The Murray State News November 20, 2015
TheNews.org
Vol. 90, No. 13
Ex-Phi Mu Alpha member faces fraud charge Vishal Patel due in court for allegedly spending $12,000 of the fraternity’s money on personal purchases Alicia Steele || Staff writer asteele5@murraystate.edu
A former member of the music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha is due in court Monday to face a charge of credit card fraud after being accused of spending more than $12,000 of the fraternity’s money on personal purchases, according to an arrest warrant. Vishal Patel, who also goes by Chris, used Phi Mu Alpha’s credit card between Sept. 22, 2014, and March 10, 2015, to
make cash withdrawals, buy a plane ticket and pay his cell phone bill and rent, according to the warrant filed in Calloway County District Court. Patel’s attorney, public defender Cheri Riedel, said because of attorney-client privilege, she could not comment on whether Patel will plead guilty or not guilty Monday. But she said Patel, who graduated in May, had been released from the Calloway County Jail on a $12,000
bond. The Calloway Circuit Court Clerk’s office confirmed that Ashvin Patel paid the bond. If tried and found guilty of fraudulent use of a credit card of more than $10,000 – a Class C felony in Kentucky – Patel could face between five and 10 years in prison. According to the warrant, the music fraternity’s president and treasurer discovered in March that Patel had made unauthorized charges and cash withdrawals on Phi
Mu Alpha’s credit card. On March 12, John Fannin, associate professor of music and faculty adviser for Phi Mu Alpha, reported to Murray State’s Public Safety and Emergency Management that the fraternity had given its credit card to Patel to make purchases but discovered questionable cash withdrawals and payments, including to AT&T for a cell phone bill. Fannin declined to comment to The Murray State News.
On March 24, Detective Sergeant Barry Rice of Public Safety interviewed Patel, who admitted to Rice that he had made cash withdrawals and paid his cell phone bill, but told Rice he thought the transactions totaled $2,500, according to the warrant. Rice interviewed Patel again on April 15 after reviewing the fraternity’s bank statements. Patel, according to the warrant, told Rice the amount of the unauthorized transactions could have to-
taled closer to $5,000 and admitted to paying his rent and buying a plane ticket with fraternity funds. Rice told Patel that bank records showed the total of improper transactions to be more than $12,000, the warrant says. Patel told Rice that $12,000 seemed too high, and Rice advised Patel that he would be criminally charged. Adrienne King, vice president for Marketing and Out-
see FRAUD, 2A
‘ADMIN’ email Extended library hours to begin not a virus threat to students, staff Alicia Steele || Staff writer asteele5@murraystate.edu
Last week some faculty, staff and students received an email from “ADMIN” warning that if they did not click on a link provided in the email, their Racermail account would be deactivated. Many students thought this was a virus that had entered the system; however, according to a collaborated email to The Murray State News from Brian Purcell, Associate CIO of Information Systems and Casey Workman, a member of Purcell’s team,
Purcell said only certain students received the email because the attackers will usually already have a precompiled list of email addresses from previous attacks or from the organization’s own website. “It’s important to note that with this style of attack it is in the attacker’s best interest to automate everything they can,” Purcell wrote. He said attackers rarely want to sort through the victim’s contact list to pick and choose who to attack, and their goal is to “phish” as many ac-
Nicole Ely/The News Screenshot from Twitter.com
Students looking to study beyond normal Waterfield Library hours for finals can do so beginning Dec. 1, when the library’s extended hours start.
President Bob Davies responded to a students’ concern about the email sent by “ADMIN.” “There is no virus” for the university community to be concerned about. “In the overwhelming majority of these kinds of incidents, the attacker sends an email to the target asking for the target’s credentials,” Purcell wrote. He said in this instance, the link included in the email was a web form that asked for personal information, and the only way the attackers would have gotten information would have been if the student filled out the information and submitted it. “Hopefully nobody actually filled out the form and submitted it,” Purcell wrote.
Mikayla Marshall Staff writer
counts as possible before they are discovered. Phishing is the attempt to get information from an online account holder by posing as a company or entity. “These types of attacks try to cast as broad a net as possible,” Purcell wrote. “There were faculty, staff and students that received this message.” Purcell wrote that when it comes to incidents like this and email security, Murray State has many “technical security controls” in place to combat email abuse, including those from Murray State’s
see EMAIL, 2A
mmarshall5@murraystate.edu
Nicole Ely/The News
The hours cost the library about $2,000, but allows for a safe space for students to study.
Waterfield Library will offer extended hours for Dec. 1 through Dec. 11. The library will be open 24/7 on weekdays and operate on a 10 to 10 schedule beginning Friday night and ending Sunday night. The total amount of hours open were revised and staff decided to close the library on weekends more than the weekdays. The amount of people per extended hour is calculated by the library staff, so they know when to remain open during certain times. “We found that on the Friday
Fire being investigated as arson, four left dead Ashley Traylor Staff writer
atraylor@murraystate.edu
Jenny Rohl/The News
A house fire on Highway 121 killed four people and has been called “suspicious” by officials.
WHAT’S
INSIDE
Police are still investigating the Tuesday night house fire on Highway 121 that left four dead. No new information regarding the fire has been released, state Trooper Jay Thomas said Thursday. A Murray State student called the fire into the Murray Police Department. The Kentucky State Police arrived on the scene at 9:44 p.m. on Tuesday, Thomas said. Firefighters extinguished the blaze quickly, and investigators found four bodies inside. The fire is being investigated as arson. The Calloway County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Bulmaro Arellano, 29, Marisol Hernandez, 24, a 5-yearold boy and an 18-month girl, according
to WPSD-TV in Paducah, Kentucky. Investigators said Marisol Hernandez died from a gunshot wound, but investigators do not know if the other victims had gunshot wounds. Autopsies were being performed Thursday. Thomas said Kentucky State Police are continuing with the Thomas investigation by conducting interviews with the victim’s family in Mexico. Investigators are also still processing evidence. Kentucky State Police are using a system called a Leica System that gives investigators a 3-D panoramic view of the crime scene. It will help investigators reconstruct the scene and find out what happened, according to WPSD.
night between the week before finals and the week of finals, that the money we were spending to keep the facility open was probably not benefiting that many students,” said Ashley Ireland, dean of University Libraries, “Compared to the peak nights, which are the Wednesday and Thursday nights before finals and the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights the week of finals.” It costs the facility around $2,000 a semester to offer these hours. This covers the extra pay for workers and accommodations the library offers. They also have additional security, such as Racer
see HOURS, 2A
CORRECTION On Friday, Nov. 13, The Murray State News printed an error in the article, “Switching track.” The article used the incorrect pronoun for Rochelle Black. Black is a “he.” On Friday, Nov. 13, The Murray State News printed an error in the article, “Balancing school spirit and the favorite team.” Because of an editing error, the article used the incorrect pronoun for Leah Judd. Judd is a “she.” The News regrets the errors.
See an error? Let us know by sending us an email at murraystatenews@icloud.com
VETERAN’S DAY
OUR VIEW
VOLLEYBALL OVC
ALPHA SIG
Honoring those who have served in the military, 3A
Murray State has worked to be a safe place for LGBT, 4A
Murray State brings the OVC Tournament to Racer Arena, 1B
Fraternity holds an online philanthropy challenge, 5B
The News
News
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EMAIL From Page 1 email provider, Google Apps for Education. “Users being able to spot a phishing attack such as this, and not clicking the link or providing any information, is the No. 1 defense,” Purcell wrote. Purcell advises that if any faculty, staff or students receive an email similar to this in the future they need to mark the email as spam. “This helps Google’s automated identification process catch the email earlier, hopefully shielding more users sooner,” Purcell wrote. Purcell wrote users should also consider enabling two-factor authentication on their email, which requires
HOURS From Page 1 Patrol, at the library during these hours. “We offer a safe space for students to spend a lot of time with their coursework,” Ireland said. “They have good lighting, seating and access to technology.” The extended hours will only be in place for week before and of finals, which most students agree is the necessary time for the hours. “It gives people an opportunity to study whenever they need to,” said Allison Fowle, senior from Louisville, Kentucky. “I know some people who enjoy studying in the middle of the night.” However, some students see this as promoting bad
both the user’s password and a code from the user’s cell phone to log in. Google’s “2-Step Verification” website says if a virus ever gets into a user’s system, it could potentially lock the user out of the account and delete all emails, photos and contacts, pretend to be the user and send unwanted or harmful emails to the user’s contacts, or use that account to reset passwords to other accounts. The verification website recommends avoiding using the same password for more than one website, downloading software from the Internet and clicking on links in email messages to avoid giving attackers access to the user’s accounts. Or as Google’s “2-Step Verification” site puts it: “Imagine losing your account and everything in it.” sleeping and study habits. “I feel like it gives students an excuse to procrastinate and wait until the last minute to study,” said Claire Gohmann, sophomore from Louisville, Kentucky. “I know I personally will not be taking advantage of the extended hours.” Some have suggested Waterfield should offer these hours throughout the entire semester. McKenna Wilkey, junior from Calvert City, Kentucky, said the extended hours will benefit the student body, because it is easier to focus in the library. “I would not mind it being offered all semester, but I do not know how reasonable that would be for the university,” he said. Pogue Library will have extended hours as well, opening at 8:00 a.m. and closing at 10:00 p.m. Dec. 7, 8 and 9.
Waterfield Library Extended Hours Monday, Nov. 30 Open 7 a.m. – Close at 12:30 a.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 1
File Photo
The Festival of Lights is held every year during the holiday season in Central Park and begins around Thanksgiving.
International students look forward to US holidays, reflect on tradition Bailey Bohannan Staff writer
bbohannan@murraystate.edu
Cody Hall
Contributing writer chall2@murraystate.edu
As Thanksgiving Break approaches, all across campus, students are packing up, planning their trips home and saying goodbye to friends for the holiday. Students look forward to this holiday full of food, family and friends with smiles on their faces as they anticipate the break from school work and campus life for a few days. Going home to the family is a holiday tradition for American students – however international students don’t always receive that same luxury. Over Thanksgiving Break, only Lee Clark, Regents, and White residential colleges are open. Each night costs a student staying on campus $12. The student must fill out the Thanksgiving Interim Housing Form and submit it in order to
Open 7 a.m., 24-hour starts
Wednesday, Dec. 2 Open 24 hours
Thursday, Dec. 3 Open 24 hours
Friday, Dec. 4 Close at 10 p.m., 24-hour ends
Saturday, Dec. 5 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 6 Open at 10 a.m., 24-hour begins
Dec. 7 to Dec. 10 Open 24 hours
Friday, Dec. 11 Close at 5 p.m.
ditions for the Thanksgiving holiday is to have a large meal consisting of traditional foods, especially turkey. For Aslanova, the traditional holiday meal is rice and lamb. During the New Year’s celebration, the specialty is tangerines for their rareness in her country and their strong citrus smell. Fuyuka Yuasa, a 19-year-old, is used to the traditional holiday meal of rice and soy beans back home in Japan, however, she said that she is looking forward to the traditional American turkey meal this year as she goes out of state with her roommate for the Thanksgiving break. Although Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Japan, Mizuka Fukuo, sophomore from Musashimurayama-Shi, Japan and a member of the exchange program from Tokyo Metropolitan University, said she celebrates other holidays when family is a large part of the tradition. “We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but there is holidays called Golden Week in May, which is around five days, so some people travel with fam-
apply to stay on campus from 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25 when the campus closes to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29 when campus re-opens. Among the international students, Aydan Aslanova, a 20-year-old from Azerbaijan, said the holidays that she celebrates in her country are their celebration of spring and their celebration of the new year. For these holidays, there are many different traditions unique to the holiday, much like traditions unique to Thanksgiving. Specifically, for the celebration of spring, they build a fire and jump over it. Aslanova said this is a very old tradition, but it holds great meaning. “[Jumping over the bonfire] represented leaving all the bad things in your life behind you,” Aslanova said. Aslanova has a host family in Florida that opens their doors for her each holiday, and she will be spending Thanksgiving Break with them, experiencing an American-style Thanksgiving. One of the significant tra-
FRAUD From Page 1 reach, responded on behalf of Public Safety and said the university could not comment on the ongoing criminal case. Patel, who has been out on bond, agreed to surrender his passport, submit to any random drug testing, stay in Kentucky and have no contact with any Phi Mu Alpha member as conditions of his release. Phi Mu Alpha President Michael Miller also declined an interview about the “ongoing legal matter” and instructed other members through an email not to comment to The News because it is a legal matter.
Jenny Rohl/The News
VOLLEYBALL: Senior outside hitter Emily Schmahl (left) and senior outside hitter and defensive specialist Taylor Olden (right) pause during a match. No. 1 Murray State defeated No. 8 Southeast Missouri State in Racer Arena Thursday night in the opening round of the OVC Tournament. The Racers will play in the semifinals 7 p.m. Friday against No.4 Tennessee State. For more on this story and the tournament, check out TheNews.org.
