VIEW

The new residential college on track for completion, 3A

Freshman should learn financial Football player released after tips to help in college, 4A Sunday night arrest, 1B

ZEKE PIKE

WHAT’S ON THENEWS.ORG VIDEO

We met up with the new Greek life coordinator in our latest video on TheNews.org.

NEW WEBSITE

We have updated our website, TheNews.org, and are working out the kinks. Bear with us as it all comes together.

GREAT BEGINNINGS Students welcomed back to campus with traditions, 5B

The News

News

2A

August 21, 2015

121 From Page 1 “We need to go slow because it is a single lane, but that doesn’t bother me much,” Taluri said.

Sai Nishank, graduate student from Hyderabad, India, said he doesn’t think the construction presents too much of a problem for the community because everyone follows the road rules – something uncommon for the average Indian driver, he said.

“Road rules [in the U.S.] are pretty good compared to my home country,” Nishank said.

He said in comparison to the limited stoplights, people crossing the road on foot and an overwhelming number of motorcyclists on the road found in India, State Route 121 is safe and organized.

The project is intended to alleviate traffic congestion near the CFSB Center and provide standard sized sidewalks that connect Wal-Mart and Paramount drives to the north and 16th Street.

Photo provided by the Breathitt Veterinary Center

BREATHITT: Construction of the new 32,000 square-foot Breathitt Veterinary Center at the Hopkinsville Regional Murray State Campus is ongoing and is expected to be completed on time, less than a year from now. Debbie Reed, director of the BVC, said individual rooms are now being built and she is able to identify specific laboratory sections. The BVC is responsible for providing rapid, accurate diagnostic data that enables veterinarians to make appropriate treatment decisions.

MOLD From Page 1

Nicole Ely/The News

Areas in the Jesse D. Jones Hall are sectioned off because of mold, which has yet to be fully resolved.

Murray State University Statement of Non-Discrimination

Murray State University Statement of Non-Discrimination Students, parents, employers, and the general public are hereby notified that Murray State University endorses the intent of all federal and state laws created to prohibit discrimination. Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, veteran status, or disability in employment, admissions, or the provision of services and provides, upon request, reasonable accommodation including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford individuals with disabilities equal access to participate in all programs and activities.

In addition, Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs and activities and is required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106 not to discriminate in such a manner. The prohibition against sex discrimination specifically includes a prohibition of sexual harassment and sexual violence. This non-discrimination in education programs and activities extends to employment and admissions and to recruitment, financial aid, academic programs, student services, athletics, and housing.

Programs available include: Accounting; Advertising; Agriculture; Agricultural Science and Technology; Agricultural Science; Animal Technology; Applied Engineering and Technology Management; Applied Physics; Art; Athletic Training; Biology; Business Administration; Career and Technical Education; Chemical Manufacturing Management; Chemistry; Civil Engineering Technology; Clinical Psychology; Communication Disorders; Computer Information Systems; Computer Science; Counseling; Creative Writing; Criminal Justice; Economic Development; Economics; Education Administration; Electromechanical Engineering Technology; Elementary Education; Elementary Teacher Leader; Engineering Graphics and Design; Engineering Physics; English; English Pedagogy and Technology; Exercise Science; Finance; French; General Experimental Psychology; General Studies; Geosciences; German; Graphic Communications Media; Health and Physical Education; Health Information Administration; History; Human Development and Leadership; Industrial Technology; Information Systems; Integrated Studies; Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education; Interior Design; International Studies; International Business; Japanese; Journalism; Learning and Behavior Disorders; Liberal Arts; Library Media; Logistics and Supply Chain Management; Management; Manufacturing Technology; Marketing; Mass Communications; Mathematics; Middle School Education; Middle School Teacher Leader; Music; Music Business; Music Education; Nonprofit Leadership Studies; Nursing; Nursing Practice; Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Management; Occupational Safety and Health; Organizational Communication; P-20 and Community Leadership; Philosophy; Physics; Political Science; Postsecondary Education Administration; Psychology; Public Administration; Public and Community Health; Public Relations; Reading and Writing; Recreation and Leisure Services; School Counseling; Secondary Teacher Leader; Social Work; Sociology; Spanish; Special Education; Speech-Language Pathology; Sustainability Science; Teacher Education and Professional Development; Teaching English as a Second Language; Telecommunications Systems Management; Television Production; Theatre; Watershed Science; Wildlife and Conservation Biology.

Admission criteria include, but are not limited to the following: For undergraduates: for unconditional admission, an accredited high school diploma or GED, ACT minimum of 18/SAT minimum of 870, high school class rank minimum of upper half or 3.0 GPA; and a pre-college curriculum. For transfers: a minimum cumulative GPA of a 2.00 on a 4.00 scale. For graduate students: unconditional admission, a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale, and a minimum combined GRE score defined by department. International students must have a minimum of 71 on the IBT TOEFL with no bands below 16 or 6.0 on the IELTS with no bands below 5.0 for unconditional admission. Some graduate programs have higher minimum requirements.

For additional information please contact: Camisha Pierce Duffy, Title IX Coordinator & Executive Director; Section 504, ADA Coordinator, Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Access, 103 Wells Hall, Murray State University, Murray, KY 42071-3318, (270) 809-3155(Voice); (270) 809-3361(TDD).

08/2015

mold outbreak.

Cobb said humidity and condensation may have caused the mol d to appear and to start Cobb growing rapidly, causing a problematic outbreak.

There are parts of the building still in need of treatment and some parts that still need investigating.

Murray State’s main priority is to clear the mold from the teaching labs, then student and teacher research labs and finally the faculty offices so students would be the least inconvenienced,

and students with mold allergies would not have to suffer.

“Places that impact students had first priority,” Cobb said. “There were no classrooms in biology that were affected, only labs.”

Students will not be around the microbial hazard areas which are completely sealed and marked off.

However, an inconvenience comes from the changed class schedules students were not notified about until the day before or as soon as they walk up to the door and see the sign with the list of re-located classes.

Jennifer Williams, senior from Murray, said her chemistry class was relocated twice to two different buildings on opposite sides of campus, which she said was an inconvenience because she was not notified until the day before classes started.

Kadie Kinnis, senior from Mayfield, Ky., said she and her classmates nearly missed the last minute e-mail from their professors, and they also had to contact their professors independently.

The University is in the process of trying to uncover the cause and how to prevent outbreaks from happening in the future.

The way the humidity is getting into the building is still being investigated and officials are looking into whether the way the building is structured makes it prone to condensation. If that is the case, a concern for the new Engineering and Physics Building is being taken into account.

“To my knowledge we’ve never had an outbreak that is this comprehensive where it covers lots of rooms at one time,” Cobb said. “It just seemed to be growing as the days [went] by.”

The News

News

August 21, 2015 News Editor: Mari-Alice Jasper Assistant Editor: Zachary Orr Phone: 270-809-4468 Twitter: MurrayStateNews

POLICE BEAT Aug. 13 8:56 a.m. An officer conducted a traffic stop on Coldwater Road.

A verbal warning was issued for having improper equipment.

1:58 p.m An officer conducted a traffic stop in the Curris Center parking lot. A verbal warning was issued for following too closely and for having an expired registration plate.

Aug. 14 12:34 p.m. A caller reported a motor vehicle collision in the Regents Residential College parking lot. Officers were notified and a collision report was taken.

9:09 p.m. Officers conducted a traffic stop at Hester Residential College. A verbal warning was issued for failure to turn on headlights.

Aug. 15 3:46 p.m. A caller from the Curris Center requested a welfare check of an animal. Officers were notified and everything appeared normal.

4:50 p.m. A caller reported a motor vehicle collision in the Roy Stewart Stadium parking lot. No injuries were suffered.

Officers were notified and a report was taken.

Aug. 16 1:30 p.m. The Housing Office reported a malfunctioning elevator with passengers stuck on the elevator in Elizabeth Residential College. Central Heating and Cooling Plant was notified.

1:36 p.m. A caller reported the smell of marijuana at White Residential College. Officers were notified and a report was taken.

Aug. 17 2:34 a.m. Officers reported a person going through the dumpsters at Hester Residential College.

9:55 a.m. A caller from the Price Doyle Fine Arts Complex reported a theft of property worth less than $500.

Officers were notified and a report was taken.

Aug. 18 9:11 a.m. A person reported theft of property to Public Safety and Emergency Management. The police were notified and a report was taken for theft by unlawful taking under $500.

2:13 p.m. An officer conducted a traffic stop in the Backyard Burger parking lot. A citation was issued for failure to wear a seatbelt and failure to produce an insurance card.

Aug. 19 8:39 p.m. An officer was advised of a drug complaint at James H. Richmond Residential College. A citation was issued for drug possession and a report was taken.

10:26 p.m. Racer Patrol reported a suspicious vehicle in the Roy Stewart Stadium Parking Lot. Officers were notified and the report was determined to be unfounded.

