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The Murray State News TheNews.org
August 25, 2016
Vol. 91, No. 1
Alicia Steele
Assistant News Editor asteele5@murraystate.edu
The ongoing expansion project of Route 121 separating the CFSB center and Lowes has been delayed because of rain, city officials said. However, they hope to have the project completed within the coming months. “What dictates a lot of the construction on 121 is weather, and as you can tell, we’ve had a lot of rain over the last couple of weeks, if not months,” said Aaron Dail, president of the Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce. “But their goal is to have it done around Halloween.” Dail said Mike McGregor, an engineer out of Paducah for the Kentucky Department of Transportation, gave the estimated date. Dail said the Chamber of Commerce has had no complaints from citizens of Murray about the construction, but have had questions asked about how long the process will take. “I think a lot of people want to see it done sooner rather than later,” Dail said. “But unfortunately, no one can control the weather.” Jack Rose, mayor of Murray, said the
Chalice Keith/The News
The long road to construction rain has slowed down the process, but even before the rain he was discouraged about how slowly the project was moving. “It’s been a real nightmare I think for the people here,” Rose said. Rose said he believes contractors in the area are busy with all of the highway construction in western Kentucky. “And I suspect that probably, and this is just my suspicion, that they have taken probably as much or more than they can just about do,” Rose said. He said the timing of the project is discouraging because of the increase in traffic. However, he said he was encouraged to see pavement being laid on the northbound lanes within the last week. Students however are concerned with how long the expansion is taking. Briana Enzweiler, senior from Alexandria, Kentucky, said commuting through the construction of Route 121 is a pain. “It’s slow, the roads are bumpy and the fact that some of the side roads are closed to thru traffic makes it even worse,” Enzweiler said. “It seems like it’s taken them forever and they aren’t even done yet.” Joel Stegner, sophomore from Florence, Kentucky, and transfer student from East-
see ROAD WORK, 2A
Graphic courtesy of GoogleMaps
Murray State rebranding, College affording a new look co-heads Ashley Traylor Staff writer
announced
atraylor@murraystate.edu
Murray State recently launched a rebranding campaign as part of a larger marketing plan that will continue through 2022 as it looks forward to celebrating 100 years since its founding. “We desperately needed a rebranding and we needed the whole portfolio redone to reflect the current Murray State University,” said Joy Humphreys, department chairwoman and associate professor of management, marketing and business administration. “We needed a comprehensive, congruous, well-researched package for our MSU brand that would last and would help bring positive attention to MSU.” Adrienne King, vice president of university advancement, was hired last summer with the charge to create a new marketing initiative, but this will be her fifth rebrand. Initial surveys and research began before King was hired, but planning started Sept. 1 of last year and lasted ten months, King said. Murray State’s new tagline is “Opportunity Afforded.” King said this phrase enables the marketing team
WHAT’S
INSIDE
Abby Siegel News Editor
aseigel@murraystate.edu
Chalice Keith/The News
The shield sees it’s latest iteration since Murray State’s founding, along with the new tagline “Opportunity Afforded.” to use students’ personal stories about the opportunities Murray State affords to them. “We don’t want to be the story,” King said. “We want to be the platform through which your story is told.” Humphreys said she likes
the slogan “Opportunity Afforded” because it invokes a past tense connotation. “The new tagline says to me, ‘I’ve graduated from MSU and taken advantage of an awesome opportunity, and I’ve just opened many doors for myself that
would have otherwise been closed,’” Humphreys said. “And I did it without being a bazillion dollars in debt. Bring it on.’” Charley Allen, web manager of branding, market-
see REBRANDING, 2A
White Residential College welcomes new co-college heads that will lead the school of sharks through the year. The Office of Student Affairs appointed Justin Taylor and Beth Donovan, assistant professors in the department of mathematics and statistics, to the position a few days before Great Beginnings kicked off. Neither Taylor nor Donovan have tenure, previously a requirement for being a college head, but both were highly involved in Hester Residential College and won the Hester faculty member of the year award previous to the appointment. Taylor said he is highly involved in the residential college system because it makes a difference in the lives of students. “They see a professor that is a real person,” Taylor
said. “It makes a big impact doing the things that seem small to us,” Donovan said. Taylor said Kenny Fister, Hester Residential College head, waited to see if he could find someone who was qualified with tenure before appointing both Taylor and Donovan to the position. Donovan and Taylor are younger than most college heads and have been working at the university for a few years, an attribute Sam Maue, White Residential College Council vice president and the college head assistant, said will be a good for the college. “They are younger so I think they can relate to the students,” Maue, senior from St. Peters, Missouri, said. Residents of White are anticipating changes but are excited about what is to come, Maue said. He said the residential college will
see CO-HEADS, 2A
SCIENCE GRANT
OUR VIEW
PRACTICE BEGINS
JEFF DUNHAM
Hancock Biological Station receives $3.8 million, 6A
New branding raises questions, 4A
Murray State unveils new branding strategy, 1B
World famous ventriloquist pays visit to Murray State, 5B
The News
News
2A
August 25, 2016
REBRANDING
From Page 1
ing and communication, said she worked with Melissa Shown, graphic designer of branding, marketing and communication, to create the new wordmark. The Murray State shield was redesigned to incorporate a more traditional design, with a modern take, Allen said. She said the previous shield had a lot of stars and big curves, so the new shield is clean and simple. King said the new shield design works on many different platforms and embraces the history and heritage of Murray State. There is a budget allocated for the rebrand process for things such as advertising and billboards. King said in preparation for the rebrand the univerGraphic courtesy of Austin Gordon
CO-HEADS From Page 1 have the opportunity to have more programming tailored to student interests based on the experience and involvement of Taylor and Donovan. “We don’t know what it’s going to be so all we can do is be excited,” Maue said. Typically, there is only one college head per residential college, making this appointment noteworthy regarding the impact on the community. “I think having both a male and female college head will be very helpful,” Donovan said. “I think it’s helping us in building a community.”
sity did not place orders for campus signage and campus banners in advance. These banners are replaced every year, so the new design did not place an additional cost on the university. Murray State is using a soft roll out, instead of an immediate roll-over. The transition is estimated to take two years, as business cards, letterheads and other supplies run out or need to be replaced. King said these marketing initiatives are scheduled to happen, not because of the rebrand effort or education budget cuts, but because the university needed to take a more aggressive approach to marketing. Murray State did not use external resources for the rebrand, but instead worked with the Office of Branding and Marketing, King, her staff and roughly 15 interns to create a brand with the goals of the university in mind, while still being budget conscience. “We need to get out of the mindset of being a hidden gem and put out the great things that our students, faculty and staff are doing here so students who will benefit from a Murray State education will know what is happening here,” King said.
Stock photos courtesy of the Office of Branding, Marketing and Communication
Taylor and Donovan said the transition has been smooth despite having to jump in immediately. “We have a great RD to work with,” Donovan said. “He is on top of everything, runs our building very well, has a great rapport with our RAs, he is great at communicating with us...life couldn’t be easier given the circumstances.” Taylor and Donovan said they see the residential college as a family that you join just by showing up on move-in day, and they see themselves as “cool parents.” About a month previous to their appointment, Taylor and Donovan got married. “We called my parents and said ‘we are giving you like 350 grandkids,’” Donovan said.
ROADWORK From Page 1
Chalice Keith/The News
Young college co-head tag team plan to lead the White College Sharks through the semester.
Murray State University Statement of Non-Discrimination
Students, parents, employers, and the general public are hereby notified that Murray State University endorses the intent of all federal and state laws created to prohibit discrimination. Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, veteran status, or disability in employment, admissions, or the provision of services and provides, upon request, reasonable accommodation including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford individuals with disabilities equal access to participate in all programs and activities. In particular and without limiting the preceding and pursuant to and consistent with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its regulations 34 CFR 100 et seq.; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its regulations 34 CFR 104; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 USC 1681 et seq., and its regulations 34 CFR 106 et seq; and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 and its regulations 34 CFR 110, Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap, or age in its educational programs and activities. This non-discrimination in education programs and activities extends to employment and admissions and to recruitment, financial aid, academic programs, student services, athletics, and housing. Murray State is required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106 not to discriminate on the basis of sex and the prohibition against sex discrimination specifically includes a prohibition of sexual harassment and sexual violence. Examples of prohibited sexual harassment and sexual violence can be found in the “Policy Prohibiting Sexual Harassment” which can be accessed via the link referenced in Appendix I. Programs available include: Accounting; Advertising; Agricultural Science; Agricultural Science and Technology; Agriculture; Animal Technology; Applied Engineering and Technology Management; Art; Athletic Training; Biology; Business Administration; Career and Technical Education; Chemistry; Civil Engineering Technology; Clinical Psychology; Communication Disorders; Computer Information Systems; Computer Science; Counseling; Creative Writing; Criminal Justice; Economic Development; Economics; Education Administration; Electromechanical Engineering Technology; Elementary Education; Elementary Teacher Leader; Engineering Graphics and Design; Engineering Physics; English; English Pedagogy and Technology; Exercise Science; Finance; French; General Experimental Psychology; General Studies; Geosciences; German; Graphic Communications Media; Health and Physical Education; History; Human Development and Leadership; Industrial Technology; Information Systems; Integrated Studies; Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education; International Studies; Japanese; Journalism; Learning and Behavior Disorders; Liberal Arts; Library Media; Logistics and Supply Chain Management; Management; Manufacturing Engineering Technology; Marketing; Mass Communications; Mathematics; Middle School Education; Middle School Teacher Leader; Music; Music Business; Music Education; Nonprofit Leadership Studies; Nursing; Nursing Practice; Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Management; Occupational Safety and Health; Organizational Communication; P-20 and Community Leadership; Physics; Political Science; Postsecondary Education Administration; Psychology; Public Administration; Public and Community Health; Public Relations; Reading and Writing; Recreation and Leisure Services; School Counseling; Secondary Teacher Leader; Social Work; Sociology; Spanish; Special Education; Speech-Language Pathology; Sustainability Science; Teacher Education and Professional Development; Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages; Telecommunications Systems Management; Television Production; Theatre; Wildlife and Conservation Biology. Admission criteria include, but are not limited to the following: For undergraduates: for unconditional admission, an accredited high school diploma or GED, ACT minimum of 18/ SAT minimum of 870, high school class rank minimum of upper half or 3.0 GPA; and a pre-college curriculum. For transfers: a minimum cumulative GPA of a 2.00 on a 4.00 scale. For graduate students: unconditional admission, a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale, and a minimum combined GRE score defined by department. International students must have a minimum of 71 on the IBT TOEFL with no bands below 16 or 6.0 on the IELTS with no bands below 5.0 for unconditional admission. Some graduate programs have higher minimum requirements.
ern Kentucky University said commuting to campus through the construction traffic is the biggest hassle he’s ever had to deal with regarding traffic. “I have visited here multiple times within the last year and have seen the construction going on and it makes me wonder what those construction workers are actually doing if it isn’t already finished,” Stegner said. Rose said he thinks the project is a legitimate concern and is taking much longer than it should have, but he believes it will benefit Murray. “Honestly, it’s going to be a great project,” Rose said. “Everybody’s going to be proud of it, I think.”