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ily,” Fukuo said. “So shopping centers and amusement parks, sightseeing areas are usually very crowded because everybody goes there at the same time.” Although Fukuo is not able to go home over Thanksgiving Break, a friend has invited her to stay with her to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family. Fukuo said she is really looking forward to this because she will be able to celebrate a traditional American Thanksgiving. Many students can take this holiday of spending time with family for granted said Keesha Pedigo, freshman from Morgantown, Kentucky. “I think Thanksgiving is a family holiday. You just want to be with them,” Pedigo said. “The quality time that you spend with your family, with everyone all together, makes you feel how much more grateful you need to be because they aren’t going to be here forever. You don’t need to take anything for granted, you need to be happy for what is going on at that time.”
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November 20, 2015
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November 20, 2015
News Editor: Mari-Alice Jasper Assistant Editor: Jessica Bostick Phone: 270-809-4468 Twitter: MurrayStateNews
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Annual art auction raises $9,500 Jessica Bostick
Assistant News Editor jbostick2@murraystate.edu
Murray State’s Department of Art and Design hosted its annual art auction on Friday. All proceeds from the auction will go toward scholarships for students in the Department of Art and Design. Student volunteers from the art and design department carried the pieces up for auction around the room as they were announced to allow the audience a better view. One of these students was studio art major Savannah Young, junior from Cadiz, Kentucky. “The art auction is an annual fundraiser that we put on in order to make scholarships possible for students in need in our department,” Young said. “Every little bit helps when you are paying for materials on top of regular school costs.” The art auction was held in the Clara M. Eagle Gallery on the sixth floor of the Price Doyle Fine Arts Building. Free hor d’oeuvres, drinks
and other refreshments were available for guests to munch on as they browsed the 190 artworks that were up for both the live and silent auction portions of the night while live acoustic music played softly in the background. The left side of the gallery held several rows of tables with pieces that were being sold in the silent auction portion. Attendees could participate in the silent auction by bidding on smaller items on paper. The right side of the gallery displayed all of the pieces that were featured in the live auction. The pieces ranged from jewelry to pottery to paintings. The center of the room held a semi-circle of chairs facing a podium for the auctioneer to stand at and a projection screen that displayed the pieces as they went up for auction. “My favorite aspect of the auction is that the vast majority of students and teachers in the art department come together to donate their work and volunteer their time in order to help their peers,” Young said.
“It really gives a sense of family.” All pieces were created by students, faculty, alumni and friends of the program. Bids on the pieces ranged from $50 to $400. Around $9,500 was raised for art scholarships from both the live and silent auctions. One student who donated a piece of work to the auction was Justine Riley, senior from Mayfield, Kentucky. Riley donated a ceramic cream and sugar set on wooden pedestals that was purchased by President Bob Davies. “I love using handmade pots,” Riley said. “I love the process of making pots. Having pots in my life and in my kitchen make my life more wholesome, and my hope is that my pots might do the same for others.” Faculty and students alike put time and effort into making this auction possible. “[The art auction] is a great social event for artists and a chance to see faculty’s artwork and other artwork,” Riley said.
Zachary Maley/The News
Department of Art & Design raises more than $9,000 for student scholarships.
Dining Services discontinues Meatless Mondays McKenna Dosier Staff writer
mdosier@murraystate.edu
“Meatless Monday” at Winslow has been discontinued after lack of interest from the student body. “Here at Dining Services we are always looking for ways to improve and expand our services, and try many things to that end,” said Paula Amols, director of Dining Services and Racer Hospitality. “Although we always have vegetarian options at the hot line and at the soup station, as well as at Winslow, at every meal, we wanted to see how this concept would be received. It has proven to be popular at other universities.” Several students were shocked to learn this was ever an option. Jayce Joiner, freshman from Hardin, Illinois, said she went to Winslow every
Monday for breakfast and there was always a meat option available. Several other universities, relatively the same size as Murray State, have vegan, vegetarian and gluten-sensitive dining options daily, but none have an exclusively meatless day. Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky offers several different vegetarian and vegan options through their dining services, according to the university’s newspaper The Northerner. Western Kentucky and Morehead State also have daily vegetarian options at assorted dining places on campus. Meatless Monday was never intended to be entirely meatless, Amols said. Meatless Monday represented an expanded vegetarian menu compared to other days. “We wanted to make sure
Jenny Rohl/The News
Wonsu Kim, graduate student from South Korea, and Deric Hyman, junior from Shelbyville, Kentucky, eat at Winslow Dining Hall, where Meatless Monday was discontinued. there were still plenty of meat choices available for those that wanted them,” Amols said. Murray State offers several vegetarian options at Winslow as well as the Thoroughbred
Room. At Winslow students can build a wrap or sandwich without meat, make their own salad and there are always meat alternatives on the hot line.
“I definitely think it should be an option,” said Megan McDonald, freshman from Cadiz, Kentucky. “But it should not be an end-all thing.” McDonald said some students are on strict diets that require them to have high levels of protein, so an entirely meatless day would not be fair to them. “Not everyone wants to not eat meat,” McDonald said. Steven Cole, junior from Mayfield, Kentucky, said it really would not bother him if there were entirely meatless days. The only advertisement for Meatless Monday were fliers, Amols said. The fliers only were posted in the Thoroughbred Room and on the Thoroughbred Room’s Facebook page. Amols said Meatless Monday was a monthly offering and by the third month it was
clear it was not popular. The entries sold on Meatless Mondays were lower than other days, so the idea was discontinued. “I have never heard of it, which means the general population has not,” said Nick Seifert, senior from Evansville, Indiana. “The carnivore-to-vegetarian ratio is probably not a feasible number. You cannot promote what no one is interested in.” So far, few students have noticed the change but would not be opposed to more vegetarian options, as long as there are still meat options for those who want them. “I never rule out trying something again if there is a genuine interest and demand,” Amols said. “But it would appear that our everyday vegetarian options are proving to be sufficient for those who follow a vegetarian diet.”
Veterans honored on campus for Veterans Day Ashley Traylor Staff writer
atraylor@murraystate.edu
Students gathered in the Quad for free hot dogs and hot chocolate on Nov. 11 to celebrate Murray State veterans and Veterans Day at an event hosted by the Veteran Student Organization. Monique Bumstead, president of Veterans Student Organization and Army veteran, said the Veteran Student Organization hosts a Veterans Day event every year, but this is the first year they have set up a tent with free hot dogs, hot chocolate and wristbands for the students to stop in and meet the veterans on campus.
P O L I C E B E A T
In the past, the Veteran Student Organization hosted a speaking rally on Veterans Day. They change the event every year to keep people interested in what they are doing. The Veteran Student Organization meets every month to bring people together and remind them of what they have going on. The organization also teamed up with Tap 216. They encouraged students and community to attend a rebate night at Tap 216 where a certain percentage of proceeds went to Veteran Student Organization. The organization gives money to veterans who are in
Nov. 12
12:53 p.m. Officers conducted a traffic stop in the Curris Center parking lot. A citation was issued for no proof of insurance, no registration plate, no registration receipt and failure to wear a seatbelt. 2:42 p.m. A caller reported found marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Officers confiscated the items and an information report was taken.
Nov. 13
2:44 a.m. A person reported a noise complaint via the LiveSafe app at Franklin Residential College. Officers were notified. 10:13 p.m. A fire alarm was activated at Hart Residential College. Officers, Central Heating & Cooling and Murray Fire Department were notified. The alarm was activated by steam from cooking food. No threat of fire was located.
need, but they work on a limited budget because they do not take dues, Bumstead said. “We give money to veteran students in need,” said Bumstead. “We are advocates for the student veterans on campus and everything that relates to supporting the students.” The Veteran Student Organization is open to any student with an active or veteran status, although Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps students are not allowed to join. Bumstead said she was impressed with the outcome of the event. Coaches and teachers encouraged students to go to the event. Taylor Franklin, freshman
Nov. 14
9:17 a.m. A medical emergency was reported by a caller. Officers and Murray Ambulance Services were notified. The patient was transported to Murray Calloway County Hospital. 2:59 p.m. Officers conducted a traffic stop at Heritage Hall. A verbal warning was given for speeding.
Nov. 15
12:02 a.m. Officers reported the smell of marijuana at Regents Residential College. An information report was taken. 12:40 a.m. A medical emergency was reported at Hester Residential College. Officers, Student Affairs and Murray Ambulance Service were notified. The person was taken to Murray Calloway County Hospital.
from Wadesville, Indiana, said it was required for her public speaking class to take a picture shaking a veteran’s hand and post it on social media. “It is a cool event and shows our appreciation to our veterans,” said Franklin. “I think the whole purpose of the event was to integrate us with the students and to break down barriers. When you see a student who does not seem to be in your age group or seems to be different than you are, it can sometimes be hard to go up and introduce yourself to them,” Bumstead said. “We wanted to integrate with traditional students.” Victory Media’s Military Friendly Schools list named
Nov. 16
12:05 a.m. Officers conducted parking enforcement in the Residential College parking lot. Four parking citations were issued. 2:07 p.m. A smoke detector was activated at Hester Residential College. Officers, Facilities Management and Murray Fire Department were notified. The cause was an electronic cigarette that was left on. No threat of smoke or fire was detected.
Nov. 17 6:44 p.m. A caller reported a reckless driver in the Residential College parking lot. Officers were notified. The driver was gone upon arrival. 10:00 p.m. A drug complaint was reported at Franklin Residential College. Officers were notified and an information report was taken.
Murray State for the sixth year in a row. This awards only the top 15 percent of colleges and universities who strive to ensure the success of post-military students on campus. Bumstead said it is exciting to be named ‘military friendly’ for the sixth year because Murray State works hard to ensure the well-being of veteran students on campus. “The school has protocol in place to streamline the help that we need from start to finish,” Bumstead said. “When I started, Alison Marshall [Associate Director of Veteran Affairs] was super informative and stayed in touch. She got me to wherever I needed to go when I started. That is
Nov. 18
12:23 a.m. A smoking light fixture at Richmond Residential College was reported to Public Safety & Emergency Management by a caller. Officers and Central Heating & Cooling were notified. An information report was taken. 11:12 p.m. Officers conducted a traffic stop in the parking lot of Regents Residential College. A written warning was given for disregarding a stop sign.
Call of Fame Nov. 15, 1:13 a.m. Officers received an alcohol complaint at Springer Residential College. An information report was taken. Motorist assists – 5 Escorts – 3 Arrests – 0
where support starts.” Murray State has protocol in place that helps accommodate students when they go away for training. Veterans also are allowed to have service dogs. If experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, they have access to the disabled students program so they can receive extra help. “President Davies said it best, ‘Today we are celebrating our status as students when everyone else is celebrating us as veterans.’ We want to be just like all the other students,” Bumstead said. “We are going to look different but we really do want to be a part of Murray State’s population.”
Hey, you! The Murray State News will not be printing next week because of Thanksgiving Break, but we will return with our last edition of the semester on Dec. 4. Until then, enjoy the break!
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November 20, 2015
The News
Opinion
Opinion Editor: Allison Borthwick Phone: 270-809-5873
Our View
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Murray State: a safe place
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
The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board. We live in a world where a majority of people’s good efforts are focused on awareness – breast cancer awareness, diabetes awareness, childhood obesity awareness, LGBT awareness, etc. We have all these causes we want people to know about, but it’s like shouting into a void of apathetic ignorance. It’s not the bystander effect, it’s the bystander pandemic. Murray State, however, is home to several organizations and changemakers who are actively trying to break through said void and who are showing bystanders how real change is made. The Murray State Office of LGBT Programming is at the heart of some of this very real, genuinely life-saving change. Because we also live in a world where innocent people are being murdered because of sheer intolerance. People’s lives are ending because of their sexual orientations and gender-identity
Cameron Witte Chief Videographer cwitte@murraystate.edu
The News welcomes commentaries and letters to the editor. Letters should be 600 words or less. Contributors should include phone numbers for verification. Please include hometown, classification and title or relationship to the university. Commentaries should be between 600 to 800 words. The News reserves the right to edit for style, length and content. No anonymous contributions will be accepted. All contributions should be turned in by noon on Tuesday of each week via email at letters@thenews.org. Contributions to The News are the opinion of the author and not that of The Murray State News.
The News strives to be the university community’s source for information. Our goal is to present that information in a fair and unbiased manner and provide a free and open forum for expression and debate. The News is a designated public forum. Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The paper offers a hands-on learning environment for students interested in journalism. The campus press should be free from censorship and advance approval of copy, and its editors should develop their editorial and news policies. The News is prepared and edited by students and is an official publication of Murray State University.
