The Murray State News November 6, 2015
TheNews.org
Vol. 90, No. 11
The hidden homeless Homelessness, panhandling needs to be addressed in Murray
Abby Siegel || Contributing writer asiegel@murraystate.edu
The city of Murray is facing a “hidden” issue of homelessness that needs to be addressed, said Sherece Cole, director of the Gentry House. Unlike bigger cities in which it is a chronic problem, the city of Murray struggles with it “behind closed doors,” Cole said. Chronic homelessness means being without a place to live for a year or more or having at least four episodes of homelessness in the last three years, according to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Cole said the homelessness in Murray is often situational, episodic, transitional and cyclical, meaning it is influenced by seasons both in their personal life and society. These people become displaced because of situations beyond their control, such as being evicted or not being able to find a job. “Many of the homeless families with children are people who were one paycheck or one catastrophe away from being homeless,” said Peggy Pittman-Munke, interim program director of the Council on Social Work Education. “Many people who wind up homeless have no job security, no sick leave, no vacation and work for minimum wage, and they have no savings,” she said. Many nonprofit organizations within Murray serve the homeless through feed-
ing programs, such as Soup for the Soul and Need Line. Angels Community Clinic provides free basic medical care to the working uninsured of Calloway County. The Warming Center provides overnight shelter during the winter months when the temperature is at or below freezing. The only year-round shelter in Calloway County is the Gentry House, which provides up to 90 days of emergency transitional housing for homeless families. Single parents, dating couples with children and married couples with children are welcomed to the transitional home if they have custody of their children. They must be seeking employment or education and permanent housing while at the shelter. By using the four apartments they have, last year the Gentry House served 23 families – 31 adults and 46 children. They are unable to serve singles, pregnant women, those with disabilities and the elderly, but they do provide emergency assistance when necessary by connecting them to other resources they may need. “The Gentry House is good for those who have families, but it doesn’t really help those that are on their own,” said Jessie Walsh, junior from Bardstown, Kentucky. Shelter is unavailable in Murray for those who do not fit the criteria for the Gentry House. Cole said these people are not on the streets, but rather are couch surfing and living in their vehicles. see , 2A
HOMELESS
Photo illustration by Chalice Keith/The News
Flomo out for Election spurs mixed reaction season because of heart surgery Alicia Steele || Staff writer asteele5@murraystate.edu
Dylan Doyle
Contributing writer
ddoyle2@murraystate.edu
The Associated Press called
Blake Bernier || Staff writer dbernier@murraystate.edu
Kelsey Randolph Sports Editor
krandolph3@murraystate.edu
Sophomore guard Kedrick Flomo underwent emergency heart surgery Monday night at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. “We had a very scary situation with him Flomo (Flomo) yesterday,” said Head Coach of men’s basketball Matt McMahon. “A situation that required him to be transferred to Vanderbilt for emergency heart surgery.” McMahon said he will not be able to play in the 2015-16 season but their top priority is Flomo’s health and recovery. “Kedrick will not be playing this season but is expected to make a full recovery and his future looks bright,” said Director of Athletics Allen Ward. McMahon said he spent time with Flomo and his family Tuesday night and will return
to check on his progression. McMahon said doctors expect him to make a full recovery. According to a press release, Flomo has been moved out of ICU and is alert and eating. Tuesday afternoon Flomo was tweeting to his followers, “Appreciate all the prayers. My recovery has been amazing! God is good. Only expected to be out for a month.” Other players like junior guard Damarcus Croaker and junior forward Gee McGhee tweeted positive thoughts and prayers to their teammate. From an athletic standpoint, Ward said their trainers and team doctor handled the matter. “We are very fortunate to have outstanding employees in our sports medicine area and a team doctor like Dr. Richard Blalock, that has been with us for years,” he said. Flomo came to Murray State from North Forsyth High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As a freshman, he played in 29 games, contributed 30 assists and 10 steals while averaging 10 minutes per game. Vanderbilt Medical Center staff declined to allow The News to speak to Flomo, stating he was still under hospital care.
CORRECTION
On Oct. 30, The Murray State News incorrectly listed Staci Stone’s title. She is the interim dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and associate professor of English. The article also incorrectly stated that the English as a Second Language Program is a part of the college. It is not one of the eight departments that make up the college. The News regrets the errors.
WHAT’S
INSIDE
the election Tuesday night with Matt Bevin as the Kentucky Governor-elect with 511,771 votes. Bevin took the win with 84,827 more votes than Democratic candidate Jack Conway. Bevin won the race for Kentucky Governor by 52.5 percent of votes cast, compared to Conway’s 43.89 percent of votes cast. With all of the counties reporting, only 30.7 percent of voters in Kentucky went to cast their vote, according to the Kentucky State Board of Elections. President Bob Davies said he looks forward to working with Governor-elect Bevin, Lieutenant Governor-elect Jenean Hampton and the rest
of the constitutional officers in the upcoming legislative session in order to advance Murray State. “During the campaign I met with both of them [Governor-elect Bevin and Lieutenant Governor-elect Hampton] on multiple occasions and they’ve visited campus several times,” he said. “We’ve shared with them our strategic plan and I’m confident that they will be supportive of our efforts.” Savannah Fikes, sophomore from Bardstown, Kentucky, is a registered Democrat who does not agree that Bevin should have won the race for governor. “I personally didn’t want Bevin to win,” Fikes said. “But I just hope he does a good job.” Fikes said she thinks it is important for college students to go vote during elec-
see ELECTION, 2A
Kalli Bubb/The News
Newly-elected Gov. Matt Bevin speaks to supporters at Sirloin Stockade last week.
State of the University Address to be held Kayla Harrell Staff writer
kharrell4@murraystate.edu
The State of the University Address will be held at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 9 in Wrather Auditorium by President Bob Davies. This will be Davies’ first State of the University Address at Murray State. Adrienne King, vice president of Marketing and Outreach, said the address is a vision for the university. “It is an opportunity to reflect on recent accomplishments and for the president to provide a vision for where we are going,” she said.
Davies said he will speak on the “hurdles we have overcome, and the challenge with that is being selective and at the same time, give a broad view” to the audience. “I talk about some of the macro-issues for higher education,” he said. “Things that influence us and will continue to influence us.” Davies said one of the challenges the university faces is the current financial model. “Given our history and our tradition of excellence and quality, I think these are things we need to take a look at,” he said. The State of the University Address forms the foundation
for years to come at Murray State. This foundation creates both challenges and opportunities for the university to express their future goals for students, faculty and staff. “I think that is part of the challenge and part of the opportunity in crafting this presentation,” Davies said. “Trying to focus in specifically on initiatives that we are taking this next year and realizing that we have so many of them.” The State of the University Address will include discussion of the strategic plan to provide understanding and
see ADDRESS, 2A
WHAT’S ON THENEWS.ORG VIDEO
We covered last night’s basketball game, check it out on TheNews.org.
BASKETBALL
Follow @MSUSportsNews on Twitter and check out our continuing game coverage on TheNews.org.
TRIGGER WARNINGS
OUR VIEW
OVC SEMIFINALS
CHRIS THILE
Topic of Coffee & Conversation series for faculty, 6A
The importance of student involvement, 4A
Murray State soccer will battle Morehead State, 1B
Murray State alum returns for benefit concert, 5B
The News
News
2A
November 6, 2015
Murray State cuts funding to transit Alicia Steele || Staff writer asteele5@murraystate.edu
Murray Calloway Transit lost funding from Murray State this year, according to Bjarne Hansen, Executive Director of Murray Calloway Transit. This loss in funding has resulted in students paying to ride the bus and a drop in total rides students have taken this year. Murray State’s decision to cut funding to the transit system came at the same time more than 100 parking spots disappeared from campus to make way for construction projects, causing a parking crunch this semester. “I think at this point we help the (parking) system,” Hansen said. “There are people we pick up and drop off in parking lots on campus, so I think we bring people to campus, but I think there are also people who utilize the service on campus to get from point A to point B.” However, since the funding cut, Murray Calloway Transit has experienced a drop in rides taken by students. Hansen said at the peak of their business they were giving around 6,700 rides per month, but that number has now dropped to 2,000 rides per month. Hansen said Murray State was providing $138,000 in funding when Racer Routes began, and funded $14,000 last year, before choosing not to fund Racer Routes this
ADDRESS From Page 1
Nicole Ely/The News
When Racer Routes began, Murray State provided $138,000 in funding. Since then, funding has decreased to $14,000 and now has been cut. year. Hansen said Murray State had a change in budget procedures, resulting in the choice not to fund them this year. Hansen said because Murray State cut funding, now Murray Calloway Transit charges students to ride the Gold Route, which runs to campus as well as select places off campus. The Blue Route, however, is still free. A semester pass for the Gold Route will cost a student $100 for unlimited rides. Oth-
from Murray State. “I tried to use public transportation as a freshman but it was confusing to figure out where the bus would be,” Landers said. Hansen said students living in Campus Evolution or Station 74 can receive a free Gold Route pass from their apartment complex. The Blue Route is free for all riders, and makes stops at the Curris Center, Shoppes of Murray, Kroger, Wal-Mart, Wesley, Murray
Calloway Apartments, the Judicial Building, Maple Street, Weaks Center, the Calloway County Library, MHA Housing, Food Giant, Walgreens and University Drive. The Blue Route also offers night rides Monday through Thursday from 5:10-10 p.m. that will stop at the Curris Center, Walgreens, Food Giant, MHA Housing, Maple Street, Murray Calloway Apartments, Diuguid, WalMart, Shoppes of Murray and the Cheri Theatre.
Humane Society to hold holiday bazaar, bake sale Courtney Scoby
the process of it. “That is part of how we are dealing with the macroissues and that leads into some key initiatives that I will outline,” Davies said. Davies has written more than 15 drafts for the address. He said the final draft will not be done completely until right before the event, because he will be making small changes. Davies said the State of the University Address is a way to put university issues into a structure that ties things together in a neat bow. He said it will help frame and put the foundation for our discussions moving forward. The State of the University Address will be live streamed so people all over the country or those who cannot make it to the event will still be able to view it. Davies said attending the State of the University Address is part of the process of being a member of a community. “It provides me the opportunity to talk about some large issues and have individuals think about them in a different way,” he said. “That will hopefully spur on conversations as we move forward.” Alyssa Leet, junior from Marion, Kentucky, said students should see how relevant the address is to their lives at Murray State. “It is important to be an active participant in the university community,” she said. “By attending the address, students are able to better understand the current status of Murray State and the plans for its future.”
Staff writer
HOMELESS
the cost of living is expensive and it’s just not balancing out,” Cole said. “The cost of rent is extreme, the cost of an electric deposit is extreme, and these things hinder people.”
