The Murray State News September 15, 2016
TheNews.org
Best in the bluegrass
Vol. 91, No. 4
Michelle Hawks Contributing writer mhawks@murraystate.edu
Washington Monthly named Murray State as having the “Best Bang for the Buck” for public universities in Kentucky. According to the publication’s website, the methodology of its 2016 report took several factors into account, including the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants and first-generation students, as well as loan repayment rank, graduation rates and net price of attendance. According to the report, the purpose of the list is to rank colleges and universities by “the extent to which they charge students who aren’t rich a reasonable price for quality education that will advance them in their careers.” Murray State ranks 24th among Southern colleges and universities and is the top public university in it’s category in the state. Over the past year, Murray State approved a new structure for scholarships and changed the scholarship application. However, Murray State’s faculty realize that a valuable, high-quality education would
not be possible without their dedication. “The faculty’s willingness to contribute to student life on campus, mentor undergraduate and graduate researchers, and play an active role in the campus community all contribute to enhancing the quality of education here,” said Danielle Nielsen, assistant professor of English. Nielsen said without faculty who work to ensure students are able to apply their knowledge inside and outside of the classroom, the current emphasis on “Bringing Learning to Life” would not be possible. Students also recognize the value provided by Murray State, acknowledging that it is a large reason they chose to attend Murray State. “The quality of the classes is exceptional, and the cost is cheaper than most,” said Emilia Kueker, freshman from Ellis Grove, Illinois. Parker Upchurch, junior from Harrisburg, Illinois, said that while the cost was a factor, there were other benefits that drew her
Payroll tax could replace city stickers Ashley Traylor Staff writer atraylor@murraystate.edu
A proposed payroll tax by the Murray City Council to replace city stickers raises concerns about how it will be a disadvantage to Murray State. Mayor Jack Rose said the payroll tax was discussed at the city council retreat, but the tax is not concrete yet. Wesley Bolin, city council member, said in an email he doesn’t know any details about the tax, when it will be proposed, or what the proposal will include. The proposed tax is to be around 1.25 percent, President Bob Davies said. Davies said during the Faculty Senate meeting last week that there have been rumors of the city implementing a payroll tax, but a city council member confirmed the mayor will be putting forward a payroll tax in a short period of time. “I think it is a huge mistake,” Davies said. “I think there is a lot of issues with that.” Thomas Pharis, Governmental Affairs Committee chairman and assistant professor of education, said he does not see where a payroll tax is going to benefit the university as a whole. “We just don’t know the impact that that additional tax will have over recruitment of new faculty and new staff, retention of faculty and staff,” Pharis said. “...Particularly, if we were recruiting against some other
WHAT’S
INSIDE
institutions, who don’t have the payroll tax.” Pharis said the mayor is adamant about no overall revenue increase if a payroll tax is set in motion. He said he supposes the idea is to replace city stickers with payroll tax, but possibly lower property taxes as well. “I think the idea there is, it would shift the tax burden from those people who are retired, who are not earning money right now, who are on a fixed income,” Pharis said. “It lowers their overall city tax, while people who are still working in the city of Murray will pay more to make up the difference.” The University Administration is working on a document of disadvantages of a payroll tax to the university to present to the city and public. Davies encouraged the Faculty Senate to reach out to city council members to make their voices known because he said the mayor wants to institute the tax before elections. Seid Hassan, professor of economics, wrote in an email to the economics finance department that the public needs to reach out to city council because it is not easy to reverse a decision once it has been made. “It seems to me that barring that we do not live in a continent/country where I am from, the only way that this could be stopped is sufficient noise and objection from members of the faculty, staff and citizens of the city/county of Murray/Calloway County,” Hassan wrote.