People from all walks of life, different sexual orientations and of all gender identities come out to have fun in a uniquely safe space. Drag Queens and Kings tear up the runway for the enjoyment of everyone in attendance. It’s a night where awareness thrives and where we get at least one step closer to true change. There are also gender-neutral bathrooms accessible to attendees and performers on the third floor of the Curris Center. Gender-neutral bathrooms are available on campus every other day as well – an initiative that began during the summer of 2014. Because why make something as menial and trivial as using the restroom part of the controversy that is, apparently, being yourself? It’s a toilet, not a platform for “moral high ground.” The Safe Zone Project, a national program with a strong presence at Murray State, “is designed to radically reduce
prejudice and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression,” according to the university website. In accordance with this project and Alliance is also a group called Eracers – “a confidential peer-support organization at Murray State University that serves individuals with non-conformist gender identities and/ or expressions (i.e. transgender, transsexual),” according to MurrayState.edu. Long story short: Murray State is the much-needed, change-making minority. Not many other schools, cities, states or countries as a whole are making these kinds of efforts toward providing everyone with a safe, tolerant space. So let your rainbow flags fly, be yourself, love who you want to love and know you can always find at least one person, let alone several organizations, who accepts you at Murray State.
Some Things Considered
The dignity of man
Joe Hedges, Ryan Alessi Adviser, Co-adviser • 270-809-3937 jhedges@murraystate.edu, ralessi@murraystate.edu
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crises, by their own hands or by the hands of others. Murder: the ultimate reaction to things too many people refuse to condone, let alone understand. Suicide: the final fate of someone who looked ahead at the rest of their life and saw an endless road of hate and ineffective self-justification. To have a light in that darkness here on our own campus is significantly underrated. The Office of LGBT Programming offers so many services that fly under the radar and it’s time people know about them. Alliance, for one, is an organization for members and allies of the LGBT community. They provide invaluable support and are behind some great events on campus. The Drag Show, for example, has become one of the most popular events hosted at Murray State – a groundbreaking feat for the LGBT community.
In “Oration on the Dignity of Man,” (c. 1486) Italian philosopher Pico della Mirandola makes an argument for man being the most wonderful creation, ultimately because of our ability to make choices. He states, “Considering that we are born with this Hallie Beard condition, that Junior from is, that we can Louisville, Ky. become whatever we choose to become, we need to understand that we must take earnest care about this, so that it will never be said to our disadvantage that we were born to a privileged position but failed to realize it and became animals and senseless beasts.” He continues to address the idea of man becoming beast, using the metaphor of planting to illustrate human development: “Whatever seeds each man sows and cultivates will grow and bear him their proper fruit.”
Whether or not you realize it, you cultivate your seeds – or develop your character – every day, and continually re-establish yourself as man or beast. By now, most likely all of us have heard about the terror attacks in Paris, Beirut, Baghdad and other places throughout Europe and the Middle East. Hopefully, we’re all in agreement that these heartbreaking events are unnecessary examples of wickedness and ill will, more an act of a “senseless beast” than reasonable man. If you have read about the attacks, though, you’ve probably also seen the duel between those who say, “Pray for Paris,” and those who say, “thoughts and prayers accomplish nothing.” This happens during any event of terror – people argue over what kind of action matters, who is right or who has the most effective aim with their compassion. But do we resolve anything? Do we ever settle the debate and find out if thoughts and prayers actually work or not? No, and we never will. That’s the catch with thoughts and prayers: you send them out with best intentions but have no guarantee on whether or not they will come true. If you’re of the belief that thoughts/ prayers/intentions/wishes are useless, fine. I’ll assume you either have alternate plans for physical service or that you are indifferent to the issue – you do what feels right to you. On the other hand, though, what’s the harm in praying or sending good thoughts to those
who are hurting? Not everyone has the ability to put forth physical effort in a time of suffering; does that mean that person’s heart is not in the right place? I know I’m asking a lot of touchy-feely rhetorical questions here, but I think we’re missing the point by arguing. We must remember in times of disaster that we’re all doing what we can to cope, whether that’s praying, donating, speaking or fighting. Everyone reacts to trauma differently, and there’s no wrong way to feel empathy. It’s also important to note that we’re all the same species. (That sounds strange, but stay with me.) It would be a relief to find out that terrorists, murderers and all evil-doers are a different breed than the rest of us. If that were the case, we would have a clear grasp on the cause of distress. But we’re all flawed humans, made of the same skin and blood, and we’re all capable of both good and evil. It’s up to you to decide, as Pico might put it, which seeds you sow. I’m no philosopher, and neither I nor anyone else can tell you if your earnest thought or prayer will come true or bring peace to another person. Only you know if it brings you peace or makes you feel kind, or good or loving. If you’re shaming others for their attempts at being compassionate through a certain medium, though, I’d start paying attention to the seeds you’re sowing and the fruit they produce.
The News
Opinion
November 20, 2015
5A
Letter to the Editor
John Muenzberg, lecturer of philosophy (not history) wrote on November 13th to the effect, “Nazi flag equals Confederate flag” and “Put the Confederate flag in a museum.” What was Jewish history in the Confederate States of America? Judah Benjamin, the Confederate Secretary of State, was Jewish. As were the Surgeon General, the assistant Adjutant General and the representative to France. By percentage, more Jews were in the Confederate Army than in the Union Army. In fact, they were the largest ethnic group in the Confederate Army. In California, the leader of the Confederate succession movement was a Jewish Rabbi in Los Angeles. By 1861, one third of all Jews, South and North, lived in Confederate Louisiana. General Robert E. Lee allowed his Jewish soldiers to observe all holy days, while Union Generals Grant, Hallack and Sherman issued anti-Jewish orders. Years later, it was General Sherman who coined the phrase “Final Solution” when talking about how to deal with American
Indians. FDR staffer Bernard Baruch, whose father was the Confederate Surgeon General, said, “I never encountered anti-Semitism until I traveled north to attend Harvard.” Putting the Confederate flag in a museum is an old tactic. Put the flag in a museum, then close the museum. They tried it in New Orleans. As far as changing the names of military bases named after Confederate generals goes, the Pentagon said months ago it wasn’t going to happen. On television, I’ve seen many of those German neo-Nazi and Klan rallies. In the German rallies, I’ve never seen a Confederate flag being flown. Why does the Klan fly it? Because they stole it! I’ve also seen the Klan fly the British, United States and Betsy Ross flags. Should they be banned also? While you’re at it, take a look at the footage of the 1925 Klan march in Washington, D.C. Not one CSA flag. All U.S. flags. It is heritage and history. Not hate. Mr. Muenzberg, please stick to philosophy.
I Have a Lot of Feelings Not-so-Great Expectations
We still want to hear from you.
Michael Skaggs
Non-student from Paris, Tennessee
Are you concerned about a certain issue on campus or want to share your opinion? The News is always accepting Letters to the Editor. For a chance to get your letter published in print or on TheNews.org, email us at letters@thenews.org.
I’ve Got a Story for You
Giving thanks 2015 This is the season of Thanksgiving. I had intended to visit the library to do a great deal of research so that we could all appreciate this holiday, but I ran out of time. You know how it is. In any event, I am confident that my memory, bolstered by nearly two generations of seasonal sitcoms, Robert Valentine Google searches Senior lecturer and the occasional Hallmark Channel of advertising special, will be sufficient for this salute to this most pleasant and badly-needed holiday. I call Thanksgiving “pleasant,” because, to me, hardly anything could be more pleasant than to spend a day in the presence of family and friends, surrounded by the smells of good food cooking. You can relax and chat, even if you are busy dressing and stuffing a turkey, fixing your signature sweet potato casserole or peeling onions by the dozens. Good friends and good conversation can make up for the lack of charm in the work of our hands. Besides, we probably don’t have to go to work or
attend classes. How bad can that be?
THE HISTORY We celebrate this day because several American presidents have declared the need to set aside a day for Thanksgiving. If memory serves, Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Harrison Ford all named a national day of Thanksgiving. Roosevelt’s choice was written into law by the Congress, which was desperate for a break in the furious workload after being in session for five consecutive days without a golf tournament or investigative visit to Hawaii. The date was set as Nov. 24, 25, 26 or 27, depending on the NCAA football schedule or the need for a “Thanksgiving Special” to take the place of whatever TV show was failing in the ratings at the time. The first Thanksgiving was declared by the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims were a group of religious dissidents who fled persecution in Europe rather than succumb to pressure from the Catholic Church to refrain from bringing hash brown casseroles and chocolate pies to their religious services. They also wore funny hats. The plucky Pilgrims brought their hats and their practices to the New World, as it was known in those days, at a town named Plymouth Rock. (You may remember that the New World was bought out by the United States in a corporate takeover engineered by James Madison, at which time the name of Plymouth Rock was changed to “Logan
Airport Marriott.”) After their first year, they gave thanks for a bountiful harvest, a playoff berth for the New England Patriots and the fact that nearly half of them were still alive. We may wonder why they were feeling so thankful. In fact, they hardly had anything to eat and their houses had no cable television at all. As luck would have it, they were helped by a friendly Native American whose name was something like “Tonto” or, perhaps “Johnny Depp.” The exact spelling was lost to us during the great flood of 1932. Tonto showed them how to plant corn by using fish instead of seeds. While the corn grew fast, you had it eat on the first day, or bury it in the back yard. Tonto also helped them hunt for the elusive Native American bird, the turkey. Eventually, after days of searching, they found two turkeys at Kroger. So, after days of preparation, the Pilgrims finally sat down to the first Thanksgiving dinner. After a long prayer, during which the mashed potatoes got cold, they settled into the traditional bout of overeating that we recreate each November in commemoration of their sacrifice, their good luck, their pluckiness and their devotion to having large religious gatherings using covered dishes to excess. And then there’s binge football and manic shopping. How American! Enjoy! By the time you get back to campus, it will all be over.
Jeers to ... Only one week.
Cheers and Jeers
Cheers to ... Thanksgiving. It’s almost here - the tastiest holiday ever. Thanksgiving is where all the good food lives, and that’s a fact. Is it black magic or divine intervention that it all tastes good together? We’ll never know. So gather with your loved ones and eat to your stomach’s content.
Yes, Thanksgiving break is lovely and sorely-needed. But when it’s over we only have one week of classes before finals. One. Week. That’s terrifying. But then we have a five-week Winter Break, so let’s just try to focus on that.
Cheers and Jeers is written by the Opinion Editor.
Jeers to ... Holiday travel.
Cheers to ... Adele.
Questions, comments or concerns should be addressed to aborthwick@murraystate.edu
Comic
It’s the holiday season and you know what that means - crazy people on and off the road (but mostly on). Everyone’s trying to get to food and presents as quickly and unsafely as humanly possible. Stressed-out moms and impatient children rule the roads - brace yourselves.
The angel that walks among us released her latest album, 25, today and the Kleenex stock went up 500 percent. It’s been a long time since she’s released an album, but maybe we needed a four-year break to prepare ourselves for this.