From Page 1
erwise the cost is one dollar for a one way ride. The Gold Route makes stops at the Curris Center, Wal-Mart, Diuguid Drive, Campus Evolution, Station 74, Cambridge, Murray Calloway Transit Authority and Faculty Hall. The Gold Route runs in a loop between 7 a.m. and 5:10 p.m. Audrey Landers, junior from Ashburn, Virginia, said the $100 Gold Route bus pass fee would cost her more than a parking pass
Molly Morrison, freshman from Granite City, Illinois, said she does not have a car on campus, but only uses public transportation when needed, which is about once a month. “I would prefer to have my own car simply because I could go when I want and go where I want without stopping,” Morrison said. Morrison said she thinks more people should use public transportation to help with the parking problem on campus, but that it is not very convenient because it only comes at certain times and only goes certain places. However, Hansen said that Murray Calloway Transit offers on demand pick up and drop off. For two dollars, students and community members can call Murray Calloway Transit Authority 24 hours before the time of the ride and request to be picked up or dropped off within half a mile of the route. He also said that the bus service offers discounts for disabled passengers and their escorts. Morrison said that Murray State’s decision to cut funding is understandable but makes it hard on students who cannot drive or do not have a car. In response to trying to get funding back from Murray State, Hansen said, “We are encouraged to keep communication open and are trying to work with students through survey and presence on and around campus.”
cscoby@murraystate.edu
Picture this: a peaceful room set with tables bursting with unique, handcrafted items. Cheerful shoppers stopping to chat with each other or squeal in excitement over the birdhouse they just found that will be perfect for grandma. Mountains of freshly baked goodies of all kinds. Prepackaged gift baskets stuffed with a collection of items donated
ELECTION From Page 1 tions. “They put their opinions on social media,” Fikes said. “But the only way they have a say is to vote.” Samuel Gold, freshman from Benton, Kentucky, is also a registered Democrat. Gold, however, said he didn’t care who won the election. “I believe I voted for him,” Gold said. “As long as it doesn’t affect my schooling in a negative way, I will be fine.” Gold said he voted for Bevin because his parents told him to, but did agree that college students should go vote. Alec Brock, junior from Louisville, Kentucky, is a registered Republican and political science major. Though a member of the Republican party, Brock was also in disagreement with Bevin’s win. “I was upset,” Brock said. “I felt that any moderate Republican would have voted for Jack Conway. Conway
Despite various factors, the main reason people become homeless is because they can’t find housing they can afford. About 15 percent of the 578,424 total homeless people in the United States are chronically homeless, leaving 85 percent to be in similar situations as - Sherece Cole, Director of the those homeless in Murray, Gentry House according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. People have begun panhan Cole said in addition to the dling, or asking for money, in lack of housing, a lack of jobs Murray. A panhandling ban was has impacted this population. discussed at City Council be “Murray is a small city; we fore the ordinance was tabled. are trying to grow but we ar Walsh said panhandling isn’t en’t growing fast enough and
As a community we should try to help each other and work together.
”
from local businesses and crafted by local artisans. The Humane Society of Calloway County will host a Bazaar and Bake Sale this Saturday, Nov. 7 in the Calloway County Public Library Community Room from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. “The Society’s Bazaar and Bake Sale has always been one of the best in Murray. People look forward to it all year,” said Kathy Hodge, executive director of the Humane Society. “They create handcrafted items, bake and find attic treaisn’t much of a liberal, Bevin is a Tea Party radical.” Brock agreed that college students should go vote. “If you’re politically informed, you should go vote,” Conway said Brock. “If you’re not politically informed, you should get politically informed and then vote.” Brock said that voter turnout and Bevin’s win shows a problem with the current voting system. He said that, in his opinion, Bevin would not have won had the two Republicans who ran against him in the primary election not been “mainstream” Republicans, splitting the “mainstream” vote. “When it came down to the general election, Republicans would rather see a far-right Republican than a moderate Democrat,” he said. a large problem for Murray. However, she said it seems that those who are begging have lost their jobs, but still have somewhere to go for shelter. “People don’t beg if they can get their needs met without begging,” Pittman-Munke said. “Some of those who were panhandling were people who were passing through to get elsewhere and were trying to raise gas money,” she said. Cole said students can volunteer at the Gentry House and all skills are welcomed. She said they are in constant need of cleaning supplies, hygiene products and laundry detergent and donations are always welcomed. “As a community we should try to help each other and work together,” she said.
sures to donate.” Proceeds from the bazaar go toward animal welfare programs through the Humane Society, such as Fixed for Life Spay/Neuter Assistance and Friends of the Shelter, according to an email sent out announcing the event earlier this week. Some of the items for sale at the event include baked goods, homemade pet treats, ornaments, needlework, gift certificates, stuffed animals and ceramics. All of the items
for sale were provided by individuals and businesses in the community. “The generosity of our members and supporters make the bazaar a success,” Hodge said. “We depend completely on donors to provide wonderful things to sell.” The Humane Society will also have its very own 2016 Pet Calendar for sale at the event for $10 each. “Our calendar is a beautiful compilation of pet photographs submitted by our
local friends and supporters,” Hodge said. “They make great stocking stuffers for family, friends, coworkers – anyone who loves animals.” For those who are not interested in purchasing items at the bazaar but still want to help the animals, volunteers are needed for set up of the event as well as during the event. Set up is from 12-8 p.m. Friday Nov. 6. Individuals interested in volunteering for the event can contact the Humane Society at (270) 7591884.
Kalli Bubb/The News
FALL FEST: AJ Pittman, Sigma Pi new member, has his face painted and hay stuffed in his clothes for the fraternity’s Fall Festival, the chapter’s philanthropy event. Pittman and several other new members competed in a scarecrow dance competition.
WHERE TO GO TO HELP
Tierra Reese || Staff writer
Soup for the Soul
Need Line
Soup for the Soul, a nonprofit organization that survives on donations and volunteers alone, is hosting an annual Thanksgiving dinner. This dinner will be held at the Murray Banquet Center with a devotion that starts at 11 a.m. and the meal begins at noon. In addition to a Thanksgiving meal, Soup for the Soul will drive from house to house to pass out boxed meals to listed confined people. “We are always looking for volunteers,” said Debbie Smith, director of event.
Need Line, a community and church ministry, known for their Christmas boxed meals, has decided to mainly focus on Christmas holiday volunteer work. Tonia Casey, executive director, said during this time of year they put extra stuffing and sweet potatoes in their pantry food bags. She said Need Line has about 955 families that need their assistance. Casey said her volunteers are planning on making cookies for Soup for the Soul and that “people can eat and don’t have to do the dishes” at the annual dinner.
The Journey Church
This year, the Journey Church is involving middle and high school students to collect food items for boxes to send out toward the end of November. They also plan on sending boxes out for Christmas through a program called “Operation Christmas Child.” Jarrad Martin, director of Family Ministries, said $40,000 is given away to nonprofit organizations like Need Line, Casa and the Ginger-House around this time of year. Martin also said he and other workers from the church will be serving the Soup for the Soul dinner on Thanksgiving.
The News
News
November 6, 2015 News Editor: Mari-Alice Jasper Assistant Editor: Jessica Bostick Phone: 270-809-4468 Twitter: MurrayStateNews
POLICE BEAT Oct. 29
10:42 a.m. Officers conducted a traffic stop in the parking lot of the Business Building to assist the Murray Police Department with a hit-and-run complaint. The driver was cited for multiple violations and the vehicle was towed. 5:19 p.m. A medical emergency was reported at Hart Residential College. The patient was transported by Murray Ambulance Services.
Oct. 30
9:39 a.m. A traffic stop was conducted by officers in the parking lot of the Curris Center. A written warning was issued for disregarding a stop sign. 4:09 p.m. A parking complaint was received by Public Safety and Emergency Management. The caller requested vehicles at Roy Stewart Stadium parking lot be moved for the football game the next day. Officers and the owners of the vehicles were notified.
Oct. 31
2:40 a.m. A caller reported a medical emergency at White Residential College. Officers, Student Affairs and Murray Ambulance Services were notified. The patient was transported by ambulance to Murray Calloway County Hospital. 7:24 p.m. Notification of a fire alarm activation at Hester Residential College was received by Public Safety. Officers and Central Heating and Cooling were notified. The alarm activation was due to a resident’s use of a hair straightener.
Nov. 1
12:07 a.m. Public Safety received a noise complaint at Franklin Residential College. Officers were notified. 11:53 p.m. Officers conducted parking enforcement at the residential college parking lot. Three citations were issued.
Nov. 2
4:30 p.m. A person reported a motor vehicle collision to Public Safety. Officers were notified and a collision report was taken. 7:40 p.m. A caller reported found marijuana at the Price Doyle Fine Arts Building. Officers were notified and the marijuana was secured by police. An information report was taken.
Nov. 3
10:46 a.m. An officer conducted a traffic stop in the Regents Residential College parking lot. A citation was issued for failure to wear a seatbelt. 11:54 p.m. A noise complaint was reported at Franklin Residential College. Officers were notified.
Nov. 4 3:49 a.m. A caller reported a noise complaint to Public Safety at the Arboretum at Pullen Farm. Officers were notified. 11:30 a.m. A motor vehicle hitand-run collision was reported in the parking lot of Regents Residential College. The victim refused a collision report.
3A
Bad weather won’t stop harvest McKenna Dosier
Contributing writer mdosier@murraystate.edu
Heavy rains at the beginning of the summer and the lack of rain toward the end of the summer threw Kentucky farmers and their crops a curveball this season. The second round of soybeans, planted after wheat, were affected by dry conditions, but were still not the worst crops area farmers say they have seen. Joanna Carraway, Murray State alumna and part owner of Carraway Family Farms, said it was really wet until the second week of July. It was so wet farmers had trouble getting their second round of soybeans in the ground, which led to replanting several acres. They were also worried about their tobacco, which is not a wet natured crop. Carraway Family Farms in Murray covers about 2,300 acres. About 65 percent of that land is dedicated to growing soybeans, 30 percent corn, five percent milo and 116 acres of tobacco. The Carraways employ 19 seasonal migrant workers, but most of the row crop planting and harvesting is done by the family. Craig Carraway’s grandparents purchased Carraway Family Farms in 1955 and in 2006, Joanna and Craig, both Murray State alumni, became partners in the business with them. Joanna has a degree in agronomy and Craig’s degree is in agribusiness. Both families have been farming as far back as they can trace. Although the double-crop beans took a hit with the dry weather late in the season, the Carraways said they’re still not the worst beans they’ve ever had. The harvest has turned out well compared to really dry years the state has experienced, like 2012, Craig Carraway said. Farmers can’t predict the weather, so they plant several varieties of seeds, hoping something will take, start to flower and put on pods when the rainy season comes around. There is a 20-bushel difference between the beans planted in early May and the beans planted after the wheat. The beans planted in early May yielded more than the later crop. Joanna Carraway said when you put pencil to paper and start to look at the numbers, there are still huge amounts of money to be made all across the board. The current market price for soybeans is nine dollars per bushel. The United States Department of Agriculture projected an average of 46 bushels per acre of soybeans this year. If you farm roughly 1,000 acres, she said there are still “huge, huge amounts of money to be made” after you do the math. “This year, the early beans did really, really well,” she said. “Probably the best beans we’ve ever had.” “May ever have again,” added Craig Carraway. The late beans are fair, not a failure by any stretch of the imagination, they said. There is still enough room and the double-crop beans are
McKenna Dosier/The News
The heavy rain at the beginning of the summer and dry conditions at the end of the summer threw Kentucky farmers a curveball this season. still doing well enough for a profit to be made. The Carraways attended a seminar several years ago when they first started farming and heard a retired professor speak about agriculture and the weather. He said, “You basically need to prepare because out of a 10 year time span, you’re going to have two years where the stars line up. The prices are decent, the crop is good, you’ve had good weather, everything is going to be great. Maybe two years out of 10, so you’ve got to prepare for the other eight years.” When crops are profitable, they make up for previous years in which farms lost money or barely broke even. Some farmers are still recovering from the dry weather of 2012 and 2014. “If someone makes $100,000 then they might have lost $150,000 last year. You gotta average it out of a 10 year time span. So when people are like, ‘Man, farmers must be getting rich, prices are so high,’ that’s really not the case. We’re trying to average out,” Joanna Carraway said. Along with a good yield from the early beans, the farm expects the tobacco crop to turn out well, said the Carraways.
McKenna Dosier/The News
Despite dry conditions the Carraways still expect to make a profit from the fall harvest.
Los Portales: New and improved Connor Jaschen Features Editor
cjaschen@murraystate.edu
Motorist assists - 7 Escorts - 4 Arrests - 0
Call of Fame Oct. 29, 8:52 p.m. The Murray Police Department reported receiving several 911 calls from Reagan Field with no response from anyone on the line. Murray State Police Officers were notified. A check of the area allowed officers to locate the caller and all appeared normal.
Love Police Beat? You can check it out every week online, too, on TheNews.org. Nicole Ely/The News
Los Portales’ new location recently opened on Lowes Drive.