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The News
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August 25, 2016 News Editor: Abby Siegel Assistant Editor: Alicia Steele Phone: 270-809-4468 Twitter: MurrayStateNews
POLICE BEAT Aug. 17
3:21a.m. p.m. A Patrol calleradvised reported 6:51 Racer Murbeing stuck in of an an elevator in ray State Police abandoned Faculty Hall. Officers and the golf cart outside the Lowry Center. Centralwere Heating and Officers notified andCooling an inforPlant was notified. mation report was taken. 5:58 p.m. A caller a 11:42 p.m An officerreported conducted emergency at White amedical traffic stop at 121 North and Residential College. Officers, Coldwater Streets. A citation was Murray andto issued toAmbulance the driver Service for failure Student Affairs were notified wear a seatbelt. The passenger and arrested the patient was onwas an transported outstanding by Murray warrant andAmbulance was takenService. to Callo-
Aug. 18
11:33 a.m. A caller reported way County complaint Jail. a parking at New 8:20 a.m. A caller reported a resFranklin Residential College. idential college flag missing. The Murray State Parking ManageHousing Office was notified. ment was notified and a citation 11:22 p.m. A reported was issued forcaller parking in a re- a motor vehicle accident with no stricted area. injuries at White Residential Col11:24 p.m. An officer conducted lege. Officers were notified and a a traffic stop on Chestnut Street report was taken. at Don Sol. A citation was is7:17 p.m. An officer conducted sued for no brake lights, failure a traffic stop at the Business Building to produce insurance card, no parking lot. Areceipt citation was registration and noissued regfor drivingplate. on a suspended license. istration 8:51 p.m. A caller reported the
Aug. 19
4:28ofp.m. caller reported smell gas atAHart Residential Colitems being thrown from vehilege. Officers, Murray FireaDepartcle atCentral James H. Richmond Resiment, Heating and Cooling dential College. An information Plant, Murray Gas and the State Fire report was taken. Marshall were notified. A report 5:24 p.m. A caller reported the was taken. smell p.m. of gasAincaller Oakleyreported Applied a 12:01 Science Building. Officers, the sparking outlet in the 300 block Cooling ofCentral CollegeHeating Courts.and Officers, the Plant and Gas were Murray FireMurray Department, Cennotified. The and smell was duePlant to tral Heating Cooling a burned out pilot light and an and the State Fire Marshal were information reportwas wastaken. taken. notified. A report
Aug. 20
1:34 a.m. Officers were advised of anp.m. intoxicated person on foot 4:57 The Murray Police Deat North 13th Street and partment was notified of aOlive mediBoulevard. A citation was iscal emergency at the Volleyball sued forOfficers alcoholand intoxication in Courts. Murray Ama public place and criminal litbulance Services were notified. tering. The patient was transported and 2:30 a.m. An officer conducted a report was taken. a traffic stop in the White Res3:46 a.m. Officers conducted a idential College parking lot. A check of a person on North 12th citation was issued to the driver Street. The person was arrested and for disregarding a stop sign, and transported to Calloway County Jail possession of marijuana and for alcohol intoxication in a public drug paraphernalia and a citaplace. A report was taken. tion was issued to a passenger 9:09 p.m. A caller reported possession of marijuana andat afor smoke detector activated drug paraphernalia. Springer Residential College due to
Aug. 21
1:26 a.m. A caller requested aahair dryer.check Officers welfare at were Lee notified Clark and no threat of fire wasOfficers, found. An Residential College. information report taken.AmStudent Affairs andwas Murray 4:42 p.m.Services A caller were reported a theft bulance notified. of property from a vehicle from The patient was transported by Alexander Hall. Officers were noMurray Ambulance Service and tified and a report was taken for a medical report wasby taken. theft of under $500 unlawful 6:06 p.m. A caller requested a taking from a vehicle. vehicle unlock in thereported Roy Stew6:12 p.m. A caller the art Stadium parking lot. Officers smell of marijuana at Hart. Officers werenotified notified.and an information were
Aug. 22
12:10 a.m. An officer conducted report was stop taken.at Kroger and a traffic Burger King and issued a verbal warning for failure to illuminate 2:47 p.m. A caller reported an headlights. unauthorized company selling 10:24 p.m. caller reported the products onAcampus at Winslow smell of marijuana at Springer Dining Hall. The caller was reResidential College. Officers ferred to Student Affairs. werep.m. notified and an informa6:12 A caller reported the tion report wasgas taken. smell of natural at the Old Fine
Aug. 23
2:43 Building. p.m. A caller reported Arts Officers, Central a non-injury motor vehicle Heating and Cooling Plant, Murray collision on Chestnut Fire department, Murray Street. Gas and Officers notified and a colthe State were Fire Marshall were notilision waswas taken. fied andreport a report taken. 3:23 p.m. A caller requested to speak to an officer in reference Motorists assists – 8 were notito threats. Officers Racer escorts –1 fied and a criminal report was Arrests – 2 stalking 2nd degree. taken for Alicia News Editor, RacerSteele, assistAssistant –0 compiles MotoristPolice assistBeat – 10 with materials provided Arrests by - 0 Public Safety and Emergency Management.
Alicia Steele, Assistant News
Editor, compiles Beat Not all dispatched callsPolice are listed.
with materials provided by Public Safety and Emergency Management. Not all dispatched calls are listed.
Love Police Beat? You can check it out every week online, too, on TheNews.org.
3A
Herring adjusting to life in Murray, planning for role as Chief of Police Alicia Steele
Assistant News Editor asteele5@murraystate.edu
James Herring was named Public Safety and Emergency Management’s new chief of police over the summer and spent the last month adjusting to Murray and planning for the year to come. “We just moved in our house on Tuesday,” Herring said. “I feel like I’m here now.” Herring said he’s been able to learn campus by taking his dog for walks, and he’s been Herring speaking to different groups on campus and introducing himself to different faculty and staff. “Just trying to do that to get my face out there and get to know who people are,” Herring said.
LOOKING FORWARD
Herring said his current goals are to work on promoting the LiveSafe app, developing a better way to send out emergency communications and developing relationships between the campus community and Public Safety. “I want everybody on campus to have LiveSafe downloaded,” Herring said. “One of the things I want to do when I go to some of these departmen-
tal meetings is to push LiveSafe.” Herring said LiveSafe is an easy way for students and faculty to communicate with public safety. “Especially for students because it’s more of a text-based kind of thing that students like because you can send pictures and video and that kind of thing,” Herring said. “And for us it’s better because instead of giving us a description of a person or a car you can just take a picture and send it to us and then we know what the person looks like.” Herring said LiveSafe also offers a feature called SafeWalk that allows students to send their location to a friend who can then watch them walk from one point to another to make sure they make it safely. “Students are using that,” Herring said. “We don’t see them walking, but we see the statistics of how many people are using it.” He said during the first week of the semester LiveSafe attracted 400 new users (for a total of 2,492), 102 SafeWalks were sent and eight tips were reported to Public Safety. “My goal is to have everybody who is affiliated with the university to have it,” Herring said. Herring said parents can also download the app and see their student’s location on or off campus. “So when you go home you can send your parents a message, and they can actually watch you drive up the highway,” Herring said. “It’s not just limited to here.”
Herring said he wants to come up with a program similar to Pokémon GO that would offer prizes to users to promote the app. He said he would also like to see an improvement in Public Safety’s emergency notification system. “The software we have right now is kind of limited so I’m looking at some alternatives for that,” Herring said. He said the department is also working on a program to promote relationships between Public Safety and students. “It’s about relationship building and changing perspectives,” Herring said. He said they’re still in the planning stages right now but will eventually have students involved in the developing process. He said he would also like to see a student advisory group on campus that would include representatives from different organizations to give Public Safety feedback on different policies on campus. “Students know what students want,” Herring said. “And students know how we can communicate with them better so you have to have that input.” Herring said relationship building is a constant thing for Public Safety. “That carries forward,” Herring said. “So you have to look at that as a whole, that we have these relationships as a police department.”
New Franklin opens to students Stella Childress
Contributing writer schildress4@murraystate.edu
New Franklin Residential College welcomed students for the first time this fall after more than a year of construction and $28.2 million. The new building includes common areas and TV lounges, a large game room overlooking the lobby, residential rooms similar to Lee Clark Residential College and a common room connected to the lobby that can be divided into two spaces. “The versatility allows students to make the space fit their needs,” said Jessica Dotson, residence director of New Franklin. During the first week of the semester, residents have been active within the college. “I have seen a Super Smash Brothers tournament, board and card game parties, study sessions, late night movies and various meetings take place in our main commons,” Dotson said. In the new expansive kitchens, resident advisers Taylor Miller and Erik Anderson held an event called “Pannycake Party” and made traditional Norwegian pancakes and bacon. Dotson said there were 50 residents in attendance. Three of eight wings are reserved solely for honors students and there is classroom for honors seminars on the first floor, creating a Living Learning Community as a trademark of the residential college. “Having Honors wings creates a true living and learning community, where Honors students actually share a living space with the same students with whom they are sharing classes, research projects and study abroad,” said Warren Edminster, Honors College director. Edminster said the classroom on the first floor has already been used for multiple honors college events. “I really enjoy walking over there to teach my class each morning,” he said. To celebrate the opening of New Franklin, there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony Sept. 8 at 4:30 p.m. in the foyer of New Franklin. “It feels new and full of potential,” Dotson said.
Chalice Keith/The News
New Franklin Residential College opened to students and includes large common rooms and bedrooms similar to Lee Clark Residential College.
Chalice Keith/The News
New Franklin Residential College overlooks Chestnut Street and the Curris Center.
Racers for Christ supplies students with necessities for life on campus Ashley Traylor || Staff writer atraylor@murraystate.edu
Racers for Christ hosted its annual international market Aug. 11 to distribute school supplies and get to know Murray State’s international students. “It pretty much goes back to our theme of Racers for Christ: ‘Loving God, Loving Others’ and sharing the love of Christ to Murray State and that’s one way we do that is by loving on international students,” said Jaycee Cribbs, sophomore from Madisonville, Kentucky. International students are invited to the Racers for Christ center to get free school supplies, bed sheets, hangers, toilet paper, rice cookers and other supplies they might need for the semester. Abhishek Nelson Thatikonda, an international student from Hyderabad, India said he has been involved in the international market for two years. He said it
helps the international students because it can be difficult to buy supplies because of the increased expense compared to the cost of supplies in their country. Thatikonda said he appreciated the convenience of the market as many international students don’t know where to buy supplies or how to find transportation around Murray. The University Church of Christ in Murray collaborates with Racers for Christ to put on the market each year. Church members can give an offering to go toward the campus ministry. Some items were donated by members of the church, Morgan Douglas, junior from Cincinnati, said. Becca Whitman, junior from Louisville, Kentucky, said the international market is beneficial to international students for many reasons other than just receiving free supplies. “It benefits them because this may be their first in-
teraction with an American, so it gets them adapted to us,” Whitman said. “They are like sponges; they want to learn from us and see what we do here in America and American culture.” Murray State Racers for Christ have held the event for at least five years, Cribbs said. International students are allowed to come through the line once, but near the end of the day, they are able to come through the line again and pick up the extra supplies. The students involved in Racers for Christ had the role of supervising the tables and making sure each students got one of each item laid out on the tables, but also they tried to get to know the students, Douglas said. “There were students that came from Ecuador and South Korea, to Australia and Germany,” Whitman said. “It is crazy that they came to Murray.”
4A
August 25, 2016
The News
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A new semester at realization that the pursuit of Murray State undoubtsomething – the potential, the edly promises a few opportunity – does not guaranthings to new freshmen tee the thing itself. and seasoned return John Doe can afford a seers alike: inconvenient mester of opportunity without construction projects, a much strife, but four years of week-long spell of rain, success is a little less feasible. and a new parking tag. What’s particularly odd Oh, and a new catchabout the new branding camphrase to purchase on paign is that “Opportunity T-shirts or spot on billAfforded” in its past-tense boards on highway 68. form is aimed at highlighting If you’re a returning the achievements of graduates. student, you’ve had While showcasing retention enough time to figure rate and the success of recent out how to Take Your grads is not a bad idea, it distracts from the fact that the Place in the Murray State Tradition – a slonew budget cuts affect current gan coined in 2012 – or students, not 2016 graduates explored Kentucky’s who missed the lowering limbo Public Ivy University, bar just before its death drop. Given our current financial the oxymoronic motto of the 2000s. Perhaps the status, this is quite possibly the Selena McPherson/The News entire student body has, worst time to tout our status through some serious as cheap, even if we are more soul-searching and emoaffordable in comparison to tional class discussions, other state colleges. Is the new affirmed once and for all tag an attempt to distract new that We Are, in fact, Rac- The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board. students who have yet to be ers. disillusioned by costs from the It’s time to move oldnew tuition model? Or is this of a new re-branding process Because of the new tuition branded memorabilia simply an old-fashioned case of that will take two years to comand scholarship model, all stuaside, though – there’s a new coincidence and bad timing? plete, it’s probably no coincidents, including current upper It seems that, for the first slogan in town, and it makes dence that the phrase – which classmen, pay extra for taking about as much sense as a horse time in the history of Murray draws attention to the low cost more than 15 credit hours. In State branding, our financial named Dunker: Opportunity of Murray State – comes to us theory, if we follow the “15 to Afforded, occasionally accomstruggles have wriggled their after university-wide budget Finish” plan, this wouldn’t be panied by a trendy #hashtag on way into our outward appearcuts. a problem. But for students in overly-excited Facebook posts. ance. While a flashy sign readintensive programs or for those In the aftermath of Gov. Matt While previous Murray State ing “SALE” in a store window who wish to add an additionalBevin’s cuts, is it as easy to slogans have had clear roots is alluring at first glance, it cermajor or minor, the new tembelieve now as it used to be in the vague and sentimentainly loses its glamour when plate hurts more than it helps. that Murray State is actually tal, #OpportunityAfforded reduced to “EVERYTHING affordable? Washington Monthly Perhaps hopeful freshmen has some of us scratching our MUST GO.” may have ranked us “Best Bang high on the thrill of college heads. Just what, exactly, is Let’s hope what we’re affordfor the Buck” in 2015, but that life should investigate the new the meaning of this new ating this year is truly successdoesn’t mean students aren’t motto as Americans investitention-grabber, and why is it ful and innovative marketing, cracking open their piggy banks gate our favorite phrase, “Life, being unveiled now? rather than a frantic poor man’s to cover newly-implemented Liberty and the Pursuit of Though it’s been in the works cry for help masked in hashtags costs. Happiness” – with the crushing since last September and is part and gold paint.
