The Murray State News

The Murray State News TheNews.org

September 1, 2016

“It takes one friend...”

One student’s journey through bullying, contemplating suicide and healing

Editor’s Note: The Murray State News changed the name of the student involved, per his request.

Abby Siegel || News Editor asiegel@murraystate.edu

Lindsey Coleman Contributing writer lcoleman7@murraystate.edu

“I was a little 5-foot, 200pound freshman – just a little round thing – in high school,” said Cole, senior from Central Kentucky.

Cole said he got picked on often in high school -- the classic seniors picking on freshmen -- and he felt like he didn’t have many friends.

“What started as harmless fun

became really harmful and really hurt me,” he said.

He said the bullying eventually went too far.

“In the football locker room, one day, I got put in a locker,” he said. “I was in there for six hours and I had to catch one of the coaches coming out or I would have been there overnight.”

Cole said he went home that night feeling belittled, worthless and alone.

“I chose the knife,” he said.

“I started to press it against my neck and I got a call from a friend – like, as I was doing it – at like, 12:30 at night.”

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness month.

The goal is to promote resources and awareness around the issues

Graduation woes

A shift in graduation policy raises student concern

Graduation Invites

Mom Dad Sister Brother Grandma Grandpa Uncle Aunt Cousin Roommate Ashley Traylor Staff writer

atraylor@murraystate.edu

With the growing number of students walking at graduation every semester and not enough capacity at the CFSB Center, Murray State will now require tickets to enter commencement.

Wendy Tudor, director of graduation requirements, said she is excited more students are choosing to walk. She said there were commencement ceremonies in the past where only 600-700 students walked, and now that number has increased to 1,000 or more.

“It is a good problem to have

because it shows that the students care more about just getting that piece of paper,” Tudor said. “They want to put on that cap and gown; they want to show everyone what they’ve accomplished.”

Shelley Todd, director of the CFSB Center, said the venue can hold 9,638 people total. She said 8,378 of the available tickets are reserved for friends and families of the graduates and faculty and staff who want to watch the ceremony.

Todd said recent graduations were pushing capacity in the CFSB Center, so she knew the next graduating class would hit capacity. Therefore, ticketing was the best option to keep ev-

eryone safe and comfortable.

Students who apply for graduation online will receive an email with a participation link survey, through which they can select whether they are participating in the ceremony and can indicate how many tickets they need.

Through the survey, students can select up to six guaranteed tickets, at no charge. Two additional tickets can be requested but are not guaranteed.

Once all the surveys have been completed, the university will know how many students are walking, how many guests they are bringing and how many tickets are available.

Students who are requesting

mparks6@murraystate.edu

Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon

additional tickets will be given a randomly-generated number from the lottery. Additional tickets will be filled beginning with number one.

Megan Gibson, senior from Paducah, Kentucky, said the downfall of the lottery is that some students may not receive extra tickets, and she said it is important to have all friends and family there for support at graduation.

Emmy Meinschein, senior from Fayetteville, Georgia, said she is concerned with the new system because she has a large family, and she is afraid her siblings won’t be able to come,

see GRADUATION, page 2

Contributing writer mparks6@murraystate.edu

INSIDE

Vol. 91, No. 2

He said she called out of nowhere, despite having a fallout days before.

“I don’t even know why I answered, but I answered,” he said.

“I was still angry, still hurt, but I’m not really sure why I stopped and why I didn’t do it.”

Cole said his friend had just felt like she needed to talk to him at that moment. He told her he was going to commit suicide and she talked him down from the attempt.

“Call it what you want, but I call it God,” Cole said. “God gave me a friend when I most needed it.”

He said his friend told his parents about his suicide attempt.

see PREVENTION, page 2

Carr Health policy changes creates obstacles Contributing writer

Matthew Parks

WHAT’S

FINDING HEALING, FINDING HOPE

“Suicide attempts are a cry for help, a cry for a friend,” Cole said.

Matthew Parks

University receives land donation Jimmy Don Robinson, a retired Ballard County judge, donated his 534-acre farm and two homes to the MSU Foundation.

The estate is known as Eagle Rest Plantation and is located in Ballard County, where Robinson has lived for most of his life.

Brian Parr, department head of agricultural science, said the land has been donated as a life estate gift, which means Robinson will continue to live in the home and manage the land in the immediate future, and Murray State will not have control of the full plot until Robinson’s death or until an allotted period of time has expired.

Robinson donated the farm to Murray State in memory of his late wife, Charlene Robinson. Both Robinson and his wife were graduates

of suicide prevention, how to help others who may be suicidal and how to talk about suicide without increasing risk of harm, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 15-24, according to 2013 data from the American Association of Suicidology.

According to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP), 42,773 Americans commit suicide each year. For every committed suicide, there are 25 attempts.

Students attempting to reserve facilities in the Carr Health Building this semester will soon learn there are some new restrictions to keep in mind.

Amanda Hagan, co-president of the Murray State Dance Company, said the new policy changes are due to the statewide education budget cuts implemented by Gov. Matt Bevin this year.

According to an open letter from the Murray State Faculty Senate, those budget cuts have removed 9 percent of the budget for the fiscal year effective July 2016, totaling $4.3 million in cuts for Murray State.

Those cuts led to a variety of changes on campus including tuition raises, faculty cuts, program cuts and housing rate increases.

Carr Health houses classrooms and recreational space that can be rented out by student organizations, such as a swimming pool, gymnasiums and a dance studio. Previously, renting out those facilities was free to all student organizations.

However, there are now fees associated with renting out facilities for longer than one hour, according to the Murray State Carr Health webpage.

Those fees differ depending on the event, length of time and other factors. A full list can be found on Murray State’s website.

For most organizations, the facility is free to rent for the first hour and each after that is considered an “event”, for which the group is charged $15 per hour.

The Murray State Dance Company is one group that has been affected by the new policies. The group, which consists of roughly 25 members, is an on-campus organization that helps dancers develop their skills and puts on an annual show in April.

Hagan said the group has always held their rehearsals at Carr Health at the beginning of each semester and continued to rehearse there throughout the semester for an average of 16 hours a week.

Hagan said the group is selffunded and has a very limited budget for each semester. For a group with little funding, these changes were initially devastating.

“It put us in jeopardy for a while,” Hagan said. “I was worried we wouldn’t exist anymore with nowhere to rehearse.”

Emily Rohrer, co-president of the Murray State Dance Company, agreed with Hagan’s worries. Rohrer said the group would have had to pay more than $2,000 in rental fees for the semester due to the new policies, which is almost the group’s entire budget for the season.

After a long search process for a place to practice, the dance company ended up back at Carr Health. However, their practice will be held for much shorter periods of time and for a much higher price.

Rohrer said she is hopeful the organization can offset some of their costs through fundraisers to help pay for costumes, shows and, now, studio time in Carr Health.

“We are very grateful to have the time in Carr Health that we do,” Rohrer said. “And we are very optimistic for our season given the situation.”

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The historic Eagle Rest Plantation will not be placed in university control immediately, but will be bequeathed in the future. from the University of Kentucky, but long-time relationships with Murray State, especially the school of agriculture, resulted in the dona-

DUI CHECKPOINTS

tion being given to Murray State.

“It really is a testament to just how widespread Murray State’s reach is in the re-

RULES

gion,” Parr said.

For the time being, Murray State is caring for 70 acres of

see EAGLE REST, page 2

OUR VIEW

“Drive sober or get pulled over” Real art, surreal opportunity, checkpoints to come, page 3 page 4

Must be a student Submit by 5:00 p.m. Sept. 17 to murraystatenews@icloud.com Submit in .jpg or .jpeg format

COACH GROVES

RECRUITMENT WEEK

Get to know Murray State’s head soccer coach, page 6

Fraternities welcome new members to family, page 10

The News

News

Page 2

September 1, 2016

EAGLE REST From Page 1

McKenna Dosier/The News

The estate sits approximately 60 miles away from campus, raising concerns on how to best utilize the property.

PREVENTION From Page 1 He said he was very upset with her for telling them, but it was part of his healing process.

“It takes one friend being completely bold, looking past the right here, right now, to show someone you care about them, even if it hurts them right now,” he said.

According to AFSP, being present for someone showing signs of depression or who has attempted suicide is crucial because many suicide attempts stem from feeling alone. Additionally, encouraging the loved one to talk to a counselor, engage in self-care and live a balanced lifestyle of eating healthy, exercising and getting adequate sleep is an

important way to help.

“One of the biggest and most important things a friend can do is listen, and be there, and be supportive,” said Angie Trzepacz, director of the University Counseling Center. “Sometimes they don’t want any help they just want someone to pay attention.”

The University Counseling Center provides services such as individual therapy, couples therapy, group therapy and family therapy for Murray State – free of charge to all Murray State students. Trzepacz said the most common issues she sees on campus are generally anxiety and depression that stem from pressure to succeed in college and relationship breakups.

“The most effective thing you can do for a friend is refer them to professional help,” Trzepacz said.

OVERCOMING AND HEALING

“What I have told myself when I get to those low points is that ‘it gets better, it’s not going to be that terrible forever,’” he said.

He said the healing process takes time, but there is hope.

Cole said he began to love 3:45 p.m., when he came home from school and was able to see the sun on the field. He said it gave him hope that things would get better.

Cole said he felt an “overwhelming call” to talk about bullying at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting at his school one Wednesday morning.

“It wasn’t comfortable, but I was open and transparent, and soon after that, I felt like there was a weight lifted off my shoulders, and I felt like I had a happiness and peace and I could see a vast contrast between my depressed state and being truly happy,” he said.

the property and will be temporarily partnering with farmers that Robinson hired to help maintain the farm.

Murray State is not sure of what they will do with Eagle’s Rest.

“It is a little bit of a challenge with it being 60 miles away from the main campus,” Parr said.

However, the Hutson School of Agriculture plans to have students participating in research and studies at the farm.

Parr said he expects students to be involved at Eagle Rest very soon.

Some students wish the donation would have been targeted toward the university as a whole, since Murray State is still hurting from the budget cuts imposed this year.

Lauren Terpinitz, senior equine science major from Carbondale, Illinois, appreciates the donation but regrets that it doesn’t benefit the entire university.

“More research opportunities for community outreach through the facility is great,”

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Terpinitz said. “But the bottom line is that all of Murray State is suffering right now due to budget cuts.”

Dondre Jackson, junior from Mayfield, Kentucky, shares a similar opinion and believes this is only a step in the right direction for the university. “[Robinson] did a great thing by donating his farm to the foundation,” Jackson said. “However, the university is still suffering in many areas.”

Brien Dossett, junior from Cadiz, Kentucky, said he believes the donation will serve the school well.

“I believe the land is a great opportunity,” Dossett said. “Not all students get on-hand experience in their field, and this will give agriculture majors a chance to be hands-on and get to know what they’re doing.”