People hungry for tacos, burritos and many other Mexican dishes can visit local favorite Los Portales at its new location on Lowes Drive, by Station 74. The restaurant recently made the move from its previous location in Olympic Plaza on 12th Street. Festive lights, colorful ceramic tiling and heavy wooden doors are all featured additions to the new building. Co-owner of Los Portales, Gustavo Leon, originally from San Jose, Mexico, said the decision to move was so the restaurant can maintain the quality of service, rather than for the monetary gain. Unlike the old location, the new location is owned, rather than rented out, allowing for more independence, Leon said. The move will also allow for more space for the employees to work with, he said. “The biggest issue [with the old location] was the space in the kitchen,” Leon said The old location for the restaurant has been vacated by the business, but Leon said they still have plans to utilize the space, at least until the 18-month lease runs out. “I have a few partners,” Leon said. “We are thinking to do something smaller and try for a little while
after we settle here and see how it goes.” The change in location marks a new step for the restaurant and Leon is already planning for the future. “We hope to be here in 10 years,” Leon said. “Continue giving good service, good food, good quality. We want to bring in new dishes little by little.” The new store is located at 1506 Lowes Drive and is open for business. “We wanted to bring a little bit of Mexico,” Leon said. “Our colors, our culture, so people know what Mexico is about.” Meghan Keeney, freshman from St. Louis, said Los Portales is probably the fanciest Mexican restaurant she has been to. “It is Mexican heaven,” she said. Keeney said the new location is a lot bigger, nicer and cleaner than the old building. “When I went the service was really quick,” she said. “I love the food, especially the cheese dip.” Olivia Robertson, sophomore from Mayfield, Kentucky, said she would be taking her family and friends to the new location soon. “I feel that the food quality is much better, the service is much faster and the building looks awesome,” she said. “I think the re-location was much needed since is it such a well known place.”
4A
November 6, 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
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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 Connor Jaschen Features Editor • 270-809-5871 cjaschen@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 Kalli Bubb Photography Editor • 270-809-5878 kbubb@murraystate.edu Cameron Witte Chief Videographer cwitte@murraystate.edu Joe Hedges Adviser • 270-809-3937 jhedges@murraystate.edu
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The importance of student involvement The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board. As we all know by now, college isn’t just about going to class and getting a degree; if that’s all college is to you, your priorities may be skewed. Student involvement in on-campus events and collegiate organizations is more than just a good time – it’s often paramount to a student’s success. When students get involved on campus, the benefits include, “improved satisfaction with college and higher retention rates, increased confidence … and a stronger drive to achieve,” according to a 2003 study by Pritchard and Wilson. Going to Murray State events and getting involved in clubs offers us a unique opportunity to get to know people with similar interests. It allows us to feel more connected to the university and the people who attend it with us. Simply put: if our college experiences only consist of class and the four walls of our bedrooms,
we suffer. We suffer, event hosts suffer and the entertainment act itself suffers. There are usually two main causes of an event’s failure: students didn’t care enough to go or they didn’t know about the event in the first place. Frankly, the success of an event isn’t completely dependent on student involvement or apathy. Some events on Murray State’s campus get so much promotion that everyone seems to be talking about it – recent examples of this would be Chris Thile and Todrick Hall. You couldn’t walk 10 feet on this campus without seeing a promotional flier, and not a day went by when a social media post about them didn’t pop up in everyone’s news feed. Other acts never received the same kindness. YouTube sensation and singer Noah Guthrie, for example, performed at Murray State twice – once in the 2012-13 school year and again in 2013-14. Both times there was little to no
advertising for the event – no fliers at all and minimal/no social media posts. The second time he performed, fewer than 10 people showed up and he said coming to universities like Murray State humbled him (not in the good way). We understand that budgets are tight and SGA/CAB can’t go all out in promotional efforts for every single event, but there’s no excuse for doing absolutely nothing, especially when social media promotion is free. Students can only attend events if they know about them, and they’re only inclined to attend events if they know about the person/people performing – it’s Marketing/Advertising 101. We also understand the concept behind catering to a niche audience. Why bring in acts nobody wants to go to, right? Exactly. But just because we’re in Western Kentucky absolutely doesn’t mean a majority of the acts should be white country
singers. Aside from all the promotion the event got, Todrick Hall was likely a huge success because it was something different – something students don’t usually have access to at Murray State. Change it up, Murray State. Listen to your students, and consider asking us what we want in the first place. Send out surveys and polls. Find out what actually interests us instead of just taking a guess or sticking with what’s comfortable. And students: make an effort to get more involved at Murray State. Whether you’re just attending the Drag Show or joining a club – it’s all important. Don’t step off the stage at graduation and have the moment of realization that you experienced nothing outside the classroom. These four years are supposed to be the greatest years of our lives, so let’s not squander them.
Some Things Considered
Say what you need to say Before you cringe, know this is not a column about greasy-haired John Mayer’s song “Say,” in which he sings the line “say what you need to say” more than 30 times in mere minutes. (Sorry, John Mayer fans – he’s just not my cup of tea.) This is about speech, and how we as Hallie Beard students should Junior from face it. Louisville, Ky. Here’s the gist: if you have something to say, do it like you mean it and don’t be swayed by the crowd. Part of the millennial struggle, I’ve noticed, is that many of us try to belong too much and too often; we want to be categorized so we can easily describe ourselves. Explaining life philosophy or moral code to someone is difficult, but it’s easy to say something like, “I’m a rightist liberal Buddhist fish-eating vegan, with feminist tendencies and an Orwellian perspective on media, in no par-
ticular order.” All jokes aside, that’s what it feels like at times when getting to know someone. Not that having certain labels or affiliations is a bad thing – I think it’s wonderful when we can associate with people who share similar ideologies.
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Especially as college students, we cannot be afraid to say what we need to say.
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The problem with being labeled, though (and where speech comes in), is that we start to police our opinions if they don’t exactly align with textbook definitions of our proclaimed –ists. We start to put our affiliations over ourselves – which is either a negative thing or a positive thing, depending on your life philosophy – and it can keep us from speaking up about important issues for fear of looking like a traitor. Ralph Waldo Emerson said in “Self-Reliance,” “It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” Even if you don’t realize it, you know exactly what Emerson is talking about. Herd mentality, groupthink, bandwagon – any way you spin it, it’s the idea of a collective power trumping an individual power. The desire to comply
with the crowd forces us to backtrack on our opinions and speech. While that can seem like a positive attribute (think resume buzzwords: team player, agreeable, easy-to-handle), it ultimately can weaken our defenses and dull our problem-solving abilities. It’s intimidating to speak an opinion that isn’t crowd-approved, but learning how to face that fear is integral to becoming an independent, well-informed adult. Especially as college students, we cannot be afraid to say what we need to say. Forget audience and crowd for a minute– how can we, the often underestimated millennials, build (or perhaps repair) our reputation if it’s steeped in fear? Go back to the gist, after the John Mayer thing: do it like you mean it and don’t be swayed by the crowd. Emerson said this in a much more eloquent way in 1841: “Do your work and I shall know you. Do your work and you shall reinforce yourself.” I know in the game of university or job politics it can seem more important to stick to your labels than to speak out and risk alienation, but don’t worry so much about following a script. Keep on reinforcing yourself, and resist the urge to panic if you can’t affix yourself to a certain group or school of thought; you can always start your own. So, how ‘bout it? Tear off the crowd-tested stamp of approval and let’s be millennials who say what we need to say, millennials who make waves and millennials who do our work.
The News
Opinion
November 6, 2015
5A
Letter to the Editor
I Have a Lot of Feelings Fall: A Controversy
Reasons you should write to us:
We still want to hear from you!
• We want to hear from you. • Your input matters. • You more than likely have an opinion about something happening on campus or in Murray and you should share it. • You probably feel strongly for or against something we’ve covered and we want to know about that. • Again, your input matters.
Are you concerned about a certain issue on campus or just want to share your opinion? The News is always accepting Letters to the Editor. For a chance to get your letter published in print or on TheNews.org, email your submission to letters@thenews.org.
I’ve Got a Story for You
Good advice By the end of next week, the entire student population of Murray State (including the campuses in Paducah, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, Henderson, Dubuque, Regensburg, Beijing, Seoul, Belize and the Ross Ice Shelf) will be registered in classes for Spring 2016. Well, that is the theory. Robert Valentine In practice, Senior lecturer many students will not find the of advertising time in their busy schedules to visit their adviser and register for classes. Many popular classes, or classes at convenient times, will be gone. Happily, 7:30 a.m. classes, weekenders and 6 to 9 evening classes on Thursday are still available. If you’re just getting around to realizing that there is another semester in the cards for you, you will be pleased to know that there is still time. Some of the people who went through the pre-registration pre-advising process forgot to then go online and register. Those opportunities are still there for you. Seize the day.
Cheers and Jeers Cheers and Jeers is written by the Opinion Editor. Questions, comments or concerns should be addressed to aborthwick@murraystate.edu
Comic
The beginning of any Spring semester is filled with people who are trying to drop and add classes because they failed to take care of this vital piece of business in November. It’s tough enough when you pre-register – some classes may be canceled, for instance. Perhaps you decided to change majors and must now acquire a new set of classes. Perhaps you inadvertently failed to attend any English 105 classes – quite by accident, of course – and now find yourself barred from certain core courses in your new major. As the famous bumper sticker (revised version) reminds us: “Events Occur.” –Thomas Edison Now, I am not giving advice. As the great inventor Thomas Edison once pointed out: “People don’t take advice; people do what they want to do, and they overdo it one hundred percent. The world is badly overstocked with a lot of unused advice.” I am only observing that, if you sought to get through college in four years taking the recom-
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The world is badly overstocked with a lot of unused advice.
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Cheers to ... Voters.
mended 15 credit hours per semester, it will take exactly four years, or eight semesters. This assumes that 1) you never change majors or minors; 2) you only take required courses; 3) you always earn at least a “C” or better; 4) you never drop a course; 5) you are the luckiest college student in the history of higher education. Personally, I would schedule at least 5 years for a decent college education. While the Commonwealth of Kentucky officially believes that 120 hours of college credit will prepare you for a career of some kind, I think you need close to 140, just to be safe. Even at 18 hours a semester, 140 credit hours is still eight semesters. If you build in a semester to earn money or take an internship or study abroad, you’ll be happier with a 60-month plan. That’s a lot of money to spend on education, so you’ll have to spend it wisely and make every class count. But if you’re committed to the Four-Year Plan taking an extra semester is far more expensive than showing up at your adviser’s door, taking the right classes and then working hard to pass them. That’s right: pre-registering and then attending classes and studying for tests is easier and less expensive than an extra semester or two. Much less expensive. If that makes sense, rejoice in the fact that it’s not too late to get next semester in order. I know that January seems a far distant thing on a hazy, snow-covered horizon, but preparing for things that are three months away is good practice for your next big planning challenge: planning for retirement in 43 years.
Jeers to ... Irrationality.
We would like to thank the 30 percent of registered Kentucky voters who showed up to the polls yesterday. Is that percentage as high as it needs to be? Not even close. But those 30 percent made a difference and did what the other 70 percent didn’t: cared.
We’re all trying to get off and on the Faculty Hall elevators. Perhaps swinging your hands around and exclaiming, “Can you move?!” isn’t the best way to maturely handle yourself. Patience is a virtue, after all.
Jeers to ... November heat.
Cheers to ... Dairy Queen.
There is 600 percent no reason why I should still be sweating outside in November. I should be wearing sweaters, flannels, jeans and boots, not shorts and tank tops. Seventy degree heat in November is unacceptable. I would like a refund, Mother Nature. You had one job.
It was a glorious eight months, you sweet fallen angel. We enjoyed your Blizzards and soft serve ice cream treats while they lasted. Is it ideal that you’re not open 24/7 all year long? No. But it makes us appreciate what we have while we have it. Long live DQ.