Opportunity questioned
Making Headway
A vote against Clinton is a vote for Trump Dylan Doyle || Contributing writer ddoyle2@murraystate.edu Let me start by saying I want nothing more than to believe in the Jill Steins and Gary Johnsons of the world. The two-party system is in dire straits – scandals rock the infrastructure of the Democratic Party, and a sharp-tongued demagogue of a nominee has turned the Republican Party on its head. As this presidential election cycle has shown, the two-party system has a nasty tendency to oversimplify the complex issues facing the American people. Donald Trump’s populism and authoritarianism have activated many desperate sects of voters who do not fall cleanly under the GOP umbrella. Hillary Clinton’s greatest challenge so far has been reaching far-left Bernie Sanders supporters without alienating her center-left base. In short, people overwhelmingly refuse to fall into bins neatly labeled Republican Party or Democratic Party. Both parties are struggling to balance the needs of their restless bases with the challenges presented by newer generations. The parties have handled these shifts very differently. Democrats have at least made surface attempts to tackle changing American politics (Clinton cringe-worthy whipping and nae-naeing comes to mind), but many would argue that their playbook is still the same as it was two decades ago. More troubling is the surge of blatant bigotry in the far-right. Much blame will be passed around regardless of how Trump’s campaign turns out, but in the end, all fin-
gers will point to the ruined pedestal of Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, built on the backs of middle-class Americans to make the rich even more rich. Republicans refuse to come to terms with the fact that it was they who spawned the Donald Trumps (and even closer to home, the Matt Bevins) cropping up across the country. The GOP can no longer rely on the white middle class to vote for a platform of policies which benefit only the rich, and “outsider candidates” like Trump and Bevin are simply taking advantage of the disillusionment the GOP base feels towards its leaders. Trump supporters feel betrayed by a GOP which has by and large sought to protect one-percenters at the expense of its larger, poorer base. They are also terrified of an increasingly diverse America, and winking at racism is no longer sufficient. When they say Trump is not afraid to tell it like it is, they mean Trump is not afraid to say what Paul Ryan would only imply. You cannot blow a racial dog whistle for decades and then act surprised when the dogs show up. Not that the Democrats are in a particularly good place moving into the general election, considering the scandals of party officials and a historically weak nominee. We all agree that two parties can never accurately represent the diversity that makes America great. However, 2016 is not the year to dismantle the two-party system. I’m looking at you, #BernieOrBust folks. Systemic change on a national scale does not happen overnight. Our flawed parties will not be addressed in one or two election cycles. The term “grassroots” is thrown around often in political circles, but the war to de-
throne the lords of American politics will be fought in the town halls of the country at a city and state level. Allow me to make something abundantly clear: Donald Trump is not a game we can afford to play. He is a despicable and ignorant nominee. He is unpresidential to the extreme. Most importantly, he represents a very real threat to what truly makes this country great. Jill Stein can not beat Trump. Gary Johnson can not beat Trump. Hillary Clinton can beat Trump. Unfortunately, Clinton is a Democrat, and third-party candidates disproportionately siphon votes from Democrats. Historically, the GOP has exhibited more solidarity. This could change, considering the droves of Republicans readying for four years of damage control should Trump get buried in November, but generally speaking, more Democrats will vote for Stein than Republicans. The answer to this partisan quandary is not to elect Donald Trump. To protect the soul of our country, this toxic candidacy must be rebuked in a landslide. Clinton can make that happen. Perhaps the so-called political revolution of Bernie Sanders will next mutate into a push for more varied political parties in time. But as Sanders himself has realized in recent months, Trumpism is too dangerous to dance around. We cannot afford a repeat of the Ralph Nader mess of 2000. Use your vote. Make it mean something instead of throwing it away on someone who has as much chance of becoming president as Dunker the Murray State mascot. I humbly implore you to vote Clinton in November, if only because she is not Trump.
This column is not the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board.
OUR CONTRIBUTORS
Hallie Beard Opinion Editor
Dylan Doyle Junior from Marion, KY
John Muenzberg Lecturer of humanities and fine arts
Robert Valentine Senior lecturer of advertising
Rachel Wood Junior from Birmingham, AL
The News
Opinion
August 25, 2016
5A
Poll We asked our Twitter followers what their favorite part of Great Beginnings was. Here are the responses of 85 people.
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The Hypnotist
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30
Meeting new Racers
Water balloon fight
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10
Downtown Murray
5% The Fine Print
Who’s running this country? Robert Valentine || Contributing writer rvalentine@murraystate.edu There has been a great deal of discussion about the presidential election this summer. You probably heard some of it. What isn’t riotously funny is pretty sad, but at least it isn’t a rerun. A young friend of mine posed the question: “How are we supposed to decide who’s going to run this country?” It’s a trick question. While it is easy to conclude that the choice is a dark one (however easy it may be for partisans on either side of the question), the answer is easy: no one person can “run the country.” The “country” is, in fact, more than 320 million people with different dreams and different backgrounds. Under the U.S. Constitution, they are entitled to life, liberty and a hope of reasonable happiness – insofar as they choose to reach out and seize it. No one can give it or take it away without due process of law. Yet, someone has to “run” the framework in which these millions of dreams try to co-exist. Happily, it is not someone who is elected by the currently broken process we employ every four years to keep newscasters, bloggers, comedians and columnists employed. The task of the president of the United States is to administer the affairs of the executive branch of the national government. There are limits on presidential power, and the course of our government is set by the
legislature within the bounds adjudicated by the courts. The legislature hasn’t done much since it passed the new system of health care, but the rules haven’t changed. But all those folks who make all that news don’t run the country. Their charge is to manage the government, which is hardly the same thing as “the country.” The country is run by dozens of state and territorial governors, legislatures and judiciaries. Our own state has its own government, located generally in Frankfort, Kentucky, a city bounded on four sides by reality. It’s a lovely town, but the government seated there doesn’t handle the “running of the country.”
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No one in the White House can match your own power to change or improve your life.
”
The country is also run by thousands of city and county executives with their local councils, boards, fiscal courts and judges. These are the people who pave your street, protect the purity of your water supply, secure your electric (and digital) service, provide for health care and public schools and
Cheers to ... Jeff Dunham
decide whether or not you will have retail liquor (we do in Murray) or a by-pass (we don’t). Sharing the work of “running the country” are hundreds of thousands of businesses, manufacturers and service providers who employ most of us and who will one day give you a job. They and their employees pay most of the taxes, provide our food and clothing and a million other products and services that allow us to live in comfort and health. When they choose to produce something or to discontinue it, they are making important decisions that touch our lives. Finally, the country is run by more than 100 million parents and guardians who are charged with the most important task any culture can do: to prepare the next generation for life in this country. These people are unpaid for their work and often unappreciated by the people they serve, but they still do the job as best as they can. What they model and teach will become the values and the behaviors practiced by the next edition of “the country.” Run the country? This year you will make more decisions that profoundly affect your life than all the presidents who ever served. You are in charge of running your life, and the country is composed of more than 320 million lives run by more than 320 individuals. No one in the White House can match your own power to change or improve your life. Good luck running the country. It’s all yours now.
Jeers to ... Construction
Who says nothing happens in small towns? Comedian Jeff Dunham decided to roll through little old Murray and, in the process, sold more than 7,000 tickets to his show Saturday at the CFSB Center. Even Paducah could feel the earthquakes of laughter.
We don’t know what’s going on between Waterfield Library and Old Fine Arts, but it ain’t pretty. It would have been silly to have that construction done in the summer, right? Right. At least 121 is done. Oh...wait...
CHEERS & JEERS Cheers & Jeers is written by The Murray State News’ Opinion Editor. Jeers to ... Ryan Lochte The Olympic swimmer lied about being robbed in Rio de Janeiro when he was actually defacing a gas station with other American swimmers, then blamed his actions on immaturity. The 32-year-old has a lot of growing up to do before 2020, doesn’t he?
Questions, comments or concerns should be addressed to hbeard2@murraystate.edu
Hallie Beard Ah, the Olympics: the drama-filled spectacle of jaw-dropping events that comes around every four years and makes Americans everywhere puff out their chests and don starred and striped sweatbands. Complete with robbery claims (looking at you, Ryan Lochte), flying machines (Simone Biles, scientists will figure out how you work) and a plethora of sexist commentary (too many commentators to list, sadly), Rio’s 2016 Olympics were certainly one for the books. The U.S. racked up 121 gold medals overall with women responsible for 61 of those, and young talent like Katie Ledecky blew us out of the water. In short, Americans had plenty of reasons to be prideful (and a few embarrassing reasons not to be). As many viewers probably did, I liked to supplement my Olympic TV marathons with snack breaks, gymnastic attempts and the occasional scroll through my Twitter feed to catch interesting commentary. While scrolling, I came across a tweet by one of my favorite accounts, “jomny sun” (@jonnysun, an alien-like character who makes beautiful and poignant observations about pop culture on earth, often with intentional misspellings). It read: “ppl still watch the Olympics to prove who has the best country instead of seeing it as a testament that amazing ppl come from everywhere.” Just as I was about to chant “U-S-A, U-S-A!” with a fistful of potato chips in hand, this tweet opened my prideful heart. You might say I checked myself before I wrecked myself. Why is it that we become so obsessed with the dominance of our country in an event such as the Olympics? Yes, I realize the nature of sport is competitive, and the Olympics are traditionally a competition at heart. But, then again – is that what they really are, or were? After some poking around on History. com, I found that the original Olympics – an ancient Greek event – was not so much a fierce competition as a challenging display of human ability to please the gods. The races were, in a way, a religious celebration, a testament of strength and endurance that Zeus could applaud. The Olympics went through several changes and phases of death and revival before becoming what we know today. After the power-hungry Romans conquered Greece and took over the Olympic Games, things got a little unsteady: Emperor Nero – who was kind of terrible in every way, as a leader and person – decided chariot racing would be an event, and that he would be the winner, despite the fact that he fell out of his chariot. Isn’t it strange that, as soon as someone became inflated with hubris and the idea of winning, the games lost their magic for a couple thousand years? While our idea of the Olympics is generally positive now, I can’t help but think how much more glorious they’d be if we decided to look at it as a celebration rather than a competition. Would we even care about Simone Biles, Michael Phelps or Simone Manuel if they weren’t on our team? I love seeing that red, white and blue at No. 1 as much as the next guy, but I also wouldn’t mind seeing more coverage of incredible human talent. Maybe it would take another few hundred years to change significantly, but imagine a version of the games that is solely focused on exhibiting and commemorating the sheer brilliance of the human race in all our forms and skills. A national Cirque du Soleil broadcast for the world to see – maybe with a few gold medals thrown in. Time will tell if my bloated American pride fades, but maybe in 2020 I’ll feel joyous touting more flags than one.
hbeard2@murraystate.edu
Cheers to ... Murray talent Kevin Ray Brost, a Murray State senior, is quickly rising to musical stardom. His single “Stay,” released last week, now with recent music video. Looks like this Racer is off to an exciting senior year. Way to go, Kevin!
Comic
Some Things Considered Games of the gods
Waiting By Selena McPherson
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The News
News
6A
August 25, 2016
University receives grant from National Science Foundation Ashley Traylor Staff writer atraylor@murraystate.edu
Photo Courtesy of Murray State PR
Murray State students send off a water quality monitoring buoy on Kentucky Lake.