Tony Brannon, dean of the Hutson School of Agriculture, said he believes the land will be an institution at Murray State for years to come.

Brannon said progress made at Pullen Farm, Tuck Farm and Hutson Farm, all of which were also donations to the university, are examples of what he expects the Ballard County property to

look like in the future.

“When you look at those properties it really is amazing – the progress in utilization and development that has been made,” Brannon said.

Brannon said it’s too early to discuss plans for the property, but he said Murray State will always maintain the property and use it to support agriculture education and research interests of the region.

Brannon said the farm could be used for test plots, livestock opportunities, working with agricultural supply businesses or the demonstration of new crop opportunities.

He said some research and demonstration plots will be set up on the 70 acres already in Murray State care.

He said this project will begin with the next crop season in the spring.

A “Celebration of Gift” event that will serve as a dedication for the land will be held on Sept. 18 at Ballard County High School.

“One thing is for certain,” Brannon said. “With all these donations, the dean that follows the dean that follows the dean who follows me will have quite a set-up for success.”

GRADUATION

the event. She said they modeled Purdue University’s ticketing system.

Tudor said they wanted to make sure that if someone has a ticket, then they are able to get through the door.

Todd said they will do their best to get as many individuals in the venue, if space is available.

Other changes to commencement include meetings for seniors, which will be held at the end of September, instead of during finals week.

The meetings will be recorded, so students who cannot attend will have access to the information, Tudor said.

Gardner said commencement will begin at 9 a.m. this year, instead of 10 a.m.

“We want to encourage people to come,” Gardner said. “We want to encourage attendance for the graduates and their guests.”

From Page 1 though she said it may be the best system for Murray State.

Tudor said most schools who do ticketing and offer additional tickets do a lottery to ensure everyone is treated fairly.

Tickets are generated and printed through Ticketmaster, but there will not be assigned seating in the CFSB Center. It is general admission.

Mary Ann Gardner, Provost executive assistant, said a small group from the Registrar’s office, Provost office and CFSB Center worked to implement the new system.

Tudor said they did a lot of research and debated whether to divide graduation or ticket

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The News

News

September 1, 2016 News Editor: Abby Siegel Assistant Editor: Alicia Steele Phone: 270-809-4468 Twitter: MurrayStateNews

POLICE BEAT 6:51 a.m. Racer Patrol advised Mur-

Aug. 24

8:35 a.m.Police A caller reported an ray State of an abandoned animal Hart Center.

Resigolf cart complaint outside thein Lowry dential were College.

Officers anOfficers notified and and an inforimal control were notified. mation report was taken.

1:55 p.m.

Safetyconducted received 11:42 p.m Public An officer fire alarm activation at Wateraa traffic stop at 121 North and field Library from the alarm cenColdwater Streets.

A citation was ter computer.

Officers, issued to the driver forFacilities failure to Management andThe thepassenger Murray wear a seatbelt.

Fire Department were notified. was arrested on an outstanding The cause determined to be warrant andwas was taken to Calloan accidental activation. way County Jail.

Aug. 25

10:19 a.m. An officer reported a 8:20 a.m.

A caller reported a resvehicle with the car alarm actiidential missing.ResThe vated incollege the Oldflag Richmond Housing Office was notified. idential College parking lot. The 11:22 A caller reported a ownerp.m. was notified. motor vehicle accident with ano 2:05 p.m. A caller reported injuries White Residential Colmedicalatemergency in the Curlege.

Officers were notified and a ris Center.

Officers and Murray report was taken.

Ambulance Service were noti7:17 officer conducted fied.p.m.

The An patient refused trans- a traffic the Business Building port stop by at Murray Ambulance parking wasreport issued Servicelot. andA acitation medical for driving was taken.on a suspended license.

8:51 p.m. A caller reported the

Murray Police Department to set up DUI checkpoints Stella Childress || Contributing writer schildress4@murraystate.edu

The Murray City Police Department began participation in the nationwide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” awareness campaign on Aug. 19.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), one person dies every 51 minutes because of an alcohol-impaired collision.

The campaign was initiated by the NHTSA on Aug. 15. It will include instituting traffic safety checkpoints by more than 10,000 police departments across the nation.

A press release from the Murray Police Department listed possible checkpoints to be set up in Murray, but the specific locations will vary day to day.

Brant Shutt, sergeant at the Murray Police Department, said four to eight officers will be at each checkpoint, with one person responsible for making sure everyone is safe.

He said the checkpoints were not chosen at random.

“They are based on highway safety data,” Shutt said. “They are not just random.”

The checkpoints will ensure drivers are following traffic safety laws including proper registration, insurance and licensing, as well as checking whether seat belts are being worn.

Murray State’s Public Safety and Emergency Management is also involved in the campaign.

“Driving while impaired due to consuming alcohol poses a considerable risk for the safety and well-being of our campus community, including students, faculty, staff as well as visitors to the

Aug. 27

12:01 a.m. A caller reported the partment was notified of a medismell of marijuana at White Rescal emergency the Volleyball idential College.atOfficers and the Courts. and Murraywere Amon-call Officers residence director bulance were notified. notified.Services An information report The waspatient taken. was transported and a7:46 report wasAn taken. p.m. officer reported a 3:46 a.m.fight Officers conducted possible in progress at Roy a Stewart made check of Stadium. a person Officers on North 12th contact persons involved Street.

Thewith person was arrested and and no altercation taken transported to Callowayhad County Jail place. for alcohol intoxication in a public place. A report was taken.

Aug. 28

10:46p.m. p.m. A A caller 9:09 caller reported reported parkingdetector complaint at Newat aa smoke activated FranklinResidential Residential College.

Springer College due to were notified the aOfficers hair dryer.

Officers wereand notified and no threat fire was found.

An owner was of contacted and ininformation report was taken. formed of Murray State parking 4:42 p.m. A caller reported a theft regulations. of11:06 property a vehicle from p.m. from A person reported Alexander Hall. Officers were H. notheft of property in the James tified and a report was taken for Richmond Residential College theft of under $500 by unlawful parking lot. Officers were notitaking from a vehicle. fied p.m. and a Areport taken for 6:12 callerwas reported the theft by unlawful taking under smell of marijuana at Hart. Officers $500.notified and an information were

Aug. 29

Due to a technical difficulty at Public Safety, this crime log is unavailable.

report was taken.

2:47 p.m. A caller reported an unauthorized company selling products on campus at Winslow Dining Hall. The caller was referred to Student Affairs.

6:12 p.m. A caller reported the smell of natural gas at the Old Fine Arts Building. Officers, Central

Aug. 30

8:04 a.m. An officer conducted Heating Cooling Murray a trafficand stop at 14thPlant, Street and Fire department, Murraywarning Gas and Olive Street. A verbal the Fire for Marshall were notiwasState issued disregarding a fied a report was taken. stopand sign.

2:12 p.m. A caller reported a reckless driver on Gilbert Motorists assists – 8 Graves Avenue. Officers were Racer escorts – 1 notified.

Arrests –2 RacerSteele, assist Assistant –0 Alicia News Editor, compiles MotoristPolice assist Beat – 6 with materials provided Arrests -by 1 Public Safety and Emergency Management.

Alicia Steele, Assistant News Editor, compiles Police Beat Not all dispatched calls 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.

University,” said Jeffery Gentry, assistant chief of Public Safety.

Gentry said Murray State officers will be working in conjunction with the campaign by conducting safety checkpoints on campus.

“We would encourage each member of the campus community to download and use the LiveSafe app to alert Public Safety of any suspicious behavior that might be associated with drinking and driving,” Gentry said.

The checkpoints are in place to educate the community on drunk driving to decrease the fatality statistics not just in Murray, but across the nation.

“It’s not just a college campus issue, it’s a nationwide issue,” Shutt said.

The campaign will last until Sept. 5. Until then, drivers will go through checkpoints in Murray and on Murray State’s campus.

MAP LEGEND

Aug. 26

1:20 p.m. A caller reported an assault complaint at Elizabeth smell of gas at Hart Residential ColResidential College.Fire Officers lege.

Officers, Murray DepartwereCentral notified and the ment, Heating andperson Cooling was arrested and charged with Plant, Murray Gas and the State Fire fourth degree domestic Aassault Marshall were notified. report with injury. was taken.

2:06 reported the a 12:01 p.m. p.m. AAcaller caller reported smell of outlet something in sparking in theburning 300 block Residential ofWhite College Courts. College.

Officers,Ofthe ficers, Murray Fire Department Murray Fire Department, Cenand Heating Facilities and Management tral Cooling were Plant notified.

Smell was causedwere by and the State Fire Marshal burnt popcorn and no taken. threat of notified.

A report was fire was 4:57 p.m.located.

The Murray Police De-

Page 3

1.

South 12th Street between Glendale Road and Murray City Limits.

2.

Main Street between 8th Street and 9th Street.

3.

Wilshire Drive between Bailey Road and Vasser.

4.

Glendale Road between 9th Street and 12th Street.

5.

Main Street between Industrial Road and the Murray City Limits.

6.

Chestnut at the intersection with 8th Street.

7.

U.S. 641 at Diuguid Drive.

8.

Doran at Holiday Drive.

9.

North 16th Street at the intersection with Olive Street.

10. Highway 94 at the intersection of Doran Road.

11. 4th Street between Sycamore St. and Murray City Limits.

12. Olive Street between 6th and 12th streets.

13. North 16th Street between KY 121 and Diuguid Drive.

Stock photo provided by GoogleMaps Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon/The News

14. Bailey Road and KY 121.

LGBT ally support visible in the classroom Abby Siegel || News Editor asiegel@murraystate.edu

LGBT ally support continues to grow at Murray State as professors highlight their Safe Zone Project participation on course syllabi.

Jody Cofer Randall, LGBT Programming Coordinator, said the discussion for professors informing students of their Safe Zone participation on their syllabus began from Murray State’s membership in the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Professionals and the practices at other institutions.

“Ally development is one of the most important areas of work for the office,” Cofer Randall said.

“Many LGBT students find that knowing their faculty is being proactive in being a visible ally to be affirming of who they are.”

Cofer Randall said professors who have completed the Safe Zone training are encouraged to add a short blurb to their course syllabus similar to the non-discrimination statements, but they are not required to.

“After looking at several examples from Youngstown State University, North Carolina State University and Rochester Institute of Technology, the LGBT Programming Advisory Committee supported the idea of me sharing the idea as a recommendation with our participating faculty,” Cofer Randall said.

The suggested syllabus Safe Zone statement reads: “I am a member of a Safe Zone Project and I am available to listen and support you in a safe and confidential manner. As a Safe Zone participant, I can help you connect with resources on campus to address problems you may face that interfere with your academic and social success on campus as it relates to issues surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity. My goal is to help you be successful and to maintain a safe and equitable campus.”