Allison Borthwick
Opinion Editor
Fall is the most confusing season. It’s like a temperamental youth struggling through adolescence – it never knows what it wants, is hot one second and cold the next, leaves things all over the floor (pun intended) and makes people
emotional. There’s so much hype and excitement building up to it. People lose their minds over leaves changing colors, sweaters, flannels, apple picking, pumpkins and all things pumpkin flavored. But, in true fall fashion, our expectations clash with reality. Sweater weather is replaced by shorts weather because for some reason it’s 70 degrees and sunny throughout the first week of November. It rains more during October than it did during the entirety of spring. Our pumpkin spice lattes have to be iced because it’s too warm out. Furthermore, fall always seems to be over as quickly as it begins, especially in comparison to how long the other three seasons seem to last. It’s like there are 500 days of summer, 400 days of spring, 25 days of fall and then winter lasts for approximately 80 years. This is also the time of year where the sun starts setting at 5 p.m. like some sort of grouchy senior citizen, leaving us all to fend for ourselves in the dark like neglected grandchildren. This isn’t a game, Grandma Autumn. This is my LIFE. And I would appreciate if you had more to offer me than dried prunes and darkness. Maybe instead of going to bed so early you can go get IHOP’s senior special and leave us to enjoy the rest of our day in peace. I shouldn’t be able to sit through a lie detector test at 6:30 p.m., be asked what time it is, confidently say “midnight” and pass the test with flying colors. This probably all sounds like the rantings and ravings of a person who hates fall, but that’s not the case. I love fall – we’re just having some relationship issues right now. I’m also bitter and disheartened by the fact that people are actively trying to skip past fall and jump right into winter. I walked into Dollar Tree the other day to get some last minute cat ears like any other respectable 21-year-old before Halloween and was assaulted by a winter wonderland of Christmas decorations. There were no cat ears or seasonal respect in sight. Being an optimistic, happy-go-lucky Dollar Tree shopper is hard enough as is, but that day I walked out of the store with nothing more than my God-given human ears and shattered hopes. Where’s the respect for Halloween – a day where it’s perfectly acceptable for people of all ages to eat insane amounts of candy while dressed up as Satan? What about Thanksgiving – a day where there’s nothing wrong with covering everything, including yourself, in gravy? How are we just going to skip these beautiful, food-centric holidays and focus solely on Christmas? What would Jesus do? I’ll tell you what Jesus would do: Jesus would stop being so disrespectful of Halloween and Thanksgiving. He would want you to celebrate His birthday on December 25 and not a day earlier. Last time I checked, Jesus wasn’t a diva. Now go out there and hug a pumpkin or something. aborthwick@murraystate.edu
Soulmates By Jade Simpson
The News
News
6A
November 6, 2015
Small business owners encourage students to visit downtown Ashley Traylor
Contributing writer atraylor9@murraystate.edu
Nicole Ely/The News
5th & Main Coffee is one of many small businesses located downtown.
Businesses in downtown Murray are encouraging college students to visit small businesses downtown to help their profits. Mary Black, owner of Mary’s Bistro, and Eran Guse, co-owner of Wild Mountain Bakery, suggest that college students are not coming downtown because of its proximity to campus. “I do not go downtown because I do not have car,” said Ardee Allen, senior from Murray. “The only time I have to go down there is when I have a carpool to do recycling. That is the only reason I go downtown.” Black of Mary’s Bistro said most students stay on the north side of town because it is more convenient. It is easier for students to walk somewhere if they live on-campus. For those who live off-campus, it is not convenient to drive a mile downtown. Mary’s Bistro was located on the North end of Murray as Mary’s Kitchen for six years, but moved downtown in June. Black said the restaurant has not seen as many college students since the location
change. “The few we get are generally die-hard Mary fans,” Black said. “When we were across town, we got a lot of students there. They will come here specifically for a specific thing to eat. They are die-hard fans. That’s the ones we see.” Guse of Wild Mountain Bakery suggests that students do not want to lose their parking spot by driving downtown, especially since parking on campus is very limited. “A college shuttle to downtown might help,” Guse said. “If the college did offer some kind of shuttle, I do not know how students would respond to that and whether it would be cost-effective to do it. It is a difficult question of how we can get them in here.” Allen agrees that a shuttle is a good option to draw more attention to the downtown area and it would give international and out-of-state students a chance to see the culture of downtown Murray. “I think a shuttle would get people downtown,” said Morgan Cash, sophomore from Fancy Farm, Kentucky. “Right now students just go to whatever is in walking distance. If they had something to get them down there, then they would jump on that opportunity.”
Guse said another problem is that college students are on a limited budget. “The dollar menu at McDonald’s could be more appealing to a college student living on a budget,” Guse said. “We understand that here. We cannot compete with that.” However, Black said her prices are the same as they were when her business was located on the North side of town. “I think some of the college students may be intimidated by the way the place looks because they are used to rowdy sport bars,” Black said. “This is classy. It scares them.” Allen and Cash both agree businesses downtown need to advertise more, but Guse said he has not found an inexpensive way to advertise his business. Allen suggests businesses from downtown should come to campus and advertise. “Qdoba came and offered half a burrito for free to anybody who wanted one,” Allen said. “I have heard people talking about it since then. Small bits of something positive to put into people’s mind so it is not just a flier with their name on it, but some essence of who they are.” “I would love to have the college students downtown and I think they would like it,” Guse said.
Faculty to discuss “trigger warnings” Alicia Steele || Staff writer asteele5@murraystate.edu
The Faculty Development Center is starting a series of “Coffee and Conversation” discussion meetings to talk about topics that affect teaching and learning on campus. The first discussion will cover the topic of trigger warnings, which the Faculty Development Center defined as “statements or alerts on assignments or syllabi that warn students about explicit violence, sex or inflammatory content that might cause a strong emotional response.” Elizabeth Price, Interim Faculty Development Center coordinator, said the idea of trigger warnings has emerged from blogs, especially feminist blogs and stories of sexual violence and other things that may have been difficult for someone to deal with. “What you’re seeing happen is this idea of (trigger warnings) being put into classrooms, and of course this is very controversial on both sides,” Price said. She said professors are concerned about trigger warnings because it could be an infringement of their academic freedom. “But then of course on the other side you have students who have had a variety of different experiences in their lives, and we are much more aware of mental health issues than we have ever been probably in the past,” Price said. “And we don’t want to put students in a difficult position or interfere with their learning by forcing them to confront something that they can’t deal with.” Price said she read articles that talk about trigger warnings from The New York Times and The Chronicle of Higher Education that discuss why professors at other universities use trigger
warnings. Price said students requested an alternate assignment and were asking not to participate in the assignment based on moral grounds. “That’s kind of this line that they’re finding trickier to negotiate,” Price said. “What causes emotional trauma versus what you object to morally. The whole idea of college for most people is the idea of helping you all bridge that gap from what you knew before you got here and then expand your mind into who you’re going to be and what you’re going to think after college. So when you have a preconceived set of ideas and you’re not willing to engage in materials that challenge those topics, are you missing out somehow on a college experience?” Price said she is not for it or against it, but she would like to bring faculty together to have this conversation and talk about the best ways they have found to handle this type of situation. Andrew Black, assistant professor of English, said he has not had an experience with trigger warnings, but he has noticed articles written in popular news sources. He said there is a growing tendency to dismiss trigger warnings, and the tone of an article he read “almost suggests that we shut down the conversation altogether because of the nature of the challenge.” “Unlike a lot of recent literature on the subject, which offers the typical generalization of millennials, I respect students too much to see these concerns as shallow or immature,” Black said. “Rather, it offers me as a professor an opportunity to be transparent about what I teach and why I teach it.” Paul Walker, associate professor of English, said he believes trigger warnings are not neces-
sary in the classroom because anyone attending a public university should expect that new and possibly emotionally triggering ideas will be presented. “When a student attends and pays tuition at a public university, doing so implicitly and explicitly expresses a willingness to learn new perspectives about the world,” Walker said. “Which includes perspectives that could lead to questioning beliefs, cultures, practices and mindsets – all of which can be laced with emotion or past trauma.” Walker said while exceptional cases occur, using trigger warnings is a way to coddle students and portray them as less capable of managing their emotions and making decisions about information they come across while attending Murray State and in the world. “If we want to produce students who are critical thinkers and responsible citizens, we should try to avoid trigger warnings and instead be transparent about the classroom as a space for active learning, where openness to all perspectives is welcome, but disagreement and dissonance are also encouraged and dealt with in mature and sensitive ways,” Walker said. Walker said he has never had a student ask for an alternate assignment, but has had students say they were uncomfortable with the class discussion, in which case he led a discussion on discomfort’s role in learning, and how to productively listen, question and explore one’s ideas. Two discussions about trigger warnings are planned, and all instructors and administrators are welcome to attend either session Monday from 1:30 until 2:30 p.m. or Thursday from 8:30 until 9:30 a.m. in room 107 in the Oakley Applied Science building. Free coffee will be provided to attendees.
McKenna Dosier/The News
During October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, friends and family don pink ribbons to show their support of others suffering from breast cancer. Every two minutes a woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the Susan G. Kormen Organization.
Breast cancer awareness on campus Mikayla Marshall || Staff writer mmarshall5@murraystate.edu
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, but students didn’t see much awareness. Kimberly Paschall, director of Health Services, said Health Services did not conduct any specific group programs addressing breast cancer awareness in October. “Our healthcare professionals evaluate, diagnose, treat and educate on a more individual basis every day,” Paschall said. Women’s health information is provided to residential colleges and groups on campus as requested. Though it may not be a major concern for some, it is for others. “Two of my grandmothers have had it,” Taylor Sumner, freshman from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, said. “So I do worry about it some.” Each year, about 70,000 men and women aged 15 to 39 are diagnosed with cancer, according to the Young Survival Coalition, with breast cancer being most common for women. Breast cancer can affect college women
1306 S. 12th Street Murray, KY 42071 (270) 761-6255
directly and indirectly. “Few women of college age will be diagnosed with breast cancer themselves, although age is not the limit for education,” said Loreta Garretson, Oncologist at the Murray-Calloway County Hospital. “I have seen patients as young as in their mid-twenties diagnosed with breast cancer.” Garretson has been the oncologist in Murray for six weeks and said she has seen a lot of positive things from the city, but there’s always room for extra campaigning or events. “It is very important that awareness would reach everyone, especially those who are in more rural areas and the ones who have limited access to healthcare or are socioeconomically vulnerable,” Garretson said. Mackenzie Chapman, sophomore from Chaffee, Missouri, said awareness events on campus need to reach more of the student population. “It needs to go toward more of the student population, who don’t do sports or participate in Greek life just the basic students,” Chapman said.
Symptoms
Trends N Treasures •tenderness around the nipple •lumps in the breast Merchants Mall •thickening of the skin near the underarm area •change in appearance of the breast
Great place to furnish your apartment
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Murray State football travels to Tennessee State Mallory Tucker Staff writer mtucker11@murraystate.edu
Slipping to 2-6 on the season after last weekend’s 34-20 loss to Eastern Illinois, the Racers are holding onto one thing this week: belief. “When you get into a ballgame, s o m e t h i n g s d o n ’ t Stewart go your way,” said Head Coach Mitch Stewart. “You’ve got to find a way to believe that you can pull it out, and I think we do.” Whether they believe it or not, injuries will inhibit the Racers this weekend, as 14 players were out because of various injuries after Saturday’s matchup against the Panthers. “Right now there’s so many I couldn’t even tell them by name to you,” Stewart said. “There’s a few at every position, it seems like. The specialists are OK, so that’s good, and the quarterback, knock on wood. We’re doing some cross training and teaching this guy a little bit here, and then teach him a little bit here.” The 14 included senior wide receivers Jeremy Harness and Janawski Davis, who Stewart deemed as questionable. The duo’s status not only leaves room, but makes it necessary – for players like senior Paul Rice, juniors Mitch Stults and Jesse Blackburn and sophomore Jordan Gandy to step up and make plays. “Mitch Stults is probably going to be a swing guy for us,” Stewart said. “He’s going to have to know a little bit of everything.