Thanksgiving is coming up. You know, that one holiday the world just forgot about this year. The small, apparently insignificant day of the year between HalAllison Borthwick loween and Christmas. Opinion Editor What happened to being thankful for Thanksgiving? At least acknowledge that it exists before turning everything red, green and peppermint-flavored, people. Anyway, as we all know, Thanksgiving is a time for family and food, but mostly family (just kidding it’s totally more about the food but shh don’t tell Grandma). With family comes great responsibility – the responsibility to look nice and act nice and pretend like your life isn’t in shambles. And with great responsibility comes great expectations. Expectation: get showered in compliments on how great you look and on how you’ve turned into a strapping young lad/lass. Reality: everyone pretends not to notice you’ve gained weight from all the stress eating and that you’ve turned into a tired-looking, slightly-taller child. Expectation: stick to your diet so the holidays won’t thwart your efforts to eventually look like a slightly slimmer beached whale. Like … a baby whale, or a sizable dolphin. Reality: cover everything on your four full plates in gravy so the body doesn’t know what horror (pounds and pounds of glorious food) lies underneath. It could be a bunch of kale under there, as far as it’s concerned. Mystery is sexy. Expectation: be able to tell your curious family members heart-warming stories of your blossoming love life. Reality: smear so much food on your face that nobody wants to talk to you about anything, ever. Expectation: explain in detail your post-graduation plans so eloquently that people get misty-eyed and beg you to write a memoir once you retire from a successful career of changing the world. Reality: since the food-smear tactic apparently doesn’t work, sneak off with the entire pot of mashed potatoes and lock yourself in the car until your parents drive you home. Expectation: eat only one piece of pie. Reality: tell people all the pies were stolen by pie bandits (you) and yell out “THANKS, OBAMA!” which will inevitably spark a heated political discussion – the perfect distraction for all the pie-eating you’re about to do. Because self-control is a conspiracy theory crafted by aliens. Expectation: be an emotionally-stable adult who thrives in social settings. Reality: be literally everything but that and hope for the best. All jokes aside, the holiday season really, truly is great for a lot of reasons. Family is everything, and so is food – it’s a win-win. There’s going to be drama. Some of it will likely be uncomfortable. Trying to talk about yourself and your life is always bizarre. But, in the end, family (and food) will always be there for you. Now go out there and enjoy the short break we have before finals. I hope all your gravy-filled dreams come true. aborthwick@murraystate.edu
Adulting By Jade Simpson
The News
News
6A
November 20, 2015
Students prepare for summer study abroad Courtney Scoby Staff writer
cscoby@murraystate.edu
Although the study abroad process seems relatively simple at first, there is much more to the application process than simply applying, being accepted and making the payments on time. The general application includes two personal statements, filling out a budget sheet (that requires signatures and more from various offices on campus) which outlines every possible expense students should take into consideration when preparing for their trip, as well as all of the expected forms. If the student chooses a program that is part of a larger provider, such as the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad or Kentucky Institute for International Studies, they will have to fill out a second, largely duplicate, application and pay a second application fee. Scholarship applications are due the same day as the general applications, so students must wrangle both at the same time. Although consolidated through the online program Horizons, which allows students to create only one application and check which scholarships they wish to apply for, this process involves more forms and another essay. Once a student is accepted, more work begins. There are “post-acceptance” requirements to fulfill, orientations to attend, documents to crisscross campus with in order to collect the necessary signatures and lots of other tiny details to attend to. These include passport and visa (if applicable) applications and requirements, finding out about important vaccinations and figuring out whether any of the prescription medications a student is taking are allowed into the country or countries they will be traveling to. This process can become more hectic if the
chosen program is through a larger provider. Although the study abroad application process is lengthy, some students believe that the extra work is worth it. “Even though there are multiple elements to a study abroad program application, I did not think it was too lengthy when I was going through the application process, and I still feel the same way,” said Alli Strong, junior from Cincinnati, who spent a semester abroad in South Africa earlier this year, and also works in the Education Abroad Office. Rebecca Downey, sophomore from Murray, who will be traveling to London this winter, agreed. “Sometimes I did [think the process was too lengthy], but I understand that it takes a lot of planning to put together these trips,” Downey said. “The program needs to be well-prepared for the students and the students need to know how to prepare themselves for a new experience.” Ashley Dumas, senior from Owensboro, Kentucky, who will travel to India this winter, said the extensive process is a way to weed out uncommitted students. “This allows MSU to know that every student that has applied to study abroad is dedicated to their decision,” she said. Although Dumas said she is really busy as a college student, she insists that the study abroad application process is not that much of an added burden to students’ schedules. “In order for someone to have this mindset [to want to study abroad] they must be really good with time management,” she said. Like any other activity on a busy college student’s plate, a great deal of planning needs to go into a study abroad application. “When it comes to balancing school, a job and all of the other activities college students are involved in, studying abroad definitely takes plan-
Nicole Ely/The News
Students planning to study abroad must be prepared to write personal statements, fill out budget sheets and apply for scholarships before the application deadline.
ning on the part of a student,” Strong said. “If students give themselves enough time in advance before deadlines, the application process should not be overwhelming.” However, beginning to plan for a study abroad experience several months in advance is not an option for every student. Sometimes the perfect study abroad program comes along a little too close to the deadline. For example, Dumas only learned of her program a mere two weeks before the deadline. “I think there is enough time to complete all the application because students were able to start the application process over the summer,” Dumas said. Although the time frame was less than desirable, Dumas did not let a quick deadline stop her from studying abroad. “Since I was passionate about this study abroad application, the time frame did
not bother me too much,” Dumas said. Nevertheless, the study abroad application process may be a time commitment for students. “My two weeks consisted [of] 14 hours involving writing essays, meetings with the study abroad and scholarship officers, getting my passport and completing my general study abroad application,” Dumas said. Although it may seem daunting, the Education Abroad Office is here to help students who feel lost before they have even left the country. “Students are always welcome in our office and we really appreciate when students come in with questions, because each question or concern helps make our office better and helps us in achieving our goal to assist students in finding a program, getting on a plane, and studying abroad,” Strong said.
2016 Study Abroad Programs • Agriculture in Hungary • Biodiversity in Belize • Engineering in Germany • Education in Ireland • Non-Profit Leadership in Austria • Nursing in England Information provided by Murray State Study Abroad Office. Go to murraystate-horizons. symplicity.com to start searching for your study abroad adventure.
Murray State remembers fallen transgender students Dylan Doyle
Contributing writer ddoyle2@murraystate.edu
Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day of reflection and visibility for transgender people and the LGBT community at large, will be held by activist groups nationwide Friday. The purpose of Transgender Day of Remembrance is to memorialize the 24 people who lost their lives to violence this year simply because they identified as transgender. “It is a time to pause and reflect on the fact that we are still losing significant numbers of people. Twenty-four this year alone, and that is not counting suicides,” said Jody Cofer Randall, coordinator of Murray State’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Programming.
“Those of us that do advocacy work around the LGBT community have tried to shine a light on the fact that these are hate crimes,” Cofer Randall said, adding that many of these crimes remain unsolved. E v e n though Murray State’s LGBT community is vibrant and active, transgender stuCofer Randall dents still face disproportionate amounts of invisibility and discrimination compared to other members of the community, Cofer Randall said. “I do think there is significantly more work to be done around our
transgender population at Murray State,” Cofer Randall said. “That is not meant as a negative. It is meant as an action plan. That is an area we need to continue to grow in.” She also stated that programming and acceptance for transgender Racers is on the rise. “There is something very significant happening on this college campus, where more students that identify as either transgender or gender nonconforming feel that they have someone that they can go talk to,” Cofer Randall said. Cofer Randall also points to national trends of transgender acceptance that are helping transgender college students stay safe and healthy, including a recent reinterpretation of Title IX laws, which now affords certain protections to transgender indi-
viduals. “I have had more transgender-identifying students come through my office door since the beginning of this year than I have spoken to on this campus in the last five years,” Cofer Randall said. Michele Sumner, member of the LGBT community and one of the organizers for the day’s events, said that Transgender Day of Remembrance is about raising awareness. “Awareness is very important to the transgender community,” Sumner said. “It shows the rest of the world their value.” This influx of transgender-identifying students has college administrators across the country asking how they can better serve the specific needs of transgender individuals. This includes everything from hous-
Tracy D. McKinney, CIC Steven S. Dabbs, CIC Kyle Overbey, Agent
AUTO - HOME - FARM - BUSINESS LIFE - MOTORCYCLE - BOAT 270.753.3500
100 NORTH 5TH STREET MURRAY
ing accommodations to hiring medical and mental health professionals competent at dealing with transgender issues. Transgender individuals are more likely to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety, more likely to selfharm and more likely to attempt suicide, according to recent studies by Sari L. Reisner at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The most important task for allies is supporting transgender people every day, not just on Transgender Day of Remembrance, Cofer Randall said. “We do programming that involves the transgender community all year long,” Cofer Randall said. Murray State’s Safe Zone Project will host a workshop entitled “Being an Ally to Transgender People” on Friday as part of the day’s activities.
November 20, 2015
Section B
The News
Sports Editor: Kelsey Randolph Assistant Sports Editor: Mark McFarland Phone: 270-809-4481 Twitter: MSUSportsNews
Sports
Back-to-back title holders Racer volleyball clinch regular season title, OVC Tournament ahead Kelsey Randolph Sports Editor
krandolph3@murraystate.edu
After clinching the regular season OVC title, the Racer volleyball team went on to win one more time against Morehead State Saturday. After a day of honoring the seniors, Head Coach David Schwepker said the team is preparing for new competition, however their regular season win is just a thought in the back of their minds. “It’s done – we can think about the win after the season is done,” Schwepker said. “It means nothing for what’s going to happen this week. Everything we’ve done up until this point means nothing. They have confidence, but the regular season win means nothing in the tournament.” The Racers, who have a 25-2 overall record and an 8-0 home record, take on the Morehead State Eagles, who have a 10-20 overall record and a 2-8 record on the road. Schwepker said the practices haven’t changed and the anticipation isn’t to win, but it’s for the team to try its best and he said, “what hap-
see VOLLEYBALL, 2B
Chalice Keith/The News
Men defeat Blue Raiders, Women lose to Redbirds, travel south for showcase face Central Arkansas Kelsey Randolph
Mark McFarland
krandolph3@murraystate.edu
mmcfarland1@murraystate.edu
Mallory Tucker
Murray State took to the road this week after winning the first game of the season, defeating Oakland City at home, and the road trip was played at Alabama A&M on Sunday and at Illinois State Wednesday. The Racers started the season off on a high note defeating Oakland City 91-75 at home. It was the first game
Sports Editor
Assistant Sports Editor
Staff writer
mtucker11@murraystate.edu
Before traveling to Florida for the Gulf Coast Showcase, the Racers had their first Division I win under Head Coach Matt McMahon Tuesday night, 76-65. It was obvious from the jump that whichever team hustled hardest would come out victorious as the Racers took on Middle Tennessee State. Senior forward Wayne Langston won the tip, but junior Bryce Jones was unable to retrieve it before it bounced out of bounds under the Racers’ basket. The Blue Raiders came out with a fire at first, taking an early 5-0 lead. The Racers were quick to cut the deficit, though, as junior forward Gee McGhee tied it up just over 10 minutes into the game and drew the foul to take the lead on a free throw. Freshman Chad Culbreath contributed valuable minutes off the bench in the first half with five points, a rebound and a steal. Senior Jeffery Moss added 10 points, two
WHAT’S
INSIDE
ter looks and get the ball inside more. “We had shooters that were taking wide open shots and not making them,” Cross said in a press conference after the win against Oakland City. “But why not try and get to basket and see it go in attack the basket?” Murray State opened up its road season with a win at Alabama A&M 76-59. James again led all scorers with 29 points with LeAsia Wright, junior from Louisville, Ken-
“
We had shooters that were taking wide open shots and not making them, but why not try and get to basket and see it go in attack the basket?
”
–Rob Cross
Women’s Head Coach Jenny Rohl/The News
Jeffery Moss jumps for a two-point shot against Harris-Stowe State Friday, Nov. 14. assists and three rebounds before the Racers entered the locker room with a 37-30 lead at halftime. The Racers put up the first points of the second half, but the Blue Raiders quickly went on a run to cut their deficit to five. Murray State maintained
the lead throughout, but not without a few scares, including a back-to-back pair of threes from MTSU’s Reggie Upshaw and Jaqawn Raymond. Moss matched his leadership role with his stats against
see MEN’S, 2B
with the new rule changes implemented this season. Ke’Shunan James, sophomore from Jackson, Tennessee, led all scorers with 26 points shooting 9-20 from the floor. As a team Murray State shot just 37 percent from the floor. Head Coach Rob Cross said he wants the team to get bet-
tucky, followed behind her with 17 points. The Racers shot 39 percent from the floor as a team while holding their opponents to 36 percent from the floor. The Racers out-rebounded their opponents 47-37 with 17 offensive rebounds. Murray State traveled to
Illinois State Wednesday to put their 2-0 season on the line. The Racers lost the game 81-76. Murray State shot just 36 percent from the floor as the Redbirds shot 43 percent. Wright led the team with 21 points with James coming in with 16 points of her own. The Racers return home for a showdown Saturday against Central Arkansas. Central Arkansas comes into the game with a 1-1 record, defeating Hendrix College 72-43, and losing to the University of Tennessee 102-47. The Racers come into the game scoring an average of 83.5 points per game this year, while Central Arkansas averages 59.5 points in the young season. Murray State is led by James who is averaging 23.7 points per game, and behind her is Wright with 18.3 points per game. Central Arkansas is led by Jameka Watkins, senior from England, Arkansas, with 26.5 points per game and following her is Kendara Watts, senior from Fairfield, Alabama, with an even 26 points per game. Defensively the Racers have been able to hold their opponents to just an average of 71.6 points per game. Central Arkansas has allowed their opponents to score 72.5 points.