Call of Fame Aug. 17, 10:13 p.m. - Racer Patrol reported someone was attempting to climb trees near Racer Arena. Officers were notified.

Motorists assists – 9 Racer escorts – 1 Arrests – 0 Zachary Orr, Assistant News Editor, compiles Police Beat with materials provided by Public Safety and Emergency Management.

Not all dispatched calls are listed.

3A

Racer takes on Capitol Hill Mari-Alice Jasper || News Editor mjasper1@murraystate.edu

As the summer heat of June burned on, Alex Englen, senior from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, packed her bags and headed north to Washington, D.C. to spend six weeks on Capitol Hill as an unpaid intern with the office of U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield.

Being an intern with Whitfield’s office, Englen spent much of her summer working with constituencies, or residents, to answer their questions and help them understand how Whitfield was planning to vote on different issues. A constituent is a person that votes in a U.S. representative’s congressional district.

“If I got a call about a bill, I would then research the bill, find out what was going on, look up past bills that we have written on and look at past legislation that has been written,” she said. “From that information I would then write a letter back to the constituent stating how Whitfield would vote.”

Other times, residents called in to let Whitfield know how they thought he should vote. Englen said each interaction with a resident was filed for Whitfield to look at.

“I really liked working with constituencies one on one,” she said.

“I liked hearing them voicing their opinions.”

Whitfield, a member of the Republican Party, has represented the first congressional district for the past 20 years. His district encompasses most of Western Kentucky, including Hopkinsville, Madisonville, Paducah and Murray. He represents more than 673,000 residents.

Englen, one of three students selected for the internship, said completing the online application was very simple and she saw the internship as an opportunity to discover what she wanted to do with her life.

“The semester before the internship I sat down with my mom and I just told her I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I wanted it to be something in political communication,” she said.

“She suggested an internship because it looks good on a resume.”

With just her senior year of school left, Englen said she thought having an internship the summer before graduating would be the most beneficial to her.

“I thought it would really be great for me to intern the summer before

Photo courtesy of the office of Rep. Ed Whitfield

Alex Englen participated in an internship this summer working for the office of Rep. Ed Whitfield. graduating because the experience would be more fresh in my mind once I hit the job market,” she said.

Just a few weeks after applying, she heard back from Whitfield and from that moment on, her summer plans started to fall into place.

Accepting the internship came with a few obstacles including housing. Englen said the internship was unpaid and they also didn’t provide any type of housing assistance.

Through a network of old family friends cultivated from being part of an Army family, Englen was able to find someone to live with for a few weeks.

Over the years Englen and her family have been stationed in Colorado, Kentucky, Tennessee and overseas.

“This was the first time I had ever been to D.C. though,” she said. “So I just kind of packed my bags and jumped in feet first.”

As an intern, Englen was given the

privilege to attend as many briefings and hearings as she wanted to and she was able to meet other U.S. representatives from Kentucky. She also met Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul.

She said being able to sit in on a briefing held by Secretary of State John Kerry, in regards to the Iran Nuclear Deal was her favorite thing that happened during her internship.

Even though she arrived at the briefing hours early, the line to enter was still a mile long. Englen said she wanted to attend the briefing mostly because of her interest in international relations and politics.

Most of the time though, she focused on learning the fundamentals of writing a bill and the basic process of getting one passed.

“It was so much fun going to the house floor, figuring it out and being there in the commotion,” she said.

“People are always moving around

there. There’s no down time. There’s no sitting on your butt. There’s always something to do.”

She didn’t just spend her time in D.C. on Capitol Hill. Even though Englen clocked in more than 10 hours per day at the office during the week, she still found the time to get out and navigate the city.

“I would change into some shorts in the bathroom at work, then I would just go out and explore D.C.,” she said. “I did that everyday I could.”

Englen said although it was some of the hardest work she has done, she would still recommend the internship to anyone who is interested in learning more about the political process.

“There’s no class I’ve attended or book that I’ve read that taught me more than the six weeks that I spent in D.C.,” she said. “You’re in it.

You’re doing it. That’s the best way to learn it.”

Students eager for New Franklin’s arrival Abby Siegel

Contributing writer asiegel@murraystate.edu

Murray State residents are eager to take the Franklin Residential College community to a brand new building after calling the current building home for the past 53 years.

New Franklin Residential College will allow more students to live on campus comfortably. Resident rooms will look similar to Lee Clark Residential College and James Richmond Residential College, with two beds per room, a shared bathroom and additional four bedroom suites.

Jason Youngblood, assistant director for Facilities Design and Construction at Murray State said the project is on time to be completed by summer 2016. Residents will be able to move into New Franklin the following fall semester.

“The blueprints and drawings of the building look gorgeous,” Chandler Cochran, sophomore from Cincinnati, said.

New Franklin will have a first floor common space that can seat up to 150 people. The second floor will be a large game and TV lounge.

Additionally each floor will have a study room. This will be a nice improvement because Franklin doesn’t have a television now, Cochran said.

Despite being excited about the look and layout of the new building, Cochran said he was more enthusiastic about the community at Franklin.

“It’s not about the building, its about the people, but it will be nice to live in a building that doesn’t resemble a hospital,” he said.

Cochran said the large common area in the new building will provide opportunities to continue to build the Franklin community in a way that wasn’t possible before because the building was so small.

Only having lived in Franklin a few days, transfer student Mary Kate Markley, sophomore from Marion Ill., said the building isn’t as bad as her colleagues made it out to be, and it is even better than the

Emily Harris/The News

Construction is currently underway on New Franklin, which is expected to open to students during the fall semester of 2016. dorm she lived in at her previous university.

Markley’s father lived in Franklin Residential College during his undergraduate career at Murray State, which attests to the age of the building, she said.

“It’s a dorm room-you can’t ask for a lot,” she said, commenting on the problems with cable and Wi-Fi she experienced upon move in.

When deciding on housing, Markley chose to live in Franklin because of the cheaper cost compared to other residential colleges such as

Hester or Richmond.

Although New Franklin will be able to house more residents, many students may still choose the cheaper residential college options for financial reasons.

“It will probably be expensive so I can’t live in New Franklin,” she said.

Markley isn’t the only Murray State resident that has decided the cheaper residential college is the best option.

Laura Litsey, senior from Owensboro, Ky., lived in Hester last year

before deciding she could get by in the cheaper option of Franklin.

She said she was pleasantly surprised by her room and loves the large windows.

“I like having a cheaper residential college option,” she said.

Cochran said that not everyone will be able to live in New Franklin, and it will be sad for the Franklin community to lose valuable members, even though it is just a parking lot that divides them.

“I hope it is completed in time,” Cochran said.

4A

August 21, 2015

The News

Opinion

Opinion Editor: Allison Borthwick Phone: 270-809-5873

­

Our View

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

TheNews.org Mary Bradley

Editor-in-Chief • 270-809-6877 mbradley9@murraystate.edu Mari-Alice Jasper News Editor • 270-809-4468 mjasper1@murraystate.edu Allison Borthwick Opinion Editor • 270-809-5873 aborthwick@murraystate.edu Breanna Sill Features Editor • 270-809-5871 bsill@murraystate.edu Kelsey Randolph Sports Editor • 270-809-4481 krandolph3@murraystate.edu Adrienne Vititoe Chief Copy Editor • 270-809-5876 avititoe@murraystate.edu Elizabeth Leggett Online Editor • 270-809-5877 eleggett@murraystate.edu Jenny Rohl Advertising Sales Manager • 270-809-4478 msunewsads@gmail.com Alex Hilkey Advertising Production • 270-809-5874 shilkey@murraystate.edu Fumi Nakamura Photography Editor • 270-809-5878 fnakamura1@murraystate.edu Cameron Witte Chief Videographer cwitte@murraystate.edu Joe Hedges Adviser • 270-809-3937 jhedges@murraystate.edu

Write to us!

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Contributors should include phone numbers for verification. Please include hometown, classification and title or relationship to the University.

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

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

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

Selena McPherson/The News

The importance of financial planning for students The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board.

Incoming freshman: these next four, or more, years can make or bankrupt you.

Before you spend your first few weeks here clicking on all the Buzzfeed lists you can find on how to date in college and how to make your dorm room look like the Pinterest corporate office, consider the fact that there are more important things to be researching.

Whether your parents are giving you money each week or you have three jobs to get by, your money is officially your responsibility.

According to FastWeb.com, an online platform offering scholarship, financial aid, college search and career resources, the Department of Education acquired upwards of $101.8 billion from student loan borrowers between 2008 and 2013. Between 2005 and 2013, student loan debt increased by nearly 300 percent.

Those numbers will only go up from there.

So, before you put yourself in a cycle where you live paycheck to paycheck and run out of flex by October, start budgeting now.

There are so many ways to avoid being one of those alarming student debt statistics.

Know what you’re getting into when you click “Accept” on those tempting financial aid offers.

There is a big difference between a subsidized and unsubsidized loan: the amount of interest you’ll have to pay on the loans upon graduation.