Section B
The News
There’s a good chance that Pokey Harris is going to have to play a little bit bigger role. There’s a couple of guys that are going to have to either continue what they’re doing or we’re going to lean on them a little bit more. We’ll see how they do.” The Racers will kick off against the Tennessee State Tigers at 2:30 p.m. in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday. A big, long and lean all-around defense is the Racers’ biggest concern as they hit the turf. Tennessee State is coming off a 20-6 victory against Austin Peay State last weekend, but they put up only 241 yards of total offense as opposed to Murray State’s 427 against Eastern Illinois. On the other side of the ball, Stewart expects the Tigers to attempt to control both the game clock and the line of scrimmage. “It’s no secret – they’ll watch the tape – they’ll see that some of our guys are out on the defensive front,” Stewart said. “They’ll probably lean on us a little bit. Milk the clock and try to keep our offense off the field as much as possible. I think it’s going to be kind of a run, run, run, play action, take it over the top type game.” The Racers’ offensive focus this week will be on stretching the field and converting third downs. At just four for 18 last week and 50 for 120 on the season, Stewart says the team’s third downs are horrendous right now because they lack the healthy players needed to run their plays. “Part of that was my fault Saturday,” Stewart said. “We have one particular package that we were going to do on third and short, third and medium situations. Because of the
see FOOTBALL, 2B
Sports
OVC Semifinals in sight
Chalice Keith/The News
Sophomore defender Nyomi Devine looks to clear the ball in the Racers’ final game against Austin Peay State Oct. 29.
Racer soccer faces Morehead State in OVC Tournament semifinals Mark McFarland Assistant Sports Editor mmcfarland1@murraystate.edu
Freshman goalkeeper Alex Steigerwald and the defense look to continue their stingy defending this weekend after only allowing only two goals in the last seven games.
Steigerwald, from West Chester, Ohio, is ranked eighth in the nation in save percentage and 28th in the nation in goals-against average. Head Coach Jeremy Groves said he has been pleased with his goalkeeper this season. “Having a goalkeeper who can handle services and cover
them cleanly is huge,” he said. “It takes a lot of pressure off of corners and services when she’s collecting the balls. Ever since she has stepped in she has done a fantastic job.” Groves said she has had a lot of help from the defensive line consisting of two seniors who have been by her side throughout the year. Taylor Stevens, senior from Fort Wayne, Indiana, said Steigerwald has given the team and the defense a lot of confidence. “She’s been really consis-
tent and she’s made all of the saves we have expected her to make,” Stevens said. “But she has also come up with the big saves that we haven’t expected her to make.” Racheal Foxley, senior from Bolton, England, also gave praise to the freshman. “Before she came into her first game we told her you have been doing really well in training,” Foxley said. “Just take your chance and take
see SOCCER, 2B
Volleyball returns home to face Skyhawks, Redhawks Kelsey Randolph Sports Editor krandolph3@murraystate.edu
Jenny Rohl/The News
Sophomore middle blocker, Olivia Chatman, passes the ball during practice Tuesday.
WHAT’S
INSIDE
Returning home after a long trek on the road, the Racer volleyball team notches their regular season record to 11-1 and 21-2 overall. The team took a long drive to Jacksonville, Alabama to face Jacksonville State, where they won in a four-set match 3-1, and Cookeville, Tennessee to face Tennessee Tech where they also won in a four-set match, 3-1. “I feel like we lose that first set and then we come back and then we know,” said junior outside hitter Scottie Ingram. “It’s not like us; it’s not what we should be doing. We knew we played with a lot more fire and enthusiasm. The first set is a little bit rough but we’re coming back.” In both matches the first set was taken by the other team. Head Coach David Schwepker said he feels the team was not focused due to the amount of driving and the mentality of the team at the time. “We drive all day and as
much as we try to make it, we are just crunched and we get out, play, then get back in the car and drive half way and it’s just a mess,” Schwepker said. “It’s a bad trip. We needed those wins. We didn’t play well the first set and we Schwepker h a v e n ’ t seen those teams. Traditionally we learn from the first set then we play.” Against the Gamecocks the Racers hit a .298 attack percentage while Jacksonville only hit a .141 as a team. Leading the team for the weekend was junior setter, Sam Bedard with 46 assists against Jacksonville State along with 20 digs, which is a team best also putting her as the 4th Racer for the best, all time in career assists, recording 3,292 assists. Against the Golden Eagles, Ingram made 16 kills, 20 digs
and three blocking assists, also making her 10th double-double of the season. “These teams are going to be tough,” Schwepker said. “We cannot overlook anybody. Anyone who comes in here has the ability to beat us; everyone is that good. We have to concentrate and not get wrapped up in what the other team does. We are working on some different things that we’ve noticed is a pattern.” Ingram said she finds a sense of relief returning home after two weeks on the road because she feels comfortable on her own court. “A game on our court is a game on our court,” Ingram said. “We have that fire and we don’t want them to come in and take our game.” Friday the Racers face UT Martin at 7 p.m. in Racer Arena then return on Saturday to set against Southeast Missouri State at 2 p.m. “It’s up in the air,” Schwepker said. “Everybody is good enough that anybody can win. Winning the tournament is a whole other beast.”
MSO SOCCER
CROSS COUNTRY
SUCCESSFUL EVENTS
HAUNTED HOUSE
Muslim Student Organization hosts soccer tournament, 3B
Men and women finish OVC Tournament, 4B
The breakdown for awesome campus activities, 5B
Sigma Chi hosts haunted house for philanthropy, 6B
The News
Sports
2B
November 6, 2015
FOOTBALL
SOCCER
From Page 1
From Page 1
injuries that we had, that package was out. We were kind of scrambling a little bit on third and shorts, third and mediums, trying to make something work. We were holding on for dear life there, especially after the first half. If I called the plays they wouldn’t even know who the Z was and who the X was.” The coaching staff has been working to adjust players as needed to fill voids left by injuries, but Stewart doesn’t consider his offense limited at this point. “What we’ve been doing: trying to figure out exactly where we are and package the guys that we have,” Stewart said. “And then just keep our fingers crossed. Do I have my druthers right now? Am I two-deep everywhere? No. At some spots I’m one deep and then I’ve got a swing guy that’s going to have to know four positions. But we’ll make it work some kind of way.”
your opportunity and just be confident.” The defense for the Racers has been great all year as it has only let up 23 goals, which is good for fourth in the OVC. “I think we’re confident, we have been doing fine all season,” Foxley said. “We’ve been defending hard and I think what we have been doing on defense has been working for us.” Defense will be key as the Racers look to face Morehead State Friday in the OVC semifinals. Last year Morehead beat the Racers 5-1 to advance further in the OVC tournament. “I think it helps that we got beat Groves last year,” Groves said. “Because now we can be a little more focused on them and what they do.” The Racers and Morehead State squared off earlier in the regular season with the Racers winning 2-0.
Nicole Ely/The News
HALLOWEEN GAME: (Above) President Bob Davies shakes the hand of sophomore running back Demetric Johnson as he runs off the field after the game against Eastern Illinois Saturday. (Below) Senior linebacker Joey Cicoria attempts to catch the ball but an Eastern Illinois player jumps between Cicoria and senior cornerback Bernard Thomas.
Foxley said they know what to expect from Morehead, because of the regular season game, heading into the semifinal game. Stevens said being the only team in the conference to go undefeated is great, but that territory comes with a big target on their backs. With a season full of high points and some low points a couple seniors took time to reflect on the regular season before preparing for the semifinal. “Just the whole season as a whole really,” Foxley said of her favorite moments. “I don’t think there’s been one specific even. Also getting the trophy early, I don’t think the trophy has been given out that early in the OVC before, so that was cool.” Stevens said finishing 10-0 on the year had to be one of her favorite moments. “The game where we won conference, that was definitely a big game,” Stevens said. “But I would say the last game was exciting because it is really unusual to go 10-0.” The semifinal game is at 2 p.m. Friday against Morehead at Cutchin Field. The winner will play the winner between Tennessee Tech and Southeast Missouri State at 1 p.m. Sunday at Cutchin Field for the OVC Tournament Championship.
The News’ pick of the week - Football Kelsey Randolph Sports Editor 14-10
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Off the Gridiron
Progress to equality
Sports have a lot of word associations to it and one of the biggest words is respect. Sports are maledriven, but we must recognize that women deserve respect. It’s obvious that media sheds little light on the accomplishment of women in athletics. Sports Center, ESPN’s flagships program, dedicated just 2 percent of its airtime to women’s sports in 2014, according to thinkprogress.org. One could start on the big scale, the national or international level, but first let’s look at Murray State. We know this university has some of the best women sports there are by appearances in numerous OVC Tournaments. This year alone, our women’s volleyball team, the reigning OVC champions, broke the record for most consecutive wins at home and our women’s soccer team went undefeated in conference play. They are the only team in conference history to finish 10-0 in OVC play. Our softball team is also consistently competing in the OVC tournament and finished second in the conference. The tennis team made it to the NCAA tournament. Our basketball team has sophomore Ke’shunan James who won the OVC Freshman of the Year for 2014-15. The women on the rifle team compete internationally and traveled to the NCAA Tournament in Fairbanks, Alaska. Women’s basketball is also climbing new heights. Some may know about the Connecticut women’s basketball team being one of the most dominant teams to date in the sport. Even the WNBA gets more coverage and the stars are being recognized more, women like Maya Moore, Skylar Diggins and Elena Delle Donne. Pat Summit is recognized as one of the greatest coaches of all time. “ESPN created a site specifically for women’s sports fans: ESPNW.com,” said Evelyn Shoop, from the Daily Beast. “The cursive W and soft colors are bellwether enough, but the stereotypes built in to the site’s architecture solidify ESPN’s treatment of women’s sports as separate but equal.” Though they may need to add more as they’re making strides some would say ESPN has been a leader in integrating women in the sports world. ESPN has been integrating women into the sports world to be more than just a pretty face on the camera. For example Jemele Hill analyst and cast member on the ESPN show “His and Hers” is a great example of a women having sports savvy and being a respected figures in sports. It is my hope that the recognition of women in sports continues to grow. jmorris36@murraystate.edu
John Morris
The News
Sports
November 6, 2015
3B
Muslim Student Organization hosts tournament The Muslim Student Organization hosted the Burrito Shack and Shogun Cup Oct. 31 at the Intramural Fields. The International Student Organization coordinated the event. Teams: American Outlaws Hart College Korea A Korea B Korea C Malaka FC MSO Pi Kappa Alpha S.S.O Team Winslow
Top Goal Scorers: Ahmend Alruaili 5 goals (MSO) David Song 5 goals (Korea C)
Final Standings:
Photo courtesy of the Muslim Student Organization
Top Goalie:
1st: MSO 2nd: Malaka FC 3rd: S.S.O
Dongjun Kim (Korea C)
Javier Villar, competed in one match, losing 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3. Despite not finding much success in singles competition, Villar and Trosic competed together in doubles competition. Losing their first match, the duo came back to win the second and finished as runners up in the Flight B Consolation bracket, losing to Morehead State 8-4. Hess and True also competed in doubles competition, but lost 8-2 and 8-4 in their two matches. The team will not compete again until Jan. 22 when they travel to Nashville, Tennessee, and face Lipscomb Uni-
versity, who also competed at the Louisville Invitational. Lipscomb had five players receive wins at the tournament including John Tougher, sophomore from Dublin, Ireland, who won Flight C. Other notable performances included sophomores Alejandro Manzanares and Philippe Courteau winning the consolation brackets of flights A and B, respectively. Jan. 23 the team will travel to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and face off with Conference USA opponent Middle Tennessee State, who won 14 matches at the Louisville Invitational.
The Muslim Student Organization poses with the championship trophy for the Burrito Shack and Shogun Cup.