Approximately 10 percent of Murray State students openly identify as LGBT, according to the 2013-14 Murray State Campus Climate Survey.

The Safe Zone Project is “designed to radically reduce prejudice and discrimination on the basis

of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression at Murray State by creating a safe and affirming campus,” according to Murray State’s website.

The project began in 2010 at Murray State and currently has more than 400 participants, known as allies, including the Office of the President, College of Humanities and Fine Arts and the Education Abroad office, the website says.

The training is discussion heavy and covers topics such as gender identity, terminology and how to approach issues that arise with LGBT students, said Constance Alexander, adjunct professor of English and Safe Zone participant.

Alexander said she includes the Safe Zone statement on her course syllabus, and she has had students come to her at different times to discuss their personal struggles.

Emma Lewis, graduate student and Murray State alumna from Louisville, Kentucky, said she believes it is important for students to know they have support from their professors.

“I think it would be helpful for the LGBT students in their class and for anyone really to know they have a safe space within that professor to confide in,” Lewis said.

Lewis is an ally and said she believes there should be an LGBT center on campus, similar to the Women’s Center, that is specifically for LGBT students and allies as a meeting place and resource center. She said the center could be available for people in the community in addition to Murray State students, faculty and staff.

Lewis said the University of Louisville has an LGBT Center with multiple paid staff members.

Murray State has an Office of LGBT Programming located in Blackburn Science Building. Cofer Randall is the only staff member in this office.

“Since we are in such a rural, religious town, I think it is really important for the younger students and community members to have a place where they can go have a safe space to talk to people who are like them and understand what they are going through,” Lewis said.

She suggested having a full-time counselor skilled in LGBT issues and plenty of resources

Chalice Keith/The News

Professors can add blurbs to their syllabi after Safe Zone training.

such as hormone treatment options for transgender individuals, resources specifically for allies and information on transitioning from high school to college as an LGBT student.

“I do not think you will ever find a positional leader serving LGBT students who will say more visibility and resources is not needed,” Cofer Randall said. “We have made tremendous progress in demonstrating our institutional support of LGBT students, but incremental progress often goes unnoticed at the time.”

The next discussion titled “How We Relate to Violence” will be 7 p.m. on Sept. 13 in the Curris Center Ballroom to gain a better understanding of the perspective of others, and is hosted by the Murray State Division of Student Affairs and the Kentucky Council of Churches.

Annual Title IX training due Oct. 7 Stella Childress || Contributing writer schildress4@murraystate.edu

On Oct. 7, the annual Title IX training requirement for all students, faculty and staff at Murray State will be due.

Failure to complete the training results in a hold on the student’s account.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity.”

According to the U.S. Department of Education, any institution financed by the government is required to comply by the amendment.

“Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs and activities,” Murray State’s Title IX website states.

Students have mixed feelings about the annual training.

Steven Treadaway, junior from Murray, said the training is unnecessary to do every year.

“Most of it is redundant because we are 20 and 21 [years old],” Treadaway said.

Cassidy Carroll, junior from Hendersonville, Kentucky, said the training can be tedious but agrees with it.

“It is important to bringing student awareness,” Carroll said.

Tristan Ritter, sophomore from St. Louis, agrees that the training is important for students to complete.

“I like it. It reminds you of things you probably forgot over summer,” Ritter said.

Andrew Higgins, senior from Mount Vernon, Indiana, also likes the current Title IX format.

“I think it is necessary. I am in Racer Band. So, Camisha Duffy comes to talk to us about dangerous situations and what to do. People need to know right from wrong,” Higgins said.

Camisha Duffy is the Title IX coordinator at Murray State. She facilitates the Title IX trainings and serves as a resource to help students if they experience harassment or assault in any way.

“In an effort to provide a safe and supportive environment for all people, it is necessary to an-

nually raise awareness on ways to be safe and comply with federal law,” Duffy wrote in a letter attached to the Title IX training.

To comply with the federal law, create awareness and accommodate busy student schedules, changes could be made to the formatting of the training.

“I think it would be better if freshman year they had a program in transitions courses, making it interactive and having professors lecture instead of doing the online trainings every year,” said Abigail Stringer, junior from Murray.

The National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education took a survey and found that 30 percent of undergraduate and 40 percent of graduate students have experienced sexual harassment.

A major goal in Title IX training is to bring awareness.

“It helps people who have those situations get help,” said Mary Hubbard, sophomore from Marshall County, Kentucky.

Any questions or reports of sexual harassment can be directed to msu.titleix@murraystate.edu, Public Safety or Camisha Duffy.

Page 4

September 1, 2016

The News

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Stephanie Elder-Anderson Adviser • 270-809-3937 selder@murraystate.edu

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

The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board. small public school pulled this off. Sure, we’ve got a great visual art program, a literary magazine and lots of local musical and creative talent, but Murray isn’t exactly a pinnacle of fine arts. It’s a long way to the Museum of Modern Art, so having a series on display such as this one offers students a rare artistic experience they may never have (especially for free) again.

Despite Dalí ’s fame and his pairing with the classic Inferno, it seems the show has hardly reached the audience one might hope on a college campus.

In a recent poll we conducted, only 31 percent of participants had seen the exhibit – staggeringly low for a show of this level of importance.

Information about the exhibit can be found on the university’s calendar of events, and a blurb about the show was in August’s Racer Nation newsletter, but don’t expect to see signs in the grass advertising the exhibit like a football game. With a small staff, University Galleries

doesn’t have the promotional capabilities to catch the attention of every student on campus or even every student in the Fine Arts Building.

This is one of the most distinguished shows we’ve had in years and probably will have for a good amount of time – but there are students who will never see the work, and possibly even students who aren’t aware of the Clara M. Eagle Gallery at all.

We’re all taught the humanities are important to study in college, but there’s often a disconnect between computer screen and student. Textbook prints or online images will never hold a burning candle to the real thing.

So, if you haven’t set foot on the sixth floor of Fine Arts yet, do yourself a favor: get out of the classroom or the library and take a journey into the underworld with Dalí as your guide.

A surrealist’s interpretations of hell might be more beautiful than you think.

Between You and Media

In defense of Pikachu

TheNews.org

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purgatory and paradise.

According to the event page on Murray State’s calendar, the history is fairly dramatic: to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Italian poet Dante’s birth, they commissioned Dalí to create illustrations inspired by the bizarrely beautiful and haunting poems. However, the government retracted the request before the project was finished because the Italian people were outraged that the artist was Spanish, rather than Italian.

Dalí decided to finish the works anyway over a nine-year period, working tirelessly to create wood engravings of the illustrations.

Needless to say, this exhibition is an extraordinary marriage of classic literature and art, one every student should see to get some art appreciation outside of a classroom.

While it may not be surprising for a school like Vanderbilt or Yale to casually display the work of an artist as monumental as Dalí , it’s quizzical that our

For the average Murray State student, sitting through an Art Appreciation or HUM 211 course to see grainy powerpoint slides of a Picasso, Renoir or van Gogh is less than inspirational.

For the average Kentuckian, seeing an original work of art by one of those famous artists could be only an expensive dream or a once-in-a-lifetime experience if granted the opportunity.

But until Sept. 15, experiencing the work of Salvador Dalí, famous Spanish surrealist painter, is as easy as walking into Price Doyle Fine Arts Building.

The show, located in the Clara M. Eagle Gallery, is no run-of-the-mill contemporary art gallery to wander through with a puzzled expression – the 100 watercolor woodcut prints were part of Dalí ’s project to create an illustration for each canto of Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy,” which includes journeys through the inferno,

Rachel Wood || Contributing writer rwood7@murraystate.edu Never in my lifetime did I expect to see 20-somethings getting excited over Bulbasaurs.

It would be an understatement to say Pokémon Go has become fairly popular, with millions of users downloading the virtual reality (VR) app since its release in early July. I was excited to see how the app would affect a college campus like Murray State during the academic year.

I’m shocked at the number of conversations I’ve had in the past two weeks that began with, “Did you know there’s a Pokémon nearby?” I’m also disappointed with how quickly I’ve taken out my phone to confirm this bit of information. It’s no doubt our campus already has a very active Pokémon-hunting community.

Online users have wasted no time reaching for their torches and pitchforks, though – many ridicule the game’s players and complain it only encourages people to look at their phones.

At first, I thought these complaints were the result of a generational gap. After all,

millennials are always glued to their smart devices in the eyes of some baby boomers; did they really expect these millennials not to lose their minds over a game whose prime objective is to walk around with a smartphone in hand?

Then, my dad called to inform me that he had caught a Weedle while sitting at his desk in his office.

Granted, my dad is a technology specialist so it’s not all that surprising that he’s interested in the newest smartphone craze. He’s not the only one, though – several of my friends have also informed me that their parents have tried to figure out the app as well.

So, the whole “hey kids, get off my lawn,” anti-millennial argument doesn’t really hold up.

Maybe it does just come down to popularity, then. The whole concept of a VR app is nothing new – Ingress, another of Niantic’s apps, has been around since 2013 – but there’s something about Pokémon Go’s popularity that has really gotten under some people’s skin.

I get it – everyone has something they love to hate: Justin Bieber, Nickelback, people who don’t use their turn signal. Perhaps,

because this is a new craze, it only feels to users like the internet is bursting with hate for it.

But let’s think about the positives: people are getting outside, being more active and interacting with people on the street. Isn’t that exactly what some people have been demanding of avid internet users for years?

The presence of smartphones doesn’t invalidate the act, either—there’s no “wrong way” to enjoy going outside.

Most importantly, though, Pokémon Go users are having fun – that’s all there is to this. Even if you don’t see the fun in going outside to catch virtual monsters, there are people who do. This app has given people a reason to get outside for a few minutes every day for a change of scenery. Life can be really mundane sometimes, and Pokémon Go makes it a little more interesting.

Can we all take a deep breath and see the fun in this game?

I’m not trying to force everyone to succumb to the Pokémon Go craze; I get that not everyone grew up playing the games or watching the TV show. But the next time you see two people getting excited over a Pikachu, just leave them be.

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

September 1, 2016

Page 5 Some Things Considered Swearing allegiance

Letter to the editor

By Hallie Beard

Got opinions?

We want to hear from you!

The News welcomes commentaries and letters to the editor. Submissions should be 600 words or less, and contributors should include phone numbers for verification. Please include hometown, classification and title or relationship to the university.

The News reserves the right to edit for style, length and content. No anonymous contributions will be accepted. All contributions should be turned in by noon on Monday of each week via email to hbeard2@murraystate.edu. Contributions to The News are the opinion of the author and not that of The Murray State News.

Rational Animal

Broaden your study John Muenzberg|| Contributing writer jmuenzberg@murraystate.edu Students in study abroad programs often experience the new and unusual.