According to Edvisors.com, subsidized loans have periods of authorized deferment, allowing the government to pay interest on your loans while you’re in school or experiencing times of economic hardship. Unsubsidized loans place the entire responsibility of interest payments in the borrower’s hands.

To avoid shackling yourself to student loan payments, try to get most of your higher education paid for by scholarships

and grants.

You don’t have to have a 4.8 GPA and 600 hours of volunteer service to have your education paid for, without interest.

You can apply for scholarships with qualifications ranging from being left-handed to having red hair. Apply for as many as you can find.

FastWeb, Unigo and Scholarships.com are just a few of the options available. Murray State also offers resources year-round for students – it’s time consuming, but wouldn’t you rather fill out a bunch of applications than file for bankruptcy?

Start now.

Be realistic about your budget – know the difference between your needs and wants.

When setting the dollar amount for your income, set it low. When setting the dollar amount for potential expenses, set it high. It may seem counterproductive, but your savings account will thank you.

Take your student ID with you everywhere you go. Aside from getting you into the residential colleges and paying for your on-campus meals, it will get you discounts at a surprising number of stores and restaurants in Murray.

Stash those coupon books being handed out on campus somewhere easily accessible.

Shop at Dollar Tree, Dollar General and consignment stores.

Put the $8 you were about to spend on a fast food bedtime snack back in your wallet. Save the $45 you were thinking about spending on a monogrammed crop top for later. If the barista says, “Venti mocha frap with two shots of espresso,” before you have a chance to speak, rethink your flex spending decisions.

College might very well be the best four years of your life.

However, how you manage your money during that time will determine how good or bad the years after graduation will be.

Some Things Considered

Don’t be a negativity elitist Do me a favor: log into Facebook or Twitter and take a quick gander at your feed.

Ignoring the abundance of list pieces about twentysomethings and BuzzFeed GIF reels, take inventory of how many destruction-related articles you Hallie Beard see, shared by Junior from your friends or Louisville, Ky. yourself.

Whether they’re about the destruction of bodies, the country or the human psyche, you can count on each one sounding more jarring than the last.

“What could be worse than this?” you might think as you mindlessly scroll through a story on mass murder in Europe, only to stumble upon a story on mass murder in the U.S. seconds later, which suddenly seems much worse.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “if it bleeds, it leads” in journalism, referring to the strange, yet undeniable, magnetism of violence

in media.

But what keeps this cycle alive?

What continually motivates millions of Facebookers and Tweeters to share such sobering articles, often accompanied by heated opinions?

Though I’d like to believe our Facebook friends are sincerely interested in Greek politics, African wildlife or American poverty, I’m not buying it.

What motivates a decent chunk of these articles, I’m sorry to say, is competition.

Think about it – if you shared an article about Caitlyn Jenner, you were then shamed for not sharing an article about wounded soldiers. If you shared an article about wounded soldiers, you were shamed for not caring about Cecil the lion, etc.

It’s a negativity competition, and you’re always one step behind.

Each friend or follower you have on social media – whether they realize it or not – competes for emotion and reaction via likes, shares, retweets and good ol’ fashioned guilt trips.

If I, utilizing my social media presence, can shift your attention from one issue to another that seems vastly more appalling, I’ve proven two things: I am up to date with the latest news stories, and I am concerned with more important issues – equipped with better information than you.

Slyly accused of apathy and ignorance, then, you question your own concerns and interests

– suddenly insecure that you’re paying attention to the wrong news sources, the wrong part of the world, the wrong Facebook link.

In one click, your sense of empathy is scolded and thrown to the wolves.

Don’t let this absurd competition, this negativity elitism, get you down, though. Rather than letting your social media timeline feed you bite after bite of sour arrogance, take some time to chew before you swallow.

If you find yourself getting particularly click-happy about horrible things, slow down and check yourself. Ask why you’re sharing the article.

If the motivation stems from true activism, progress, or illumination, proceed. If it stems from the desire to trump your high school bestie’s latest negative post, reconsider.

I’m not saying we should pay any less attention to the destruction or conflict in our communities – those stories, though solemn and uncomfortable at times, often make us more compassionate.

Having a grasp on what suffering means on a local, national and global level helps us look at problem solving in new ways.

However, there’s enough disaster to go around without the help of bad attitudes, and the Internet will never be without its daily dose of carnage.

So, please: don’t be a negativity elitist, and don’t let yourself consume that culture.

Stand firm in your beliefs, push for progress and spread some love.

The News

Opinion

August 21, 2015

Letter to the Editor

Well, I have never been more excited to start a new semester. Last Saturday morning, first year students moved into the residential colleges at Murray State University by the hundreds. You came from literally everywhere, from local and nearby high schools and others from the other side of the world.

But from wherever you came, your experiences here at the University will change you forever, and that is as it should be. You will be changed by your peers and by the social life you experience. You will be changed by your professors and by the classes you take. You will be changed should you choose to participate in any number of campus ministries and local churches.

Oh, and you will change your peers, your professors and the whole of the community around you as well. You are your own change agents. I know that I am changed by you. I will leave each class session knowing more about my subject than when I went into the class. And I will leave each class session knowing more about each student in the class. And I will leave each class session knowing

more about myself.

I have left the sweet confines of my backyard writing cabin to write this letter in my sixth floor Faculty Hall Department of History office because I want to be interrupted as I write. Heather Burgess, one of my advisees, a senior History major, just came by to say hello. She is excited to begin her last year at Murray State, although she wishes she could stay at the university forever.

Heather will finish her classes this semester and then student teach in the spring. Beyond that, she has all her road before her. Heather has made the most of her undergraduate career. She has been a resident adviser at Regents Residential College, planning programs for students and taking on a leadership role across the campus community. She will be certified to teach on the secondary level when she graduates, but Heather will also have vast experience in resident hall life in higher education as well.

She also knows how to research and write history.

A first-rate university education prepares students in this way. Students learn how to think critically,

5A I Have a Lot of Feelings

how to communicate well, but also how to live life to the fullest in service to others. Students have fun at Murray State, but they also learn that there is much more to life than seeking pleasure. In fact, students learn that the greatest fulfillment may come in helping others achieve their goals.

The same can be said for professors. For what use is a professor unless he or she helps you achieve your academic goals? President James Garfield said that the ideal college – he was thinking of his alma mater, Williams College – would have Mark Hopkins, the Williams president, sitting at one end of a log and a student at the other end.

Teaching and classrooms have become more sophisticated than logs, but Garfield’s sentiment about the personal attention of a professor still holds true. Nothing can replace it.

When I stop caring for each of my students on an individual level, it will be a clear indication to me that it is time to retire.

So, just as you have come from near and far to Murray State to learn and grow and succeed, you have surely come to learn more about yourselves

and from wherever it is you hail from.

T. S. Eliot said it best in his “Four Quartets:” “We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.”

Duane Bolin

Professor of History

We still want to hear from you.

Are you concerned about a certain issue on campus or 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 us at letters@ thenews.org.

I’ve Got a Story for You

Starting with a laugh Welcome to Week One of the 92nd year of Fun and Required Attendance in Murray, the Friendliest Town in Calloway County.

The first classes held at Murray Normal School were actually held at the city High School on Main Street on Sept. 24, 1923.

When President J. W. Carr Robert Valentine arrived in MurSenior lecturer ray that year, he found there were of advertising no paved streets in the town, but there were a lot of very friendly people.

The people are still friendly, the streets have been paved, the University has its own classroom buildings, but there’s still no bypass. Come back in another 92 years.

The people who come here in 2015 seeking a college education will pay a heavy price for that valuable growth in knowledge and understanding.

For four years, they will not earn as much as they might if they went right to work in construction, food services or truck driving. Want fries with that?

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

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

Comic

During those four years, many people will run up a good little bill with a bank or lending agency which will keep them from buying a house until they are well into their 30s – if they are very lucky.

College comes with costs.

At the same time, college is a place for invaluable fun and discovery.

Things like concerts (with musicians who can play instruments other than drums and guitar), plays and lectures often come free of charge.

“

College is serious business. Let’s try to change that.

- Robert Valentine

”

If you pay attention, you will learn how to shorten meetings (valuable life skill), make friends (real ones who can bail you out – not virtual ones who suddenly won’t return text messages) and have fun.

College is serious business; let’s try to change that.

The really fun things would not sound very exciting if I described them.

They won’t sound like much when you tell your grandkids about them either.

But they will be some of the best times of your life – mostly because they are in stark contrast to what you’ve been doing all week: the hard work of learning, creating, remembering and solving.

Cheers to ... SCOTUS.

You will do these fun things with people who will very likely become the best friends you will ever have.

This is true, in part, because they are going through the same trials as you.

You will have shared anguish and confusion, so the sharing of relief and respite is just as intense a joy as the tough part was tough.

Some people never have that much fun again in their lives.