Tennis team competes in Louisville Invitational
Alec Mullins
Contributing writer amullins2@murraystate.edu
Murray State’s men’s tennis team competed in the Louisville Invitational at the University of Louisville last weekend. Fourteen teams competed in Flight A, B and C singles and doubles competition. The Racers had five players compete in singles and two teams compete in doubles. Will True, sophomore from Bowling Green, Kentucky, lost his first match of the tournament but continued through the consolation side of the
Intramural Football: Blake Bernier Staff writer
dbernier@murraystate.edu
Monday night featured Alpha Omicron Pi had a quick start over Kappa Delta. AOPi scored all 21 points in the first half via starting running back Kathryn Goetz, junior from St. Louis. Goetz racked up three touchdowns on the ground and caught a pass for a successful threepoint conversion. Goetz said this is her third year as running back for AOPi and the team typically runs the ball. On the first drive of the game Goetz broke free for a touchdown run and tacked on three more points with the catch on the conversion to put AOPi up 9-0. Kappa Delta struggled to gain any yards on their first possession and failed to convert on fourth down, giving AOPi good field position. It took two plays for AOPi to reach the end zone again on the legs of Goetz, and after a failed one point conversion try the score stood 15-0. “It was a little bit rough,” said Kappa Delta sophomore Nicole Schulenburg. “Right off the bat they got a couple of touchdowns.” Again the defense for AOPi kept Kappa Delta from advancing into scoring position and caused a turnover on downs. Goetz played a role in the defensive stop with a deflected pass on third down and a tackle on fourth. AOPi took possession with under two minutes left in the half and scored their third touchdown on another long run by Goetz. In the second half momen-
tum took a swing and defensive adjustments by Kappa Delta put a stop to the AOPi offense. “I think they caught on to who was doing most of the running and what most of our run plays were,” Goetz
bracket. Winning his next two matches 6-3, 2-6, 10-4, and 6-3, 7-5, True advanced to the semifinals, losing 2-6 and 1-6. This performance made him the highest finishing individual on the team. David Hess, junior from Louisville, Kentucky, lost his first match 6-3, 6-2. He was then defeated in his final match 2-6, 6-4, 10-2. Srdjan Trosic, sophomore from Serbia, lost his two matches 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 and 6-2, 6-2. Anjan Kashyab, sophomore from Tell City, Indiana, also lost his two matches in the tournament with final scores of 6-1, 7-5, 6-1 and 6-2, 6-1. Freshman
AOPi holds on for win
Schulenburg said. With the defense playing better, the offense started to gain some momentum and on the next offensive series Kappa Delta drove down the field behind a long catch and run followed by a quarter-
“
I think they caught on to who was doing most of the running and what most of our run plays were. I always get in the habit of going to the outside and I think they caught on to that. -Kathryn Goetz, junior from St. Louis
said. “I always get in the habit of going to the outside and I think they caught on to that.” On the first possession of the second half Kappa Delta forced a punt and started with good field position, however Goetz made her presence felt one last time when she intercepted a pass on the sideline and ran it back into Kappa Delta territory. “I stayed back on my girl a little bit and I saw the pass,” Goetz said. “So I just stepped forward and took the interception and made a run.” The Kappa Delta defense stood strong again using the halftime adjustments and turned away the AOPi offense. “We pushed toward the outside so it made them run the ball down the center, which we weren’t really doing in the beginning,”
”
back sweep for touchdown on fourth down. After a failed one-point conversion, the Kappa Delta defense went back to field and made a stop on fourth and goal to retake possession down 21-6. Kappa Delta moved the ball through the air with back-to-back completions and on first and goal Kappa Delta struck again with a touchdown catch. With under a minute left to play AOPi took over possession and ran the clock out. Despite the loss, Schulenburg said she is proud of the way they came back and said that she thought they had a good chance at winning at the end. “This is the first year that probably 95 percent of these girls have played,” Schulenburg said. “I think we are doing pretty well for the circumstances.”
Zachary Maley/The News
Kathryn Goetz, junior from St. Louis runs against Kappa Delta Monday night during Flag Football.
Women’s
Men’s
Sorority
Fraternity
1. AGD A 2. Tri Sigma A
3-0 2-0
1. Sigma Chi and Lambda Chi Alpha 2. Alpha Sigma Phi
Residential College 1. Lee Clark Girls 2. Springer-Franklin A
1. Omega Mu 2. Sigma B Team
Residential College
4-0 3-0
Independent
1. Franklin A and Lizo A 2. Four Teams Tied
A
3-1 2-2
Independent A 1. Pound Town 2. The Untouchables
4-0 3-1
Independent B 1. Kiss My End Zone 2. Granny Panties and Sigma Alpha
3-0 3-1
3-0 3-1
Independent B 1. Steak Sauce 2. Straight Outta Retirement
5-0 3-0
4-0 3-0
Independent C
1. White Owls 2. Richmond Shenanigans
4-0 4-1
Results are as of Tuesday. Standings courtesy of IMLeagues.
The News
Sports
4B
The News’ Athlete of the Week
November 6, 2015
Cross-Country finishes among top 10 in OVC Mikayla Marshall
T he News picked Meagan Smith as Athlete of the Week for being one of two girls on the All OVC Team at the end of the cross-country season.
Meagan Smith
1. How long have you been playing your sport and why did it interest you to begin with? “This is my fourth year running cross-country. I started running track two years before I began to run Hometown: cross-country. I fell in love with running as soon as I Danville, Kentucky began track my freshman year of high school. I started out only running track because I also played soccer, High School: which took place during cross country season. My Danville High School initial purpose for getting into running was to stay in shape for soccer, but I began experiencing great passion for the sport and started to realize that I was meant to be a distance runner, so I stopped playing soccer to run cross-country and focus solely on running.”
Cross-Country
2. What is it about your sport that makes you enjoy it? “I love how it is a mixture between being team-oriented and individualized. You want to do well for personal improvement and achievement, and that personal improvement thus helps your team as well. You can rejoice in team and individual successes. If one race wasn’t the best for you that day, you still can celebrate others’ successes or the team’s progress as a whole, so there’s always a positive you can pull away with. You have to work hard every day but I love that also because you can set and achieve daily goals for yourself and for your team, and you know that meeting those everyday goals brings you closer to achieving great things when it is time to race.” 3. How does it feel to be on the All OVC Team? “It feels great to be on the All OVC Team! Last year I placed 15th and did not make the All OVC team [top 14], so it feels great to come back this year and move up to the top 14 and receive my first medal in collegiate running. I’m very happy with the race.”
Staff writer
mmarshall4@murraystate.edu
For the first time since 2003, Murray State hosted the OVC Cross-Country Championship at Frances E. Miller Memorial Golf Course Saturday. The Racer women finished fourth while the men’s team took sixth. Lucas Prather led the team with a 25th overall placement with a time of 26:05 in the 8K race. Brittany Bohn led for the women’s team with a 10th place finish and a time of 18:00, followed by Meagan Smith, who placed 14th with a time of 18:11. Bohn and Smith each finished second-team All-OVC. “On the men’s side we wanted to finish top half, which we did,” said Head Coach Jenny Swieton. “We had a lot of guys who were banged up and just went out there and got it done for each other.” Swieton said she couldn’t be happier with how the race went. “It’s hard to time it, where your best race is at conference, but they did it,” Swi-
eton said. The women’s fourth place finish was their best since 2012 and the men’s sixth since 2002. The women’s team was only two points out from third and fifteen points out Swieton from second. Swieton said that while on paper the season for the men looked great and the season for the women looked a little lackluster, the team trained for the OVC Championships and said they were able to show the true athletes they are. The conference championship was Bohn’s final cross-country conference championship and she said she wanted to leave everything on the course. Bohn tied her best time in the race. “I trained pretty hard over the summer,” said Bohn. “I was maintaining and trying to stay away from injuries,
since I had trained so hard.” She said she’s proud of the season and couldn’t be happier with her placement. “It was super special to host the race and finish on the home course I’ve been working hard on all year,” said Lucas Prather, senior from Mohomet, Illinois. “It was definitely a no regrets race.” This was Prather’s final race as well and he said he was pleased to finish the season strong. This was his highest placement in an OVC Championship in his college career. “My goal since coming to Murray has been to place top 25,” said Prather. As Prather and Bohn wrap up their cross-country careers, their biggest piece of advice for their younger teammates is to enjoy every moment. Swieton said she is excited for the upcoming track and field season to begin and believes the future looks bright for runners at Murray State. The Racers will race at the NCAA Regionals in Charlottesville, Virginia Nov. 13.
4. What do you most look forward to the rest of the season? “We have one more race left and that is regionals so I’m looking forward to that and getting to race another 6K. I’m also planning on doing a half marathon after the season is over. I have not run one since high school so hopefully I will see improvement there, and it will be a fun way to end the cross-country season.” 5. If you could give one piece of advice to someone about accomplishment, what would you say? “I would say that believing in yourself and fighting the voice in your head that says ‘you can’t’ is one of the most important things when it comes to accomplishments. Anything worth accomplishing doesn’t come easy, but you can work hard and still fall short of your goals if you don’t have the faith that you can achieve that goal. Believing you can is half the battle!”
Emily Harris/The News
Murray State men’s cross-country runs in their final race of the season at the OVC Championship on Saturday.
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November 6, 2015
5B
The News
Features
Features Editor: Connor Jaschen Assistant Features Editor: Gisselle Hernandez Phone: 270-809-5871 Twitter: MSUNewsFeatures
10 ways to make your event CA A B successful SG Kelsey Grapperhaus Staff writer
kgrapperhaus@murraystate.edu
Students, faculty members and the Murray State community have noticed a significant drop in attendance at events hosted on campus so far this semester. Murray State represents almost 11,000 students from 43 states and 57 countries worldwide. So why is attendance at on-campus events decreasing?
Events such as Alpha Sigma Alpha’s Dodgeball Tournament every fall semester had decreasing attendance each year gone by, said Emily Baker, senior from Russellville, Kentucky and philanthropy chairwoman for ASA. “I believe our previous efforts toward our fall philanthropy suffered like everyone else’s does, or will, at some point,” Baker said. “Basically the event became routine.” But other events, such as the Todrick Hall Experience “MTV
Reality Show,” an interactive event performed in the CFSB Center Sept. 28, had much better attendance than many past country concerts, said Nathan Payne, President of Campus Activities Board. High attendance starts with stimulating student interest. The first question is: “what makes an event on campus interesting enough for students to want to attend?” Here are 10 things that students at Murray State think will make your event a success:
6 8 4 1 5 7 9 2 10 3
SPREAD THE WORD
Advertising an event was the No. 1 suggestion given by 17 out of the 30 students that were asked what makes an event successful at Murray State. Freshman from Mascoutah, Illinois, Chiara Johns, said that promoting the event to make students excited to attend is the make-it or break-it. “Don’t just promote the event,” Johns said. “Make students excited to go. The atmosphere is so much better because the people are happy and want to be there.”
GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO THE STUDENTS
Junior from Carterville, Illinois, McKinley Hawkinson said that she likes attending events that give her a personal boost. “A good example would be the ‘Why Do Women Do That?’ program, sponsored by the Newman Center,” Hawkinson said. “When I went, I felt confident in myself and got to laugh a little with my friends.”
DEDICATION FROM THE HOST
Dedication is something that all college students understand and go through, junior from St. Louis, Hannah Leonard, said. “We all know what it’s like to be dedicated to something because we’re all college students,” Leonard said. “If the host doesn’t put in the effort to put on a good event, we’ll all be able to tell. Been there, done that.”
DIVERSE PARTICIPATION
To Chloe Brian, junior from Evansville, Indiana, a successful event includes participation from people from every organization, race or religion. Murray State is a diverse community that deserves to be recognized by every student on campus, regardless of the color of their skin. “Murray State is very diverse,” said junior from Luka, Illinois, Caitlin Dunaway. “You have to make sure you target every audience you would like to see attend at the event.”