Murray State’s Hancock Biological Station received a $3.8 million four-year grant from the National Science Foundation to study harmful algal blooms. Lead principal investigator David White said there have been problems with bluegreen algae, which can be toxic, in Lake Okeechobee in Florida, and there was a toxic bloom 500 miles long in the Ohio River last summer. He said the blooms are occurring more around the United States and the world. “Our idea was to look at these blooms and see if we can find some way of predicting when they are going to happen,” White said. “Right now all we do is react to them when they happen – that’s the promise of the grant.” The blooms occur from runoff from agricultural fields that contains a lot of phosphorus. Warm temperatures and phosphorus combine and create big blooms that contaminate the water, making it unhealthy to
drink, White said. Data streams can be merged with system-based models so researchers can understand what leads to toxic algae blooms. White said the sensors in the environment give data in real time so data is monitored on the computer to check water conditions and chemical conditions and to detect when these conditions happen. The grant is called, “Sensing and Educating the Nexus to Sustain Ecosystems (SENSE): A Kentucky-West Virginia Partnership.” Murray State is teaming up with scientists from University of Kentucky and Marshall University to complete projects funded by the grant. The grant includes a large educational component. Undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty from Murray State, University of Kentucky and Marshall University will play a role in the grant. Students will gain experience with ongoing, hands-on research because they will be involved in almost everything, White said. The first meeting for the stu-
dents and faculty involved with the grant will be in September. White said his goal for the grant is to train the next generation of scientists. “These awards represent a tremendous value for the scientific community, as they foster research into some of the most pressing issues facing U.S. society while simultaneously supporting collaborative research programs and workforce development,” said Denise Barnes, head of the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. White said he hopes the findings from the grant can be used by government agencies and local communities to predict toxic algal blooms but said that will be the tough part. “All we can do is give them the science,” White said. “Politics will then predict how these things will be used. We can provide the science to people, we can provide how we understand, how we can look at them, how we can monitor them, but it’s going to be up to the world of the people to do something. As a university, all we can do is educate and train.”
Shemberger elected to Phi Kappa Phi board of directors
Matthew Parks
Contributing writer
mparks6@murraystate.edu
Melony Shemberger, assistant professor of journalism and mass communications, was recently elected to the national board of directors for Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Shemberger is the first Murray State Phi Kappa Phi member to serve in a national position and will serve until the next biennial convention. She said the election process was intense, as might be expected for such a large organization. “It was nerve-wracking,”
said Shemberger. “We each had to give a three-minute speech… and everybody’s speech was Shemberger awesome.” The election took place at Phi Kappa Phi’s biennial convention held in Atlanta during the summer. Shemberger was one of eight candidates who vied for five open seats on the board of directors. One hundred and sixty-eight delegates from chapters across the country
participated in the voting. Shemberger said she plans to put extra focus on member retention and participation and hopes to further the goals set by the national board of directors, such as: 1. Increased name recognition, presence and voice in the national conversation on higher education. 2. Improved member recruitment and retention. 3. Ensure that all chapters are healthy chapters. Shemberger will also have a hand in setting national policies and creating a cohesive set of goals for Phi Kappa Phi
across the country. According to Shemberger’s candidacy essay, she plans to target key audiences at college campuses around the country, showing them that Phi Kappa Phi offers meaningful and lasting opportunities both during and after college. She said she hopes to end growing student apathy toward honors societies. “Some students don’t care about honors societies anymore,” Shemberger said. “And that is a big mistake.” Shemberger emphasizes that Phi Kappa Phi, or any credible honors society, is not just a line to add on a resumé.
She said she urges anyone who is eligible to join honors societies. Phi Kappa Phi has more than 300 chapters on college campuses, according to the society’s mission website. Murray State is the 302nd chapter, and has inducted over 600 new members since the chapter’s founding in 2007. Shemberger serves as the vice president of the Murray State chapter where she handles the day-to-day operations and duties of the chapter. The society’s motto is “Let the love of learning rule humanity,” and Shemberger said
she believes that value is one that can increase a person’s knowledge, success and overall well-being in life. The society also attempts to show their values through service in the community. The Murray State chapter typically completes at least two major service projects per year, such as a spring book drive and collecting canned good donations for the needy in the community. “With Phi Kappa Phi, it really is all about the love of learning; that’s really what we try to emphasize in everything that we do,” Shemberger said.
Bevin appoints two new Board of Regents members
Stella Childress
Contributing writer schildress4@murraystate.edu Matt Bevin, governor of
Kentucky, appointed Walter Bumphus and Lisa Rudolph to the Murray State Board of Regents. They will be officially appointed on Sept. 9 and will serve until June 2022, a total of six terms.
“As with all members of our Board of Regents, Lisa and Walter have clearly demonstrated their commitment to Murray State University, and specifically our students,” said Bob Davies, Murray State president. “Each of them have dedicated their lives to ensuring students have access to higher education.” Lisa Rudolph is an alumna of
Murray State and is co-owner of a wholesale tire distributing company called Rudolph’s, Inc. and a trucking company in Murray called Rudolph Freight. Rudolph and her husband founded the Four Rivers Foundation, providing scholarships to students in the Fulton Independent, Fulton County, Hickman County and Carlisle County school districts.
Rudolph was appointed to fill the expired term of Harry Lee Waterfield, II. Walter G. Bumphus, also a Murray State alumnus, earned an honorary doctorate in higher education administration. He serves as the president of American Association of Community Colleges. “Remember the gamechanging aspects of this
education,” Bumphus said during the speech he gave during May commencement. He also emphasized the opportunities that can come with a higher education and opportunities that graduates can create for themselves. “Both regents Rudolph and Bumphus are graduates from Murray State, and I am sure they both have a great
love for MSU,” said Clint Combs, Student Government Association president and student regent. “I look forward to the year to come, as we continue to advance our goals of being the best student-centered university in the nation,” Combs said. The Board of Regents will meet on Sept. 9 for a summer quarterly meeting.
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August 25, 2016
Section B
The News
Sports Editor: Mark McFarland Assistant Sports Editor: Sarah Combs Phone: 270-809-4481 Twitter: MSUSportsNews
Sports
Mark McFarland/The News
Quarterbacks senior KD Humphries and redshirt freshman Brendan Bognar work on throwing short fades in summer practice. Humphries said the senior class may be small, but it is a good group of guys ready to lead their team into action Sept. 3 when they play the University of Illinois.
Senior class looks to lead youth Mark McFarland Sports Editor mmcfarland1@murraystate.edu
Mark McFarland/The News
Players gear up for the season during summer camp. The Racers look to better their 3-8 record from last season.
Soccer hungers for more success WHAT’S
INSIDE
Mark McFarland Sports Editor
mmcfarland1@murraystate.edu
After a season for the record books, the Racers begin their 2016 season 0-1 after a 4-2 loss to Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent the University of Alabama. With an undefeated conference season last year, Head Coach Jeremy Groves and his team know they have a target on their backs, but he thinks the girls are prepared for that kind of pressure. “I have certain standards and that’s something I told the girls,” Groves said. “I think after our first exhibition game, I think I had higher ex-
pectations than maybe we are at right now.” The Racers are led by junior forward, Harriet Withers from Murwillumbah, Australia, and senior forward Taylor Richerson from Murray. Withers was the top goalscorer for Murray State last year and drew plenty of attention to herself as a threat in the OVC. Richerson plays up top with Withers and the two work very well together, Groves said. During the Alabama game Sunday, Withers scored both goals for the Racers with an assist from junior midfielder Aaron Lankster and rebounded a Lankster shot that was saved. Both Withers
With a 3-8 finish last season, the Murray State football team will begin tracking a path of retribution Sept. 3, and the University of Illinois is in their path. The Racers made multiple changes in the offseason, introducing 30 new players throughout the recruiting process. Senior defensive Toby Omli from Brookville, Kansas, said being a junior college transfer last year will help him be a better leader for the new junior college transfers coming in this year. “I try to really connect to those guys early on,” Omli said. “You know, when you get to Murray for the first time it’s a great atmosphere, but at the same time, you don’t really know anybody. So I try to be an early con-
tact for those guys.” Omli also said Head Coach Mitch Stewart and the rest of the coaching staff do a great job of helping the new guys settle in and feel welcome. Stewart is in his second year as the head coach for Murray State and said he has learned some valuable lessons from his first season. “You have to find time to workout because you gain a lot of weight being a head coach,” Stewart said. “You better find some time to create and hold onto your sanity because there are a lot of different things pulling at you at one time.” After a large chunk of wide receivers graduated from last year’s roster, senior quarterback KD Humphries from Montgomery, Alabama, will be shooting for different targets than he was last season. “Coach says never pass up
an open receiver. Throw it to the guy with my color jersey on; that’s where we are going to start,” Humphries said. With the wide variety of new faces, the team still remains a close-knit group and consists of the senior leadership on the team, led by Omli and Humphries. With a small group of seniors, Humphries and Omli both said they feel the leadership is stronger than ever. “I feel like we have some great leaders on this football team, that’s going to make a heck of a lot of difference,” Humphries said. “You know guys that are going to hold each other accountable and hold other players accountable.” Humphries said when he went to the Peyton Manning passing camp he really wanted to focus on being a
see FOOTBALL, 2B
and Lankster look to lead the team, as they are fully aware the teams in the OVC are gunning for them. “We’ve kind of made ourselves this team that’s, you know, we won every game in our conference last year, so teams will obviously want to beat us,” Lankster said. “One of the hardest parts is, it’s one thing to hear that, it’s another thing to realize and recognize that that’s a serious threat and that’s something we really have to work to kind of uphold our standing in the conference.” Withers said the whole team knows what is at stake, Jenny Rohl/The News
see SOCCER, 2B
RACER BAND
FALL SEASON
POKEMON GO
LOVE MELON
Racer band prepares for upcoming season, 3B
Softball’s fall season begins Sept. 18, 4B
Students jump the bandwagon on playing viral app, 5B
Student organization aids in battle against cancer, 5B
The News
Sports
2B
August 25, 2016
OVC Tournament loss fuels Racers Sarah Combs ||Assistant Sports Editor scombs8@murraystate.edu
Chalice Keith/The News
Junior middle blocker Olivia Chatman and the rest of Murray State volleyball will try to avenge a loss in the OVC championship last season.
The women’s volleyball team is preparing for another successful season, but gearing up with a different lineup for the first time in two years. Head Coach David Schwepker and Assistant Coach Becca Lamb are preparing for the 2016 season with a different approach from. The back-to-back regular season OVC Champions had an early start last year, returning all of their players and gaining a head start on the rest of the conference. This year the Racers lost four seniors and are welcoming four freshmen. The team’s nonconference tournament schedule will give the team time to establish their dynamic but less time to assert dominance. “It’s a huge adjustment,” Schwepker said. “Last year was the first year in my history of coaching that we didn’t lose anyone from the year before. And we won the year before so you get the entire team back.” Schwepker said the dynamics of the team at the beginning of this season is different than the dynamics of last year’s team. “Last year, we were ready at the beginning. When other teams were trying to figure their stuff out we were playing and winning. This year, we will be one of those teams trying to figure it out,” Schwepker said. “We are still going to be good. That’s what we have these preseason tournaments for, so we can be successful in the OVC.” The Racers will compete in the Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne Invitational, The Oregon Classic, Butler Classic and the Billiken Invitational. All of their non-conference games will be on the road so their first home game in the Racer Arena will also be their OVC season opener. The Racers decided to not host a tournament due to potential costs of doing so. Schwepker said he isn’t concerned about not playing at home early in the season and is confident in his team. “I think they will be ready,” he said. “We do this every year. We are very, very late all the time. They are just excited when they finally get to play at home, so I think they are really pumped up.” Schwepker doesn’t set a limit on his team’s winning mentality. Instead, he expects them to compete with the mindset only to win, not to win a certain match.
“The expectation is to win,” he said. “We don’t set expectations to win the conference. If that’s the goal, then where does the goal stop? Every match we play we are supposed to win.” Schwepker said the mix of the new and returning players should make for a good team. “I think there will be a lot of hesitancies,” he said. “Losing those (seniors) people will cause the younger girls to be hesitant. Losing the way we did to Belmont in the end; for the girls that are returning, are fired up. They will remember that situation from last year.” The leadership will change for the Racers after losing setter Sam Bedard. Schwepker said he expects new leadership from senior outside hitter Scottie Ingram. The Racers face losing several key positions; starting setter, starting middle, starting outside and the seventh man off the bench who played the outside. Only one player reaches above six feet for the Racers, but that hasn’t changed much from previous years. “The type of players are still the same type, as in we are still a small team,” he said. “We are athletic, high-jumping and hard-hitting players.” Ingram, from Solsberry, Indiana, plans to lead the younger team through the tournaments and develop as a team in order to advance further than last year. “We are leading by example,” Ingram said. “Maybe they will follow in our footsteps and realize that this is our last year and that we want them to play for us, we want to play for them and want everybody to play for each other.” Freshman outside hitter Rachel Giustino from Algonquin, Illinois, is part of the Junior Volleyball Association’s All-National Team and was named one of the top 20 club volleyball players in the country. Giustino is one of four freshmen who will wear a Racer jersey and compete for a third straight OVC Title. “We lost some key positions, but we’re filling them fairly good right now,” Ingram said. “We will see in the real game how we can fill those positions. Hopefully we can come out and show them that we deserve to be in the top spot and we’re gonna fight and push and show everyone that we’re gonna come back for more than we got last year.” The Racers are preparing for their first OVC matchup with UT Martin at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at Racer Arena.