We delight in taking pictures of strange looking breakfasts and unidentifiable bathroom fixtures. Those obvious differences are fun and entertaining, but over time we begin to question the assumptions of our own way of living.

One minor way to recognize these assumptions is to encounter familiar things in an unfamiliar environment. If you truly want to experience European sports culture, I recommend you attend a soccer game while in Europe. It is fun, new and unusual. But a few weeks ago, while I was in Regensburg, Germany as part of our Semester in Regensburg program, I saw the Regensburg Legionnaires Baseball game.

There is something disconcerting in experiencing a quintessential American pastime in a foreign country. The pace, style and look of the game are all filtered through the cultural lens of the host country. One can recognize that activities we think are part of baseball culture are really part of American culture, and actually secondary to the game. It makes you wonder why we celebrate the way we do.

A pastime may directly reflect one’s culture, but it is just a pastime. The more dramatic differences reflect basic decisions made by a society about how people will live. It is well

known that Europeans generally walk and bike more than Americans. Attributing this to American laziness is easy, but it overlooks the systematic reasons for the difference.

One major reason that Europeans tend to drive less is that driving is more expensive in Europe. Cars, insurance, parking and gasoline are more expensive. Europeans certainly own cars, but a family may have one car when an American family will have two.

There is something disconcerting in experiencing a quintessential American pastime in a foreign country.

”

One reaction is to be thankful we live in the USA and then drive to school. But after experiencing Regensburg for an extended period of time, one begins to notice the many ways in which that city is designed around pedestrians and bicyclists. The sidewalks in Regensburg, and many German cities, have two lanes: one for pedestrians and one for bicyclists. The intersections even have bike signals in addition to pedestrian signals. Stores

”

Comic

are built closer to the sidewalks to provide easy access.

On the other hand, Walmart is fairly close to the residential colleges at Murray State, yet walking there is not pleasant. Walmart was built away from the center of population and is orientated to face a parking lot along a highway. It is cheaper to build this way, and makes it easier to drive there. That it is harder to walk or bike there never enters into the calculation.

Consider 16th Street north of campus. Like many roads in Murray, it is a narrow strip of asphalt that drops off into a drainage ditch.

Given the situation, it is understandable that some people might break the law and ride their bikes on the sidewalk – except there is no sidewalk all the way to campus. So you live less than two miles from campus but the safest way to get there is by car. Of course, you have to park a half-mile from the classroom, but at least that walk is not dangerous.

The main point is not to complain about sidewalks in Murray, Kentucky. The point is that after living abroad for several weeks you stop pointing out how the other country is new and unusual and start to ask if what we do is the unusual choice. This questioning helps you to understand the choices we really have and to evaluate them on their own merits, rather than simply because we have always done things this way. It can take an extended period of time somewhere else to truly learn about who you are.

Best Friends By Selena McPherson

In the 2012 presidential election, I was 17 years old – unable to vote, but hardly interested or informed about the candidates.

Now, it’s as if I’ve received my driver’s license and been thrown behind the wheel of a NASCAR or given a handle of vodka as my first legal drink.

As you can imagine, this is a rough election for my first presidential vote. While I think myself more informed now, I’m still not the most passionate about politics. I realize, to some, that’s an infuriating statement – shouldn’t every able-minded citizen be revved up about who’s in charge of their town, city, state and country?

Well, in a perfect world, sure. But some people are really interested in politics, and some people aren’t. It doesn’t mean the people who are less interested can’t become more educated and develop informed opinions, but it might take a little longer for those people (like myself) to feel comfortable worshipping a politician and plastering their name on their car bumper.

All jokes aside, I have a point to make: no matter where each voter falls on the spectrum of interest, they have a right to vote that is solely their own.

Half of the people I know tell me that if I vote for a third-party, like Gary Johnson, my vote will go to Donald Trump; the other half tells me my vote will go to Hillary Clinton.

It can’t go both ways, folks, but if it could, it sure would hurt to have my vote go to every candidate except the one on my ballot.

The other alternative, not voting, is met with cries of “But your vote matters!”

OK, so my vote for an elector matters.

Scratch that – forget the Electoral College for a few minutes, because my vote for president matters.

So what if I want to go third-party for this shindig? “Well a third-party candidate will never win,” the people cry, “so you might as well not even vote.”

OK, so now my vote actually doesn’t matter. Or, only if I vote for one of the two most popular individuals representing the entire U.S., but not the one I most identify with. Some people’s votes matter, and some people’s don’t.

“But wait!” they say, “it’s not about you.

You have to think about what’s best for the country!”

Well, citizen, I’m sorry to say I don’t know at all what’s best for you. I know nothing about you, your family, health, socioeconomic status, income or taste in education. But I know about what’s best for me. That’s what every voter knows and who every voter is out to please – themselves.

Feel free to disagree, but ask yourself: would I still vote for my favorite candidate if their policies didn’t benefit me?

Furthermore, some argue now is not the time to protest the two-party system, and that it will eventually change after a long time. But how can a system change if we continue to support it and ostracize anyone with alternative options.

If you want me to take this seriously, here it is: a vote is a grave thing. Ultimately, it’s my pledge that I believe in a sole individual so much that I think they should be president. A commitment like that is no laughing matter, and it takes a lot of self-evaluation. If I’m going to make that declaration to my government, it’s going to be a genuine representation of who I trust, not a gamble on a candidate I despise for fear of letting in a different candidate I also despise.

In Wendell Berry’s “Manifesto: The Mad Famer’s Liberation Front,” he writes, “swear allegiance to what is nighest your thoughts.”

If you feel confident swearing by the two party system no matter what, so be it. If not, swear allegiance to the candidate who is nighest your thoughts, or don’t swear. hbeard2@murraystate.edu

Cheers to ... The News!

Jeers to ... Celebrity death

We don’t want to toot our own horns, but The Murray State News is a finalist for the 2016 ACP Pacemaker Awards.

Other finalists include The Yale Daily News, The Indiana Daily Student and more. Hard work pays off, y’all. Stay in school and write for The News.

Rest in peace to Gene Wilder, everyone’s favorite Willy Wonka.

The actor, 83, unfortunately died from complications from Alzheimer’s disease Aug. 29, 2016. This year has been one of the worst for celebrity deaths – let’s not have any more for a while, world.

Jeers to ... A logo lost Notice anything missing from the page to the left? It turns out our beloved fist-pumping horse and jockey is not actually ours – he’s called Man o’ War, and we don’t know how he got here. So, we had to put him down.

Ideas for a new logo, anyone?

CHEERS & JEERS Cheers & Jeers is written by The Murray State News’ Opinion Editor.

Questions, comments or concerns should be addressed to hbeard2@murraystate.edu

Cheers to ... The Pony Sadly, the dear old Pony Express had some injuries in the last week and couldn’t run to all its usual tracks. But the faithful mare is up and running again, and Racers everywhere are rejoicing! We don’t know what we’d do without that delicious, delicious Pony.

Page 6

September 1, 2016

The News

Sports Editor: Mark McFarland Assistant Sports Editor: Sarah Combs Phone: 270-809-4481 Twitter: MSUSportsNews

Sports ­­

Football kicks off at Illinois

Mark McFarland Sports Editor

mmcfarland1@murraystate.edu

Murray State football will hit the road for its first game of the 2016 season when the Racers take on the University of Illinois on Saturday.

The Racers fell short last season, only having a record of 3-8 and finishing in seventh place in the OVC with a 2-7 conference record.

The Fighting Illini w o u n d up two g a m e s Stewart u n d e r .500 with a 5-7 overall record and finished 2-6 in the Big 10. Head Coach Mitch Stewart said the team is ready to play and get the first game under their belt.

“Very excited to get on the road versus a [Football Bowl Subdivision] opponent in Illinois,” Stewart said. “It’ll be one of the most unique games I’ve ever played because right now I don’t really know who we are playing, just to be quite honest with you.”

Although the Racers don’t know much about their opponent, Stewart said he believes they are ready to play.

Senior wide receiver Jesse Blackburn, a preseason ALLOVC pick, said the team is just ready to stop beating up on each other.

“It seems like just yesterday we were getting into summer ball and working out, preparing for this week,” Blackburn said.

Junior defensive tackle Bishop Woods said everyone is excited and ready for the first game of the season.

“Everybody is just excited to finally play,” Woods said.

Offensively, the Racers come in with senior quarterback KD Humphries and Blackburn as the core of the offense. Last season, Blackburn caught the ball 48 times for five touchdowns and 612 yards.

Although the offense has a chance to be high-powered, the Racer defense looks to bring itself more respect.

Defensively, the Racers will be led by senior defensive back Toby Omli and Woods.

They look to improve on a season where both made an impact. Omli finished the season fifth on the team in tackles with 49 tackles, 24 of which were solo tackles. Woods also finished in the top 10 on the team in tackles, with 43 tackles as well as eight quarterback hits and one fumble recovery on the year.

Stewart said he is excited to see what his team can do up against an FBS school.

“There will be a lot of guys out there on the field that you have never seen before, never seen their names and never seen their faces and I have never seen them either in battle, so that’ll be a lot of fun,” Stewart said.

Stewart also said it will be great to see how the young and old guys handle a venue and experience like the one the team will face on Saturday.

Kickoff will be at 2:30 p.m.

Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

The game will be aired on the Big 10 Network.

Sports Editor

ers on his team and believes that everyone plays a role in pushing one another and leading along the way.

“One of the best things about us is the team chemistry,” Lollar said. “Our All-Americans would not be where they are if they didn’t have people behind them pushing them. It’s a team effort, and they are all leaders in their own way.”

This season the team will be shooting against some of the top teams in the country. Top-ranked West Virginia, Texas Christian, and the University of Kentucky are all scheduled to shoot against the Racers this year.

Lollar said his team is up to the challenge of getting to face off against the best talent in the country. Lollar also said he and his team look forward to every chance they get to shoot against

see RIFLE, page 7

see COLUMN, page 7

Mark McFarland/The News

Senior quarterback KD Humphries will begin his final season under center for the Racers at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the University of Illinois.

mmcfarland1@murraystate.edu

The women’s soccer team has been led by Head Coach Jeremy Groves since the 2014-15 season.

But Groves said he doesn’t just want to be known as the head coach at Murray State, he wants to be known for more personal reasons.

“I’m a laid back kind of guy,” he said. “Not everything is about me.

I would probably want to be known as someone who is selfless. I don’t like praise very much, I would rather deflect it onto other people.

If there is a critiGroves cism of any of my

Tough road ahead for No. 2 team WHAT’S

INSIDE

girls, players or people I’d rather take all that on my shoulders instead of having it on them.”

Groves is from South Milfred, England, and is in his third season of coaching at Murray State. Groves has bounced around a little bit, having coached at Morehead State, University of Kentucky and a school in England. As a player, he signed with a professional club at the age of 10. He spent his first two years of school in England and then moved to the United States to finish off his playing career.