ENGINEERING PHYSICS
to M u r r a y State, such as its small size, which allows students to have one-on-one time with professors. “Murray State is excellent at preparing students for their futures. As a biology student, we are constantly given opportunities to advance our understanding of the sciences and improve our resumes or graduate school applications,” said Upchurch. Murray State is consistently named one of the “Great Colleges to Work For” by The Chronicle for Higher Education and was ranked as the 28th Best Regional University among all public and
Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon
Murray State ranked Kentucky’s “Best Bang for the Buck” for public universities for third year straight
private universities in the South by the U.S. News & World Report. Murray State ranks 24th in “Best Bang For the Buck” in the entire Southern region.
Big Apple Café up for sale Staff Report The Big Apple Café has been a staple in the region for more than 50 years, and it could change owners again. The restaurant is currently listed for sale with Transworld Business Advisors, specializing in the sale of business and commercial real estate.
It was originally located in Puryear, Tennessee, moving to Murray in 2001 after liquor by the drink was passed. Employees at the restaurant confirmed the business was for sale. However, co-owner, Boone Chambers declined to comment. According to the Big Apple Café’s website, Chambers took
over ownership from his father, Skip, in 2007, along with family friend Kaycee Cooper. Transworld could not comment on the listing, citing confidentiality agreements. There is no word on potential buyers. The restaurant, which specializes in BBQ and Mexican food, is listed for $449,000.
Chalice Keith/The News
Mold forces students out of Springer Lindsey Coleman Contributing writer
lcoleman7@murraystate.edu
An email sent Wednesday to all Murray State faculty and staff said any student forced to relocate to another residential college due to the mold discovered in Springer Residential College will be given a $100 housing credit for the Spring 2017 semester. The email also confirmed that students displaced by the mold in Springer will be charged no additional fees for moving to a new residential
college, regardless of price differences and will pay no additional cost if they need a new student ID as a result of the relocation. Student bills containing information on new housing assignments and a confirmation of credit will be sent out this Friday. On Sept. 8, the office of Student Affairs sent a memo to all Springer residents that said all residents would be moving to Old Franklin Residential College or a different residential college of their choice.
OUR VIEW
Fewer than 25 programs earned Get rid of the city stickers, get accreditation, page 3 rid of us, page 4
CELEB SHOT
“This is a difficult situation, no question,” President Bob Davies said during the Board of Regents meeting Sept. 9. Davies said many residents will be moving to Old Franklin, which has been ready for move-in because it was prepared for overflow housing at the start of the semester. Davies said about 240 residents will be moving to other residential colleges on campus. About 130 of those residents had already moved to a new building as of Sept. 8. According to the memo, “A cleaning contractor will begin
working to remove mold from the impacted areas, however, there is no immediate time frame for residents to return to Springer,” and the mold is a “non-toxic, allergen type mold.” Adrienne King, vice president of University Advancement, said Summit International handled the initial testing of air quality and also determined the type of mold. A separate organization is moving forward with the mold remediation project.
see MOLD, 2A
ARISTA MANNING
Racer football makes appearance Murray State musician releases debut album, page 9 in documentary, page 6
The News
News
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September 15, 2016
Murray residents fight against hate speech
Matthew Parks
Contributing writer
mparks6@murraystate.edu
Since April citizens of Murray have been posting signs that say “there’s no room for hate in Murray, KY.” More recently they posted signs that say “no place for hate in our town.” Barbara Cobb, professor of English at Murray State, said the No Hate group started in response to the anti-Muslim and anti-immigration propaganda that was distributed around Murray claiming to be from the Ku Klux Klan. Cobb said many people attempted to call the number on the fliers to express their displeasure with them, but the number led only to a pre-recorded line asking for support for the Grand Dragon of California, the leader of that sect of the KKK. “We were left with this faceless group,” Cobb said. “And I wanted people to be able to see a face for the ‘other side’ of those beliefs.” Cobb said she printed 100 of the original signs that she distributed to people in the community free of cost. On Memorial Day weekend, more KKK propaganda was distributed across Murray, this time focused on an anti-LGBT