COLLEGE THANKSGIVING
RECRUITMENT MINDSET HOLIDAY TRAVELS
CAMPUS PLUNGE
Sports begin recruitment for next season, 3B
How to celebrate with friends Students participate in 2nd annual freezin’ for a reason, 5B without breaking the bank, 6B
Athletes spend Thanksgiving with other athletes, 4B
Sports
2B
VOLLEYBALL From Page 1 pens … happens.” “The team had several notable accomplishments over the season,” Schwepker said. “We’ve just got to get out there and do our thing. We don’t change for any team. We just try to get out there and do better at what we do. We’re not going to make any changes at this point. We’ll see what happens. We talk about not worrying about the outcome, just the process.” Junior libero Ellie Lorenz and senior setter Sam Bedard hit the 1,000 dig club. Senior outside hitter and defense specialist Taylor Olden and junior outside hitter Scottie Ingram both reached 1,000 kills. The team also had a long set-winning streak of 36 which dated back to Oct. 25, 2014. Now, the team has won every game at home for two seasons in a row. The Racers currently hold the most wins for volleyball in a season in the history of Murray State. Opening their non-conference season in North Carolina, the Racers won in a
MEN’S From Page 1 the Blue Raiders, totaling 19 points and going six for six from the free throw line. The team’s only other senior, Langston, added 15 points of his own while junior Damarcus Croaker made a strong showing under the basket with eight rebounds and an assertive late-game dunk. Culbreath added 10 points in his 14 minutes on the court, and Jones added nine points, four rebounds and six assists. Gee McGhee contributed seven points and four points, communicating with a strong voice on the court. Moss ended the game by sinking two free throws with less than 20 seconds on the
The News
three-game invitational before traveling to Seattle to compete against No. 7 University of Washington and the University of Buffalo. Though taking a loss against the Huskies, the Racers have a perfect finish on the non-conference play. The Racers won eight games before taking a loss against Eastern Illinois State in a five-set match. Not letting the loss affect the Racers, they went on the road for a long trip to Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky before returning to Racer Arena to continue their winning streak once again. The Racers clinched the regular season title against Austin Peay State on Nov. 11 in a swept game. “I still can’t wrap my head around it because it’s phenomenal,” Schwepker said. “It says a lot about what they’ve done. There’s matches that could’ve gone either way but they pulled it out. That’s how much they want to win, that’s how willing they are to fight hard and fight all the way through to keep their heads on straight. To have a season like this again, which will probably never be duplicated again, Division I athletics is insane. My hats off to these young ladies who are outstanding and have done so much.” clock. The Racers bested the Blue Raiders 76-65 with a standing ovation from Racer Nation. “I don’t care about positions, we’re going to play guys and put them out there and play extremely hard,” McMahon said. “We played with great toughness. Brion and A.J. are going to be very good players for us.” Friday, the Racers travel to Athens, Georgia to take on the University of Georgia Bulldogs for the first SEC game of the season. The Bulldogs were 21-12 in the 2014-15 season and 11-7 in conference play. After taking on the Bulldogs, the Racers travel to Estero, Florida for the Gulf Coast Showcase Monday-Wednesday. Matching up with the Racers in the first round is the University of Wisconsin –
November 20, 2015
OVC Tournament Schedule First Round - Thursday
Second Round - Friday
Match 1 – No. 3 Eastern Illinois vs. No. 6 Tennessee Tech Match 2 – No. 2 Belmont vs. No. 7 Morehead State
11 a.m.
Match 5 – Match 1 and 2 winner
4:30 p.m.
Match 6 – Match 3 and 4 winner
7:00 p.m.
1:30 p.m.
Match 3 – No. 4 Tennessee State vs. No. 5 Eastern Kentucky 4:30 p.m. Match 4 – No. 1 Murray State vs. No. 8 Southeast Missouri State
7 p.m.
Third Round - Saturday Match 7 – Match 5 and 6 winner
7:00 p.m.
Chalice Keith/The News
Emily Schmahl, senior outside hitter, jumps the net and blocks the ball during the game aginst Morehead State on Saturdday, Nov. 15. Milwaukee Panthers. The Panthers were 14-16 overall in the 2014-15 season and 9-7 in conference play. The Racers tip off at 11 a.m. Nov. 23 in Estero, Florida then return home to take on Alabama A & M at 7 p.m. on Nov. 28 in the CFSB Center. “That’s been the emphasis - we knew those were going to be the potential best line ups for us,” M c M a hon said. “We’ve got good size McMahon on the perimeter too now. Good size, good athleticism. They are more than capable of putting their weight on the glass.”
Jenny Rohl/The News
Junior guard Damarcus Croaker dribbles down the court in a game against Harris-Stowe State Friday, Nov. 14.
Bob, Cindy and Katie Davies and Murray State’s Town & Gown Partnership Invite you to attend the annual
Holiday Open House at Oakhurst 1510 Main Street, Murray, Ky. Thursday, December 3 4:30 – 6 p.m.
Visit holidays.murraystate.edu to learn more about some of our favorite holiday traditions from around the world.
Equal education and employment opportunities M/F/D, AA employer. Murray State University supports a clean and healthy campus. Please refrain from personal tobacco use.
Happy Thanksgiving from The Murray State News
The News
Sports
November 20, 2015
3B
Football travels to Athletics signs 27 to the teams for 2016-17 seasons Jacksonville State for end of season Mark McFarland
Assistant Sports Editor
mmcfarland1@murraystate.edu
Mallory Tucker Staff writer
mtucker11@murraystate.edu
Mark McFarland
Assistant Sports Editor
by KD Humphries, redshirt junior quarterback through the air, racking up 3,492 passing yards and 21 touchdowns with six interceptions
all the guys that we have that are still able to play. We’re going to go down there and give them our best shot.” Injuries still plague the
mmcfarland1@murraystate.edu
The Racers’ schedule saved the best for last as they prepare to face the No. 1 ranked Jacksonville State Gamecocks in Jacksonville, Alabama Saturday. The Racers are coming off a heart wrenching double-overtime loss to No. 24 Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 14, a defeat that left Head Coach Mitch Stewart at a loss for words. “It was obviously physically exhausting for the kids,” Stewart said. “It was mentally exhausting for the kids. That game was what college football is all about. It was an awful lot of fun, but to be that close for something that big and then come up short, it was heartbreaking for those kids. I had to sit outside for a minute before I came in the locker room to f i g u r e out what Stewart I wanted to tell them. You just don’t have the words in those types of situations that’s going to make them feel any better.” Murray State comes into the game with an overall record of 3-7 and 2-5 in the OVC. The Racers are seeking their fourth win of the season and the second win against Jacksonville State in three years. The Gamecocks have an overall record of 9-1 and a perfect 7-0-conference record. The Gamecocks’ only loss was to Auburn 27-20 in overtime. Stewart said he was proud of how his guys played in their tough loss to Eastern Kentucky in double overtime, and said he wants the team to put forth that same intensity against the Gamecocks. “We got to play like we did in the second half for all four quarters,” Stewart said. “I told them that our word of the week would be juice and that’s what we will have all week.” The Racers have been led
“We are going to go down there with all intentions to spoil their number one seed into the playoffs. We’re going to go down there and give this our best shot, but the challenge is we are going to have to play a full four quarters like we did the last two quarters last week.” –Mitch Stewart Football Head Coach for the year. Humphries has also been named to the 2015 STATS Offensive Player of the Year watch list for the Football Championship Subdivision. Roman Clay, junior running back leads the team in rushing with 11 touchdowns and 826 yards on 166 carries this season. Stewart said he wants the team to stay focused and ruin the Gamecocks’ season. “We are going to go down there with all intentions to spoil their number one seed into the playoffs,” he said. “We’re going to go down there and give this our best shot, but the challenge is we are going to have to play a full four quarters like we did the last two quarters last week.” Jacksonville State comes into the game with an eightgame winning streak, following the loss to Auburn. Eli Jenkins leads the Gamecocks in all passing categories with 1,973 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. Troymaine Pope leads the team in rushing with 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns on 138 carries. “Our word of the week was going to be ‘Juice’ because that’s what we’re going to have all week,” Stewart said. “We’re going to have the best practices we’ve ever had. We’re going to go down there in all intention of spoiling their No. 1 seed to the playoffs. We’re going to take all the able bodies we have. It may not fill up one bus, but we’re going to take
team heavily, affecting their depth chart as they prepare to face a team that’s solid in every area. Junior quarterback KD Humphries and senior receivers Jeremy Harness and Janawski Davis are all on the brink of breaking program records. Humphries’ last shot at besting his quarterback coach Casey Brockman’s single-season passing yards record lies on the Gamecock field. While Harness and Davis are quickly approaching four records each, senior Paul Rice leads Murray State’s receivers heading into the final matchup with 831 total yards. “Man, he’s been one of our most solid players,” Stewart said of Rice. “And when I mean solid, I mean – knock on wood – has not missed a game due to injury or anything like that. He’s made every start. He’s always a guy that just seems to get that extra yard when you need it.” The Racers will kick off at 1 p.m. on Burgess-Snow Field Saturday hoping to upset the regular-season OVC champions. Jacksonville State has beat the Racers in 10 of the series’ 12 games, but the Racers came out on top last time they played on Gamecock turf with a 35-34 overtime victory in 2013. “All bets are off,” Stewart said. “You’re in the last week of the season versus the No. 1 team in the country and it’s like the playoffs. You just don’t ever know what’s going to happen.”
Six Murray State athletic teams added 27 student-athletes to their teams this past week, with the baseball team adding 13 players alone.
BASEBALL Head Coach Kevin Moulder and the coaching staff were able to add 13 players, five of whom come from the St. Louis area, for the upcoming 2017 season. This class is Moulder’s second class since taking over the head coaching job last season. Moulder said last year he focused on getting guys who would be able to contribute right away, but this year he wanted to go after the younger guys. “This class focused more on need and we definitely focused on the high school players,” Moulder said. The 13 student athletes that will be joining the team are: • Keegan Breese, 5’11”, 160 pound right-handed pitcher and infielder from Paducah, Kentucky. • Luke Brown, 5’10”, 150 pound left-handed pitcher from Princeton, Kentucky. • Hunter Childress, 5’10”, 160 pound infielder from Bardstown, Kentucky. • Bryan Chilton, 5’-1” 185 pound catcher from Hopkinsville, Kentucky. • Braydon Cook, 6’1” 180 pound right-handed pitcher from O’Fallon, Missouri. • Andrew Hayden, 6’4”, 185 pound left-handed pitcher from Owensboro, Kentucky. • Tyler Horsley, 6’1”, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Louisville, Kentucky. • Trevor McMurray, 6’2”, 180 pound right-handed pitcher from Wildwood, Missouri. • Bobby Pennington, 6’4”, 210 pound right-handed pitcher from Park Ridge, Illinois. Pennington is the
only junior-college transfer in the class. • Justin Perkins, 6’2” 220 pound infielder and righthanded pitcher from Saint Charles, Missouri. • Ryan Perkins, 6’2”, 210 pound outfielder from Saint Charles, Missouri. • Jake Slunder, 6’1”, 170 pound outfielder from Cabot, Arkansas. • Alec Whaley, 6’2”, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from O’Fallon, Missouri.
SOFTBALL Head Coach Kara Amundson is bringing five new student-athletes to campus in her 2017 class. Amundson said that a few key players are graduating this year so she needed to go out try to find people who could fill their shoes. “The players that we are bringing in have a lot of different tools that we’re trying to fill,” she said. “Kids with speed, kids with power, obviously a pitcher we are bringing in. So we are bringing in a lot of different skill in this class, which I’m pretty excited about.” The five new signees are; Ellison Barrett, pitcher from Florence, Alabama. Kristen Bialek, utility player from Downers Grove, Illinois. Jenny Homann, utility player from Freeburg, Illinois. Lexi Jones, infielder from Eldersburg, Maryland, she is also the programs first recruit from Maryland. Rounding out the class is Kaylee Ranburger, outfielder from Owensboro, Kentucky. MEN’S BASKETBALL Head Coach Matt McMahon has signed three players for the 2016-2017 season. McMahon said that they needed to sign guys who could come in and contribute. “We need to sign two athletic frontcourt guys and we were able to do that with Gilbert Thomas and Jalen Dupree,” he said. “And with the loss of Jeffery Moss to graduation we also needed a
guard with some size and basketball I.Q. and also someone who can shoot the ball from the perimeter and we got that with Dondre Griffin.” The signees are: Jalen Dupree, 6’8”, forward from Cordova, Tennessee. Dondre Griffin, 6’4”, guard from Raleigh, North Carolina. Gilbert Thomas, 6’6”, forward from Houston, Texas.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Jessica Richards, 6’2”, post player from Barrie, Ontario, Canada. She played for Innsdale High School where she was awarded co-MVP for the past three seasons; she averaged 18.7 points per game, according to goracers.com.
RIFLE Shelby Huber from Columbus, Georgia. He shot at Northside High School, where in his junior year helped bring the school its first state championship in eight years, according to goracers.com. Meike Drewell from Austin, Texas. She is a member of the Buckhorn Shooting Club in Austin, Texas. She also placed third in the Texas Junior Olympic qualifier in her junior year, according to goracers. com.
VOLLEYBALL Megan Lindsay, 5’11”, outside hitter from Mascoutah, Illinois. She played at Mascoutah High School where she holds the career record for kills with 900 and the single season record with 298, according to goracers.com. Rachel Giustino, 5’10” outside hitter from Algonquin, Illinois. She currently plays at Marian Central Catholic High School where holds the single season record for kills with 320 and has 316 so far this season, and she also has the career school record for kills with 833, according to goracers.com. Courtney Radle 5’10”, setter from St. Louis. She currently plays for Francis Howell High School where she was named first team all-region this year, according to goracers.com.
Chalice Keith/The News
DeQuinten Spraggins and Zach Dean make a tackle in their loss to EKU Saturday.