So, no matter how serious this place may seem at times, it should also be a time of great joy, huge smiles, warm feelings and big laughs.

The knowledge will get you a job. The laughs will get you a life.

Look at this poem as a literary assignment; then look at it as a toast to the future.

Here’s to you, young student, from all of us.

Laugh [verb; intransitive] To laugh for no good reason; To laugh because you remember; To laugh because you forgot.

Laughter keeps out the cold; Keeps warm the fires of friendship; Keeps bright the hope of reunion.

We may forget the joke; We may forget the story; We will never forget the laughter.

– F. O. Williamson

Jeers to ... Mother Nature.

June 26, 2015 – the day love won. The day the Supreme Court of the United States finally legalized same-sex marriage. Adam and Steve can now have their marriage recognized by the law. The world hasn’t burned down or turned rainbow colored. #LoveWins

Girl, we’re already having a hard enough time accepting that summer is over and school is nigh. We don’t need excessive heat, humidity and rain in the first week of class too. I understand that’s what you tend to do in August, but give us a break.

Jeers to ... “The book is optional.“

Cheers to ... LiveSafe.

Some professors wait until the first day of class to inform students the textbook is not actually required. Upon hearing this new information, a lot of students look at down at the book they purchased/rented weeks ago with resentment. A little notice would have been nice.

*Collective sigh of relief*

If you haven’t already heard, Murray State launched an app called LiveSafe. Download it and use it. It allows students to easily alert police of crime, increases their safety with the help of GPS tracking and more. Let’s all help make Murray safer.

Allison Borthwick

Opinion Editor

Summer 2015 was a summer of common sense.

I can’t tell you how many times I uttered the word, “finally.”

I experienced more waves of relief than I did waves of the ocean. Mostly because I didn’t go to

the ocean.

For instance, we found out over the summer that flex will now roll over from the fall semester to the spring.

The meal plan we choose at the beginning of the semester and pay for in advance, before we truly know how much we’ll spend or how many times we’ll swipe in at Winslow, won’t disappear whether we like it or not if gone unused.

We won’t have to buy all the Gatorade, canned food and granola bars Fast Track has on the shelves like we’re preparing for an annual December apocalypse.

The expiration date placed on our money has been lifted, finally.

Also, the University has taken some official steps in the right direction for the safety and welfare of students.

Title IX Awareness and Harassment Prevention Training is now mandatory – seriously, this time. No more ignoring those emails or that tab on Canvas.

Also, LiveSafe, a free mobile app designed to help reduce crime, make authorities more easily accessible and generate a faster incident response time, was launched.

In light of the instances of sexual assault and crime reported on this campus over the years, actions like these are a relief.

Now, let’s talk about common sense on a national level.

On June 26, 2015, freedom was granted to thousands of people who have been aching for it for far too long.

I guess you can say they have technically always been “free” to love who they wanted to love – the heart wants what the heart wants. No religion, law or conversion therapy can change that.

That being said, their “freedom” came with judgment, ridicule and regulations – three things that should never touch the sanctity of love.

The events of June 26 didn’t change the hearts of those still judging and ridiculing a love they don’t/won’t understand, but it does change the regulations.

On that day, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that samesex marriage is legal – in all 50 states of our land of the free, because of the brave.

Because of the brave people who never stopped fighting for the right to love, and have that love be legally recognized, marriage is no longer reserved for man and woman alone.

Love is love – what a wild notion.

A wild notion now recognized by the highest court in our country.

We are, and were always supposed to be, a nation founded by law – not religion.

There is supposed to be a separation of church and state. Instead, people have been trying to legally force the separation of same-sex couples by not allowing them to marry. Not anymore.

Sure, we may live in a world where Oreos are getting thinner and some people are actually taking Donald Trump’s run for presidency seriously.

However, on June 26, 2015, love and common sense won. aborthwick@murraystate.edu

So Dumb

By Jade Simpson

The News

News

6A

August 21, 2015

Murray State hires new administration during summer Tim Todd Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

Tim Todd, former dean of the Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business, has been approved by the Board of Regents to be the interim provost and vice president of academic affairs.

The provost and vice president of academic affairs at Murray State is responsible for overseeing all areas related to academic affairs.

Todd has been working at the University for the past 20 years.

He is replacing Jay Morgan, who left to take a position with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. Gerry Mukka is replacing Todd as the dean of the College of Business.

Keith Weber Chief Information Officer

Murray State’s new chief information officer, Keith Weber, has been working at the University since July 27. Prior to his employment here, he served at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati as the vice president for information, technology and strategic planning and the chief information officer. Weber received his Master’s Degree in business administration from Ashland University in Ohio. Later he received his Bachelor’s Degree in computer and information science from Ohio State University.

Adrienne King Director of Kentucky Academic Technology Education

A faculty member slaying a giraffe as a wild game hunter was the last thing Adrienne King had to deal with at Idaho State before she transitioned into her position at Murray State. King has been offered the position of vice president for marketing and outreach, pending the “Board of Regents” approval. She will begin her duties Sept. 1. Sherry McClain, director of print media, branding, marketing and communication said King’s position at the University will be very similar to the position left vacant by the late Jim Carter.

Ashley Ireland Dean of University Libraries

The University Libraries have a new dean: Ashley Ireland. Her new position became effective July 1. For the past three years she served at Murray State as the director of user and instruction services in the University Libraries. President Bob Davies said he was confident in Ireland’s ability to fill the position. Ireland is replacing Adam Murray, who accepted a position at James Madison.

Construction of the Engineering and Physics Building making progress MAKING PROGRESS: The Engineering and Physics building, the newest and final addition to the Gene W. Ray Campus at Murray State University, is still under construction. The team broke ground for the $37 million project in early April. Upon completion, the project will include classrooms, labs and offices in a state-ofthe-art learning facility.

The Engineering Physics Building is scheduled for a spring 2017 completion. When it is finished, the building will be 72,500-square-feet.

Nicole Ely/The News

Nicole Ely/The News

Nicole Ely/The News

August 21, 2015

Section B

The News

Sports Editor: Kelsey Randolph Phone: 809-4481 Twitter: MSUSportsNews

Sports ­­

Zero

tolerance Murray State releases transfer player after arrest Sunday night Kelsey Randolph || Sports Editor krandolph3@murraystate.edu Zeke Pike, a Murray State student and now a former Racers wide receiver, arrived this summer after spending a year each at the University of Louisville and Auburn.

At 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, Pike was a five-star recruit out of Dixie Heights High School in Edgewood, Ky. Scout.com named him the No. 1 quarterback in Kentucky in the 2012 recruiting class. He was also ranked No. 14 pro-style quarterback in the nation by 247sports.com.

At approximately 11:53 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18, Pike was pulled over for initially driving through a stoplight at Lowes Drive and North 16th Street and at 12:06 a.m. Pike was arrested.

Pike was arrested on eight charges and by Tuesday afternoon Pike was released from the Racers football team.

This isn’t Pike’s first offense. In high school Pike battled some issues; he was asked to leave a 7-on-7 summer camp for throwing a football at an official, according to al.com and was suspended for his final game senior year for undisclosed reasons, according to kentuckysports. com.

With offers from 28 schools, Pike made an early decision in April 2011 to commit to Au-

burn. After spring practice and only being on campus for six months, Pike was arrested for public intoxication.

He returned to his Kentucky home and enrolled in the University of Louisville in August 2012. After sitting out because of NCAA rules, Pike played briefly in the 2013 season seeing action in seven games and recording one catch for four yards.

In March 2014, Pike was arrested again for an alcohol-related charge.

After signing with the Murray State Racers during the summer, Head Coach Mitch Stewart said in an interview that he was looking to give Pike another chance.

After spending a few months with the Racers – before the first game of the season – Pike found himself in jail again.

According to the police report written by the arresting officer, Pike had an open Bud Light within his reach when he was asked to step out of a gray Honda Accord when pulled over Sunday night.

The report says Pike smelled of alcohol and marijuana. Pike stated to the officer that he had a marijuana pipe in his right shorts pocket but that it didn’t belong to him. Pike was escorted to

see ZERO TOLERANCE, 2B

Kelsey Randolph/The News

Volleyball set for No. 1 Soccer takes first loss spot in 2015-16 season Blake Bernier || Staff writer dbernier@murraystate.edu

Blake Bernier Staff writer

dbernier@murraystate.edu

The preseason polls are in and the Murray State Racers are picked to repeat as OVC champions. As the reigning champions, the women’s volleyball team is in a unique position with every starter from last years team returning.

“Never has that happened in my entire career in any school, anywhere, anything I’ve ever done, I’ve never had that happen … ever,” Head Coach Dave Schwepker said.

“I think it’s a big advantage for us, it just helps the continuity of the team.”

After winning the OVC Tournament last year, the team moved on to the NCAA Tournament, but lost to the University of Illinois. Coach Schwepker said the biggest change this season is the mental approach of his players.

“You have to have that mindset of ‘we are going to win’, whoever we play, if they’re really good or really bad, and that will give us the ability to win all the time.”