MOLD From Page 1 Shawn Touney, director of communication at Murray State, said the university will be in continuous communication with the affected residents. “An inspection of the building prior to move-in revealed no evidence of mold. While a few reports of isolated areas were received shortly after the start of the semester, an increased number of reports was made over the Labor Day weekend, and Murray State University has responded aggressively,” Touney said. Touney said even though it is unknown how long the process will take, the university is committed to minimizing the negative impact on those involved, helping residents transition effectively and resolving this issue. “The university recognizes and apologizes for the incon-
message. Cobb said after that, people really began to flock for the ‘no hate’ signs, and she received enough donations to completely fund the second round of signs. Cobb said since she started the group she has distributed 365 signs across the county. There is also now a Facebook page for the group and a Go Fund Me account set up for donations to pay for the signs. Cobb said unlike many groups in Murray, the ‘No Hate’ group does not have any true “objectives” or political motivations. “We’re not affiliated with anyone,” Cobb said. “We’re just normal people advocating the no hate message.” According to the group’s Facebook page, which has over 300 members, its goal is “promoting the love, compassion, acceptance, inclusiveness, understanding, and friendliness that are at the heart of the city of Murray…” Cobb said she has distributed the signs to people throughout Murray and the surrounding areas. Similar groups replicating Cobb’s original signs have also formed in other cities including Louisville, Birmingham and Hopkinsville. Cobb said that 50 signs have been reported stolen since
April, but she will continue to produce and hand out new ones. “It doesn’t really upset me,” Cobb said. “What I see is that there are people out there who can read and are getting our message.” They’re not the only ones getting the message. Murray State students have started to get involved in the ‘no hate’ movement as well. Briana Birge, member of the ‘No Hate’ Facebook group and Murray State junior from Temple Hill, Kentucky, believes the group is a positive force in the region. “It’s comforting knowing [‘No Hate’ is] there,” Birge said. “It supports the rest of us to keep fighting the good fight.” Birge added that anyone experiencing adversity should seek support from groups such as ‘No Hate.” “Stand your ground and don’t let it get you down,” Birge said. “Be yourself.” Since the Traditionalist Worker Party’s presence on campus last week, Cobb believes that fight is more important than ever. She said she has also had a flurry of new requests for signs. Cobb said one of the questions she is asked most often is why the group doesn’t adopt
venience that this may cause and will make every attempt to assist students during this transition,” according to the memo. “The office of Student Affairs is committed to the well-being of our campus community, including when unplanned events such as these take place.”
said she saw less mold in her room than most people, but she is glad the issue is being resolved. The mold hasn’t been harmless to all students. Katie Barber, freshman from Jackson, Missouri, said she noticed the mold, but at first she didn’t think much about it. However, Barber said as the semester continued she started to have respiratory problems, which she said were a result of the mold in Springer. “I have a mold allergy,” Barber said. “The first symptom was a sore throat, then I was sneezing and got really congested. I went to Health Services and told them about it.” Barber said the nurse at Health Services attributed her symptoms to severe allergies. They gave Barber medicine to alleviate the symptoms. According to the memo, any questions, comments or concerns should be sent to Don Robertson, vice president of Student Affairs, at drobertson@murraystate.edu.
RESIDENTS RELOCATE
Hope Askew, freshman from Clarksville, Tennessee, lived on the second floor of Springer until she was asked to move. She said she first noticed the mold two to three weeks ago. Askew said she saw mold on the wall in her room, by the light on the ceiling and in the air conditioner. She said in the past two weeks, the mold definitely grew and got worse. “It’s really nobody’s fault, but I do believe that the problem should have been assessed before we moved in,” Askew said. Grace Rischar, freshman from Indianapolis, lived on the first floor of Springer. Rischar
Emily Baucom/The News
A “No-Hate” sign found in President Davies front yard. a ‘just love’ message rather than ‘no hate.’ She said groups like the Traditionalist Worker Party are the reason we still need a ‘no hate’ message. “Unfortunately, the ‘no hate’ message is still necessary,” Cobb said. “One day we hope
McKenna Dosier/The News
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a faculty member is uphold Murray State’s non-discrimination policy. “That policy is printed on every syllabus in every classroom on this campus,” Cobb said. “And it’s our responsibility to uphold that.”
Mold on a wall in Springer Residential College.