Groves spent his first year in the U.S. playing for a small school, Virginia Intermont, before transferring to Kentucky.

In 2003 and 2004 Groves helped Kentucky win back-to-back MAC Championships. He later graduated and coached for two years on the women’s side and four years on the

Blake Sandlin

Contributing writer bsandlin1@murraystate.edu

With their season set to begin next month, the Murray State rifle team has high expectations for the coming year, where they’ll be facing some of the top competition in the country.

The Racers are starting this preseason ranked second nationally by the College Rifle Coaches Association. With expectations this high, a lot of teams Lollar might be feeling the pressure, but Head Coach Alan Lollar, while honored by the ranking, said he doesn’t put much stock in the preseason poll.

“It’s good to be ranked at the

men’s side.

Groves then become the assistant at Morehead and contributed to many players’ receiving OVC accolades. Groves then applied for the Murray State job and began his career with the Racers.

Playing soccer in England and the U.S. has helped Groves see the differences between the culture of the sport in the two countries.

“Over here everyone is die hard on football and basketball, they get the big crowds and stuff,” Groves said. “I think it [soccer] is definitely growing over here, the college game especially.”

Coming from England he knows first-hand how big soccer is across the pond.

“You know, over there everybody plays in the street,” he said. “Everybody watches it, it’s the main kind of thing that goes on. The whole media

top, I think it’s a validation for what we do and the handwork that the kids are doing. We really appreciate that,” Lollar says.

“Other than that, it’s just a place to start, it’s more important how you end up.”

Lollar’s team is relatively young this year, with no seniors on the roster. They are welcoming two freshman to the team this season, Shelby Huber from Columbus, Georgia, and Meike Drewell from Austin, Texas, who Lollar believes will bring a hardworking attitude to practice everyday.

The team will be loaded with talent this year, as four All-Americans from last season will be returning this year. MacKenzie Martin from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, Ben Estes from Ozark, Missouri, Ivan Roe from Manhattan, Montana and Barbara Schläpfer from Gais, Switzerland, are all returning for another season. Lollar is pleased to have these play-

Sexism in Sports Coverage With the Rio Olympic Games wrapping up on Aug. 21, everyone was talking about USA’s overall domination with a record-breaking 121 total medals, 46 of those being gold. Applaud the work, but give ‘em the ole 1-2.

There’s no doubt those athletes worked day in and day out for many years to get to the biggest stage in all of sports. But, as the American flag was raised above our talented athletes, the media’s degrading, sexist coverage seeped into the games, undermining women before they even stepped off the podium.

The mass media coverage of the Olympic Games didn’t waste any time setting the sexist tempo.

NBC offered an explanation as to why the opening ceremonies weren’t live streamed. Philly.com scored an interview with NBC and got a peek at the method to their madness.

“The people who watch the Olympics are not particularly sports fans,” the article said. “More women watch the games than men and for the women, they’re less interested in the result and more interested in the journey. It’s sort of like the ultimate reality show and mini-series wrapped into one.”

My translation, more women watch the games than men and because of that, they were providing commentary doused in presumptuous ideas of what women are interested in. They took it upon themselves to filter the content because apparently women just don’t actually like sports. Did anyone tell them that Mel Gibson already learned the hard way in “What Women Want” that assuming what goes on in a woman’s head is a bad idea?

And let’s not leave out the media’s obvious male bias in their headlines.

One headline that particularly ruffled feathers was by The Associated Press. The headline read, “Phelps ties for silver in 100 fly,” and in a smaller font with a bluntly inferior typeface,” Ledecky sets world record in women’s 800 freestyle.”

Journalistic principles are to report information in a fair and just manner.

Someone must have confused the athletes gender as a dominating portion of that article, even though the accomplishment was subordinate. Since when did silver beat gold? On top of that, is a world record somehow subpar to a tie for a silver medal? Or, could it really, truly, honestly be a shining example of a woman’s accomplishments being secondary to a man’s? I think we know the answer.

I am man, hear me roar; even though this woman can roar louder and longer than I can.

The Twittersphere quickly fired back to one headline in particular from the Chicago Tribune “Wife of a Bears’ lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics.” It was referred to as a “sexist mess” by fellow tweeters and hilariously reworded.

Twitter acted as their own

Third year coach, first class mentality Mark McFarland

Sarah Sounds Off

surrounds it, over here every now and again you’ll see a top 10, this or that, or they’ll mention something, but it’s just kind of a way of life over there.”

Before Murray State, Groves learned the difference between coaching men’s and women’s soccer.

He said he learned that college age men think they know everything and don’t really listen to their coach, this is why he said he wanted to continue to coach women’s soccer.

“There’s not a lot of egos involved, there is some, but I think it’s a little bit easier to manage,” Groves said.

Not only has it been easier to manage the egos of the women’s players, but it has been easier for Groves to make sure the women go to class and not have to chase them down.

In his free time, Groves loves to

see GROVES, page 7

WILD RIDE

SPORTS SCHEDULE

KEVIN BROST

BLOOD DRIVE

Murray State rodeo begins preparation for its season, 7

See what is coming up this month in sports, 8

Senior’s single lands him on iTunes top charts, 9

Students donate blood to the American Red Cross, 9

The News

Sports

September 1, 2016

Page 7

Rodeo begins to buck around Bryan Edwards

After a difficult 2015 campaign, the Murray State rodeo team will be coming for the prize in the 2016 season. The William “Bill” Cherry Agricultural Exposition Center will be home to the Murray State rodeo team yet again.

Murray State finished eighth in both men’s and women’s competition last year and look to perform better.

Youth plays a big part in this y e a r ’ s t e a m , said Head Coach J. D. Van Hooser.

W i t h Van Hooser 50 total members, Van Hooser says that 25 of them are freshmen. In his 14th season as coach, Van Hooser gave a brief preview of what events the team will be competing in.

“The team will be competing in ten events this year,” Van Hooser said.

“The men will be playing in six, the women will play four.”

The Racers compete in the Ozark region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA), alongside Tennessee-Martin and Missouri Valley College They will be competing in events like bull riding for the men and breakaway calf roping for the women.

Both teams will also compete in a team roping competition.

Van Hooser believes that despite inexperience, the team will meet the expectations that they have set for this season.

“I think that we will be in good shape for the season,” Van Hooser said.

“There are a lot of young, talented people on that team that can really make an impact.”

The rodeo team mostly travels to their events throughout the season, but have been granted an opportunity to host an event

at the Expo Center in Murray. Starting on Oct. 13, Murray State will host the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association rodeo competition. The event will last four days and will conclude on Oct. 16.

When the team isn’t traveling to competitions around the country, they stick to a heavy practice schedule. Van Hooser said the team practices three to five days every week, with the practices lasting up to six hours. The team stays very busy in the afternoon, developing the younger members and tuning up their skills to prepare for the rigorous season that they have in front of them.

The rodeo team will be depending on performances from their returning veterans, as well as breakthrough performances from their young pool of freshmen that will lead the team into the future. The Ozark Regional will be the last competetion for the rodeo team this season, it will be held Oct. 13-16 at the Expo Center.

and leaders in their field and graduating means so much to me.”

Milkman has spent her entire life in Murray. She grew up in Murray, worked in Murray and continues to keep her roots in the community.

“Murray means everything to me. I was fortunate enough to grow up here in this wonderful community. It’s a great place to live and it shows,” Milkman said. “The education system is fantastic, the community is fantastic and it’s just a good place.”

Milkman looks to continue her career in a similar fashion; this time backed by a noticeably youthful roster. The Racers will be sporting just four upperclassmen amongst a field of 11, but Milkman has not broken stride. When asked of her expectations for the team, Milkman said she believes in her group of women.

“Our goal is to compete and win every tournament we play in. We anticipate a good year.

I expect us to be competitive, I expect some team championships and I expect some individual championships as well,” Milkman said.

With so much youth, it’s only inevitable that the role of one of two seniors on the Racers’ roster, Sydney Kelley will be a vital one. Kelley, from Paducah, Kentucky, has played a pivotal role in the Racers’ past success and will naturally be relied on to an even greater extent this season. Milkman gives assurance that she will provide that necessary leadership.

“I’m very excited about this year for her. She’s certainly gotten better, and continues to get better and I think it’s going to be a very good year for her.”

Milkman said, “It has been an honor to coach her for four

years and I’m looking forward to the fourth one.”

As with any young team, the Racers will be searching for additional leaders to step up and provide production early in the year. An obvious leader can be found in junior Moa Folke, who is coming off an individual OVC Championship, but Milkman also puts responsibility in the hands of all four upperclassmen.

“My seniors will lead and Moa will lead as well. I’ve got four upperclassmen and seven underclassmen and we talked in our team meeting and those four upperclassmen [Kelley, Folke, Leah Rose Judd and Anna Moore] will all lead.”

The Murray State women’s golf team begin their season with the Murray State Drake Creek Invitational on Sept.

12-13 at the Drake Creek Golf Course in Ledbetter, Kentucky.

Contributing writer

bedwards16@murraystate. edu

Chalice Keith/The News

Rodeo returns 25 of 50 members while adding 25 freshman to the team.

Murray’s Milkman continues to deliver GROVES From Page 6 watch soccer, and has said many times his wife will ask him if he gets tired of the sport.

His favorite club is Everton, a club in England where many top notch U.S. players have played. He said they are hoping for a good season in the British Premier League.

“Sometimes it’s very frustrating,” Groves said. “They did just get a new owner who has pumped in a bunch of money and they did just get a new coach this year so I think, just like every fan, we are always optimistic that something is going to change, but we will see.”

Groves said he has had a lot of fun coaching at Murray State, but winning the OVC Championship last season wasn’t the most fun he’s had.

“When I first took over

the program and we kind of changed things pretty quickly and immediately and we got back on the winning side of things,” he said.

“It’s just the kids telling me how much fun they had and they wish they had more years to be involved. I think that’s the best thing, the environment we try and create is good and a positive one and they enjoy themselves.”

Although Groves does like to have fun with the team, he said there is still work to do to accomplish what they want this season.

“If we are not in the mix to win the OVC, I’m going to be very disappointed,” Groves said. “I think the conference will be stronger this year, but with that being said, I’ve always said this and I back my players, we have good players.”

Groves and the Racers will be back in action at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Vanderbilt. The team will then play a home game at 2 p.m.

Sunday against Arkansas State.

Collin Morris

Contributing writer cmorris29@murraystate.edu

Velvet Milkman, head coach of the women’s golf team, has been the only coach in Murray State history and has coached players to championships and many different accolades.

Milkman has amassed a resumé decorated with multiple OVC Championships, coached recipients of the OVC Player of the Year award and earned a historic nine OVC Coach of the Year awards. Modest by nature, Milkman said she values personal connections over materialistic accolades.