AN ‘UNKNOWN’ ELEMENT
ENJOYABLE AND POSITIVE VIBES
The event needs to have multiple sectors that can appeal to every group of people, senior from Murray, Julie Boyken, said. “You need to make it fun for the shy students, not just the social butterflies,” she said. Taylor Futrell, senior from Murray, said whether your sorority is competing in Alpha Gamma Delta’s Rock-a-thon or your residential college is performing in All Campus Sing, make it an event that’s enjoyable and exciting to participate for an entire group, not just an individual. “I think a positive attitude is contagious,” said Savannah Haberman, senior from Elizabethtown, Kentucky. “If a whole group of people are excited to be there, working or participating, then that will generate a more enthused audience and create a positive buzz for future events.”
DECORATIONS RUN THE WORLD
FREE FOOD
Good decor makes people feel more comfortable, said Janie Elieff, junior from Madisonville, Kentucky. “Lighting, knick-knacks, linens, whatever,” Elieff said. “If I’m at an event with fluorescent lights and an empty room, it’s totally awkward.”
The word “free” means more to some college students than the word “education” does. “College kids are broke and will come to almost anything that involves a free meal,” said Gavin Nall, senior from Paducah, Kentucky.
GREEK SYSTEM SUPPORT
The Greek system on campus includes more than 1,000 people and the support the Greek system can provide is tremendous, said Zach Calhoun, junior from Hopkinsville, Kentucky. “The Greek system as a whole is successful in their mutual effort to support each other’s philanthropic causes on campus,” Calhoun said “Exposure to the Greeks can definitely help participation in events,” said Patrick Wadlington, freshman from Paducah, Kentucky. “The Greek community is very strong and is easily the best way to get support at an event.”
The attendance issues between students and the events that are hosted on campus can be addressed with these 10 suggestions. What can your event bring to the table to get students involved, educated and wanting to participate more than ever?
Don’t let the event become routine, Emily Baker said. “On top of classes, homework, work and other extracurricular activities, it’s hard to have a desire to attend an event that you’ve been to time and time again,” Baker said. “Sometimes you have to go back to the drawing board to accomplish your ultimate goal,” she said. An attraction to some students is when an event takes place that doesn’t normally happen. “Something out of the ordinary will definitely bring more attendance,” said Coy Murphy, senior from Owensboro, Kentucky. “Like the Rodeo Team was roping a calf when advertising the College Rodeo, and Sigma Alpha had a raffle for a purse for their philanthropy. It’s something you don’t see every day.”
UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE EVENT IS
What is the purpose of the event if no one else participating in the event knows what is going on from the get-go? “Understanding the purpose and where the money that’s being raised is going to would help so much,” said Maggie McHugh, senior from Webster Groves, Missouri. “It’s so much more enjoyable when I know that my participation and effort is going toward something I care about.”
Murray alum Chris Thile hosts benefit concert Gisselle Hernandez
Assistant Features Editor ghernandez1@murraystate.edu
One stage. One man. One mandolin. Nearly 1,000 people attended Grammy-winning mandolinist Chris Thile’s benefit concert Oct. 29 at Lovett Auditorium, raising nearly $28,000 in scholarships funds. A Murray State alumnus, Thile started his U.S. solo tour by playing at his alma mater for the first time last Thursday. The proceeds of the concert went to endowing a scholarship for music students at Murray State, where Thile himself was once a music major years ago. A member of band Nickel Creek and quintet Punch Brothers, London’s Independent described Thile as “the most remarkable mandolinist in the world” in a review of Punch Brothers’ release of “Who’s Feeling Young Now?” Fans of Thile, both young and old, filled the auditorium as the doors opened at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. By 7:30 p.m., all eyes were locked on the stage, which contained one love seat, a microphone and a table with a bottle of water. Apparently, this is all the 2012 MacArthur fellow needed.
After program director of WKMS Tracy Ross introduced him, Thile took over the stage, his only instruments being his mandolin and his voice. And this was more than enough for the audience. Throughout his performance, Thile had the audience laughing with anecdotes, awe-struck with his voice and overall captivated by the sound his fingers made while furiously plucking the strings of the mandolin A sight that was “legendary” and “super fun to watch,” said Aaron Greene, Murray State alumnus from Mayfield, Kentucky. Thile’s set list included songs from Nickel Creek, songs he wrote as a solo artist and tributes to Murray State, such as the school’s fight song. He even improvised songs about Murray itself, such as the local Dairy Queen closing for the season, which amused the audience. The mandolinist said he was very excited to be back in Murray; his parent’s front porch in Murray was where he “began cutting his teeth as a songwriter/composer,” he told Ross in an interview for WKMS earlier that week. His excitement was notable as Thile immersed himself in his playing, from occasionally
stomping his feet on the stage floor to ardently moving his body every which way while strumming. As no photography or videography from the audience was allowed, listeners sat back and enjoyed the show while Thile played his mandolin for almost two hours. Nearing the end of the concert, Thile took requests for songs. Audience members who were familiar with Thile prior to the event yelled out their favorites. He eventually settled on a mash-up as the audience cheered and sang along. Thile skipped back onto stage to deliver an encore after having walked off to a standing ovation from the audience. For his encore, many people felt a personal connection as he stepped to the edge of the stage – closer to the audience – and didn’t use the microphone to sing “Moonshiner.” “It takes an enormous amount of talent to perform completely unplugged, without the benefit of a microphone or any amplification to a crowd that size and command the room the way he did,” Greene said. “The crowd was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and that’s a real testament to his skills as a per-
former.” Greene, who saw Thile at Bonnaroo in 2012 and was briefly in a band with Thile’s brother, is a fan of Punch Brothers. “As a musician, I always love watching a true master of their instrument perform, especially solo,” he said. “That’s when you really get to see what the musician is made of.” Tina Bernot, interim executive director of development of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, said apart from raising funds for scholarships, bringing an artist of this caliber to Murray is most definitely beneficial to the university and community as it enhances cultural opportunities. After Thile won the Outstanding Alumni in the Fine Arts award in 2014, he had an interest in coming back to give something to Murray State. Bernot said this has been our first major benefit concert where the artist/alum has donated all proceeds back to the university. Recipients of the Chris Thile Music Scholarship will be available to both full and parttime undergraduate students at Murray State majoring in any discipline in the Department of Music.
Photo courtesy of Dana Howard
Chris Thile, Murray State alum, took to the stage for a night of music last Thursday.
The News
Features
6B FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
November 6, 2015
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
6
7
8
9
10
11
16
6:00 p.m. Closing Reception, CONFORMITY, Curris Center Gallery
8:00 a.m. The Humane Society Holiday Bazaar & Bake Sale, Calloway County Library Community Room
All Day IHSA Stock Show, William “Bill” Cherry Agricultural Exposition Center
1:30 p.m. Coffee & Conversation: Trigger Warnings, Oakley Applied Science Building
7:15 a.m. Business @ Breakfast, The Murray Room, CFSB Center
4:00 p.m. Veterans Day Parade, Downtown Murray
8:00 a.m. BFA Exhibit, “Trash Queen” by Paige McKinney, Clara M. Eagle Gallery
Dogs take over for the holiday Monika Staszczak Contributing writer mstaszczak@murraystate.edu
McKenna Dosier/The News
Lea Ann Atherton and her puppy, Mille Julep, participating in this year’s Barktoberfest.
This Halloween, the dogs of Murray had many opportunities to enjoy themselves just as much as humans. Two events – Dog Walka-thon organized by Alpha Kappa Psi and a mini Barktoberfest, organized by the Humane Society of Calloway county - were all about loving our puppy companions. Alpha Kappa Psi teamed up with the Murray-Calloway County Animal Shelter and organized a dog walk-a-thon last week. Five dollars and a puppy was all that it took to take part in the event. The event happened right next to the dog park, where dogs could play together and make friends. Owners walked their costume-clad dogs around Central Park for judging of the best costume. Tiara Bell, organizer of the event, said that the chapter’s voting for awards is held at a later date. Proceeds from the event are going to the Murray-Cal-
loway County Animal Shelter. The Humane Society is a nonprofit animal welfare organization and an animal shelter. Their motto, “Every time we help an animal, we’re also helping a person,” as their website, forthepets.org states, is what drives them to help our animal friends. Their event, Barktoberfest was a costume contest, as well as an adoption event at the Tractor Supply Co. here in Murray. Owners had their pictures taken with their dogs, and then, if they entered the contest, walked their dog in front of the judges. The costume contest had several different categories, and every category had at least three winners, so every dog was appreciated. The first prize in every category was a gift certificate for a dinner at Captain D’s and a treat for the dog. Categories included Most Adorable Costume – won by Ernie, a tiny Chihuahua dressed as a strawberry. The first prize for the most original costume went to a golden lab named Tybalt,
dressed as a medical lab. Tybalt is in puppy training for Canine Companions for Independence with Shelby Vandergraff, a Murray State student in animal health technology/pre-veterinary program, said Kathy Hodge, the executive director of Humane Society in Calloway County. Dogs available for adoption blended in with the dressed-up pets, excited to meet new friends and maybe potential new families. All of them were really excited, wagging their tales and interacting with everyone. Angus and Fergus are two brothers. They are Labrador Retriever mixes and about 14 weeks old. They were stray dogs, and now they are looking for homes. Another dog ready to find a loving home is Roman, a German Shepherd/Husky mix. Currently he is staying with a foster family. To adopt a dog from the Humane Society, all you have to do is fill out an application at www.forthepets.com at the “Available for Adoption” tab, or call (270) 759-1884 for more information.
Murray Swim Bike Run Sigma Chi’s haunted house brought scares for philanthropy hosts memorial 5K Breanna Sill || Staff writer bsill@murraystate.edu
Murray State students and community members were treated to cannibals, an evil carnival, a sadistic dollhouse and other spooky haunts at Sigma Chi’s haunted house Oct. 29 and 30. Social sororities competed for money to donate to their individual philanthropies by participating in the haunted house. Alpha Delta Pi’s theme was Haunted Hospital, Alpha Omicron Pi’s theme was Haunted Asylum, Alpha Sigma Alpha’s theme was Dolls, Kappa Delta’s theme was Carn-Evil, Sigma Sigma Sigma’s theme was Witch Coven and Alpha Gamma Delta’s theme was Cannibals. Sigma Chi also had area in the house and their theme was Morgue/ Funeral Home. The Greek organizations had been planning for the haunted house since April. Jared Stallons, senior from Cadiz, Kentucky, and president of Sigma Chi, said his main goal was to make sure the sororities who participated chose themes for their areas that had flow and logic. “I would communicate with them when one sorority would choose a theme so that they would know not to repeat
a theme,” Stallons said. “Or so that they could all choose themes that would make sense with the other themes that were there.” Awards were given to sororities that showed excellence in their themes and areas. The competition was judged by different university and community figures. The Community Favorite Award was presented to Tri Sigma for their Witch Coven theme. The award was presented to the sorority based on votes from university faculty including Bob Davies, Murray State President; Don Robertson, vice president of Student Affairs; Evan Ditty, Greek Life coordinator and Re’Nita D. Avery-Meriwether, Director of Curris Center Student Life and community leaders Jack Rose, Mayor of Murray, and Hollis Alexander, Judge Executive of Trigg County, Kentucky. Kappa Delta was awarded the Participation Award. As a whole, the haunted house raised more than $1,300 over the two days it was open. Of that money, $200 was awarded to Tri Sigma and $100 was awarded to Kappa Delta for their respective philanthropies. The remaining $1,000 was given to a cause very near and dear to the fraternity’s heart.
“One thousand dollars of the proceeds went The Huntsman Cancer Institute,” Stallons said. “The Huntsman Cancer Institute is a cancer research facility out in Colorado and it is Sigma Chi’s national philanthropy.” While Stallons said he did not have a favorite area of the haunted house, he said he really enjoyed ADPi’s Haunted Hospital theme, even though he said all the sororities did a great job. “They (ADPi) did something I have never seen before in a haunted house,” he said. “They made you sit down and like write your name and stuff like that so I think they set a really interesting tone for the rest of the house.” This was not the first year Sigma Chi had put on a haunted house during Halloween. It was a tradition back in the 1990s and was last held in 2006. Stallons has high hopes for upcoming years at the haunted house. “Since we raised $1,000 this year we would really like to try and raise $5,000 next year,” he said. “So to do that we have to make sure we can get out to the community even more, make sure we get to all the student groups on campus even more, because advertising was one of the main things we needed to improve on the most.”