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to move to a message of just love.” No matter what else may come, Cobb said she will continue to support inclusion and tolerance within the community, and believes the most important thing she can do as
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September 15, 2016 News Editor: Abby Siegel Assistant Editor: Alicia Steele Phone: 270-809-4468 Twitter: MurrayStateNews
POLICE BEAT Sept. 7
10:16 a.m. An officer conducted 6:51 a.m. Racer Patrol advised Mura traffic Resiray State stop PoliceinofFranklin an abandoned dential College’s parking golf cart outside therear Lowry Center. lot. A verbal wasan issued Officers were warning notified and inforfor failure to was weartaken. a seatbelt. mation report 6:46 p.m p.m. An A person a 11:42 officerreported conducted collision with no amotor trafficvehicle stop at 121 North and injuries inStreets. the intramural parkColdwater A citation was ing lot. were issued to Officers the driver for notified failure to and aacollision report taken. wear seatbelt. Thewas passenger
Sept. 8
2:29 p.m. A caller reported a was arrested an outstanding motor vehicleon collision at White warrant and was taken Officers to CalloResidential College. way County Jail.and both drivers were notified 8:20 a.m.a A caller reported refused collision report. a residential college flag missing. The 11:56 p.m. An officer conducted Housing Office notified. an escort fromwas White Residen11:22 p.m. Atocaller reported tial College Elizabeth Resi- a motor dentialvehicle College.accident with no injuries at White Residential Col-
Sept. 9
12:12Officers p.m. The Po- a lege. were Murray notified and lice Department report was taken. alerted Public Safety a motor col- a 7:17 p.m.ofAn officervehicle conducted lision at the Engineering and traffic stop at the Business Building Physicslot. Building. Officers parking A citation was were issued notified arrival the for drivingand on aupon suspended license. person had left the scene. 8:51 p.m. A caller reported the 6:22ofp.m. Safety resmell gas at Public Hart Residential Colceived information in reference lege. Officers, Murray Fire Departto anCentral allegedHeating off-campus ment, and sexual Cooling assault. Officers were notified. Plant, Murray Gas and the State Fire
Sept. 10
2:36 a.m. A Murray State employee reported an unauthoMarshall were notified. A report rized person in the Carr Health was taken. Building. were notified a 12:01 p.m.Officers A caller reported and a citation was for sparking outlet in theissued 300 block criminal tresofsecond-degree College Courts. Officers, the pass andFire second-degree fleeing Murray Department, CenandHeating evading police. tral and Cooling Plant 11:44 A caller reportedwere an and thep.m. State Fire Marshal intoxicated personwas at Lee Clark notified. A report taken. Residential Officers 4:57 p.m. TheCollege. Murray Police Deand Murray partment wasAmbulance notified ofService a mediwere notified. at Patient refused cal emergency the Volleyball transport and a and medical report Courts. Officers Murray Amwas taken. bulance Services were notified.