“The relationship with my players means the most to me,” Milkman said. “I’ve received text messages and emails this week wishing me good luck, so the relationship there and watching my players develop into young women

COLUMN From Page 6

Chalice Keith/The News

Head Coach Groves led the 2015 Racer soccer team to a regular season OVC Championship and an OVC Tournament Championship last season.

RIFLE

From Page 6

Chalice Keith/The News

The rifle team begins its season on Sept 25 against UT Martin. The Racers were ranked No. 2 in the preseason rankings.

these top programs.

Despite the tough competition on the schedule this year, Lollar said his main focus is on his team’s individual performance scores.

In rifle, it’s more about each person’s individual performance than the team that they’re facing.

“You’re really not going up against anyone but yourself,” Lollar said. “Qualifying for NCAA championships in rifle is about the scores you shoot, not about your win/ loss record.”

The Racers will open their season Sept. 25 against UT Martin at the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range in Murray. UT

Martin comes into the season ranked 19th nationally in the CRCA rankings.

They are coached by Bob Beard, a Murray State alumnus who made an impact during his time with the Racers, acquiring Hall of Fame honors at Murray State. Lollar said he has tremendous respect for Beard, has had an enormous impact on his coaching career.

“There’s a real family connection with us,” Lollar said.

“I consider Bob one of my mentors, he’s taught me a lot.

One of the reasons I’m in this job doing this is because of him.”

The Murray State rifle team will be tested this year, facing many schools in the nation; but with their roster, the Racers intend to prove they can compete with the best.

copy editing desk, spilling out an unforgettable response: “You spelled ‘3-time Olympian Corey Cogdell-Unrein wins second bronze medal today in Rio Olympics’ wrong.”

T h e o v e r a l l m e d i a (whether oblivious or simply neglectful) can say that women are being sensitive or that women are trying to start a biased movement of feminism.

In reality, I am part of the media. I am the media and the media is me. However, I am also responsible for using a platform to convey my thoughts and expose an injustice. Simply, women want the same respect that their fellow male athlete receives. It’s an issue that needs to be talked about. It’s not a bandwagon media ploy for attention. Until you make an appearance at the Olympic Games, compete in a competitive manner among zealous athletes and do all of that while receiving sexist coverage with unattainable expectations and never-ending physical criticisms, give female athletes the respect they have earned.

It’s time to make a change. The media prides itself on being an unbiased coverage source, but in reality, there’s nothing unbiased about male dominance in the 2016 Rio Olympics coverage.

Women have been fighting for their equality in the language of sports long enough – it’s time to remove the blindfold and report on a female athlete’s ability rather than her gender.

The News

Sports

Page 8

September 1, 2016

murray state racer Sports in September

VOLLEYBALL

CROSS COUNTRY

SOCCER

FOOTBALL

GOLF

SUN MON TUE WED THUR FRI 1 HOME GAMES LISTED IN BOLD

4

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SOCCER Arkansas State 2 p.m.

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WGOLF Drake Creek Invitational MGOLF MSU Invitational

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TENNIS Austin Peay

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VOLLEYBALL UT Martin 7 p.m.

MGOLF SIUE

TENNIS Central Arkansas

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VOLLEYBALL San Diego State XC Belmont FOOTBALL Illinois

10 VOLLEYBALL Wright State Butler

SOCCER Saint Louis

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WGOLF Jacksonville State

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VBALL Saint Louis

SOFTBALL St. Louis Southern Illinois

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3 VOLLEYBALL Oregon UC Davis

SOCCER Vanderbilt

VOLLEYBALL Southern Illinois

12 SOCCER Kentucky

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FOOTBALL SENIOR NIGHT Missouri State 6 p.m.

17 M-GOLF - Eastern KY XC - Vanderbilt VBALL - Illinois - Omaha FB - Southern Illinois

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VOLLEYBALL SEMO 2 p.m.

FOOTBALL SEMO

6 p.m.

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TENNIS Wright State

VOLLEYBALL Austin Peay 7 p.m.

SOCCER SEMO

Schwepker finds lineup through competition Sarah Combs

Assistant Sports Editor scombs8@murraystate.edu

Volleyball Head Coach D a v i d Schwepker is the winningest coach in Murray State history and is beginning his 19th year with Schwepker the Racer program.

Schwepker’s success is record-breaking and digging deeper, which could be a result of his in-house tournament competitions.

Schwepker chooses his lineups based upon an inhouse tournament style competition within practices. It’s a public report card that sits on a whiteboard in his office.

Schwepker said he allows the players to decide who

starts the upcoming games by their performances prefacing game day but it also breeds a competitive atmosphere within their practices.

“It’s always from the players what we do,” he said.

“We have a system where we run a lot of tournaments.

The tournaments all do whatever we need to work on. Instead of just doing drills, we run a tournament and we keep everybody’s scores throughout the tournaments and then we take their last eight tournaments that they played in. The top 3 outside hitters go, the top 2 middles go, the top setter goes and that’s just how we pick.”

The lineup can change every single week or it can remain the same throughout the year. The player’s decide their fate on the court and they completely control the place, Schwepker said.

Schwepker said he doesn’t have anything to do with the

lineup, he leaves that up to the players performance.

Implementing tournament-style practices makes sure that the players never become idle within the practices, said Schwepker.

It keeps the reigning starters on their toes and gives the other players something to work toward and earn a top spot.

“I think it makes a humongous competitive nature.

These girls, their practices are way more stressful than games. That’s why they can play and not be so stressed out during games. Especially the starters because they are fighting to keep that spot and then other girls are trying to push to get in there and everybody has a chance.”

Keeping a competitive edge within the team is important to Schwepker. He said it helps them weed out the mentally weaker players and allows the Racers to put the mentally tough players

on the court week in and week out. The players become accustomed to competition every single day so game day competition

“

The girls who can handle that stress on a daily basis, can handle that stress on game days and that’s who we need out there.

”

David Schwepker, head coach of Women’s Volleyball doesn’t faze them.

“We always start out with the last eight [tournaments], so if you started out bad, those bad ones get knocked

out and you just keep going,” Schwepker said. “The whole season, it’s most stressful on the people who are mostly out there with a starting position. I feel sorry for them actually. But that makes them tough and they learn how to deal with that stress mentally. The girls who can handle that stress on a daily basis can handle that stress on game days and that’s who we need out there.”

Schwepker doesn’t hint on leaving the Racer program any time soon, though. With his connections formed and his success achieved, he said hopes to stick around until the program no longer has a need for him.

“They way I look at it is I plan on staying here until they say they want to get rid of me or fire me,” Schwepker said. “I’m happy at Murray State and I love it.”

Schwepker said Assistant Coach Becca Lamb has been able to add to the team by bridging the gap between

player and coach and also the experience needed to be successful at a higher level.

He said Lamb knows what it takes to be competitive and what it takes to play under Schwepker. Schwepker said Lamb can help relate to the needs of the players.

“She’s good with the girls because she’s been thereshe’s been on both sides now: a coach and a player,’ Schwepker said. “I think she can relate to them really well on more of a personal level.”

Twenty years later and Schwepker said he still keeps in touch with his former players. With that long of a presence in a program, Schwepker could begin recruiting his former players’ children.

The Racers started their season with a 3-0 weekend at the Fort Wayne Invitational in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Their next tournament will begin on Friday, Sept. 2 in Eugene, Oregon.

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Apply online at thenews.org/apply or in 111 Wilson Hall.

September 1, 2016

Page 9

The News

Features Editor: Gisselle Hernandez Assistant Features Editor: Brianna Willis Phone: 270-809-5871 Twitter: MSUNewsFeatures

Features ­

Brost’s musical mark is here to “Stay”

McKenna Dosier/The News

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

In the midst of beginning his senior year, Kevin Brost, from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, has not only released his debut single “Stay,” but the song has made it up to the No. 12 spot on iTunes.

Growing up in Catholic school, Brost attended church every week with his classmates as well as every Sunday with his parents. This was how Brost began singing.

“As fidgety as I am, it was really hard for me to sit still through church,” Brost said. “So I tried to get by waiting for each song to come up.

My excitement was waiting for the song so I could get something out of it and that’s how I started singing.”

Brost said when he was 13 years old, he began playing guitar. His mother had bought the guitar for him thinking Brost would lose interest in playing soon after, but eight years later, Brost has yet to put the guitar down.

At age 14, Brost started a five-piece band. They played classic rock, soft rock and pop throughout high school.

Brost said the band performed places legally they weren’t old enough to get into, including bars and clubs.

Brost said he has also played at wedding receptions and with church worship bands.

After coming to Murray State as a freshman, the five-piece band dissolved and Brost put together a three-piece trio. With them, Brost continued to play the same kind of venues, including wineries and bars.

Now, he has branched out alone and is starting his solo brand.

“It is intimidating because there is totally nothing to hide behind,” Brost said. “You either got it or you don’t, so every time I play I just have to prove that.”

Brost said he is excited he finally

gets to be himself and go with his own sound. He describes his music as “roots music” “It’s a blend of great American roots music: country, blues, gospel, folk and soul all blended together,” Brost said. “It’s classic vibes with a modern twist to make it new, innovative and unique.”

Brost signed with Gravity Artist Agency (GAA) in Nashville, Tennessee, last spring. Brost said during that time he made several trips to Nashville in order to build relationships with potential agencies but specifically GAA. Brost said if he knew Mike Musick, his manager, was going to be at a certain event, he would show up at the same event and casually run into Musick in order to keep building that relationship.

G A A takes care of booking, publicity, branding, social media and talking to venue owners and promoting.

“I was talking with Mike and he said to send him 10 of my best originals,” Brost said.

“Stay” stood out to Musick and they decided that was the song they would release for the single.

ent the song is about a father speaking to his son. The father is saying he knows he has made mistakes, but this time, he is here to stay.

“With my songwriting, what’s really important to me is that I tell a story,” Brost said. “That I put it in a perspective. I don’t want to use words that leave it really vague.”

Brost said the song is about regret and wanting more time.

He said this relates to him personally because he doesn’t want to wake up when he is 60 years old and look back with regret.

“Stay” was released on Aug. 13, and the official m u s i c video was released earlier this week. In the video, it is appar-

“That’s why I don’t sleep and I try to do as much as I can, because I want to experience as much as possible,” he said “I know that is a feeling a lot of people have had and so I felt if we can make it really emotional and put a father and son aspect in there, that would be really

cool.”

With the release of “Stay,” Brost’s social media has been flooded with positive feedback but Brost said “Stay” is not his favorite song he has written.

“I’m glad we started off with that one,” he said. “We are getting people interested, and then we are going to hit them with something even better.

We’ve got a lot more left in the tank.”

“I listened to it and it is a really different genre,” said Arista Manning, senior from Murray. “It’s roots music, an up-and-coming genre, that he is really excited to make a breakthrough with. I think he is going to do really well.”