An early test for the Racers will occur Sept. 4 in Washington against the Huskies, who are No. 10 in the nation.

The change in approach means the Racers enter each game with more confidence

WHAT’S

INSIDE

Jenny Rohl/The News

A 2014 volleyball player sets the ball over the net during a practice. and an objective.

“If we get up against good teams like that we are going to win, we are just going for the win,” Schwepker said.

The Racers had four players selected to the preseason All-OVC team. Junior Scottie Ingram and seniors Taylor Olden and Sam Bedard were All-OVC last year. Junior Kristen Besselsen also made

the preseason list.

Despite all of the preseason accolades and expectations, Schwepker said there’s no added pressure for the team because they are remaining focused on what they can control.

“We are just thinking about each game, each match, that’s all we are concentrating on,” Schwepker said.

On Aug. 15, the Racers soccer team had finally got the chance to play together after a four month break. The exhibition loss against Troy provided Head Coach Jeremy Groves an opportunity to see his players competing again and the 3-0 score didn’t dissuade him.

“It’s the first time we’ve played together in a real game and we’ve only been on campus for seven days, so we’re not going to get carried away with this one game,” Groves said.

Last years’ leading scorer Julie Mooney and the leader in assists Pavlina Nepakojova both graduated, leaving a void in the offense, but with the addition of nine freshmen players, five of which are offensive players, Groves said the offensive production will come and it could be from several different sources.

“We’ve got plenty of players that can step up,” Groves said. “I feel like we’ve got six players that can come in and do some stuff and I’m not too worried about where the goals are going to come from.”

One player expected to have an impact this year is sophomore Harriet Withers.

Last season Withers scored six goals and finished as the second leading scorer.

The Racers gathered some momentum during their spring season with three wins total and two wins against

Zachary Maley/The News

Senior midfielder and forward, Rebecca Bjorkvall from Alana, Finland tosses the ball back in play.

SEC opponents. As the regular season inches closer the team prepares to face another SEC team and this time it will count towards its record.

At 1 p.m. Sunday, the Racers will travel to Starkville, Miss., to play Mississippi State. The previous success against both Vanderbilt and the Univer-

sity of Kentucky in the spring season proves to Groves that they can win on Sunday.

“The confidence of beating those people in the spring should come through on Sunday but we’ve got a lot of work to do before we step on the field with them,” Groves said.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

RACERS CANADA

GREEK COORDINATOR

MOVIE REVIEW

Racers prepare for first game, 3B

Men’s basketball shows off at 2015 Hoopalooza, 4B

Murray State welcomes new head of Greek life, 5B

Fantastic Four disappoints Oct. box office, 6B

Sports

2B

ZERO TOLERANCE From Page 1 Murray-Calloway County Hospital, but Pike escaped the officer’s custody and fled 350 yards on foot before being apprehended and stunned because of noncompliance. Pike refused blood tests.

Stewart released Pike from the football team earlier this week and said Pike needs to work on himself and not have the distraction of football.

Stewart said anytime there is an incident like the one related to Pike, the athletic office suspends the athlete pending their investigation.

The News

Photo provided

Zeke Pike’s mugshot from his Sunday arrest.

“As an athletic office, in order to be fair we have to treat everyone differently. As funny as that sounds, in certain instances and some people come in with a lot of baggage and some people don’t have any

baggage,” Stewart said. “And when they come in with prior incidences we have to be a lot more strict with a true freshman who has never been arrested in his life. For the most part we suspend them pending results and we make a decision that is, one, based on what’s best for team, in our case it is football and, two, we have to think about what’s best for that individual.”

On Monday morning, just 13 minutes after being pulled over, Pike was arrested with eight charges including disregarding a stoplight, failing to properly signal, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and drugs, resisting ar-

August 21, 2015 Red’s Report rest, escaping custody in the second degree and possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in a motor vehicle.

Pike’s attorney, Ricky Lamkin, said while Pike might have been charged with eight offenses, that doesn’t mean he’s guilty.

“I’ve met with him a few times,” Lamkin said. “He loves Murray State more than any school he’s attended; he loves the football program and is really engaged. He loved being a part of the team. He is going to do his very best to work his way back into the graces of the athletic department because of his sincere desire to continue with the team he loves.”

Lamkin will represent Pike in court on Sept. 2.

Hoopalooza honors past coaches and players

Photo Courtesy of Murray State Athletics

HOOPALOOZA FUN: (Above, left) Former Head Coach Scott Edgar laughs at current Head Coach Matt McMahon while he is giving a speech during Hoopalooza on August 8. (Above, right) Graduate assistant, Jewuan Long drives the golf cart during the Hoopalooza golf tournament on August 8. (Below) Men’s basketball Head Coach Matt McMahon presents special basketballs scribed with their name and years involved for former Head Coach Scott Edgar and former player Marcus Brown.

Men and women’s golf tees off

Mallory Tucker || Staff writer mtucker11@murraystate.edu

The men’s and women’s golf teams aren’t set to tee off the fall season for almost a month, but there’s been no shortage of recognition in the off-season as both have racked up both academic awards and experience during the summer months.

Six men and seven women within the Murray State golf program were honored on the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll in late July in addition to four women, senior Sophie Hillier,

junior Sydney Trimble, junior Jacklyn Van Meter and sophomore Moa Folke, being named All-American Scholars by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association earlier that month.

The men’s team took to the course collectively in July as well, as every golfer entered the Irvin Cobb Championships at Paxton Park Golf Course in Paducah, Ky., July 18-19. Sophomore Daniel Taylor led the Racers in 10th place with rounds of 72-72. Former Racers Patrick and Nick Newcomb took first and third place in the tournament, re-

spectively, and Cameron Carrico placed 28th.

All three golfers entered the Irvin Cobb Championships as professionals.

Head Coach Velvet Milkman added freshmen Nadine Innes from Union, Ky., and Jane Watts from Versailles, Ky., to the women’s roster in addition to sophomore Anna Moore from Hopkinsville, Ky. Head Coach Eddie Hunt added freshman Gabe Wheeler from Sikeston, Mo., to his roster. Additionally, Lance Davis will be added after redshirting last year.

A third chance On the first day back to school, buzz around class was about sports but this time it wasn’t a win or loss. It was about former football Kelsey Randolph player, Zeke Sports Editor Pike.

Pike was arrested Sunday evening for allegedly driving through a stoplight.

Failure to stop led the officer to find other things to charge Pike with. The officer said Pike had a marijuana pipe in his pocket and an open container of beer within reach.

By the time Tuesday evening arrived Pike was off the team.

We were all rooting for him; he started in a new place with new people and a brand-new football coach. The players also showed excitement to have such talent on their team. Pike was recruited by several SEC schools and according to the police report, apparently can run like the wind.

In my interview with football Head Coach Mitch Stewart, he said it is important for “Zeke Pike to worry about Zeke Pike.”

Clearly Pike hasn’t been worried about the rules.

Pike got in his car Sunday night and drove after allegedly having a few alcoholic beverages. He also, whether it was a friend’s or not, put a marijuana pipe in his pocket, then went through a stoplight and failed to signal properly. After being pulled over, you’d think he’d be scared enough to own up.

That is not the case.

Next, Pike ran from the police. Not just a few feet but he ran 350 yards.

He ran the length of three and a half football fields. You’d think Pike would learn his lesson after being stunned.

Wrong again.

Pike then refused a blood test at the hospital according to his police report.

Stewart said in an interview earlier in the summer that he was looking to giving Pike a second chance because everyone deserves one. In all reality, this was his third chance.

Between all the student-athlete and coach interviews that have been conducted not one of them have ever condoned the conscious act of drinking and driving or the use of drugs. Since the investigation is still underway, we don’t know what Pike’s intentions were.

Whether it was to use the marijuana pipe or not, Pike still had it on his person. As a student-athlete, why wouldn’t you take extreme caution to make sure you don’t get in trouble?

Hopefully Pike spends his time really working on himself.

For all student-athletes and coaches, the Racer fans hope he turns himself around. Countless times President Davies has said how athletics are the front porch of the University.

Head Coach Mitch Stewart made an admirable choice for his optimistic attitude and work to help Pike change his life for the better but fans can’t help but feel a sense of disappointment in Pike for his actions as they’ve Tweeted and posted on Facebook. Fans are turning to social media and simply saying it’s a sad story, as @ScoopPhillips tweeted in response to the story.

“Former AU recruit could never figure it out,” said Brian Stultz, a writer for campusinsider.com Murray State is making a push for mental health awareness. With three counseling centers on campus; one in Oakley Applied Science, Wells Hall and Alexander Hall, there are a lot of options for students on campus to seek help with an issue or concern they may have. The administration wants to see students promoting this awareness and pursuing it where they need it.

This incident with Pike came right on this cusp of the push for mental health awareness, and this could be an example of how sports may not be enough to help people like Pike.