The News’ pick of the week - Football Kelsey Randolph Sports Editor 19-13 Tyler Dixon Graduate Assistant 20-12 Mary Bradley 16-16 Editor-in-Chief Blake Bernier Staff writer 19-13 Dave Gesler 16-16 Associate Professor
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November 20, 2015
Athletes to spend break with teammates Mallory Tucker
and call each other and stuff.” Besides the main event of the meal, the Innes’ family usually watches the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – a tradition both Innes and Morgan are excited to see Masson’s reaction to. “I don’t know what she’ll think of that,” Innes said. “She’ll probably be a little confused.” The girls plan to spend the rest of their break exploring Union and learning what Innes does for fun in her hometown, in addition to braving the crowds for Black Friday shopping and learning a little more about each others’ sports. “Since she plays golf and we play tennis – I’m horrible at golf – so we were going to go play golf and then take her to play tennis,” Morgan said. “Attempt to play tennis,” Innes corrected her. The life of a student-athlete is busy, stressful and competitive, but for athletes far from home like Morgan and Masson, it presents even more of a challenge. Both have taken it head-on, however, and fellow athletes like Innes and supportive coaches ease the transition. “Coming here was not tough,” Masson said. “I miss (my family) a lot, but it’s my choice, and I don’t regret coming here.” “All of our coaches and trainers are really good about making sure we have breaks around those holidays so that we can spend them doing something enjoyable and not having to be sore in the gym or playing,” Morgan said. Thanksgiving is in near sight and Christmas is just around the corner, but at least one of the three friends is already thinking about next year. While grateful for the road trip they’re about to embark on, Morgan is hoping they can fly next Thanksgiving, rather than taking a 26hour trek on wheels. “Next thanksgiving, we’re going to Arizona,” she said. “We won’t road trip, because it’s too far, but we’ll fly.”
Staff writer
mtucker11@murraystate.edu
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: the holidays. For most college students, Thanksgiving provides a quick getaway to spend relaxing at home with family and friends before buckling down for finals. But this Thanksgiving will be a little different for student athletes Nadine Innes, Haily Morgan and Jeanne Masson. Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning, Morgan and Masson will pack their bags into Innes’ car and travel five hours with her to her parents’ home in Union, Kentucky. The freshman tennis players Morgan and Masson are natives of Anthem, Arizona and Dinard, France, respectively. Anthem is just 20 miles north of Phoenix, and Dinard is a small town on the eastern coast of France, near the sea. Traveling home for Thanksgiving break would prove very expensive for each athlete, and since Masson has never experienced Thanksgiving before, freshman golfer Innes’ gave them both an open invitation to join her family for a traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings. “It’s just expensive to travel back home,” Morgan said. “Thanksgiving – with it being 10 days before Christmas break – my parents were like, ‘You can wait 10 days, we’re not going to bring you back and send you back four days later.’” Innes and Morgan discovered they would be roommates late this summer, due in part, they believe, to a chance meeting on a flight. Morgan met a friend of Women’s Head Golf Coach Velvet Milkman during her official visit to Murray State, and she thinks Milkman may have helped arrange the setup for the two athletes. Morgan soon added Innes on Facebook and they began texting up until move-in day when they met, and she also met Innes’ mother. “My mom always told me
Photo courtesy of Dave Winder
From left to right, Jeanne Masson, Nadine Innes and Haily Morgan, teammates who will spend the break together in Union, Kentucky. before coming to college, ‘If any of your friends need somewhere to go during break, they’re welcome to come,’” Innes said. “So I extended the invitation to Haily and also to Jeanne. Just whatever I can do to help them to make it easier for them, because it’s harder for them to go back.” Masson, at first had planned to rent a car and take a road trip with another teammate during the break, but when those plans fell through she decided to tag along with the duo. “I asked Nadine because I didn’t want to be alone and her parents said yes,” Masson said. “We don’t have Thanksgiving in France. I don’t really know what Thanksgiving is.” Masson has no idea what to expect going into this road trip, but she’s excited to see Innes’ hometown culture and meet her family. She has only been to a few U.S. cities outside of Murray, and her
biggest grievance is the food – something that Innes and Morgan hope changes by the end of their holiday adventure. “I think she’s going to go crazy,” Morgan said. “We’re always talking about the food and how different it is here than it is in France. She’s basing that off of Winslow only. We went to Panera Bread and she’s like, ‘This is so good.’ We’re like, ‘See!’” “She hasn’t really had a home-cooked meal,” Innes reiterated. “Both of my parents love to cook, and I think it’ll definitely change her mind. Hopefully!” While both Morgan and Masson are excited and grateful to be spending their days off in the Innes home, it isn’t easy being away from family for so long, and they’re both battling cases of the homesick blues but can see the light at the end of the tunnel in Winter Break. “I am homesick now, actu-
Intramural Football: Blake Bernier Staff writer
dbernier@murraystate.edu
In the opening game of the intramural flag football playoffs, Clark outlasted Sigma Pi in an overtime thriller 42-35. Nearing the end of regulation, Sigma Pi faced a seven-point deficit with 50 seconds left. After allowing a first down on the first play, Sigma Pi tightened up on defense and used all three timeouts. The game came down to a fourth down play with four seconds remaining. Sigma Pi sent a quick rush and managed to sack the quarterback with one second still on the clock. With the game on the line Sigma Pi needed a touchdown and the defense knew a Hail Mary pass was com-
ing. The ball was launched deep downfield into a crowd of five players and ended up falling into the hands of Sigma Pi player Travis Griffith, junior from Benton, Kentucky after a deflection from Clark’s Nick Wildman, senior from St. Louis. “The defender tipped the ball and I was just lucky enough to be there to bring it down,” Griffith said. Prior to the play, Clark cornerbacks and safeties backed off 20 yards to defend the play, with the mindset to swat the ball away and not to catch it. “The ball was up in the air and I was the one screaming ‘Knock it down! Knock it down! Knock it down!’ and there was a guy behind me,” Wildman said. “The ball came right to me and I tried to knock it down but instead
“The defender tipped the ball and I was just lucky enough to be there to bring it down.” -Travis Griffith, junior from Benton, Kentucky
I popped it up for their team to catch it and they tied the game.” After the touchdown, the Sigma Pi sideline supporters yelled for the players on the field to go for the two-point conversion and the win. However, Sigma Pi decided to play it safe and tie the
ally,” Masson said. “I can’t wait to be home, because we are in the offseason and don’t do anything except lifting in the morning. I think this one will be special because I didn’t see them since the middle of August. There will be a lot of emotion I think.” Morgan’s family, who spends every holiday from Easter to Valentine’s Day together and never misses a birthday meal, will travel to her grandparents’ house to gather with all of her cousins and catch up with extended family. Innes’ extended family lives in California – just as she did until she was 12 – and are unable to make the trip to Kentucky this year. “As happy as I am to be going home with Nadine and spending it with her, it is heartbreaking knowing everyone’s going to be there and I won’t be,” Morgan said. “It’s sad, but I know that I’ll be there in heart and they’ll be with me. We can Facetime
Clark claims win over Sigma Pi game up with the one-point conversion attempt. In overtime, Clark started on offense and scored quickly with a touchdown pass from Wildman. After the extra point conversion, Clark took a 42-35 lead. Sigma Pi headed to the field, trailing again, and began to move the ball closer to the endzone. On the third play from scrimmage a second deflected pass fell into the hands of a Clark player, for an interception that ended the game. Both defenses struggled throughout the game, but the Clark defense came through in the end to seal the victory. Clark quarterback Wildman threw for seven touchdowns and no interceptions including two passes that
Women’s
Men’s
Sorority
Fraternity
1. Tri Sigma A 2. AGD A
1. Three teams tied 2. Sigma Phi Epsilon
5-1 4-1
Residential College 1. Springer-Franklin A 2. Lee Clark Girls and White Sharks A Girls
7-0 5-2
1. Omega Mu 2. Tri Sigma B
6-0 4-2
Independent
1. Kiss My End Zone and Granny Panties 2. Sigma Alpha
1. Lizo A 2. Franklin A and Richmond A
A
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Independent A 1. Pound Town and The Untouchables 2. Joe and Friends
Independent B 1. Straight Outta Retirement 2. Steak Sauce
5-1 4-2 6-0 5-1
4-2
Clark quarterback reads the field as Sigma Pi player Aaron Rowland rushes him.
5-1 3-3
Residential College
Independent B
Nicole Ely/The News
covered more than half of the field. “I saw openings in the middle and deep corners,” Wildman said. “I just threw the ball up and let my team do all the rest of the work.” The Sigma Pi defense struggled to apply pressure to the quarterback and the zones behind the pass rush suffered and failed time and time again. “They kept getting into holes in our coverage,” Griffith said. “It took us a while to get to the quarterback so it was a tough game.” As Clark moves ahead in the playoff tournament the team plans to continue playing like they have all year. “We kind of just do it as we see it,” Wildman said. “We play it by ear and don’t really have a game plan going in.”
Results are as of Tuesday. Standings courtesy of IMLeagues.
Independent C 1. White Owls 2. Richmond Shenanigans
6-0 5-1
Off the Gridiron
What defines sports? When talking a b o u t sports we usually limit our perception to what sports we watch. The first thought is usually basketball, football, track, baseball and soccer. It makes sense since these are the most commonly-seen sports, but there are a lot more things considered as sport in the world. The definition of sport is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” By definition, there can be a lot of things under the category of sport. But most of us fall under the basic perception of what an athlete is, which ultimately ends up clouding our perception of a certain sport. It can be tricky because an athlete is a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise. With this definition, one can be biased in what we consider an athlete and how that dictates what we call sport. All types of sports have some type of preparation. They aren’t all workouts; some are simply strategic and have a lot of mental preparation. Tennis and golf are common sports of leisure to most people, and they are very well recognized even though they don’t always have the most athletic people in them. This perception can limit us from enjoying what the world may see as a sport. It could possibly be keeping us away from experiencing these sports as well. These different sports show the different areas of life and sports connects with. Sports like mixed martial arts, not just UFC and the octagon, but traditional martial arts or even Olympic wrestling. Bowling and bass fishing are sports that don’t get as much recognition, but are still popular. ESPN airs bowling competitions every year. NASCAR racing is another greatly loved sport, especially in the U.S., as well as the different car racing series overseas, such as Grand Prix. The Olympic games are good for bringing some of these sports to TV every other year. Sports like gymnastics or ice skating bring some artistic life to the world of sports. For the more extreme group, the Winter Olympic Games or the BMX games are very exciting and thrilling for more risk-taking people. Hunting sports bring in wildlife and exibit the different ventures that part of sport can take us. Hunting has its own personal TV network where they promote the sport and give tips on what’s good for the season. Even though this may seem weird and is not your conventional sport, the sport of poker is very big, especially in the United States. Poker tournaments are always on TV and can last for hours. Sports can’t just be defined as physical. They are also mental. Sports like NASCAR and poker show the mental side of sports. There are so many types of sports that it will probably be a long time before we can have them all covered. Surely there are more being made, but sports encompass more than the physical aspect. They bridge gaps between different cultures. There’s a lot we miss when we limit ourselves with social norms and our perceptions, especially like this in sports where there’s a wide array of things the sports world can tap into. This is one of the many reasons we love sports and why the world is better with sports in it. There is no limit to what a person can do in the sports world. jmorris36@murraystate.edu
John Morris
November 20, 2015
5B
The News
Features Editor: Connor Jaschen Assistant Features Editor: Gisselle Hernandez Phone: 270-809-5871
Features
FREEZIN’ FOR A REASON RETURNS Breanna Sill || Staff writer bsill@murraystate.edu
University students participated in the second ‘Freezin’ for a Reason,’ hosted by Alpha Sigma Alpha. While the temperature neared the 40 degree mark on Nov. 12, that didn’t stop 170 people from taking a plunge in some ice cold water to raise money for Alpha Sigma Alpha’s philanthropy at the second annual Campus Plunge. With a goal of $12,000, the sorority hit that goal before the event even began. By the end of the night, the event had raised a total of $13,272 for the Special Olympics. That number continues to rise as more people send donations. Devon Wasser, senior from Louisville, Kentucky and Special Events Coordinator for Alpha Sigma Alpha, said the entire sorority couldn’t have been happier after reaching their goal. “We were all on cloud nine,” she said. “It was just like an outstanding feeling and you can’t really describe it.” Wasser said what made the feeling the most amazing is the fact that the money goes to a charity that is so near and dear to so many of the sisters’ hearts. “A lot of the girls really love it [Special Olympics] as well,” she said. “So being able to help as much as they can feels amazing.” For the second year of the event, the sorority switched things up and held their event on the Quad, just across from the after party location, Tap 216. The previous year, the event was held at the Alpha
Gamma Rho house. Tap 216 provided a warming station for plungers, a chili bar and a band for people to enjoy after the event. There were 14 different teams who plunged for the cause. Murray State’s version is a bit different than most. “Normally a plunge is where you plunge into a lake or a pool,” Wasser said. “But last year we had an incident where the pool couldn’t come so we were like ‘OK, we need a slide.’ And so people actually liked the slide better so we have kept the slide. It’s definitely different than plunging into a pool. It’s a lot more fun, honestly.” Although Wasser did not plunge this year, she was a participant last year and she described the feeling of hitting the water as “shocking.” Wasser said she was impressed by the amount of participation from other Greek organizations, the university faculty, staff and the community in comparison to the year before. “Because last year was the first year, we considered that just more of a trial run,” she said. “This year the participation was a lot better.” While this is Wasser’s last year to be a part of the Campus Plunge as a sister of Alpha Sigma Alpha, she has high hopes for the future of the event. “I just hope that next year there is even more awareness for Plunge,” she said. “I would love to see more clubs and organizations come out. I just hope it continues and people have fun, because it’s such a great event to be a part of.”