Brost said he has better material he wants to showcase – material he feels will really register with the audience.

Brost said maintaining class work and being involved with his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, as well as other organizations on campus, can all be very stressful. He relies heavily on what he calls “the real team,” which includes his family, girlfriend, brothers and friends for support.

The Murray State fans are supportive as well, including President Bob Davies. He raved about Brost on Facebook when “Stay” made the No. 12 spot on iTunes.

“Kevin Ray Brost is an engaged and hardworking Murray State student,” Davies wrote on Facebook. “He is an amazing singer and musician.”

In the near future, fans can expect Brost to be performing live, releasing more videos and continuing to build his brand.

“I think what sets me apart is just the honesty in my songs,” Brost said.

“If I could choose three words to describe my music they’d be: authentic, vulnerable and transparent.”

More information on Brost can be found on his Facebook page or on his website, kevinraybrost.com

McKenna Dosier/The News

Students flock to blood drive to help save lives Gisselle Hernandez Features Editor

ghernandez1@murraystate.edu

The American Red Cross frequently hosts blood drives at Murray State, but as blood banks reach a “dangerously-low” level, the Red Cross and Murray State’s Student Government Association have decided to put incentives in place.

The Red Cross hosted its bimonthly blood drive in the Curris Center on Thursday and Friday, but the gratification of saving three lives is sometimes not enough for students, said

Robert Gomez, senate member of SGA and coordinator of the blood drive.

Gomez, senior from Cicero, Indiana, said he visited 16 restaurants on Tuesday night to ask for coupons to give to blood donors.

“Before when it was ‘save three lives’ they’re like, ‘whatever, I don’t care.’ Now, the people see that they get benefits from it,” he said. “Sadly, that helps them get to donate.

I wish that when we say ‘hey, you’re saving three lives,’ that that would be good enough for people, but unfortunately, that’s not the case.”

Amazon also pitched in and donated a $5 gift card to every donor, and many other local businesses helped out by giving donors 10 percent off meals or free sides.

Gomez said despite the coupons attracting more people, college kids do understand how important it is to donate.

He said last year Murray State won a competition against Austin Peay State University with the highest number of blood donors. On Thursday alone, there were a total of 89 blood donors and on Friday, one hour before closing shop, approximately 60 people had donated

blood. The wait for walk-ins was approximately 45 minutes, sometimes more.

Katie Alexander, junior from Crofton, Kentucky, donated blood on Friday, which she said was her tenth time. Alexander worked the sign-in table for the first time and said it allowed her to see just how many people wanted to make a difference.

“Working the table was encouraging to me because so many people wanted to donate or at least stop in and say that they wanted to donate but

see BLOOD, page 10

Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.

Less than 38 percent of the population is eligible to give blood.

About one pint of blood is given during donation.

Photo courtesy of iconfinder.com. Data courtesy of American Red Cross.

The News

Features

Page 10

September 1, 2016

Fraternities grow as recruitment week kicks off Taylor Inman Staff writer

tinman1@murraystate.edu

Greek life ramps up into full swing this week as fraternities begin their recruitment process, starting with the kick-off in the Curris Center last Wednesday, where incoming recruits could check out the fraternities Murray State has to offer.

The sororities ended their recruitment process before the semester began, but the fraternities are just getting started. As recruitment week kicks off, a question arises: what does Greek life have to offer Murray State students?

Evan Ditty, coordinator of Greek life at Murray State, said the opportunities that lie in Greek life will benefit incoming recruits exponentially.

“They offer the opportunity to get involved early on in the collegiate experience,” Ditty said. “They offer comGisselle Hernandez/The News munity and support. These 199 men were offered bids for this year’s Bid Day, which took place on Monday evening. students are going out on

their own for the first time and Greek life gives them the chance to meet new people and form a new support system here in college.”

Recruitment week hasn’t seen much change since last year. Ditty has been the head coordinator of Greek life for a little more than a year now and said the numbers have remained the same, but the way students look at Greek life is changing.

“We try not to call it ‘rush week’ anymore,” Ditty said.

“Because the term ‘rush’ implies rushing into something and that’s not what the recruitment process should be like for students.”

But from the standpoint of the fraternities, recruitment week is looking a little different this time around.

Both Sigma Pi’s president Michael Mann and Pi Kappa Alpha’s president Craig Lamb said their recruitment week is running smoother than last year simply due to more organization.

Mann explained how being prepared has helped their

kick-off to recruitment week be more of a success.

“We’ve done a better job at recruiting through social media,” Mann said. “We blasted the link to register through our Twitter page and Facebook page. Other fraternities reposted it; and Murray State even reposted it a couple of times, so that’s really helped.”

Mann said their numbers are up from last year by 100 men, which Lamb said will be beneficial to Pike’s search for new members.

“Last year we didn’t need as many people,” Lamb said.

“It gets into quality versus quantity. But this year we have the opportunity to grow.”

The recruitment week will continue on through Sunday, with fraternities having their “What is” night Thursday, and their “Smoker” nights on Friday and Saturday. “‘What is’ night is a presentation about what we are as a fraternity,” Mann said.

“We get to say ‘This is us and if you like us, come join

us, but if not, go join what makes you happy.’”

Lamb said he feels that their “What is” night bears the most weight when convincing recruits to pick Phi Kappa Alpha.

“We have alumni come back; guys who just graduated and have their first job to doctors who explain to the recruits what Phi Kappa Alpha has done in their lives.” Lamb said. “It translates to how this is going to help after college is over.”

The “Smoker” night is a more of a formal event, where recruits can bring dates as the fraternities scout out the men they want in their organization.

“We always say that we’re looking for the ‘most best men’ to join us,” Lamb said.

On bid day, which was Monday evening, 199 men were offered bids. In total, 261 bids were given. Phi Kappa Tau was among the fraternities who welcomed new men into their family, resulting in the chapter doubling its size.

Clara M. Eagle Gallery hosts Dalí paintings Gisselle Hernandez/The News

Staff report Timothy Martin, director of university galleries, booked the “Salvador Dalí Illustrates Dante’s Divine Comedy” exhibition that is currently in display at the Clara M. Eagle Gallery until September 15.

Martin said he was aware it was a traveling exhibition and noticed a “window of opportunity” where he was able to negotiate hosting it at Murray State.

“It is quite a task staying aware of what exhibitions of value are touring and building working relationships with a variety of artists and gallery directors definitely helps,” he said. “I would like to thank Sam Yates, director of the Ewing

Gallery at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville for helping to facilitate the loan of the Dalí exhibit.”

Martin said as he was first organizing the Murray State exhibition calendar, he would mention to artists along the way that he was working on hosting a Salvador Dalí exhibit and they would comment that their interested in fine art.

“I began to notice that Dalí was in some ways a gateway into fine art for a lot of young artists. Salvador Dalí’s works have a hint of those adolescent interests and of course a lot of additional sophistication that challenges viewers while at the same time welcoming young artists to investigate the world of fine art.”

Inferno 27, Lucifer

Inferno 30, Gianni Schicchi’s Bite

Purgatory 1, The Reign of the Penitents

Inferno 21, Fraud

Paradise 14, The Cross of Mars

Gisselle Hernandez/The News

The Clara M. Eagle Gallery is currently hosting 100 prints of Salvador Dalí’s illustration from Dante Alighieri’s “The Divine Comedy.”

BLOOD From Page 9 had studied abroad recently or had any other reason ‘x’ why they couldn’t donate,” she said.

“There was an impressive number of freshman student representation, which makes me happy that our newest Racers are quick to help a great cause.”

Though the Red Cross hosts blood drives at a number of universities, churches, hospitals and businesses, Rick Thomas, mobile unit assistant, said the ratio of participation at Murray State was higher compared to other campuses. He attributed the difference to how engaged most Murray State students are.

“Sometimes at the larger universities they’re like “I’m here for what I need to get done and then get out of here,”” he said. “Here, it’s more community-minded, and they tend to have a more sensitive mind for what is needed because blood supply is needed. We can’t even not do a blood drive per day.”

Thomas said the American Red Cross hosts blood drives 365 days a year, including Christmas Day and Thanksgiving. He has been working for the Red Cross for almost ten years, the same amount of time blood drives have been hosted at Murray State. He said his own daughter was in dire need of blood when she was diagnosed with cancer and said his job means a little bit more to

him because of it.

“It made a difference about how I feel about my work,” he said. “Like anybody here, they gave a pint of blood, they gave me another day with [my daughter]. They gave [my daughter] another day with her daughter. So there’s a pull in my heart.”

Thomas said although there is no obvious rise or drop in participation, the surge varies depending on which days the blood drive is held and how many people are on campus. For instance, he said the fact that the blood drive was held on a Friday may have caused less people to donate since they are leaving for home for the weekend.

The American Red Cross’ website states less than 38 percent of people can actually donate blood. Gomez, who said it was his 12th time donating blood, said he implores students to donate for those who want to but can’t because of whatever reason.

“In high school, I was too afraid, but I came here and I just decided to conquer my fear.

Talking to a lot of people outside, they said, ‘Oh I’m afraid of needles,’ or ‘I don’t want to,’” he said. “You just have to conquer your fear because it’s not that bad. You just have to think it could save someone’s life and you get a $5 gift card so just suck it up for a couple of minutes.”

The Red Cross comes to Murray State approximately every other month, and the next scheduled blood drive dates are Nov. 10 and 11.

Author shares proof of God’s existence Brianna Willis

Assistant Features Editor bwillis2@murraystate.edu

Seats were filled with students, faculty and community members gathered to hear Rice Broocks, author of “God’s Not Dead” and other Christian-based books, now turned into films, discuss his evidence for the existence of God at 7 p.m. on Monday in the Curris Center Ballroom hosted by The Christian Faculty Network (CFN).

The night began with some technical difficulties, but that did not keep the energy of the audience down. Todd Broker, Director of the Center for Economic Education, took the stage to introduce Broocks, and to inform the audience of the difficulties.

He was met with cheers and applause as he welcomed the audience. Once the technical difficulties were resolved, Broocks and Dr. Bryan Miller, a physicist who provided some consultation to Brooks in the crafting of his books, accompanied Broocks to the stage.

“You should always travel with a physicist,” Broocks said.

Broocks joked that Miller was “Siri’s husband” and knew a lot about various topics including religion and

Chalice Keith/The News

Rice Broocks, author of “God’s Not Dead,” speaks on the proof of God’s existence. science. He chose Miller to be there with him, he said, to help explain some of the scientific evidence he used in his book.

They started the presentation off with their own personal testimonies of faith, and why Broocks decided to write his book. The serious nature of God, and proof of his existence they presented, did not stop the two from keeping the atmosphere light. Brooks made jokes as he introduced himself and the topic of the evening.

Broocks not only discussed from his perspective God, but Miller talked about science and his belief in God. “A lot of people believe science and faith are in conflict, but that’s not true,” Miller said.