Murray State brought Pike onto the team knowing his history. The real question, did the people who brought him to Murray State set him up for success or failure? He lived off campus and not with other team members. Why wasn’t he put on campus with a curfew and with other members of the team?

Pike is a student who made mistakes. His friends, family and those who want him back on a team need to help him get back on his feet.

Because eventually, he’ll run out of chances. krandolph3@murraystate.edu

The News

Sports

August 21, 2015

3B

Racer football takes the field for fall Mallory Tucker Staff writer

mtucker11@murraystate.edu

The Racers look to close out their fall camp tomorrow with a third and final scrimmage, and suspense is building with the first game less than two weeks away.

Set to kick off against Kentucky Wesleyan Sept. 3, Murray State football is hoping the fans see major changes both on the field and in their gameday experience.

“Any time you get a new coach, I think that there’s some buzz just because it’s new and it’s fresh,” former offensive coordinator and first year Head Coach Mitch Stewart said. “I was told at OVC Media Day: People like winners, and they like beginners. Right now, I’m

a beginner. Everybody’s kind of fired up about what’s going on, but the fact of the matter is we’ve got to go out on Saturdays–or on Thursdays that first week–and perform. If we can do that, and we get a little bit of confidence about us, I really think this bunch can do some big things.”

On the field, Stewart hopes an up-tempo defense headed by defensive coordinator Chris Boone can complement the fast-paced offense quarterbacked by redshirt junior KD Humphries.

“Those guys, they challenge me every day,” Humphries said of the defense. “It gets tougher and tougher everyday.

The new defensive installs – they’re putting in some stuff that I never saw. Even as a whole offense, we never saw.”

Many are looking at junior linebacker Jonathan Jackson to lead the defense once again in the 2015-16 season.

Leading OVC in tackles with 12.2 per game last season and ranking fourth overall in the FCS, Jackson was named to the 2015 Pre-season All-OVC team, pre-season All-American by Instant Scouting and pre-season All-American by Phil Steele.

“He’s sideline to sideline, I’ll tell you that,” Humphries said.

“If I’m throwing to the right, Jonathan’s to the right. If I’m throwing to the left, Jonathan’s to the left. Even if I’m running down the middle, Jonathan’s there. He’s just an all-around player. He hustles. He gives 110 percent.”

Off the field, Stewart and Humphries expect fans to ex-

perience a completely new gameday atmosphere.

With a new student section named “The Winners Circle” set to grace the middle of the bleachers at Roy Stewart Stadium and a DJ to accompany the band at games, Stewart is looking to see an increase in tailgating and fan attendance while knowing that wins are what will keep fans coming back week in and week out.

As the players add class to their already-hectic practice schedule, Stewart is attempting to keep them focused on the grind by changing things.

“The biggest thing that you’re fighting is they’re just tired of beating up on one another,” Stewart said. “They’re tired of seeing the same plays.

This week, we kind of split our practices up with scouts. We

“Now you get to focus on some personnel’s and some looks that we can’t give them. Just to kind of break up the monotony of it.”

–Mitch Stewart Football Head Coach already talked to some kids about some redshirting and scout team work. So that helps a little bit, because now you get to focus on some personnel’s and some looks that we can’t give them. Just to kind of break up the monotony of it.”

Humphries said he feels the excitement on campus as suspense builds for the season opener. Seeing posters, football apparel and knowing that the coaching staff is getting antsy for gameday keeps him motivated as he prepares for a season full of firsts including everything from the coaching staff to the turf. Stewart is the

youngest head coach in Division I football, and he plans to take full advantage of that in his inaugural season.

“The good thing that I have right now is that I’m pretty young and I’m pretty dumb,” Stewart said. “I haven’t done this before. Nobody really knows what to expect. I plan to use that to my advantage.

We’re going to take some chances and we’re going to let it all hang out. I’m not a conservative person whatsoever. I don’t know if that’ll be different from years past, but I can tell you that if conservative is what you’re looking for.”

2015-16 Racer football schedule Date

Sept. 3 Sept. 12 Sept. 19 Sept. 26 Oct. 3 Oct. 10 Oct. 24 Oct. 31 Nov. 7 Nov. 14 Nov. 21

Place

Kentucky Wesleyan College Northern Illinois Western Michigan Tennessee Tech Southeast Missouri State Austin Peay State UT Martin Eastern Illinois Tennessee State Eastern Kentucky Jacksonville State

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McKenna Dosier and Calice Keith/The News

FOOTBALL BEGINS: (Top) The 2015 football players rally at a practice before beginning their official season for the fall. The team played in a two day scrimmage at the beginning of August. (Middle) Pokey Harris, a senior running back runs to catch the ball during practice. (Bottom) Jensen Feggins, a freshman wide receiver runs up from the locker room before scrimmage practice last week.

The News

Sports

4B

Racers travel to Canada

2015-16 Racer men’s basketball schedule Date

Place

Mallory Tucker || Staff writer mtucker11@murraystate.edu

Time

Freed-Hardeman Nov. 5 Harris-Stowe State Nov. 13 Middle Tennessee State Nov. 17 Georgia No. 20 Milwaukee Nov. 23 TBA Nov. 24 TBA Nov. 25 Alabama A & M Nov. 28 Houston Dec. 2 Evansville Dec. 5 Illinois State Dec. 13 Dec. 18 Southern Illinois University Carbondale Wright State Dec. 22 Brescia Dec. 30 Morehead State Jan. 2 Tennessee Tech Jan. 7 Jacksonville State Jan. 9 Belmont Jan. 14 Tennessee State Jan. 16 Eastern Illinois Jan. 21 Jan. 23 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Eastern Kentucky Jan. 27 UT Martin Jan. 30 Southeast Missouri State Feb. 4 Austin Peay Feb. 6 Feb. 11 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Southeast Missouri State Feb. 13 Austin Peay Feb. 20 Eastern Illinois Feb. 25 UT Martin Feb. 27 OVC March 2 OVC March 3 OVC March 4 OVC March 5

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Once every four years, the NCAA allows basketball programs the opportunity for an international tour. The 2015-16 season marks the fourth year since former head coach Steve Prohm took the Racers to Toronto, Ontario Aug 4-9, 2011 in his first season in that role.

Murray State once again traveled to Canada for their foreign tour with a rookie head coach, this time playing two games in Ottawa and one in Montreal under the leadership of Matt McMahon.

In addition to the three exhibition games, the Racers were allowed 10 additional practices as preparation, which McMahon felt were just as important as the opportunity to travel.

“First and foremost are these 10 days of practice,” McMahon said. “Getting to build our team and really implement our defensive system, as well as a few offensive principles that we plan to use throughout the season, and get a little bit of a head start on our practice preparation for October.”

The Racers fell 81-57 to the University of Ottawa in their first matchup before finishing the tour with a 63-59 win over Carleton University and a 66-55 victory against Concordia University.

Junior point guard Bryce Jones, a transfer from Jones County Community College in Ellisville, Miss., kicked off his career as a Racer by putting up 34 points against the

three games, while senior forward Jeffery Moss totaled 33. Junior guard Damarcus Croaker also made his debut as a Racer in Canada after being granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA, following his second semester transfer from the University of Texas last season.

Sophomore point guard Kedrick Flomo tallied 21 points during the tour, while senior forward Wayne Langston and junior guard Justin Seymour totaled 24 and 22, respectively.

The University of Ottawa lost in the Canadian national title game in March before taking their own summer tour in South Korea, while the Carleton University Ravens boast 11 of the last 13 Canadian national championship titles, including their current reign after defeating Ottawa earlier this year.

With seven new players and five returners in addition to Jonathan Stark, a junior transfer from Tulane University that will sit out during the 2015-16 season according to NCAA regulations, McMahon wanted his players to benefit from more than just in-game experience and focus on bonding through historic city tours, team meals and hours of communal travel.

“I would rank the games last on my list of priorities as far as the trip is concerned,” McMahon said. “Just the experience – the opportunity to travel together to Canada, see another country and spend that time together really creating that team chemistry that it’s going to take for us to have a successful season.”

Mallory Tucker/The News

Former Racer basketball player, Isaiah Canaan makes a dunk for his visit at Hoopalooza. Canaan now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers.

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The News

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

Great

Features ­

Beginnings

McKenna Doiser/The News

Murray State welcomes a new class of Racers with annual tradition Gisselle Hernandez Contributing writer

ghernandez@murraystate.edu

Days of beaches, tans and Netflix, were left behind in summer as students rolled back into Murray to begin the semester Fall 2015.

For others, it was the first time stepping onto the Murray State campus as an official Racer.

Great Beginnings, the annual tradition of honoring new students, began Saturday, Aug. 15, with freshmen moving into their residential colleges.

The event carried on Monday afternoon with the Parade of Racers that led to the Freshmen Convocation at Lovett Auditorium.

The parade began at 4 p.m. with new Racers marching from the Curris Center to Lovett Auditorium, being cheered on and warmly welcomed by the various University organizations and groups that lined the pathway to Lovett.