Zachary Maley/The News
French Poetry Night Alpha Sig breaks ground held for eighth year with online fundraising Gisselle Hernandez
Assistant Features Editor ghernandez1@murraystate.edu
The French Table and Murray State students studying French hosted the eighth annual French Poetry Night at the Black Box Theatre in Wilson Hall on Nov. 12. The French Poetry Night began in Hart Cafe eight years ago, before being moved into residential colleges. Last year though, it was held at the Black Box Theatre for the first time. Every seat surrounding the stage was filled with students, professors and even children by the time the program began at 7 p.m. Despite the title of the program, performances were not limited to French poetry. A mix of actors, singers and musicians performed for the audience, most of them being Murray State students taking French classes. However, there was a specific play that involved students from Calloway County High School: “L’accent Grave de Jacques Prevert.” This is the first time the program has been extended to high school students because of the Fun with Languages project, said Therese Saint Paul, the associate professor of French and the program coordinator. The Fun with Languages project is a joint effort by Murray State’s Modern Languages Department, International Language Center and Office of Regional Outreach that looks to offer language clubs to elementary schools and high schools. Braxton Bogard, Calloway County High School junior, was one of the high school students who performed in the short French skit. Al-
though this was his first time performing at the French Poetry night, Bogard is familiar with the foreign language, as he is currently in French level three. After traveling to France and Greece for a study abroad ambassador program, Bogard said he became obsessed with foreign languages. “After that point it was connecting with other cultures,” he said. “I said, ‘I want to learn a new language and I want to learn one that’s from the place I’ve been to.’ French was the option that was closest to my heart so I said, ‘I’m going to learn it’ and I dedicated myself to it.” The main play, whose scenes were divided throughout the program, “La Fete,” was written and performed by FRE 331 students from Murray State. Since it was the first time they had written a play for the program, the preparation proved to be sort of chaotic, Bryant Powell, senior from Mayfield, Kentucky, said. Regardless of the hectic production, audience members seemed to enjoy the play as the actors fully engaged in their characters. Although students taking lower level French might not have fully understood the advanced French being spoken, they laughed at the advancement of the plot and the amusing actions of the characters. The scenes were played throughout the program, with students singing, reciting poems or playing their musical instruments in between. John Secor, former French professor from Morehead State and guest at the poetry night, was given the chance to recite his own French poems. Secor published his French poems in Paris and was sign-
ing his poetry books for fans at the end of the program. Organizing an event that seems to be growing every year can prove to be quite difficult, Saint Paul said. However, there has been a noticeable change in performance from when the event was held in residential colleges and the cafe to now being held in a theater. “In the past, people just read the lines off and it seems since we came into the theatre, they stepped up to the expectations,” Saint Paul said. “The students themselves rose to the occasion. The context of the theatre makes people want to be good; they take it seriously.” Upper level French students who have to participate in the program as a requirement are informed of the event at the beginning of the semester, though preparation begins about a month prior to the poetry night. The option to participate is open to lower level French students, as well. For an event such as the poetry night, collaborative work is necessary to carry out the program successfully. For instance, the theater department contributed some acting tips to student actors. There was also assistance with lights and audio. “When you do something like this you involve everyone, one way or the other,” Saint Paul said. One of the reasons other students attended or participated was for extra credit. Saint Paul believes that it is much more than that, though. “I think learning a language has to be close to reality and to life and I think this comes close to it,” she said. “It’s a way to communicate, not just a way to get a grade.”
Connor Jaschen Features Editor cjaschen@murraystate.edu Alpha Sigma Phi brought a 21st century redesign to the age old philanthropy event concept with their new fundraising Facebook page, the Alpha Sig Philanthropy Challenge to benefit the Rape, Assault and Incest National Network, or RAINN. This event consists of a Facebook group w h e r e students from all over Murray State Payne and even the country post challenges for someone else to perform, with the promise of a donation upon completion, said Nathan Payne, senior from Owensboro, Kentucky and philanthropy chair for Alpha Sigma Phi. The event was inspired by a combination of a Maryland chapter’s philanthropy event and the experience of trying to raise money through setting up an on-campus dunk tank. When Payne saw how ineffective asking college students for cash was, he said he knew there needed to be a change. Instead, Payne decided to rely solely on online donations. “I don’t use cash,” Payne said. “A lot of students carry cards. It’s a lot easier to utilize technology.” Though similar events, such as Alpha Sigma Alpha’s Campus Plunge, have utilized online fundraising options in the past, this is the first philanthropy event to rely solely on online donations. This is also the first philan-
thropy to rely solely on participant-generated events. While Payne’s goal for the philanthropy was set at a staggering $4,000, the philanthropy ended the first of the two weeks behind schedule. As of 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, the philanthropy had raised $737 in online donations, though Payne said he is hoping for an increase in donations as the week goes on. “The positive is it’s a Facebook group,” Payne said. “We paid nothing.” The idea of the event costing the chapter nothing was a major selling point, Payne said. “We’re very money conscious right now,” Payne said. “So when I told them, ‘Hey guys, I have a philanthropy we won’t have to pay anything to get started,’ […] their eyes just lit up.” Payne said some interesting challenges have arisen, including challenges that apparently led to Barrett Pazderka, president of Lambda Chi Alpha, being spotted on campus in a chicken costume. One challenge Payne said he was frustrated by was directed at his fraternity brother, Joe Kedanis, in which he was challenged to shave his head, ridding him of his shoulder length hair. Payne said jokingly that he couldn’t help but call his brother out. “We challenged him eight hundred dollars to shave his head,” Payne said. “And he would not do it.” Kedanis denied the challenge once more after the price was upped again, Payne said. “I can’t believe he wouldn’t cut his hair,” Payne said, laughing. “It was ridiculous!” With a challenge-based philanthropy, though, Payne said he was forced to be
conscious about moderating what was going on between participants. With the help of the three other administrators of the page – Trent Fenwick, Austin Brewer and Kyle McDonald, Payne logged on every day to make sure no challenges went too far. “We set the rules,” Payne said. “No. 1, you don’t do anything to break the law. No. 2, you don’t do anything with this big ‘h-word,’ hazing. You do that, it’s gone.” Payne said luckily, the issue of inappropriate challenges has not become apparent. An unforeseen issue that has come about, though, is the issue of challengers not donating the money they had previously promised. “Seeing some of the challenges and seeing the money, they’re not exactly equaling up,” Payne said. In light of this, Payne shifted the equation of the challenges so that participants are encouraged to make their donations after the challenge is accepted, but before the challenge is completed. “It’s a cool feeling to know that an event that you put together is raising so much money for philanthropy,” Payne said. This two-week experiment for their philanthropy has been a success, said Payne and one he would like to see continue into the future, unless a better alternative is brought up. “I just want people to know they can donate without making challenges,” Payne said. “There is no minimum or maximum. If you can just find a little bit, it helps.” For those wishing to donate, the philanthropy donation page is found at fundraise. rainn.org/alphasigphilanthropychallenge.
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November 20, 2015
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
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7:30 p.m. Theatre Department Musical: Curtains, Robert E. Johnson Theatre
All Day Mid-America Arenacross, William “Bill” Cherry Agricultural Exposition Center
All Day Murray Art Guild Holiday sale, Robert O. Miller Conference Center
12:30 p.m. Fall Scholar’s Day, Waterfield Library
8:00 a.m. Recent work: Artist Martin Bromirski, Mary Ed Mecoy Hall Gallery
8:00 a.m. Connected Warrior Yoga, Carr Health
7:30 a.m. FCA Turkey Trot, 5K and 10K, Paducah
Celebrate with a budget-friendly Thanksgiving Candied Yams with Marshmallows
Photo courtesy of Tastebook.com
Total time: 42 minutes
Gisselle Hernandez
Assistant Features Editor
FOOD:
ghernandez1@murraystate.edu
While Walmart and other stores may seem to be in a rush to arrive at the end of 2015 (Is it almost over already?) by putting up Christmas decorations early, Thanksgiving is the next holiday on the calender, and the free home-cooked meal seems to hold a special place in most college kids’ hearts. To many students, home is where they will be next Thursday, with Aunt Karen’s famous mashed potatoes and Mom’s todie-for pumpkin pie. Other students, however, may not be able to go home to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal surrounded by family, but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a home-cooked meal with friends. The only thing that’s better than a well-prepared ‘Friendsgiving’ that can make any college student feel at home is a ‘Friendsgiving’ that can be done on a budget. Here are a few ways to bring the homeiest Thanksgiving into your apartment or residential college without spending too much.
DECORATIONS:
Reuse pumpkins. If you have leftover uncut pumpkins that were used for Halloween decorations, arranging them as decor outside your door or placing them in a grouping might add a pleasant touch to your fall ambiance. Pine cones and twigs make great, inexpensive decor that can be placed in a bowl and act as a natural centerpiece.
The food is the most important part of Thanksgiving, but also the most expensive. Having a pot-luck with friends can reduce the expense of the vital turkey and gravy. One dish can be assigned to each person, such as a dessert or an entree, and this also cuts the expense of the food.
GAMES:
After recovering from the turkey (and waiting for pie), a game you and your friends can play is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Drinking Game. While watching the parade on TV, when certain things on the list happen, you and your friends take a drink (does not necessarily have to be alcoholic!) Chicago Now published a list of prompts and ideas you all can use to play, such as, “Take a drink whenever a Broadway musical float is featured,” or “take a drink when you hear the word ‘Macy’s.’” Card games can also be fun while waiting for the turkey to finish baking. Popular (yet possibly inappropriate) game like Cards Against Humanity may be very amusing and entertaining to play at your ‘Friendsgiving.’ However, it might not highlight appreciation and friendship as much as you’d like it to at a Thanksgiving dinner, so play at your own discretion. These ideas should not hurt your pocket, but will still deliver the caliber of an at-home-Thanksgiving.
Ingredients: Water 6 yams, peeled and cubed into roughly 1-inch pieces 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 (10.5 ounce) package mini marshmallows
Directions: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add cubed yams to a large pot and cover with water so there is at least 1 inch of water above yams. Bring pot to a boil over high heat and cook for about 15 minutes, or just until yams are soft but still maintain their shape. Yams should not be too cooked until they fall apart. Drain yams. Add yams to a large casserole dish. Sprinkle top of yams with 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, butter and ground cinnamon, and stir with spoon until ingredients are combined. Spread yams in one even layer. Sprinkle top with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Bake in oven for 15 minutes, until sugar has become syrup-like and yams are tender and cooked through. Remove from oven and then cover top of yams with mini marshmallows. Return to oven and continue baking for 10 minutes, or until top of marshmallows are light golden yellow. Remove from oven and allow yams to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Basic Thanksgiving Stuffing
Photo courtesy of minimalistbaker.com
Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients: 1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing dish 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped celery 1 (12 ounce) box of cubed stuffing mix (recommended: cornbread) 2 cups chicken broth (optional: additional 1 cup broth for moister stuffing) Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a large casserole dish with butter. Set aside. In a large pan over medium-high heat, melt one stick of butter. Add onions and celery and cook for about 10 minutes until translucent and soft. Add stuffing mix and stir until combined. Add broth and stir so that stuffing can absorb liquid. If desired, add another optional 1 cup of broth for moister stuffing. Remove from heat and transfer to buttered casserole dish. Spread in an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes until top is crisp. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipes courtesy of Full Thyme Student
First Agriculture Appreciation Week held by Huston Craig Taylor Contributing writer jtaylor6@murraystate.edu
Emily Harris/The News
The Drive to Feed truck sought to enhance student awareness of the agriculture industry.
The Hutson School of Agriculture started its first Agriculture Appreciation Week here at Murray State. This event took place from Monday to Wednesday and assisted in the advocation of agriculture. Kaitlin Ziesmer, senior from Danville, Kentucky, played a key role in the development of this event by serving as the Agriculture Leadership Council’s president. “This was the first year of the Agriculture Appreciation Week,” Ziesmer said. “There was about one to two months of planning to make this event a reality.” She said that planning this event consisted of a four-person committee developed through the Agriculture Leadership Council. The committee contacted panel speakers, encouraged other agriculture organizations to participate and developed a marketing committee to help publicize the event. Tony Brannon, dean of the Hutson School of Agriculture, serves
as one of the faculty advisers for the Agriculture Leadership Council. “The goals of Agriculture Appreciation Week are the same goals that we pursue with our signature event, Fall on the Farm, except on the collegiate level instead of the elementary level,” Brannon said. He said that this event is planned to positively promote agriculture at the collegiate level and to bring awareness to the importance of modern day agriculture and its impact on our lives. One of the events offered was the Drive to Feed Tour; this event consisted of going inside a truck and watching informational films about agriculture, ending with a free meal. Ziesmer said she has had an interest in agriculture from a young age. “My passion for agriculture started when I was younger. I grew up on a farm and was part of Future Farmers of America (FFA),” Ziesmer said. “Being able to have this Agriculture Appreciation Week has helped me spread the word about agriculture to the
entire student body and allowed me to tell exactly what we do in the agriculture industry.” Ziesmer said the most challenging part of the event was not taking weather into consideration, though the event pulled through with the help of the university. “I think that Murray State realizes that the Hutson School of Agriculture is a huge portion here,” Ziesmer said. The university works with the school and helps with events like Agriculture Appreciation Week. Ziesmer said President Bob Davies especially does a great job promoting agriculture through Instagram and does everything possible to be involved. “On a campus like Murray State, it is important that all students, and not just agriculture students, learn about agriculture and where the food comes from,” Brannon said. “America has the safest, most abundant and cheapest food supply in the world.” He said that this event provided an avenue to begin to proactively promote the diverse industry of agriculture and our complex food production system.