Broocks and Miller used

videos and simplified explanations of scientific concepts to support their beliefs. This multimedia aspect appealed to many of the college students, including Mitchell Clouse, sophomore from Glasgow, Kentucky. Clouse said he came for extra credit for an economics class, but he enjoyed the talk.

“I enjoyed the videos, even though they started late because of that,” he said.

CFN hosts these events not only for students, but Broker said for everyone on campus – including faculty and staff – since it is a good way to get engaged in the collegiate experience.

CFN is comprised of multiple Christian denominations, Broker said, and there’s diversity in races, ethnicities and political views.

“We have five tenants we ask those who join to agree too and believe in, but other than that you know, what color is the carpet in your church, we don’t care about those sorts of things,” Broker said.

An anonymous student from Frankfort, Kentucky, said he felt Broocks and Miller were well-versed and thorough in their research and presentation.

Broocks said that studies show college is where most students lose their faith. Broker echoed this sentiment and said he encouraged all college students to come to events hosted by CFN. While these events aren’t strictly for students, Broocks acknowledged how many students were in the audience and gave them all a free copy of his book. Anonymous said, for incoming freshman who may be away from their faith community for the first time, to “never forget who you are.”

Broker said the CFN felt that Broocks was the right choice for the campus’ needs at this time.

“These events are open to everybody, whether you’re Christian or non-Christian,” Broker said. “We feel these events are designed to be open and inviting and really non-threatening.”

The News

Features

September 1, 2016

Pop Culture Corner

‘Sausage Party’ fails to satisfy

Photo courtesy of laineygossip.com

VMAs honor Rihanna Pop singer Rihanna was honored at the 2016 Video Music Awards hosted by MTV. She was awarded the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award, highlighting her innovative music videos.

Rapper Drake, and current boyfriend, presented the award to her Sunday night saying, “I’ve been in love with her since I was 22,” causing the Internet to explode with gushing tweets. #RelationshipGoals

Page 11

Photo courtesy of justjared.com

Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen pose for photos with the main characters from newest film ‘Sausage Party.’

Nick Erickson || Staff writer nerickson@murraystate.edu

Animation. Food. Sex. Excretion. God. What do these words all have in common?

They encompass the gist of the newest endeavor from beloved actor Seth Rogen: “Sausage Party.”

It’s as much of a catastrophe as anyone might have guessed based off the trailer alone. In 88 minutes, Rogen, famous for his lovable and marijuana-induced humor, manages to pack every expletive in the book into a computer-animated film about talking food. On top of that, there’s a serious theological allegory, amid the onslaught of toilet humor. Is it worth the ticket price? If you’re below the humor of an edgy middle-schooler who just discovered what sexual organs are, then yes.

In a brightly-colored universe, “Sausage Party” follows the story of a sausage by the name of Frank. Voiced by Rogen himself, Frank is one with the sheep. The food all sing and praise “the gods” who will escort the chosen into “the great beyond.” Frank and his girlfriend, a hot dog bun named Brenda (Kristen Wiig), are chosen by a “god” and taken home with other food,

much to the food’s excitement.

They anticipate that this is their destiny, their chance to make it to the next life. For those who have seen the trailer, it’s clear that they were mistaken. The same gods they worshiped are merely hungry human shoppers, and the glorious apotheosis they bring to Frank and Brenda’s friends and neighbors is painful demise. The truth is horrible, isn’t it?

On the surface, the premise seems original. It successfully makes one question, “what if the food we eat had feelings?” It’s undoubtedly disturbing, particularly the very ending of the film (which will remain unspoiled for readers). Behind the somewhat enticing plot and the Pixar-esque imagery is the stale, fecal-centered humor that plagues the entire film.

Bluntly, almost every minute of the movie is full of profanity and literal toilet-humor, right from the first word of the film. One could expect this just judging from the title of the film. The name alone is a phallic reference, and one of the biggest running gags in the film is that Frank is shaped like a particular organ.

While Rogen’s style of humor often induces gut-busting laughter, and largely

is as vulgar as much of this film, it’s very detracting.

Where there could be some actual plot or further character development, there is instead some arguably unnecessary vulgarity. It feels like there is too much dim-witted humor in a short-span, and with a film almost an hour and a half long, it all feels very forced. With that being said, this IS a comedy, and with people taking note of who directed it, many will expect nothing less and just want to watch a blatantly-vulgar movie for some cheap laughs and to each their own.

For those with common sense, “Sausage Party” is as crude as expected. What could be a film with decent storyline is overly saturated with filthy jokes and swearing, not to mention some cringe-inducing sensuous moments between animate edible objects. For a film with the aesthetic of a children’s film that isn’t catered to them, the humor is far below the lowest common denominator. This film, if anything, is for the very light-hearted, who are expecting to laugh a bit and enjoy time with friends. However, if looking for something substantial that’ll last in your memory for longer than the weekend, steer clear.

‘Blond’: a resurrection Photo courtesy of eonline.com

Amber Rose to join “Dancing with the Stars” Amber Rose, Ryan Lochte, Laurie Hernandez and more have been announced as the celebrity cast for season 23 of “Dancing with the Stars.” Lochte, fresh out of a controversy said, he plans to train like it’s the Olympics. Let’s all hope he doesn’t accuse ABC of “robbing” him of a win if he’s sent home.

Soundbyte “I’m standing in front of the future, Chance the Rapper, 2 Chainz”

-Kanye West, Acknowledges fellow Chicago rapper Chance the Rapper, making Chance one giddy audience member.

Nick Erickson|| Staff writer nerickson@murraystate.edu

After the release of 2011’s “Nostalgia” and winning a Grammy for “Channel ORANGE,” the world-renowned singer Frank Ocean dropped beneath the radar, even going as far as to delete his Twitter. Just as many had started to lose hope of him making a return, the singer resurfaced last week after a four-year hiatus. With him, he brought the world “Blond.” It’s a minimalistic mixture of R&B and accessible pop, equipped with top-name guest features. Are these 17 tracks worth the past years of building anticipation? Given the amount of depth and influence felt within the record, one could definitely say yes.

Album opener “Nikes,” is a swarm of drums and reverb-laced synth pads.

Ocean’s voice is highly filtered, yet it’s nasal enough to feel human. As odd of a way to kick off a record as it may be, it manages to draw in attention to detail.

Following suit is “Ivy,” which feels more organic than the previous track.

No longer processed, Ocean’s voice smoothly transcends between low crooning and high falsetto, while two layers of electric guitars help him float through the track to the climatic end-

ing. It’s the yang to “Nikes” yin, and proves after just two songs how diverse Ocean is in his compositions.

The singer Beyoncé’s added vocal “oohs” enrich the beach-resort atmosphere of “Pink + White,” along with the subtle, jazzy bass. Kendrick Lamar offers a few bars on “Skyline To,” and Ocean couldn’t have picked a better rapper to accompany him on the track, being one of the most thought-provoking in the game today.

The sampling of a mother’s phonecall to her son against his potential marijuana and alcohol abuse, and the transition into a duo of Ocean’s voice and organ chords sets the mood for “Solo,” which offers up the R&B vibes many come to Ocean’s music for, and his ability to flawlessly move his voice around on this track could woo anyone unfamiliar with his talents.

Ocean puts a variety of feeling to every track on the record, from light-heartedness to tracks with darker undertones. The group vocal chanting, guitar arpeggios and somber vibes engulf “Self Control” flow into the short, Rhodes piano-driven “Good Guy,” where Ocean sings of his damaged love.

Gospel singer Kim Burrell features her mesmerizing vocal range on “Godspeed,” adding yet another dimension

Photo courtesy of genius.com to the soundscape, leading the way to album closer “Futura Free.”

The track fades in with some spoken-word from Ocean over the pulse of heavenly chords and a simple trap beat, which resolves the album. Afterwards, a loop of ambient chords, static and conversation play out for a few minutes.

“Blond” is more raw voice and emotion, less radio-tier production.

Ocean has proven favor of acoustic instrumentation over traditional, synth bass-driven pop. “Blond” isn’t conventional by any means, but it’s inventive and undeniably catchy.

Ocean is back, and hopefully the hype it’s induced will keep him from lurking into the shadows once more.

Just So You know

Opportunity Taken

Earlier this year, I wrote a column on the pressure Racers – and any recent graduate – go through after they walk across the Gisselle Hernandez stage when Features Editor their names are called: finding a job. The average job hunt for recent grads are from six to eight months, a pretty daunting length of time when you have student debts to pay.

Though I’m sure many alumni do end up finding a light at the end of that eight-month tunnel, there’s an opportunity a lot of students might overlook that may help in their job search later on: putting yourself out there.

In the aforementioned column, I spoke on how little perfect grades matter to potential employers, and I’m once again here to cement that idea. Whether it’s internships, parttime jobs or volunteering to work on a big project in your field, having a few experiences under your belt perhaps will value much more than a 4.0.

This summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to work for a public relations agency in New York City. Needless to say, it was the best summer for my life. Living in one of the greatest cities in the world may have had something to do with it, but nevertheless the action itself of putting myself out there proved beneficial not only for me, but for my colleagues as well. At Murray State, we better ourselves, but, as the new slogan suggests, our university grants us opportunities to develop our skills outside of campus as well. We just need to look for it.

Many of the students in my department were also granted the opportunity to intern as well. Some of them even got job offers from the same companies. I was able to push myself more than I ever thought possible, and I came back more driven than ever, I think. I often hear the phrase “no one can steal your education away from you,” but the same goes for the experiences and values you learn that aren’t situated in one small campus.

You can ask any of those Racers who interned for the summer and most of them will tell you it will probably be their fondest memory at Murray State.

Though different departments have their own internship programs or opportunities to grow outside of the classroom, many students are not aware of them. It might be difficult seeing the importance of them at first, a waste of time even for some of the international students who will eventually return home, but you can’t learn everything within 258 acres (no offense, Murray State.)

Taking your skills – and developing them – off-campus doesn’t have to be like pulling teeth. Ask your professors about any internship opportunities, do your research online for part-time jobs in your field, take on a project in extracurricular clubs. Potential employers will appreciate seeing you experienced in hands-on projects as well as your abilities in the classroom.

Of course, you can’t expect for the internship to easily land in your lap. You have to chase it.

Putting yourself out there doesn’t necessarily mean finding an overly-expensive internship thousands of miles away from home. It can simply mean taking on some project to challenge yourself that you won’t be doing just for a grade. After all, isn’t that why we attend Murray State: to take the opportunities that are afforded to us? ghernandez1@murraystate.edu

Out this week

Read It

“A Gentleman in Moscow”

by Amor Towles

See It

“Don’t Breathe”

Hear It

“Glory”

by Britney Spears

Rent It

“Me Before You”

Play It

“The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Edition”

Page 12

The News

September 1, 2016