Freshman talent leads Women’s golf team gear up for season men’s golf FOOTBALL
From Page 1B
better listener so he could better lead the team. Humphries added he had a great experience and learned not only a lot about football, but
Sarah Combs
Assistant Sports Editor scombs8@murraystate.edu
The women’s golf team prepares for the upcoming season opener in the Drake Creek Invitational on Sept. 12-13 in Ledbetter, Kentucky. The first tournament will introduce four new freshmen
about himself as a player and a leader. The Racers return a spark at the wide receiver position, senior Jesse Blackburn. Blackburn was named to the preseason All-OVC team this offseason and Humphries could only say one word about his presence on
the field, “Playmaker.” The Racers will play five home games during their 11game schedule. They will host conference games against Missouri State, Southeast Missouri State, UT Martin, Tennessee State and Jacksonville State. The SEMO game will be played on ESPN3 as it is part of
the partnership between ESPN and the OVC. Murray State’s opener is Sept. 3 at Illinois. The team will come home the following week for a 6 p.m. game Sept. 10 at Roy Stewart Stadium. The Racers will face Missouri Valley Conference opponent Missouri State.
and a sophomore transfer to the Racer roster. Head Coach Velvet Milkman expects immediate results from the newcomers. With a high-talent level, the team should avoid minor hiccups and be able to jump right into their stroke, she said. “I expect them to come and contribute,” Milkman said. “I
think they have a lot of talent, and I’m very excited about them. I know they will have their learning curves and my expectations for them is to come and contribute immediately.” With many new faces, it’ll be more important for players to step up and show Milkman they deserve time on the course. Playing alongside current OVC Champion Moa Folke also provides inspiration for the team. “I think it will motivate everyone,” Milkman said. “You don’t have to motivate Moa – she motivates herself. Winning certainly is motivating for the team, and the for the new players, it is fantastic because that is the level of this program, that is the expectation and to have that on your team and for the new players to watch that every day and to see what it takes to be that talented and that good is exciting.” The new players on the team are: • Linette Holmslykke, sophomore transfer from Vejle, Denmark, transfer from the University of West Alabama. • Charli Jo Doss, freshman from Paducah, Kentucky. • Lucila Puente, freshman from Sevilla, Spain. • Earlena Sheets, freshman from Mayfield, Kentucky. • Raeysha Surendran, freshman from Selangor, Malaysia. Milkman said she looks forward to the new talent and plans to use the team’s talent
level and interchangeability to her advantage. “They are the future. I think they are young and they are just gonna go out and play, I think, to our advantage,” Milkman said. “I think they will give us some help throughout the lineup that we need. We had the championship last year, but our team didn’t do what we needed. I’m gonna use them to our advantage to make up deeper throughout our lineup.” Folke, junior from Tranas, Sweden, remembers her debut as a Racer, when she signed with Murray State as an international student. Folke said she had to adjust her way through her first semester, which helps her relate to the incoming international students. “You’re kind of lost and you really don’t know what to do and things are so different,” Folke said. “We are trying to guide them in the right direction, of course.” With the confidence, inspiration and high bar that Folke has set for the team, she still sees importance in home team, homegrown competition. Folke sees that the new faces will breed that competition and ultimately make their team’s performance better for it. “The new girls are bringing a lot of competition and I really think we need that. I think everyone will step up,” Folke said. “It doesn’t really matter who plays in the top five this year. No matter what we will have a really good top five.”
halftime about not letting up any early chances in the second half, but the Crimson Tide scored in the first two minutes of the half on their way to score four unanswered goals to beat the Racers. Murray State will play its first home game at 4 p.m. Friday at Cutchin Field. They will take on the University of Ten-
nessee – Chattanooga. UTC is 1-1 with a 1-0 loss against Kennesaw State and an 8-0 win over Alabama A&M. “I hate losing,” Groves said. “I know last year is going to be hard to replicate, going 10-0 in the conference, but I want to win every game and I want to beat these SEC schools because I know we can do it.”
McKenna Dosier/The News
Moa Folke, junior from Tranas, Sweden, looks to lead the women’s golf team in 2016-17 season.
SOCCER
From Page 1B
but they are excited to be the team everyone in the conference wants to beat. The Racers will face two
more SEC opponents this non-conference season, as they will travel to Vanderbilt and
the University of Kentucky. Groves said even though the team lost Sunday, he feels more confident that they can hang with bigger SEC schools. “We were very good in the first half,” Groves said. “We were compact, we defended exactly like we drew it up during the week. We frustrated them.” Groves said they talked at
Collin Morris
Contributing writer cmorris29@murraystate.edu
The Murray State golf team kicked off their fall play on Friday, Aug. 21 with their qualifying tournament to determine their representatives for the upcoming invitational tournament. Head Coach Eddie Hunt begins the season with a noticeably youthful s q u a d (headlining only three upperclassmen in a roster of ten), but remains optimisHunt tic regarding the structure of his team. “I think I brought in a really strong freshman class,” Coach Hunt said, “They’ve all had great high school careers and I think they all have potential to compete for Freshman of the Year or the All-Newcomer Team.” The lack of experience will certainly leave room for prospects to move into production roles more quickly, and Coach Hunt already has some players identified. “Matt [Zakutney] is the only player we have returning that played in the OVC Tournament last year,” Hunt said, “And typically you want experience, but we have Gabe Wheeler, who was on the All-Newcomer Team last year, freshman Avery Edwards, who finished fourth in the State-Am last year and Austin Knight, who set a course record at his home course in Hopkinsville with a 60. I’m really looking for those three to
step up.” But the veteran coach has no guarantees for his players. “With a young team the fall season will be trying to figure out who’s going to be in the lineup and who’s going to be in the top five,” he said. “There will be some up, and downs and maybe even a different lineup for every tournament, but we’ll have a set lineup going into the spring and there’ll be six or seven players in the hunt to join that lineup.” However, this season is not only about the up-andcomers; Coach Hunt also had high praises for his lone senior Matthew Zakutney, from Paducah, Kentucky. “I expect great things out of Matt this season,” Hunt said. “He’s got a lot of experience, a great work ethic and I think he’ll be a great leader of this young team. “I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends here and I’ve really enjoyed going to school here and playing golf here,” Zakutney said. Zakutney worked hard to earn himself a major role on the Racer golf team each of his four years and even played in the OVC Tournament his freshman year, but he has not stopped setting goals for himself and his team. “I definitely want us to win the OVC. The team level is my top priority. I’d love to win an individual title but winning the OVC, getting the NCAA tournament and trying to win all of the tournaments would mean more to me,” Zakutney said. Hunt, Zakutney and the rest of the Racer golf team begin their fall season on Monday, Sept. 12 at Frances E. Miller Memorial Golf Course for the two-day MSU.
The News
Sports
August 25, 2016
3B Marky Mark Talks Back
That Time of Year
Chalice Keith/The News
The Murray State Racer Band celebrates a home game.
Racer Band attracts student ears
Bryan Edwards
Contributing writer
bedwards16@murraystate.edu
Murray State Racers won’t be the only ones making their way to Roy Stewart Stadium this season, as Coach Mitch Stewart prepares his team for the upcoming season. The field will be shared, as it is another year for the Racer Band to make their mark with the usual pregame and halftime entertainment. The 2016 edition of the Racer Band is standing at 210 members this season, said John Fannin, the director of the Racer Band. Fannin, in his 22nd year directing the Racer Band, has had this season in preparation since December 2015. Fannin “There are little things that are planned throughout the year,” Fannin
said. “But the major planning begins in December after the season.” Fannin does this so the Racer Band can be ready to tackle the next year when August comes. Fannin hopes to get a jump start on the upcoming season and to be full force by the time games begin. The Racer Band will be doing two different marching shows this season, collecting pop hits from Queen and Imogen Heap to satisfy the die-hard classic rock fans, as well as music performed by Ariana Grande and Justin Timberlake. Fannin refers to the process for picking music for the upcoming year as “The Post.” Students who will be participating in the upcoming season, as well as some who will be in the stands to listen, will post different choices of music that they believe fans will want to hear. Fannin is not alone, however. Along with band director Dennis Johnson and Todd Hill, director of jazz studies, Fannin has developed a leadership team. The team, which is composed of
Murray State students, will help him run the 210-member group. The positions vary from Racer Band president, to the band’s secretary, all the way to the Band Ambassadors of the Residential College (BARCs). Fannin said the students do everything, and are really taking control. Lucas Morgan, Racer Band president and Murray State sophomore, said the leadership team is very important and he couldn’t do it without them. Roy Stewart Stadium will not be the only place that the Racer Band will be performing. They plan to visit surrounding high schools to recruit for the organization. The Racer Band will be traveling to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, for the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) Hopkinsville Super Regional Marching Band Competition on Oct. 22, as well as another trip to a location to be announced on Oct. 1. Murray State will also be hosting the annual Festival of Champions on Sept. 17, at Roy Stewart Stadium. A busy schedule as always for
Racer Band Preview 2016
First Half
Second Half
2001
Focus Ariana Grande
Bohemian Rhapsody One More Time Chuck Corea
Can’t Stop The Feeling Justin Timberlake
Imogen Heap Fannin and the Racer Band will be tough, but senior Zach Samuelson said the band is very capable and prepared to tackle the test. “This year, the entire band has done a great job learning and retaining the information that Mr. Fannin and the leaders are giving them,” Samuelson said. “We’re
moving very quickly for how early it is in the season.” The Racer Band begins their season at 6 p.m. Sept. 10, when the Racers play Missouri State at Roy Stewart Stadium. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to watch the pregame show and stay for the halftime show as Racer Band takes the field.
One of the greatest times of the year is here. Time for people to start wearing their favorite jeans a n d windMark McFarland b r e a k Sports Editor ers, time for bonfires and cookouts. But for the people in this world who are diehard sports fans, they are really excited for only one thing: college football. Many football fans have always loved to watch their favorite college football team go to battle on Saturdays. They love to go to the games and tailgate just to see if their team has what it takes to win a national championship. The first week of the season is much anticipated as fans from around the country are looking at preseason polls and looking at the latest Heisman Trophy buzz to see who has a chance. It doesn’t matter whether it is NAIA or NCAA Division I, Saturdays are about to be filled with excitement and heartbreak. It is a time where people will get their hopes up as their team is finally showing the country they deserve respect and then lose to some “cupcake” school no one has heard of. It happens every year, take Michigan and Appalachian State in 2007. Michigan was ranked No. 5 in the country as Appalachian State was a pay to play game (meaning they got paid to go play Michigan). The Mountaineers ended up shocking the world beating the Wolverines 34-32, in what some would say is the greatest college football upset in history. And then there was the recent development into the college football playoff for the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). It is a four-team playoff where the top four teams in the country will compete in a bowl game and the winner of both those games face off for the ultimate prize of becoming national champions. It adds to the drama. By doing away with the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), the NCAA has made the game even more interesting. It is not up to computers to decide who will be one of the top four teams, but to a committee who takes every little thing a team did during the year into consideration. Usually the teams consist of teams in the power five conferences. This year will be one for the books as fans from around the country will be geared up Aug. 26Sept. 3 to see if they will be fighting back tears of joy or tears of complete disappointment. It is time to get strapped in and enjoy a season of a lifetime.
Summer IN Review Murray State Athletics
Men’s Golf
• Avery Edwards - Freshman from Paducah, Kentucky, competed and qualified for the finals of the Kentucky Amateur this summer. He finished in fourth place with a final score of 207.
• Gabe Wheeler - Sophomore from Sikeston, Missouri, competed in the Missouri Amateur at Jefferson City Country Club in Jefferson City, Missouri. Finished 28th, qualified for the match play segment of the tournament in which the top 64 players play.