Da’Sha Tuck Staff writer
dtuck@murraystate.edu
Murray Swim Bike Run Club hosted a 5K in honor of the organization’s founder, the late Jim Carter. Carter, who was also the former vice president of institutional advancement and Carter former president of the alumni association, was brought to Murray State by chance. Carter had a friend who was interested in the track team at the university and Carter gave him a ride to visit campus. Carter had planned to attend a vocational school. His friend ended up going to a different institution but Carter found a home at Murray State that day. On Feb. 13 of this year Carter died after a battle with kidney cancer. Other members of the Swim Bike Run
Club hosted a 5K on Saturday in honor of Carter and raised money for Carter’s Kids on Campus. Carter’s Kids on Campus is a project that brings first-generation high school seniors interested in higher education to Murray State to visit the campus. “He felt like if he could get them here he could keep them here,” said Brady Parks, race manager and treasurer of the Swim Bike Run Club. The students who benefit from the Carter’s Kids on Campus will come from the university’s 18-county service region and Daviess County, where Carter was from. Each bus trip is estimated to cost $1,500, and the first trip will be next spring. The fund will cover transportation, campus events and meals. Carter wanted to give potential students the opportunity to visit the campus so they could see what the university has to offer firsthand. Abby Hensley, director of development for the Hudson School of Agriculture and special projects said Carter was heavily involved with the university for 30 years before his passing. She said he loved Murray State.
Parks said when Carter died at the beginning of the year, the Swim Bike Run Club wanted to honor him. Raising money for Carter’s Kids on Campus fund was just natural. The Carter’s Kids on Campus 5K had 125 participants with ages ranging from six to 67. The 5K raised an estimated $5,000 and all proceeds will go to the fund. The race began in front of the Carter Alumni Plaza, which was dedicated to Carter in October. Parks said the Swim Bike Run Club did not have a goal amount, but they are happy with the outcome. “If we can get students on campus they are more likely to fall in love with it versus just talking about the university,” Hensley said. Parks said the organization will be involved in more fundraising events for Carter’s Kids on Campus to help them reach their overall goal of $100,000. “We knew Jim as the Godfather of Swim Bike Run and he was always cheering our members to do their best,” Parks said. “We dedicate this run to you, Jim. We’ll continue to roll on.”
AT T E N T I O N S E N I O R S The Fall Senior Breakfast will be held Thursday, November 19, at 8 a.m. in the Curris Center Ballroom. Seniors and graduate students who are graduating in December 2015 are invited to the breakfast free of charge. Students should RSVP to the Office of Student Affairs no later than Friday, November 13. msu.studentaffairs@murraystate.edu Faculty and staff may purchase tickets for $5 from an administrative assistant in their area or the Office of Student Affairs, 425 Wells Hall. For more information contact the office at 270.809.6831
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The News
Features
November 6, 2015
7B Let’s Be Honest
Pop Culture Corner FEATURED TWEETS #YouHadMeAt David Venable @DavidVenableQVC #YouHadMeAt bacon! 8:58 am 4 Nov 2015
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adventuregirl @adventuregirl #YouHadMeAt Room service, french fries, and baby kittens! #travel 2:24 pm 4 Nov 2015
Mike Tokes @MikeTokes #YouHadMeAt “we have snacks” 10:50 am 4 Nov 2015
Haters Gonna Sue Pop singer Taylor Swift’s hit song, “Shake It Off,” from her album “1989,” has received more than one billion views on YouTube since its release in 2014. The catchy lyrics and upbeat tempo made the song very popular, and it is still frequently played on the radio today. The lyrics in the chorus that many people know by heart, “haters gonna hate, hate, hate,” apparently was not originally hers. R&B singer Jesse Graham is suing the Grammy-winning artist for $42 million dollars, claiming Swift got the lyrics from his song titled “Haters Gonna Hate,” which he released in 2013. “If I didn’t write the song ‘Haters Gone Hate,’ there wouldn’t be a song called ‘Shake It Off,’” he told the New York Daily News.
MEDIA REVIEWS ‘True Country’ takes the backseat ‘Goosebumps’: Enjoyable for both young and old in Luke Bryan’s ‘Kill the Lights’ emotional edge to it. The sensuous ballad, nerickson@murraystate.edu “Strip It Down,” is without a doubt the biggest stand It is inevitable that once out track from the album, a light is left on for long although it’s still nothing enough, it will burn out. really special. It has manThe irony of this statement aged to gather more than is prevalent with the title 10 million hits on Youof Luke Bryan’s fifth album, Tube. Backed with a sim“Kill the Lights.” After five ple, yet effectively calming consecutive albums, there piano melody, along with a is little sign of progres- steady drum pulse, it’s resion in Bryan’s musical en- laxing. However, it’s simply deavors and there is a lack not good enough to hold its of substantial content to weight. There isn’t much be found anywhere in the setting this song apart from album. the rest on this album be Bryan is arguably the big- sides its slightly gentler gest name in country this tone and sugarcoated choyear. However, this record rus. is vastly different than what The production on this most would consider “true album makes it feel like all country.” “Kill The Lights” of the instruments could is the same approach Tay- have been computerized lor Swift took with her most and Bryan’s vocals could recent album, “1989.” The have been edited to the familiar, often melancholy point where they sound alstrumming of an acoustic most “too perfect.” guitar takes the backseat to These songs feels like synthesized drumbeats and they’ve been done before bass lines. in a 100 different ways by Vocally and lyrically, this a 100 different country album has very few strong- artists, all with the typical points. Bryan’s lyric writing four-chord progression and mainly consists of simple rather monotonous singing rhymes and plenty of rep- coated in a thick, Southern etition so most listeners accent. can follow along and sing It’s just difficult to truly after just one listen. Lyric enjoy listening to the entire content consists of a lot of album after the songs start rather silly and immature to blend into one another. subject T h i s matter, album which is is one not apthat is pealing sure to to many. appeal For exto many ample, in people “Home across A l o n e c a m Tonight,” pus and which is across a duet this part w i t h of the K a r e n c o u n try Photo courtesy of radio.com Fairchild in genof Little Big Town, the two eral. That said, the songs sing of texting their respec- featured on this album tive exes for payback after could be adequate for lisa night in a bar. tening to with some friends “So put your drink down on a Saturday night riding and throw your camera up, around, or for background flip it around and snap a ambiance while cleaning payback picture. the sink, but it’s just not an Send it to my ex, I’ll send album someone would want it to my ex and send ‘em to listen to for some really both a text. deep meaning and connec Saying we ain’t, we ain’t tion to the music. going home alone tonight. For those looking for Girl you ain’t gotta, I an album not so over-proain’t gotta go home alone duced, with some lyric toptonight.” ics and instrumentation Bryan has a voice, which putting higher ground for while soothing to some, the country genre, keep is rather emotionless and searching and steer clear of almost robotic in most “Kill the Lights.” tracks. It is on the softer, more heartfelt tracks on the album where his voice conveys slightly more of an Nick Erickson Contributing writer
Photo courtesy of www.theworld247.com
Adam Winn || Staff writer awinn@murraystate.edu
When it comes to Jack Black movies, they can be either good, (“School of Rock”) or awful, (“Nacho Libre.”) His new movie “Goosebumps” should be a hit for all audience members, regardless of age, much like “School of Rock.” The movie is about a teenage boy named Zach (Dylan Minnette), who just moved to a new town with his mom after she received a job as vice principal at the town’s high school. Zach soon befriends a teenage girl named Hannah (Odeya Rush), who is his next door neighbor, and also meets her reclusive father (Jack Black), who forbids the boy from having any contact with his daughter. Zach begins suspecting something might be wrong with his new neighbors when he hears yelling and screaming coming from inside the house one night. After failed attempts of trying to get his mom and the police involved, he decides to take matters into his own hands and breaks into his neighbor’s house. What he discovers is a bookcase full of the author R.L. Stine’s original “Goosebumps” manuscripts sealed with locks on them. After finding the key and unlocking a book, he finds out the books are actually alive and the monsters living within the pages, such as the “Abominable Snowman” and “Slappy the Dummy,” escape into the real world. With the help of his new socially awkward friend, Champ (Ryan Lee), Hannah and her father, who is revealed to be R.L. Stine himself, try to find a way to restore all of the monsters to the books where they belong. The movie mainly caters to a younger viewing audience, with its light-hearted humor and scares, but anyone who is familiar with R.L. Stine’s book collection
will enjoy the movie too. The cinematography and the special effects are shot and produced well. The creature designs were impressively made by using the combination of CGI and animation and don’t appear cheaply done to the adult audience and might even appear frightening to younger viewers. With the name “Goosebumps,” the viewer would think the movie would be more on the scary side, like the ‘90s television show with the same name was, but it’s actually more funny than frightening. There are many witty jokes spoken throughout the movie, such as when the side kick character Champ says, “Most teenagers aren’t afraid of death, but I was born with the gift of fear. When I was four and put on a swing, I thought, so this is how it ends.” Black did an outstanding job playing the fictionalized version of R.L. Stine. He initially portrays this version of Stine as a reclusive, angry man, but as the film progresses, the viewer begins to sympathize with the character. The actors and actresses who portray the teenagers did exceptionally well too, especially by Minnette, who acts as newcomer Zach, and by Rush, who is the sheltered and mysterious daughter Hannah. As with many kid-oriented movies, there are a few minor plot holes that the adult audience might question. For example, when all of the Goosebumps’ monsters begin plaguing the city, it appears most of the people of the town have just disappeared, with supermarkets left open and unlocked, but no one’s inside. If the adult crowd can overlook minor inconsistencies like that and go into the movie with a childlike mindset, then they are likely to find the movie just as enjoyable as any child would.
Don’t Set the Bar Low W e often hear the saying: “Don’t expect anything and you’ll never be disappointed.” Or the advice: “Don’t Gisselle Hernandez s e t the s t a n d a rds Assistant Features high, beEditor cause if you go below them, people will be disappointed in you.” There isn’t another thought process in the world that would make me more upset. I can see the reasoning behind people thinking that if people don’t expect much of you, there’s no way you can be a disappointment to them. There’s always that pressure, especially on college students, that if you made straight A’s all through high school, you’re automatically expected to make those same grades in college. People have this hunger for approval from society, from their parents and from themselves. If people say or act like you’re a disappointment just because for once you broke your streak of good grades, slipped out of being the responsible young adult or stopped being the compliant son/daughter, to heck with them. In the end the only person worth impressing is YOU. Cut yourself some slack. You can’t get everything done perfectly, but don’t aim low just because you don’t want to fall harder if you aim higher. It’s better to aim high and achieve something you thought you never could before, than to stay low and not know your potential. I see many students purposely making C’s so their parents never expect more from them and that way if they do make an A, their parents would be proud. Do you know how many A’s you could’ve made if you were actually trying all this time? And it doesn’t go for academics alone; it goes for everything you do in life. Don’t ignore an opening at your dream job because you think it’s too good for you. Take the chance, and if you don’t get it and feel disappointed for aiming too high, that’s OK. At least you tried; if you hadn’t applied, there would be zero chance of you receiving that job. Odds are, someday you will get what you aimed for, because you decided to surpass the expectations set by others and yourself. If others start devaluing you because you didn’t meet their expectations, remove yourself from that environment and surround yourself with those who recognize that you can’t possibly be perfect. Don’t set the bar low because you fear what others might start expecting from you. Instead, amaze yourself at what you will accomplish by breaking through that glass ceiling. Trust me, once you get what you aimed for, you won’t feel like a disappointment at all. ghernandez1@murraystate.edu
Out this week
Read It
“Unstoppable” by Bill Nye
See It
“Spectre”
Hear It
“Damn Country Music” by Tim McGraw
Rent It
“Inside Out”
Play It
“Call of Duty: Black Ops III”
8B
The News
November 6, 2015