Freshmen received applause from the Education Abroad Office, the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association, Greek organizations and many more.

Some groups played musical instruments such as tambourines and drums that combined with the cheers.

Upon arriving at Lovett Auditorium, students were greeted by the Racer Band performing “2001.”

After the band’s second performance, students filled the seats of the auditorium where they were officially welcomed by President Bob Davies and the vice president of the Student Government Association.

Crystal Coleman, the keynote speaker for the evening, blew the crowd away with her words of wisdom and encouragement.

After talking about celebrating the 60th anniversary of desegregation, the president’s “Sacred Selfies” and how to succeed in college, a cookout was held in the Quad where food, games and activities ensued.

Shilpa Nelakanti, a Great Beginnings Leader, said it was exciting to be able to welcome all the new students.

“It was a great experience,” she said. “I got to meet many new cultures and new people.”

The fun didn’t stop there; on Tuesday night, Campus Outreach held a massive water balloon fight at Roy Stewart Stadium around 10:30 p.m.

Hundreds of students attended,

see BEGINNINGS, 5B

New Greek coordinator joins University Brianna Willis || Contributing writer bwillis2@murraystate.edu

When Evan Ditty began his search in January 2015 for a position involved with student activities, Greek life or student leadership, it took him only a month to discover Murray State as a match.

Ditty, the new coordinator of Greek life and student leadership programs, said the University and the position was a perfect fit for him as he can focus on helping student organizations fulfill their missions.

“I believe in the fraternal movement and the idea of values-based student organizations, and being in this position allows me to assist the students in providing meaningful experiences for their members and all Murray State students through those organizations,” Ditty said.

Ditty aimed to stay east of the Mississippi River.

Originally from rural Titusville, Penn., 12 hours from Murray, Ditty’s family consists of his parents, three sisters and a dog named Buddy.

His family, Buddy included, still live in Pennsylvania and he said he plans to get a dog of his own once settled into Murray. However, it was more than location that peaked his interest.

“I came to the campus and fell in love with the campus, the traditions and the people and knew that this is where I wanted to be,” Ditty said. “I’m really excited to be here and to work with the Greek community and all the Murray State students.”

Ditty is no stranger to Greek life. He served as president of Delta Sigma Phi while an undergraduate student, along with filling the roles of vice president and president of his Student Government Association at Thiel College.

He said those experiences played a major role in his development as a young man, which led him to want to pursue a career in creating a similar expe-

rience for future students.

But to create that experience at Murray State, Ditty said, you have to start small.

“We’re starting small, but the goal is to develop something that will last and really prove to be beneficial to our students,” he said. “For Greek Life, I think it might be too early to determine. I’m always looking for ways to move the community forward, so I’ll be excited to see what presents itself in the future.”

He said part of that future includes the Student Leadership Programs this academic year, which includes the Emerging Leaders Program, which will assist students in further developing their leadership skills.

Developing leadership skills and learning from

leaders is something Ditty said he is passionate about so much so that this seeps into his leisure reading, which includes Steve Jobs’ autobiography.

Ditty said he would have loved the opportunity to have lunch with Steve Jobs, an individual who Ditty said was a wealth of knowledge and could always see the bigger picture.

Similarly, Ditty said he believes students should know he and his role on campus are centered on students and providing the best overall experience for them.

“The doors to my office are almost always open and I’m always willing to talk to students,” Ditty said. “My personal philosophy is that I’m here to serve the students, and a large portion of that is making sure I’m available and easily accessible.”

Emily Harris/The News

Evan Ditty was hired as the new Greek life coordinator over the summer and has plans to help improve Murray State’s system.

Wellness Center offers students’ services, classes Jessica Bostick

Contributing writer jbostick@murraystate.edu

The Wellness Center is the place to be for students seeking a healthier lifestyle, a common concern for students headed to college for the first time is the dreaded “freshman 15.”

This refers to the amount of weight commonly gained during a student’s first year at college.

It is easy to fall victim with Winslow close by and instant food that can be made from the comfort of a bedroom with just the zap of a microwave. There are, however, ways to avoid this weight gain and to stay in shape.

The Susan E. Bauernfiend Campus Recreation and Wellness Center lies just beyond Springer Residential College. According to their website, the Wellness Center is “a facility dedicated to providing an environment that promotes and enhances wellness in the lives of Murray State

students, faculty, staff and members through the use of our facility, equipment and programs.”

The Wellness Center houses three basketball courts, an aerobics studio, free weights, a swimming pool, two racquetball courts, treadmills, elliptical trainers, cross trainers, bikes, steppers and rowing machines.

There are also men’s and women’s locker rooms, as well as a one eleventh mile track.

Honesty Staggs, senior from Madisonville, Ky., is a regular at the Wellness Center.

“My health is important to me because it gives me the opportunity to live my life to the fullest,” Staggs said. “It’s funny how everyone says they just want to sit around, eat pizza and watch Netflix, but the truth is we all have big dreams. I would like to climb mountains and walk across the Great Wall of China, all of which would be impossible without my health. I need my health to reach my goals.”

The Wellness Center offers free group workout classes in yoga, Zumba, spinning, pilates and many other classes. A full list of the group workout classes that are offered can be found on the Wellness Center website.

There are courses offered about every day at various times, so there is a workout group available for everyone whether you are a morning bird or a night owl. Anyone interested in these courses must call in advance to reserve a spot.

“My favorite program is definitely Total Body Spin,” Staggs said.

“I have a blast in the class and the rhythm of the music always goes with the routine on the bike so I forget that I’m even working out.”

For those that are serious about their health and want to get into better shape than ever before, personal trainers are offered through the Wellness Center.

Sessions with personal trainers are not free, unlike most services of-

fered through the Wellness Center.

Students are charged $20 per session.

Students can also rent a number of items from the Wellness Center.

Rentals offered include bath towels, basketballs, exercise videos, racquet balls, racquetball racquets and safety goggles. Equipment for camping and recreation are also available.

This includes tents, canoes, fishing tackle and other things. Rental rates are by the day or week.

It is important to remember that while most services are free, the Wellness Center does ask that students always have their student IDs ready to show when entering the Wellness Center.

The Wellness Center also asks that students are respectful to the facility and to the safety of other individuals. Any questions about the services offered by the Wellness Center can be asked at their office in person or by phone at (270)8096000.

The News

Features

6B

The week ahead...

SATURDAY

FRIDAY

SUNDAY

August 21, 2015

If you would like an event to appear on the calendar here or on TheNews.org, email the Assistant Features Editor, Connor Jaschen, at cjaschen@murraystate.edu.

Please submit events by noon Wednesday for consideration.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

21

22

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27

5 p.m.

Back-to-School celebration, Curris Center Stables

4 p.m.

Back-to-School Picnic, Hart Common Area

12:30 a.m.

Playhouse in the Park presents: “Noise is Off,” Central Park

4 p.m.

MSU College Republicans Meeting, Curris Center Mississippi Room

7 p.m.

Live Lunch After Dark, Lovett Auditorium

8 a.m.

Connected Warrior Yoga, Carr Health Building, dance studio

6:30 p.m.

“Anansi” the play auditions

In case you missed it:

BEGINNINGS From Page 5B eager to get stung on the face with water or get hosed while running and throwing themselves on a homemade slip n’ slide.

Freshmen and returning students alike walked away with dripping clothes and smiling faces.

After another day of classes, freshmen got to see, and in some cases participate in, a 20-year-old tradition held at Murray State.

Tom Deluca, the well-known hypnotist, entertained students for over an hour at Lovett Auditorium on Wednesday night.

Twenty students volunteered to be hypnotized on the stage, making the audience howl with laughter as they performed comedic acts out of their control.

Great Beginnings comes to an end on Saturday, Aug. 22, with the SGA sponsoring the movie “Avengers: Age of Ultron” in the Curris Center theater at 10 p.m.

Other ongoing services are said to extend until September.

Great Beginnings is all about helping new Racers transition into their roles at Murray State.

Although moving away from home and starting a new chapter can be difficult for many freshmen, most are still excited to get involved in what Murray State has to offer.

As freshman Henry Zhong said, “Being a Racer gets my heart racing!”

Catching you up on a ‘Jersey Shore’ star’s visit to Murray and all the construction happening.

Da’sha Tuck || Staff writer dtuck@murraystate.edu

Splashing water, beach chairs, no class and better yet, home sweet home for the summer. These are just a few things that are on students’ minds as they dredge through spring finals.

No matter how much the spring semester seemed to drag on it did in fact come to an end. Pencils down at the end of the last final; that meant one thing – sweet summer vacation had arrived.

While the students of Murray State were poolside melting away the stresses from the academic year, Murray State’s campus did not throw in the towel. Many events and programs kept the campus alive while students were away.

JWOWW

Photo courtesy of Trey Long

Jenny Farley or “JWOWW” from “Jersey Shore” stopped into Murray’s Panera Bread in July.