• Matthew Winder - Redshirt freshman from Paducah, Kentucky. Runner up at the Ballard Invitational. Carded 143 through 36 holes.
Baseball
• Aaron Bence, Austin Dubsky, Chad Gendron, David Sims, Justin Perkins and Ryan Perkins - competed in their respective AllStar games. • 17 players represented Murray State baseball playing in different leagues this summer. Four Racers played in the Coastal Plains League, two played in the St. Louis Metro Collegiate League, two played in the Ohio Valley League and two played in the Northwoods League. Others played in the Prospect League, Livonia Collegiate League, Cape Cod League, Virginia Valley League, New York Collegiate Baseball League, New England CBL and Chicago Suburban League
Women’s Golf • Moa Folke - Junior from Tranas, Sweden, finished with a 222 through 54 holes for a one-shot victory over a field of 24 other competitors. The event was just south of Stockholm at the Wermdo Golf and Country Club.
• Raeysha Surendran - Freshman from Selangor, Malaysia. Finished first in the Mercedes Benz Junior Asian Masters. Played a Burapha Golf Course in Pattaya, Thailand. Shot a 224 for a 54-hole total and a championship.
Upcoming Events Friday, August 26
Women’s Soccer VS Chattanooga 4 p.m. Cutchin Field
Women’s Volleyball @ Fort Wayne 6 p.m. Fort Wayne, Indiana
Saturday, August 27 Women’s Volleyball VS Ball State
9 a.m. Fort Wayne, Indiana Women’s Volleyball VS Youngstown State 3 p.m. Fort Wayne, Indiana
The News
Sports
4B
August 25, 2016
Softball puzzles together lineup for exhibition games Collin Morris
Contributing writer cmorris21@murraystate.edu
The Murray State Racers softball team is touting a roster pervaded by three effective attributes entering their fall season: team chemistry, a thirst for retribution and an abnormally large senior class. After finishing last season with a disappointing 24-31 record (including a sub .500 conference record), Head Coach Kara Amundson has her sights set on success. Backed by the first seven players she ever recruited, Amundson said the team is looking forward to the season, especially conference play. “Last year was a tough year for us in terms of our record and our production,” Amundson said. “I think we were a much better team than we showed last year and we’ll be working to prove to ourselves that we belong in the top of this conference as opposed to where we were in conference last year.” The winningest coach in Murray State softball history puts faith in her seniors to lead
the team towards accomplishing that goal. “They’ve already done a great job of reaching everybody on the team,” Amundson said. “They’re all leaders in their own right, and I think they have a good vision of what they want as a senior class. They’re going to pull the reins pretty well.” The Racer softball team will start their year with a series of eight fall league exhibition games beginning on Sept. 18 against the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. While these games won’t affect the team’s official record, Amundson believes the games will be critical in shaping the team’s identity for the regular season. “What spring sports are looking for in their fall segments is to say, ‘this is what we envision our lineup to be but let’s put these puzzle pieces together, move players around and see where they thrive,’” Amundson said. Unsurprisingly, Amundson is not the only Racer feeling enthusiastic about the team and their chances to find revitalization. Senior Cayla Levins said,
“Last year didn’t really go as we planned, so this year we’re really focused on getting better, making the OVC Tournament and winning it.” Levins also addressed the increased role of herself and her fellow seniors, calling it an opportunity for the seven of them to, “really step it up and take the team with us.” Additionally, Levins identified Jacksonville State as the game she’s most looking forward to revisiting. “Jacksonville State obviously had a great season last season, going undefeated in the OVC, but I know last year we could’ve beat them,” Levins said, “I’m definitely looking forward to playing them again and beating them this year.” Beyond her overall goals for the team, Levins has also spent time reflecting on her career as a softball player and a Murray State Racer, as well as herself as a person. When asked about her favorite memory during her time here, the four-year starter reminisced about her impressive grand slam last season in their win against Southeast Missouri State. The Florida
McKenna Dosier/The News
Head Coach Kara Amunds discusses game plans with her team. native has also established a self-imposed high expectation since choosing her role model at a young age. “In middle school, I really looked up to Tim Tebow,” she said. “As an athlete, he has been
a really inspirational man when it comes to speaking his mind and being public about his faith. I really like that.” Racer fans can look forward to seeing these players and coaches continue to embraces
their expressed goals in a little over a month. The softball team hosts their first two of six home exhibition games at 1 p.m. on Sept. 25 at Racer Field in a doubleheader against Union University.
Cross-Country camaraderie, sights set on victory Tierra Reese
Contributing writer treese1@murraystate.edu
The Murray State cross-country team welcomes 13 new faces to the 2016-17 roster heading into its season opener, Sept. 3, at Belmont. The new roster consists of ten freshmen for the women’s team and three for the men’s. Graduate student Ali Hester, from Yorkville, Illinois, considers herself one of the leaders on this year’s team. Hester mentions goals for herself and for her team during her final season at Murray State. “We have a huge chance of winning conference this year, but we all have to be on the
same page and really stay dedicated throughout the entire season together,” Hester said. “That’s what I want since this is my last season running. To win conference as a team would be absolutely amazing.” Hester desires for this year’s team to bond more than before, as she believes this is the strongest team she has seen so early in the season. Hester wants to play her part as a positive leader to help herself and her teammates stay motivated and to remember what they want to achieve this year. “We’re growing as a team, our size has grown. So, just having the support from your own teammates too is really important,” Hester said. “Outside of practice, doing things
as a team, whether it’s pasta dinners or whatever, I think that would bring us closer as a team.” Head Coach Jenny Swieton is excited about the new talent and plans to rely heavily on the chunk of juniors on the team in order to distribute the weight evenly while the freshmen players become accustomed to the collegiate level. “Sometimes, it is really hard for a senior to help with the freshmen because they know they’ll be gone next year, where at least with a junior, they’ll be here two years with all of the freshmen so we’ll look for the juniors to really lead the freshmen,” Swieton said. Gavin Galanes, junior,
from Saint Charles, Missouri, praises Swieton for looking out for him during his athletic career at Murray State. “She definitely knows how I think best and she probably knows my training style better than any of my teammates, so she really tries to personalize my training,” Galanes said. “She helps me a lot with my racing mentality and she helps me stay positive and calm when I’m feeling really stressed about running and school.” Galanes sat out last year with injuries but is back to compete this year as a leader for the men’s team with goals in mind for himself and the team. “Personally, I was injured
last year so I’m definitely looking to improve a lot this year time-wise and place-wise and meets, especially OVC,” Galanes said. “We took a huge step last year, we got sixth at conference, which was big for the program and we just want to keep that trend going and keep improving.” Galanes set his personal best time for the 5K, 8K and 10K meets and said he wishes to bypass those times this season. “I ran mid 25s last year for my 8K and I really just want to improve from last year. Ultimately, in my college career I want to run under 25 for the 8K,” Galanes said. “If I don’t obtain that this year, hopefully I will next year.”
Vallery Korir, junior from Iten, Kenya, also had to sit out a year for the 2015-2016 season but Swieton said she is one of the strongest runners on the women’s team. Teammate Hester said she is excited that Korir is back to compete this season. “It’s a lot better this season with her added,” Hester said. “She’s been working very hard at practices. She is going to be a big piece to our puzzle and hopefully she will know that she is important to our team by the time that conference comes because we’ll need her.” Swieton, along with the rest of the team, said they are excited to see what this season has in store for them.
Christian Faculty Network (CFN) is sponsoring a free speaker event titled, “Evidence for God’s Existence,” on Monday, August 29 at 7 pm in the Curris Center Ballroom. The speaker is Dr. Rice Broocks, internationally celebrated author of “God’s not Dead” (inspired the movie) and “Man Myth Messiah.” Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12. God is reaching out to men and women through His son Jesus Christ. To find out more about God’s relevance in your life we encourage you to check our website: Murraystate.edu/CFN.
CHRISTIAN FACULTY NETWORK We are a group of professors, lecturers, and administrators united by our common experience that Jesus Christ provides intellectually and spiritually satisfying answers to life’s most important questions. We are available to students, faculty, and staff who might like to discuss such questions with us. For more information about the Christian Faculty Network, please visit our website: Murraystate.edu/CFN. Nancy Armstrong Nursing Caroline Atkins Training Resource Center Narine Badasyan Economics & Finance Becky Ballard Hutson School of Agriculture Debbie Bell English & Philosophy Teresa Betts Management, Marketing & Business Admin. James Duane Bolin History Tony Brannon Hutson School of Agriculture Todd Broker Economics & Finance James Clinger Political Science & Sociology
Tom Denton Finance & Admin. Services – Emeritus Scott Douglas Human Development & Leadership Dwayne Driskill Hutson School of Agriculture Steve Dublin Management, Marketing & Business Admin. Jessica Dunn Economics & Finance David Durr Economics & Finance David Eaton Economics & Finance Warren Edminster Honors Program Scott Erickson Music Robin Esau Community Leadership & Human Services
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Jeanetta Riley Early Childhood & Elementary Ed.
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Becky Lile Organizational Com. Stefan Linnhoff Management, Marketing & Business Admin. Gilbert Mathis Economics & Finance Emeritus
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Note: This ad presents the personal convictions of the individuals listed; the ad does not represent or support any view or position of Murray State University or any academic department. The ad does represent and acknowledge the diversity of academic contributions to Murray State University by men and women of various race, ethnic group, and cultural background who share the Christian faith.
August 25, 2016
5B
The News
Features Editor: Gisselle Hernandez Assistant Features Editor: Brianna Willis Phone: 270-809-5871 Twitter: MSUNewsFeatures
Features
Murray State catches latest Pokémon Go wave
Da’Sha Tuck Staff writer
dtuck@murraystate.edu
When a new semester begins, students are pulled in several directions, but this year, one thing brought them together: Pokémon Go. During the summer, Pokémon Go was released and those who were fond of the game in the ’90s began to explore the new version of their beloved pastime. This release also drew in nontraditional players. The game can be downloaded on Apple or Android devices. While playing the game, a player has to physically walk around to navigate their avatar on the game. The player’s device will vibrate when a Pokémon is nearby. If the Pokémon is 20 feet in front of the avatar, then the player must travel those 20 feet to catch the Pokémon. Last Friday, two students organized a Pokémon Go meetup last Friday at the Biology Building. Brandy Baker, senior from Murray, and Megan Durbin, sophomore from Murray, decided that the first weekend after classes began would be a great time to start, what they hope to be the first of many, Pokémon Go meetups on campus. Pokéstops, hubs where players can get supplies they need to play, are essential to the game. Some of the known stops on campus are located at the Biology Building, Heritage Hall, Wellness Center and more (see map on 6B.) People who had never heard of Pokémon or were never interested in the once card game are now intrigued. “I didn’t realize it would become this big of a thing,” said Sara Saunders, freshman from Scottsburg, Indiana. “It was really awesome McKenna Dosier/The News to see all these new people
getting into Pokémon that haven’t been playing since they were kids.” Baker and Durbin lived in Murray during the summer and said they thought the game would be a lot more fun if other people were involved, which is why they were excited to set up a Pokémon Go meetup. “We were here when it first came out over the summer, and it was dead,” Baker said. “But now we can see a difference in the game now that so many people are here and playing it.” Ty Elrod, junior from Marshall County, said the Pokémon programming bases the Pokémon “spawning” on player density. This means the more players there are, the more Pokémon will be made available for capture. Player density contributes to the power of each Pokémon. For instance, if there is an increase of players, there will be an equal increase in the power of Pokémon that can be caught. Pokémon can be caught just about anywhere on campus, but if a player is ready to battle against other Pokémon trainers they have to join a gym. Currently, there are four Pokémon gyms on campus: Lee Clark Residential College, Rainey T. Wells statue, Cleanth Brooks Memorial and Sid Easley Alumni Center. The game has become popular since the release, but there are some who don’t play and even some who criticize players because the game can cause players to be less aware of their surroundings. Christopher Dawson, a CNN reporter, wrote an article on July 29 titled “A parents’ guide to Pokémon Go.” In this article, he explains the game to parents as well as warning them. “The risk is beyond a few bumps and bruises when players find themselves
near roads, rivers and high places,” wrote Dawson. “There have already been accidents, some serious, involving players too caught up in pursuit of capturing the adorable monsters.” Players are advised by the loading screen in the game to pay attention to their surroundings in order to maintain safety. If people are not playing the game, chances are their social media, at some point, was flooded with stories of people becoming so consumed with the game they were literally walking into traffic, falling into holes or even bodies of water. CNN published a story, written by Janissa Delzo, titled “Men fall from cliff playing Pokémon Go”. The article talked about an incident where two men literally fell off a cliff in Encinitas, California, while hunting Pokémon. Even though the game has been praised for being one that gets people up off the couch, on the other hand it is causing some people to be distracted. Baker said she herself has been guilty of letting the game distract her, but she does her best to stay aware of her surroundings. “I think that people who are prone to doing that, are prone to doing things like that anyway and critics are using the game as an excuse,” said Stephanie Mellar, senior from Clarksville, Tennessee. “Like people who play Pokémon Go and drive are probably people who already text and drive.” No matter if students are playing the game, criticizing the game or noticing herds of other students playing Pokémon Go, it is a common topic. Baker and Durbin were pleased with the turnout of their first Pokémon Go meetup and plan to have more in the future.