Muslim Student Organization promotes tolerance Da’Sha Tuck || Staff writer dtuck@murraystate.edu
The Murray State Muslim Student Organization is a social organization filled with students who are working to build their faith in a college environment. The group hosts events in which speakers come and explain Islamic culture to students. The Muslim Student Organization also hosts events like Hijab Day where students, both Muslim and non-Muslim, are given the opportunity to learn about why women in the Muslim faith wear their traditional
headdress. “We arrange events that bring attention and interest of non-Muslim students,” said Humaira Ahmad Khan, from Pakistan. “People love diversity and they’re curious to know about the religion. MSO gave me support to highlight my culture and customs.” Earlier this month the organization hosted an event in the Curris Center where they served halal food. Halal is translated to mean “permitted” or “lawful,” pertaining to the way the food was prepared. The students served the food for $6 a plate during the event.
Muslim Student Organization President Amer Bukhari, graduate student from Saudi Arabia, said the halal food day event was successful. “We got the benefit of other people supporting us,” Bukhari said. “There were about 150 people who participated.” Bukhari said the event made enough money to break even. The organization also helps some international students adjust to being in a different country, but allows them to practice their religion with others who are Muslim as well.
“Being away from home and living in a society that is quite diverse and more into activities that are prohibited in our religion, the Muslim Student Organization played an important role to keep me on the path of my religion,” Khan said. Khan said with the Muslim Student Organization she gets to practice her religion and be involved in cultural events. She said it has given her a family that has supported her through many hurdles. Bukhari said being a part of the Muslim Student Organization has allowed him to meet many new people in his faith.
“When we meet new Muslims, we say ‘salaam alaikum’ which means ‘peace onto you,’” Bukhari said. The Muslim Student Organization said the complete religious meaning of the word Islam would be submission under God’s will. Bukhari said his religion is one of peace, one that is helping everyone around the world. Bukhari said the Muslim Student Organization does not have any more events scheduled for the remainder of the year other than their closing ceremony. “We host the closing cer-
emony to award the volunteers who have helped the Muslim Student Organization throughout the year,” Bukhari said. During the closing ceremony, Bukhari will be introducing the Muslim Student Organization’s next president since his term is coming to a close. Murray State’s Muslim Student Organization has been on campus for 10 years and is continuing to educate students. “Without the Muslim Student Organization, I would not be as confident and fearless as I am,” Khan said.
Features
The News
November 20, 2015
7B Let’s Be Honest
Pop Culture Corner FEATURED TWEETS
MEDIA REVIEWS Justin Bieber’s ‘Purpose‘ lands ‘Love the Coopers’: Real-life plot lines move audience to tears him back on top awinn@murraystate.edu
#PrisonBooks
Danny Woodburn
@DannyWoodburn 50 Shades of Grey & White Stripes @midnight #PrisonBooks 12:10 am 17 Nov 2015
Greg Jonsson
@Jonssonville A Tale of Two Cellies #prisonbooks #pointsme @midnight 10:20 pm 16 Nov 2015
Photo courtesy of www.kirotv.com
Nick Erickson Contributing writer nerickson@murraystate.edu
Adam Rank
@adamrank Eat. Pray. Snitch. #PrisonBooks @midnight 9:28 pm 16 Nov 2015
Jerry Thornton
@jerrythornton1 Girl With the Badly Made Pen Ink Tattoo #PrisonBooks @midnight 9:20 pm 16 Nov 2015
Oxford’s ‘Word of the Year’ isn’t even a word Technology is leading in a world of millennials, and it comes as no surprise that, for the first time, the “word of the year” is actually a pictograph, better known as an “emoji.” Oxford chose the “Face with Tears of Joy” emoji because it “best reflected the ethos, mood and preoccupations of 2015.” The was selected since it was the most used emoji globally in 2015, according to the Oxford Words blog. This emoji trend that is associated with web culture has replaced words, such as LOL or LMAO. Emojis are expressions that cross language barriers, because who needs words anyway?
Soundbyte “I will seriously stab myself” -Kylie Jenner,
this is one of the saddest storylines in the film, so audience members who cry The trailer for “Love the easily should have some tisCoopers” makes the film out sues ready. to be a Christmas-themed Certain viewers may think romantic comedy, when that the film is too cluttered in actuality it is more of a with numerous storylines dramedy that just happens to and find it hard to focus on take place at Christmas time. just one. However, each Audience members should storyline brings its own bring a box of Kleenex with uniqueness to the film, and them, because this movie is while some could have been created to be a tear-jerker. shortened, they each accom The plot for this film conplished their goal of gettains many interconnected ting their intended message stories that lead up to a famacross. Without spoiling any ily’s Christmas Eve celebraof the important plot points, tion dinner. First is the story the movie does a great job of of Charlotte (Diane Keaton) conveying the human conand Sam (John Goodman), a dition and addressing how couple that has been married people deal with the private for 40 years and currently internal battles that they are contemplating divorce. always facing. Eleanor (Olivia Wilde) is After viewing, the film may the adult daughter of Sam remind the audience of the and Charlotte and is on her quote, “Be kind, for everyone way back home for the famyou meet is fighting a battle ily dinner. At the airport bar, you know nothing about.” she runs into Joe (Jack Lacy), One of the main themes that a marine the film who is tries to also on convey his way is that home for everyone Christhas inner mas. After demons talking for and how a while, people Eleanor deal with asks Joe t h o s e to pretend demons to be her Photo courtesy of starity.hu is what boyfriend makes at her family’s dinner party, them who they are. Somebecause she fears judgment times people have to confrom her parents since she front their problems head on is single and has no children. in order to grow and move Out of all of the storylines past them. this one is focused on the The audience may also be most, which is fine because caught off guard by the film it ends up being one of the due to some of its serious more interesting subplots in subject matter, with themes the whole movie. like divorce, religion, suicide, Charlotte’s younger sister, sexuality and death. While Emma (Marisa Tomei), is these may be taboo subjects a pessimistic, middle-aged for certain people, they each woman who gets arrested add a certain amount realafter she gets caught trying ism to the film’s plot, which to steal jewelry for her sismakes it more believable. ter as a Christmas present, The film contains great but ultimately makes a suracting from all actors, but the prising connection with her performances that outshines arresting officer (Anthony the others are by Wilde and Mackie) on her way to jail. Arkin. Even though these Even though the acting is two don’t have much intergreat in this segment, it is action in the film, they each probably one of the less sigbring a certain presence to nificant storylines in the acthe movie that makes you tual film. feel real sympathy for what Hank (Ed Helms) is Chartheir individual characters lotte and Sam’s oldest child are going through. and is going through a di If viewers are looking for a vorce. Apart from trying to happy Christmas movie, like find a new job after being “Elf,” then they are going to laid off, he’s raising his three be disappointed with this kids with help from his esfilm. However, if they are tranged wife. looking for a film that deals Finally, there is Bucky with real-life subject mat(Alan Arkin), Charlotte and ters, but also contains some Emma’s father, who makes comedic elements and hapan uncommon connection pens to be set around Christwith a young, troubled waitmas, this is a good film to ress named Ruby (Amanda check out. Seyfried). Without spoilers, Adam Winn || Staff writer
As people age, they change, and Justin Bieber is no exception. The 21-yearold Canadian pop star has had a rough time in the spotlight in the past few years, with his DUI arrest among other issues. Nevertheless, with his newest album, “Purpose,” Bieber strives to repent and redeem his image. He does so successfully. He achieved the most mature and well-executed sound of his career by putting emotion into the album yet keeping it worthy of playing at a dance-party. Right from the opening track, “Mark My Words,” Bieber gives us a taste of progression in what direction his music has headed with “Purpose.” This track clocks in at just a little over two minutes, and it really exhibits how much Bieber has grown and matured through its simple structure. A catchy, vocal melody by Bieber is looped in the background behind some somber piano chords. Bieber sings about his past relationship with actress and singer Selena Gomez, and how he will try to rekindle the spark between the two of them. A short, heartfelt way to start off the album works to its advantage. On the chilled-out ballad, “I’ll Show You,” co-producer Sonny Moore, better known as Skrillex, backs up Bieber with a dark EDM melody and a slow, catchy drumbeat. The layers of synth fit well behind Bieber’s low vocals on this track as he sings of pressures he faces and how he’s human and makes mistakes, despite what the public believes. “Sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing, when the pressure is coming down like lightning. It’s like they
on sister Kim Kardashian suggesting to move in with Kylie.
want me to be perfect when they don’t even know I’m hurting. ‘Cause life’s not easy. I’m not made out of steel. Don’t forget that I’m human. Don’t forget that I’m real.” “Where Are U Now” is another track produced by Skrillex, also featuring EDM artist Diplo. This track has made radio play since it was released as a single in April, and it is arguably one of the strongest tracks on “Purpose.” Bieber’s crisp singing is placed over a looped dance beat in the choruses, which stands apart from the mellow ambiance of the verses. This bit of contrast works well. The final and title track, “Purpose,” is one unlike almost anything Bieber has done before. There are no “gimmicks,” no sugar-coated, computerized instrumentation or ove r - p r od u c e d voc a ls . This stripped-down track includes only a raw, emotional vocal performance by Bieber over a solo, acoustic piano. Bieber sings of the one who gives him strength to keep living life and pushing forward. “You give me purpose every day.” Bieber has come a long way since his days as a YouTuber in 2008. He has grown not only as a musician and lyricist, but also as a person. “Purpose” is a testament to this. No longer focusing on selling his music solely to a tween-fanbase and avoiding further negative publicity, Bieber’s career has been born again as an emotional mix of R&B and EDM influences. Bieber, once hard to stomach by many, has shown that “Purpose” can find a place in just about anyone’s heart, or their playlist.
Grieve equally
T h e world suffered a tragedy on Friday. Lives of brothers and sisters were lost, and heartache was Gisselle Hernandez felt around Assistant Features the world. Ultimately, Editor there was grief. No one is allowed to undermine that. No one. No one ever said other countries aren’t suffering due to ISIS. The media does not neglect to cover other heartbreaking tragedies across the world. YOU do. What happened in Paris was a terrible, terrible, unforgivable act. One that affects everyone, not just Parisians. That does not mean we are solely focusing on the famous City of Love, so quit trying to seem altruistic when, in fact, all you’re doing is undermining the grief of others. How can you possibly say that “Paris isn’t the only one suffering from ISIS.” Of course it isn’t! It upsets me greatly when people turn to selfish, uninformed individuals because they are the ones that do not listen to bombings happening in Beirut and Syria. Those are covered by the media, too, and frequently. Don’t undermine the horrible catastrophe that happened in France to other ISIS doings elsewhere, such as in Beirut. The grieving is equal, because in all cases, lives are lost, and that’s the bottom line. Another thing that is disconcerting is the lack of actual action. By all means, do pray for Paris. I completely agree we should send our prayers. But honestly, a simple hashtag isn’t going to do jack. Changing your profile picture is next to useless, other than trying to show others you “care” about the world, for most of you out there. As the Dalai Lama said, “We cannot solve this problem only through prayers. We are asking God to solve it and it is illogical. God would say, solve it yourself because you created it in the first place.” It’s up to us to do something, not sit on our butts behind a screen and pretend we care. Social media is horrific in the hands of uneducated individuals during a tragedy such as this. I remember the audacity of an individual sharing a picture of a map of France on Facebook captioning it, “Show me where Paris is. I’ll wait.” I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know where Beirut is either. Whether you know the location of the city being affected or not, showing actual support and implementing action is what truly matters. I know millions across the world were deeply heartwrenched by this, but I think many younger people do not exactly know the gravity of this situation. I’m not saying to not show your compassion and care for it publicly, but let’s try to do more than start some “trend.” For the war to end between us, it must first start within us. ghernandez1@murraystate.edu
Out this week
Read It
“Cross Justice” by James Patterson
See It
“Mockingjay: Part 2”
Hear It “25” by Adele
Rent It
“No Escape”
Play It
“Bloodborne: The Old Hunters”
8B
The News
November 20, 2015