As many students probably saw on Yik Yak, Twitter, Facebook or any other social media site, Jenny Farley or “JWOWW” from “Jersey Shore,” stopped in at Murray’s Panera Bread. Trey Long, manager of Panera, said they were really busy that day but he made time to get a picture with the celebrity.

“It was our first celebrity,” he said. “She came in with an assistant and they ordered food and JWOWW took pictures with some people.”

Long said the star had stayed overnight in Murray at the Hampton Inn and was headed

toward Paris, Tenn., with Australian Gold tanning lotion distributors for an appearance.

CONSTRUCTION

Construction on State Route 121 took place this summer and is still in the works.

Weather delayed the project this summer.

“The construction caused a lot of problems. It made it harder to get to and from places. I’ll be glad when it is gone,” Liz Wall, junior from Murray, said.

When the parking lot in front of Hart College was blocked off last spring, students were less than pleased.

Talk about the new dorm is around campus already and all it is now is a metal frame.

New Franklin is projected to be finished in the fall of 2016.

TOBACCO FREE POLICY The tobacco free policy is in full swing now that the semester has begun. Murray State’s campus recreation and wellness centers are offering courses to assist students and faculty in quitting the use of tobacco.

Murray State’s Branding, Marketing and Communication departments said the program is called Not On Tobacco (N-O-T).

The program was created by the American Lung Association. The course consists of 10 sessions over 10 weeks.

Get out and check out all the new improvements.

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The News

Features

August 21, 2015

7B Let’s Be Honest

FEATURED TWEETS

Pop Culture Corner

Dear Freshmen,

#freshmanprobs

Lexxxlexxx @lil_lexxlexx I’m sitting in class 20 minutes early just to make sure it’s the right class and I’m on time #freshmanprobs 9:42 am 19 Aug 2015 Madison Creech @creech_madison A little lost, a little late, back of the class.. #freshmanprobs 9:27 am 19 Aug 2015

Meuhh @Mia_Alexis19 I walk into the wrong class at least 2 times a day #freshmanprobs 6:34 18 Aug 2015 Madison Byrd @madison_byrd Google Maps saved my life today #freshmanprobs 1:47 pm 18 Aug 2015

90210 Actress Diagnosed with Breast Cancer In March, Shannon Doherty’s doctor discovered that she had “invasive breast cancer metastatic to at least one lymph node,” according to E! Online News.

Following the announcement of Doherty’s breast cancer diagnosis, E! News reports a lawsuit was filed against the accounting firm Tanner, Mainstain, Glynn & Johnson for allegedly failing to “pay for her medical insurance without her consent or knowledge.”

Photo courtesy of screenrant.com

The newest Marvel reboot opened up to fans across the world Aug. 7 in the form of “Fantastic Four.” Unfortunately for Marvel Studios, it was met with mostly jeers.

‘Fantastic Four’: A superhero swing and a miss New take on an old favorite disappoints fans and flops in the box office Adam Winn || Contributing writer

White House Makes Historic Move for Diversity Raffi Freedman-Gurspan has just made history by becoming the first openly transgender staff member in the White House.

Now serving as President Barack Obama’s outreach and recruitment director, according to the New York Times, one more benchmark has been set by the current administration in terms of equality.

Freedman-Gurspan’s credentials includes the role of policy adviser for the National Center for Transgender Equality, according to the New York Times.

Soundbyte “When I was in school, I used to give myself a participation trophy. It was called a Snickers bar.

-James Corden, on his high school days.

Read It

“Undercover”

by Danielle Steel

awinn@murraystate.edu

Have you gone into a new movie with high hopes and ended up extremely disappointed after leaving? The new “Fantastic Four” movie is one of those movies for me. Before having seen the movie, I had read several other reviews and opinions on the film online and all of them weren’t that great or highly rated.

Even though I knew this, I tried going in with a clean, unbiased opinion on the film or how I thought it would turn out.

Unfortunately, the film did live up to its previous poor reviews and was an overall failure for the superhero genre.

Without giving any serious spoilers away, the entire movie is basically just one big origin story.

The plot of the film is very bland and it’s easy to figure out what’s going to happen next.

The acting is, however, pretty solid and well-done. The cast did the best they could with the script they had available to them.

The main cast is rounded out by some pretty recognizable faces, with Miles Teller of “21 & Over,” Kate Mara of “House of Cards,” Michael B. Jordan of “That Awkward Moment,” and Jamie Bell of “The Adventures of Tintin,” but even this well-known cast couldn’t save the film from the disaster it became.

One of the main plot points in the movie is how the main character, Reed Richards – played by Miles Teller – cre-

See It

“Sinister 2”

ates this device that allows him to travel across space and time. A group of scientists that work for the U.S. government decide to build a large version of his machine and eventually discover that it leads to a planet similar to Earth.

After getting drunk, several of the characters decide to travel to this other planet via the machine and end up getting soaked in green mysterious “goo-liquid” when they get there, which is the source of their superhero powers.

One of the main problems I have with this important scene is that the character Sue Storm (Mara) becomes affected by the aftermath of the device returning to Earth and develops the power to turn invisible, but she never actually went with the rest of the crew to the other planet.

This drives me to ask why she alone was affected and developed superhero powers, but nobody else in the lab facility, such as other nearby security guards or scientists were affected in the process.

It also bugs me that since the majority of this film is an origin story, why the audience never discover what the mysterious green liquid on the planet they travel to is.

These are just a small number of the plot holes in the film.

Richards ends up abandoning the rest of the affected members of his team once they return back to Earth. One of the affected members, Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell), begs Richards to stay and help him.

The characters are supposed to be best

Hear It

“E-MO-TION” by Carly Rae Jepsen

friends since childhood and Richards leaves him behind anyways. The writers of the movie essentially decide to turn the main character into a coward, at this point.

As students, it’s safe to say we’ve all had to write papers at some point in our lives that we had to fill with fluff or boring details just so we can get the papers complete and the right length our professors asked for.

I’d honestly compare watching this film to writing one of those papers.

It’s also important to mention that this film is a reboot of the movie “Fantastic Four,” which was released exactly a decade ago this year and starred veteran actor Chris Evans and actress Jessica Alba.

I should also point out that the current IMDB rating for the newer movie is 3.9 out of 10 stars and the older version has 5.7 out of 10 stars.

Honestly, neither film is particularly great and it’s been a while since I’ve actually seen the 2005 version, but the former film succeeded more than the newer one because the older film’s script was more believable, funnier and most importantly, action-packed. Who wants to go see a superhero movie where there is little action?

Apparently, the writers of this film, that’s who.

Rent It “Home”

Going off to college has been ingrained in America’s youth as “the big step” and rightfully so.

It’s the first time most Connor Jaschen will ever go without Assistant their parFeatures Editor ents, some will go without a great source of income and that social status everyone had been slaving over in high school is wiped clean. Yes, that’s right, your popularity is set back to zero.

Let’s just be honest, high school didn’t actually matter as much as you thought it would. Disappointing, huh?

That being said, there are enough lies in the world about college life to confuse even the shrewdest of incoming freshman.

So let this be the first place you can look to get a bit of uncensored advice on your first year here at Murray State.

First off, your first two weeks of class really are just syllabus weeks.

Go to every class, meet new people, but don’t take these too seriously. Some of my friendships started from going out every night of my first two weeks and just walking around or hanging out in the quad.

Sure, in the morning I was tired, but our class time was not the most attention-intensive times of the semester, so with any luck you’ll get at least a few weeks into the semester before late nights will start to catch up to you. Use these opportunities wisely.

Go to the University scheduled events. However corny or lame you think they may be, most of them aren’t, and there are literally hundreds of people just like you, searching for their next social group to move into. Not only that, but some of them are downright fun. Sure, you could go party it up, but no party will ever beat the water balloon fight in the stadium, trust me.

Also, make friends with your Great Beginnings Leader. Yeah, them knocking at your door and dragging you out of your bed to do stuff can be annoying, but it’ll usually be worth it. Mostly. Okay, probably. Like a solid six times out of 10.

Just think of your Great Beginnings Leaders as people first and foremost. They want friends just as much as you. If it takes dragging you kicking and screaming onto the Hart lawn to awkwardly play icebreakers with a group of strangers, they’ll do it. Don’t be weird about it – just get it over with and move on with your life.

If nothing else, you and your floormates can bond over hating every bit of it. Believe it or not, they aren’t enjoying it either.

When it comes down to it, whatever you do is probably going to be worth it, as long as you are doing something. Don’t let naps and Netflix be your hobbies and don’t feel obligated to stay in if they are your roommate’s favorite pasttime. Life happens, but you’ll miss a lot of it locked away inside your Residential College.

Have fun with your first few weeks of being a Murray State Racer and remember, your clock is ticking. This won’t last forever so live it up while you have the chance!

Play It

“Until Dawn”

8B

The News

August 21, 2015