Comedian Jeff Dunham brings friends to Murray
Gisselle Hernandez
Features Editor
ghernandez1@murraystate.edu
Murray State students spent Saturday evening being entertained by a boggle-eyed skeletal terrorist, a grumpy retiree, a beer-bellied redneck and, for the first time, a drunk Irish baby, courtesy of the award-winning ventriloquist Jeff Dunham. Dunham, who is known around the globe for the miniature friends he keeps close at hand, hosted a show at the CFSB Center as part of his “Perfectly Unbalanced” tour. The comedian has sold out stadium-sized shows and won awards for bringing life to the dummies fans have come to love – and relate to. When tickets for the Murray show went on sale in April, some students were quick to get their hands on them. That
weekend, the CFSB Center sold about half of the 7,400odd tickets. Wesley Hughes, assistant facility manager at the CFSB Center, said booking an act as big as Dunham took a lot of effort and persistence. “It was a lot of being in the right place at the right time and knowing the right people,” he said. With an almost sold-out show, not even the persistent rain could keep the throngs of people from filing into the CFSB Center to watch Dunham breathe life into fans’ favorite characters. As people waited for the man of the hour, many fans sported merchandise from Dunham’s tour and shared their favorite characters with The Murray State News. Lindsey Duncan from Bowling Green, Kentucky, drove two hours for the show.
Love Your Melon: Students join battlefield in fight for cancer
Chalice Keith/The News
Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham performing at the CFSB Center for his “Perfectly Unbalanced” tour.
Gisselle Hernandez Features Editor
ghernandez1@murraystate.edu
Every three minutes, a child in the U.S. is diagnosed with cancer, and an organization at Murray State is attempting to alleviate this statistic. Elizabeth Kozeny, senior from St. Louis and vice president of Murray State’s Love Your Melon crew, was one of those children 11 years ago when she was diagnosed with anaplastic ependymoma. Years after being diagnosed with brain cancer, Kozeny decided to give back by creating Murray State’s own Love Your Melon “campus crew” last October. Love Your Melon is an organization that helps battle childhood cancer by selling merchandise where 50 percent of the proceeds go toward childhood cancer research. The organization was started by two college students at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2012, when they decided to start sell-
ing and giving beanies to children with cancer for a class project. Since then, the organization has expanded to college campuses all over the nation, with more than 11,000 students at 740 different colleges becoming part of the movement. Last fall, Kozeny applied for Murray State to be one of the colleges that will help LYM spread awareness about childhood cancer. The organization coming to campus drew the attention of many students, gaining support from both Racers and community members. The Murray State crew earns credits for every online purchase made in their name, and when enough credits are earned, the crew unlocks achievements like hospital visits along with receiving beanies and bracelets to hand out to people. During the time the crew has been at Murray State, they have connected with local kids affected with cancer and hosted different events in their honor. One of those locals was Zoey
“I have watched all of his shows and episodes on Netflix,” she said. “Peanut is my favorite – I think he’s the funniest.” Dunham started off the show poking fun at Kentucky’s stereotypical love for deep-fried foods and altering his performance to match today’s trending topics. With the presidential election being one of the most talked-about headlines, grumpy Walter and beer-loving Bubba J offered their own thoughts on the matter, which sent the audience into fits of laughter. Dunham even introduced “Seamus,” a new member of the family, surprising the audience with a drunk Irish baby, something he said he had “never done before.” David Evans from Louisville, Kentucky, whose girlfriend works for Dunham, helped the merchandise crew at the
Smith, who was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was 20 months old. Kozeny said they have done jars of hope and signed cards for her, which Smith’s mother appreciated. “I think its eye-opening to see that even these small things can brighten someone’s day,” she said. “[Zoey’s mom] was really grateful and I’m like ‘I’m just giving you a hat, you guys are the ones going through so much.’” James Murphy, senior from Belleville, Illinois, is the current president of Murray State’s LYM crew. He said his passion for the organization stemmed from a friend’s little sister who was diagnosed a few years ago. “Children should not have to face such hard challenges at such a young age,” he said. “They need all the help and support they can get.” On December 31, 2015, the organization officially handed one million dollars to childhood cancer research. Kozeny said this was a
Louisville and Murray shows. Evans, a fan of Dunham, said his favorite character was Achmed because he’s “real.” When asked which character he related to the most he laughed and said, “I’m getting close to Walter.” Dunham closed the show with the infamous Achmed, the dead terrorist, earning a collective cheer from the audience. The skeleton hosted a Q&A with questions submitted by Murray State students, his “blunt” answers sending people to buy miniature Achmeds at the end of the show. Hughes said putting on shows with well-known people, like Dunham and Bill Cosby a couple years ago, are advantageous to Murray. “It brings a lot of revenue to the city and puts people in hotel rooms,” he said. “It also adds value to what the students get to [experience] here.”
huge accomplishment, considering how underfunded the research is. She said apart from donating to cancer research, it is important to raise awareness on the illnesses children go through. At Murray, however, the crew members said once students heard what LYM was about, they threw their full support behind the organization. So many people wanted to get involved, the crew had to hold an application process because of the limited spots. Though the students in the crew know they are helping out children with cancer, Murphy said being involved affects the person as well. “I think members learn to appreciate life more, and learn to give back to others as much as they can,” he said. “We all go through hard times and appreciate when people reach out to us. LYM gives you a chance to see how gratifying it is to be the one reaching out to someone in need.”
see LYM, 6B
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Features
6B
August 25, 2016
Great Beginnings activities shift focus to students Taylor Inman || Staff writer tinman1@murraystate.edu
All across the country students leave their homes and families to pursue the calling of higher education; they watch their family’s cars roll away and return home, leaving students to face their new reality: “I’m in college.” Murray State hosts activities for these incoming newbies and showcases it all in one big two-week-long event called “Great Beginnings.” The goal is to make these incoming freshman and transfer students feel at home in Murray. By providing a look into campus and into the city of Murray itself, students are annually exposed to the basics of college living. This includes the “go-to” places around the town through group activities and larger events like the hypnotist show and water balloon fight. While watching the water balloon fight from a safe distance in the stadium bleachers, Brock Hayes, freshman from Benton, Kentucky,
mentioned what he considered to be the biggest take away from “Great Beginnings.” “I’ve made a ton of new friends. It’s been a pretty interesting experience so far,” Hayes said. “It’s pretty tough opening up to everybody – everybody is trying to get used to the college experience, but sometimes you just have to open up.” Hayes said he’s already learning to adjust to college life. “Since everyone makes it feel like a community, it just feels like you know everybody,” Hayes said. “You actually see people you know on campus.” One reason for this could be Murray State’s small campus, an experience that transfer student Enrique Martinez said he prefers to the bigger schools he transferred from. “It’s a really small campus so that gives you the opportunity to see people you meet at events like this,” Martinez said. “At a school with 20,000-plus students,
you get lost in the number of people there are.” The Transfer Student Association held its first Great Beginnings event this fall: a cookout in the Quad. Logan Stout, coordinator for the Transfer Center, said the decision to form a Transfer Student Association came from a Mississippi State transfer student. He decided there was a need to focus on transfer students as they came into Murray State. “He wanted to form a club that brings these transfer students together to get to know each other,” Stout said. “Because a lot of times transfer students have the mindset that these ‘Great Beginnings’ events are for freshmen only. And that’s not the case – they’re new student events.” But the new student events still draw a fair number of current students every year. The event that brings everyone out at the beginning of the school year is the hypnotist show. He begins by calling people up
on stage to be hypnotized, where upperclassmen jump at the chance. Matt Turley, homecoming chair on the Campus Activities Board, welcomed people at the door of Lovett Auditorium to see the hypnotist, but said when it came to his experience with actually being hypnotized, he didn’t fully commit. “I come every year. I tried to get hypnotized last year, but I got kind of scared I would say too much,” Turley said. “But one of my friends went up there and it was fun to see him get hypnotized.” For juniors like Turley, going back to see the Great Beginnings events can be kind of monotonous, but he said it just keeps getting better. “Every year we do different things, they do things to improve it,” Turley said. “They do more things that center more on students now. Now they do the downtown Murray events and do things that are more fun for students.”
Chalice Keith/The News
Students participating in annual water balloon fight at Roy Stewart Stadium.
Brianna Willis
Where are they now?
Assistant Features Editor bwillis2@murraystate.edu
Murray State has many alumni that have left their campus and gone on to pursue a variety of careers. From competing for an Olympic spot to publishing their own writings, previous Racers are all over the country pursuing their dreams.
Photo Courtesy of it.givesmehope.com
Kate Post
Kate Post, class of 2016 from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, said she fell in love with Murray State when she participated in the Governor’s Scholars Program at Murray State in the summer of 2011. “I fell in love with the campus, and MSU’s affordable creative writing program really drew me in,” she said. Post graduated summa cum laude with a major in English/ creative writing with a minor in organizational communication and an honors diploma. “I’m very proud of that because I’m still shocked that writing my honors thesis didn’t kill me,” Post said. Post had many professors that really helped her in her academic journey, and even her personal life, she said. “Dr. Zac Johnson, who actually lives and works in California now, used to be one of my organizational communication professors,” she said. “We’ve kept in touch, and he’s pretty much my Jedi Master for all communication and undulating questions now.” Gina Claywell, English professor, also helped Post stay on track and helped her believe in herself, she said. While at Murray State, Post participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoW-
LYM
From Page 5B When the Murray State crew had just started, they ended up winning a competition of which campus crew sold the most credits. They have hosted tables at the Curris Center and make it a mission to pass out bracelets from the organization. Audrey Dirnberger, senior from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, said they plan to host more events to spread word about the organization, especially raising awareness on how common it is for a child to be diagnosed. “Little kids should not have to deal with this,” Dirnberger said. “They should be running outside and playing, not going through something like this.” Dirnberger said despite knowing she is working to-
riMo). She said it’s a challenge where writers pen a 50,000 word novel during November. For the last five years, she has been involved in this program she said. Post said there is a huge Facebook group for participants, and that it’s more like a support group for writers. “We talk about writing, but we also talk about our everyday lives and the things that inspire us,” she said. “When Alan Rickman and David Bowie died in January of this year, a large number of us were profoundly affected because they had shaped our lives with their art and they were suddenly gone.” Because of this, Post said they decided to create a charity anthology titled “Stardust, Always.” Every story or poem included relates to Bowie, Rickman or cancer. Post was especially passionate about this project because she said her older sister was diagnosed with cancer in September of last year, and Post said she continues to wage war against it still. “I submitted a poem ‘The Metastatic Squatter’ and volunteered to do promotional work, and on June 5th ‘Stardust, Always’ came out,” she said. The proceeds of the anthology go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
ward a good cause, the reminder of how awful it is that kids go through this plagues her mind. “It’s awesome but its just hard to know these kids are suffering and some don’t even make it out alive,” she said. A recent statistic from Kids v Cancer states 25 percent of children diagnosed with cancer die. This rate is lower than that of years ago, when Kozeny was diagnosed. Her personal experience with being diagnosed fuels her passion to help push the organization along. “It’s like I have to give back in some way because I was lucky enough to be here,” she said. Though the crew is currently at their maximum capacity of 20 members, people can support the organization by buying beanies and other merchandise online at LoveYourMelon.com under the Murray State campus.
Megan Summers Megan Summers, class of December 2013, is originally from Murray. “When I was growing up, my parents would ride bikes through campus and I sat behind my mom in one of those attachable child bike seats,” she said. “I remember seeing the students walk to class and I thought they were so cool.” She grew up and became one of those “cool students” as an advertising major with a minor in creative writing. Summers said she thanks her professors for helping her achieve her goals. “I would not be where I am today without Professors Robert Valentine, Gill Welsch and the famous Nors (Robert Norsworthy),” she said. “It’s not easy finding jobs or internships when you don’t live in or around a major metropolitan area and the internship program they put together is incredible.” Since graduating Summers has a job working for Spotify as a Traffic Manager in Ad operations. “My team and I place ads on Spotify and make optimizations to reach goals,” she said. Summers said she loves working for Spotify. She said they’re all insanely passionate about music and have a stocked kitchen. She said she has always wanted to live in New
York City, where she currently lives, for as long as she can remember. “It’s something that I never thought would actually happen and I still catch myself every now and then again taking a step back, thinking ‘is this real?’” she said. Summers said she had the opportunity to intern in the city the summer before her senior year and that the transition from small town life to city life was frustrating at first, but it has improved. “Say goodbye to dishwashers and personal space,” she said. “But everyone is so openminded and the city itself is so inspiring,” When Summers first moved to New York City, she worked at an advertising agency in Ad operations. She said near the two year mark, she knew she wanted to work directly for a brand. “I began stalking the career pages of my favorite brands like they were an ex-boyfriend,” she said. “Last fall, I came across a job posting on Spotify’s career page and applied via their website portal.” Summers said she always dreamed about working for a company that meant something to her other than a paycheck. For Summers, Spotify fits that criteria she said. “Being passionate about what you do makes all the difference,” she said.
Alexis Love For Alexis Love, class of 2013 from Palmetto, Florida, coming to Murray State was something different. “I ended up at Murray State by choosing to take a leap of faith and step outside of the box,” she said. “I knew I wanted to leave Florida to explore something different.” Love was a criminal justice major and minored in social welfare. While on campus, she was involved in several on campus activities, but most notable was her involvement in track and field. Love qualified for the Olympic trials this year. While she did not make it to Rio de Janeiro, she said that the experience was a memorable one. “This was my second Olympic Trials so I knew the feeling of being anxious from the last time I was there representing Murray,” she said. “I went out there and decided to be myself and not change a thing.” Love said the Olympic trials were stressful, but she said she had the opportunity to step back and let her light shine and that for her, it is all about perspective. She said she is always excited to compete, and this time was no different. Love got involved in track by tagging along with a friend after school when she was 12. She said she did not
know anything about track but didn’t want to go home after school so she joined the local Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) track team, and “the rest is history.” When she arrived at Murray State, she said one of her criminal justice professors helped her in all areas of her life from being a mentor to a role model and friend. Along with her professors, Love said her head coach and the assistant head coach helped her to reach her full potential. “They believed in me when no one else knew who I was or what I was trying to accomplish,” she said. “They pushed me on the days I wanted to give up and they never allowed me to settle for nothing but the best.” For fellow student-athletes, Love said discipline helped her navigate school and athletics and come out successful. “Being a student-athlete will force you to be relentless,” she said. Since graduating, Love has not only trained at one of the “best track camps in the world,” but she has also begun working closely with inspirational speakers to work towards what she said is her other purpose in life. She said she is continuously working on being a better person and wants to be a positive role model for her community.
POKÉMON
From Page 5B
Photo Courtesy of Google.com/maps
Map of most of the Pokéstops and gyms on campus.
The News
Features
August 25, 2016
Pop Culture Corner
Photo courtesy of tmz.com
Ariana Grande dating Mac Miller? Pop singer Ariana Grande was spotted having a romantic dinner with rapper Mac Miller by popnews outlet TMZ. Photos circulated of the two kissing, however Ariana has been hesitant to confirm their relationship status. At the launch of her MAC cosmetics line, when she was questioned about it she said “I love my MAC lipstick. That’s the only Mac I’m here to talk about, girl!”
7B
Flashy lights meets substance
Photo courtesy of wegotthiscovered.com
Emma Roberts and Dave Franco star in the newest technology-focused thriller, as they dare to play a virtual game of truth or dare. Nick Erickson || Staff writer nerickson@murraystate.edu
The new thriller film “Nerve,” which debuted July 27, captures the essence of today’s generations fixation on technology. With the help of a well-reputable cast, the film successfully keeps a high level of energy, shy of dull moments. “Nerve” is centered around a fictional mobile phone application of the same name. It works by combining live video-streaming and traditional social media format. The app is essentially “truth or dare, minus the truth,” as the anonymous voice in the game suggests. There are online communities of “watchers,” who observe and interact with “players,” who are those who accept dares from the watchers and compete and complete said dares for cash. Essentially, those who participate are largely in it for the glory of reaching the top of the Nerve boards, garnishing a status as an online celebrity. Portrayed by Emma Roberts, the main character Venus “Vee” Delmonico has her life invigorated by her best friend, Sydney, who challenges her to live a little more than her usual cautious self, and
participate in Nerve. In her first dare, Vee meets Ian ( Dave Franco) after watchers challenge her to kiss a stranger in public for $100. Ian, who is also a player, teams up with Vee in Manhattan, where they complete tasks that brings them payouts, including thousands of dollars and luxurious clothing. Vee becomes impulsive in her dares and decision-making, much to Sydney’s disdain, who is upset that Vee is topping the leaderboards. It’s all smooth sailing until it becomes apparent that the game app is capturing personal information from Vee, and as the truth behind the game unravels, Vee’s life is put into more danger with each dare, along with her loved ones. With the issues Vee faces playing, without providing too many spoilers, the movie provides a look at problems with privacy this generation faces in the world. As the audience comes to learn, anonymity isn’t always an adequate route in the online realm. With the combination of flashy neon aesthetics, video game play and social-media commentary, the visual aspects of the film are satisfying. Using scenes replicating the view of a smartphone screen, this
film further appeals to the modern technology enthusiast, similar to how 2015’s “Unfriended” was based entirely in the view of a multi-person Skype call. An example would be the opening scene of the movie, through the eyes of Vee as she surfs on her Mac, debating on accepting enrollment in a college nearby. It was well executed and fit seamlessly into the plot. Character development is also a high point for the film. Franco’s character Ian, for example, is one of the main focuses. The audience learns as time goes on that Ian isn’t simply another player in the game, but he has a haunting past usage of it, as well. Going into the theater, one might expect a high-intensity film just judging off the name alone. It’s safe to safe that “Nerve” is good at what it is set out to be: flashy lights, sharp camera work and even a pulsating soundtrack. Unlike many other thrillers, Nerve doesn’t lack in substance beneath the visual surface of the film, as the characters and their respective dialogue are also satisfactory. “Nerve” is more than another teen-aimed action flick; it’s as engaging as the game it’s based around. Prepare to play.
P3 delivers powerful punch Photo courtesy of lared.am
Aretha Franklin cancels tour dates Soul and R&B singer Aretha Franklin has canceled her North American tour dates, due to “doctor’s orders.” Ticketholders to her concerts will be refunded, however, it is unclear if she will reschedule her tour dates. This news comes after a series of health concerns for the queen of soul.
Soundbyte “There you go. I’m the greatest.” -Usain Bolt, responds to critics after winning his third triple gold medal win.
Nick Erickson|| Staff writer nerickson@murraystate.edu
One thing the younger generations of today enjoy, it’s cruising the town on nights, windows down in the car with friends and some “feel-good” music playing. This vibe is almost seamlessly encapsulated in the newest release from Canadian rapper Jahron Anthony Brathwaite, best known by his stage name “PARTYNEXTDOOR,” titled P3. The rapper, merely 23, has taken that atmosphere people love, added in his own R&B flair and unleashed an impressive 16 tracks upon the masses. Brathwaite proves that he has a knack for both creative compositions and flow, without ever being overly lyrical. Kicking off the record is “High Hopes,” hitting listeners with a wall of eerie ambiance, faint gun-shots and then a drum roll, this track unfolds into seven minutes of pounding beats, yet the light layers of synth create a relaxed, cloudy feel. Brathwaite enters, switching effortlessly between rapping and singing sensuously to his lover. “Don’t Run” follows next, slowly gaining momentum. Pulsating synth, with distant arpeggios and woodblock pops set a dreamy soundscape for listeners. Brathwaite makes ingenious use of harmonies on this track, which are not overbearing in the slightest, merely deep in the mix enough to fill out the space and add an extra element to his vocal reper-
Photo courtesy of trend.network toire. “Nobody” sets an even moodier tone. The airy pipes, slow beat and cautious bass line lead the way for Brathwaite to touch base with anyone who’s missing their other half. An emotional number, everything works in harmony to send chills down your spine, right down to the strange vocal filter coating the last chorus. “Come down, summer’s over, ‘come down’ You say that I never come round And I only get lit when the sun down Nobody but you, nobody but you Nobody but you.” “Spiteful” transcends from being carried by a subtle trap beat to mesmerizing, and surprisingly intricate Spanish-influenced guitars. The short, but impactful solo halfway through is a breath of fresh air in a stagnant, often guitar-free genre. These instrumental riffs, accompanied with Brathwaite’s silky voice, creates one
of the biggest stand out tracks on the album. Being signed to the infamous rapper Drake’s label, OVO Sound, it’s not surprising he managed to pull-off getting him to feature on P3. His contribution with Brathwaite on the chorus and third verse of “Come and See Me” has managed to push the single to #88 on the Billboard 100 and rightfully so. The beautiful piano and vocal melodies are well-written, and its gentle, yet somber nature of heartache is enough to sway the hearts of listeners everywhere. Brathwaite’s newest endeavor is a worthy testament to his growing success. With inventive musical backdrops, creative lyricism and a wooing voice, it won’t be a shock to see if he’s headlining arenas in the upcoming months with the likes of the great names in music today. If P3 is any indicator of what Brathwaite’s future holds in store, The Weeknd might be facing a dethrone.
Incorrigible, Defiant Woman
Death and Life
T h e week before classes started I had a family member pass away from an injury. I was devastated, and it was Brianna Willis incredibly hard for me Assistant to focus on Features Editor the RA training I was supposed to walk into 5 minutes after I received “the call” from my dad. “The call” is one of the worst feelings in the world. You answer expecting a light-hearted conversation with a family member, maybe my dad was calling to tell me he sent me money, and he says “Do you have a second?” Of course I did. Then came the hammer to the chest. It felt like Thor came and hit me in my heart. A pain so mighty and strong I almost lost all control of my body and collapsed. “I had to be strong, I had to be strong, I had to be strong,” I kept repeating in my head. I don’t know what it was about Eugene I loved so much, but it hurt more than I thought it would. Given he was older than my dad, he was my dad’s cousin, and lived in St. Louis (I live in Memphis), I didn’t see him much. He had mental challenges (debatably always present, but definitely intensified after he was brutally assaulted), and was always watching baseball and ironing. Whatever it was, I loved Eugene. My cousin had to hold my hand while I fought tears and laughter simultaneously at the tragedy of death but the comedy of the “choir” being three people and the pastor thinking he was on Broadway, but just know the funeral was for all intensive purposes: a loving mess. At the gravesite my cousin said to me, “We’ve been to more funerals than most people should ever experience,” and we proceeded to list all our family members and friends whose funerals we attended. Some of natural causes, some were suicides and some were not so natural. They all hurt the same. I have a tattoo on my back in memory of my maternal grandmother who was diagnosed with cancer within months of my paternal grandmother. We lost them both within months of each other. My cousin wants a tattoo in memory of her. I suppose we share and carry these deaths with us 50-50. However, all these deaths, all these funerals got me thinking. Funerals are one of the only times the whole family gets together. We eat together, we laugh together, we cry together. We joke about whose fried chicken is better, we remember the good times, we lament the bad. I returned to Murray, to my Springer ladies and to my news family. They lifted me up, they supported me and they helped me navigate this difficult time. They gave me my space and suffocated me with love all at the same time. In this college setting, we may all go through a tough time. From death, to a bad grade, to a bad breakup, it is in these moments college can be such a special time. When else will I be able to text my friend upstairs, have her run down and sit in the bathroom stall and hold me as I cried for hours. When else will I be in my room and my friends tell me to come out and go play board games, which eased the pain. College allows us to build bonds, live in a close community and navigate difficult times in safe and healthy ways. Hold on tight to these friends, we can make it through this new semester and all the joy and pain it brings together. bwillis2@murraystate.edu
Out this week
Read It
“A Great Reckoning” by Louise Penny
See It
“Southside With You”
Hear It
“Pure & Simple” by Dolly Parton
Rent It
“The Nice Guys”
Play It
“World of Warcraft: Legion”
8B
The News
August 25, 2016