Sept. 11
12:02 a.m. A caller reported a marijuana at White The patient complaint was transported and College. Officers aResidential report was taken. and the on-call residence direc- a 3:46 a.m. Officers conducted tor were notified and an inforcheck of a person on North 12th mation report was taken. Street. The person was arrested and 11:01 a.m.toACalloway caller reported transported County Jail a alcohol person intoxication damaging inMurray for a public StateAproperty at taken. Woods Hall. place. report was Officers, Police 9:09 p.m.the A Murray caller reported the Murray Fireat aDepartment, smoke detector activated Department and theCollege on-calldue res-to Springer Residential director were notified. aidence hair dryer. Officers were notified and threat was of fire was found. Thenoperson arrested and An a information report wasreport taken was for taken. third-de4:42 A caller a theft greep.m. burglary andreported public intoxofication. property from a vehicle from Alexander Hall. Officers were no-
Sept. 12
10:17 a.m. A caller reported a parking at Regents tified andcomplaint a report was taken for Residential theft of underCollege. $500 by Murray unlawful State Parking Management was taking from a vehicle. 6:12 p.m. A caller reported the notified. smell of marijuana at Hart. Officers 8:55 p.m. Public Safety received were notified and an information a general incident report from a report was taken. roommate disagreement. Officers were notified, an information report was taken and the 2:47 p.m. A caller reported an incident was referred to housunauthorized company selling ing. products on campus at Winslow
Sept. 13
10:34 a.m. A caller reported Dining Hall. The caller was at rea motor vehicle collision ferred to Student Affairs. Regents Residential College. 6:12 p.m. A caller reported the Officers were notified and a colsmell of natural gas at the Old Fine lision report was taken. Arts Building. Officers, Central 10:08 p.m. The Murray PoHeating and Cooling Plant, Murray lice Department alerted Public Fire department, Murray Gas and Safety a medical emergency the StateofFire Marshall were notiat Lee fied and aClark reportResidential was taken. College. Officers, Murray Ambulance Service and Student Motorists assistsnotified –8 Affairs were and the Racer escorts –1 patient was transported by MurArrests –2 ray Ambulance Service. RacerSteele, assist Assistant –0 Alicia News Editor, MotoristPolice assistBeat – 2 with materials compiles 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.
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Engineering program earns reaccreditation Michaelyn Modglin Contributing writer
mmodglin1@murraystate.edu
Murray State’s Engineering Physics Program earned full reaccreditation for the 2016-17 academic year. “This accreditation is a significant point of pride and affirms that our program meets the quality standards that produce graduates who are prepared to not only enter, but also succeed in the global workforce,” Steve Cobb, dean of the Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology, said in a press release. The program sets itself apart by being among the fewer than 25 engineering physics programs in the nation to receive accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). “It is a standard that is highly desirable to employers and future students,” said Ted Thiede, an associate professor of the engineering program. Danny Claiborne, chairman of the Engineering Institute, says the degree program fills out to assessments, producing yearly documents proving that the strict guidelines are being abided by. This year is the 20th anniversary of the program securing the accreditation. “The entire faculty and student body is involved in ensuring progress,” Thiede said. “A self-study report is presented to ABET evaluators who subsequently visit the campus in the fall to validate the program's performance.” The four-year degree offers
Emily Baucom/The News
The Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology is home to Murray State’s Engineering Physics Program. tracks of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering and advanced physics. “To become a licensed engineer in the state of Kentucky, students must graduate from an EAC/ABET accredited program, period,” Claiborne said. The accreditation process recognizes Murray State’s Engineering Physics Program for its ability to respond to the ever-changing global
University offers blended nursing program Rotaract collects supplies for Louisiana students Isabella Utley
Contributing writer
iut1ey@murraystate.edu
Murray State’s School of Nursing and Health Professions introduced a blended Bachelor of Science in Nursing program through a partnership with Hopkinsville Community College (HCC) this semester. According to a press release from Murray State, when the program was implemented more than 50 students began taking advantage of the new blended BSN program. Once the student has completed an associate’s degree at HCC and passed the national licensure exam, they have the opportunity to transfer to Murray State in order to begin the new RNto-BSN program. Peggy Bozarth, HCC professor and director of nursing, said the students will benefit from a more definite and easily tracked completion of the BSN. She said the agreement made between the two institutions allows nursing
Lindsey Coleman Contributing writer
lcoleman7@murraystate.edu
Last week, the Murray State Rotaract Club collaborated with the local Rotary Club to aid victims of the recent flooding in Louisiana. “The motto of Rotary is ‘service above self,’” said Mark Welch, president of the Murray Rotary Club. “We’re a service organization. It’s what we do.” On Sept 7, the Rotaract Club collected school supplies for the Murray Rotary to send to Louisiana. “Rotaract is a club associated with individual Rotary Clubs around the world,” said Warren Edminster, professor of English. Edminster is a Rotarian and a frequent participant in Rotaract’s events on campus. “It’s really for students and young adults who wouldn’t yet join Rotary, but they can be engaged in similar networking and service projects,” Edminster said. Anna Vasquez, senior from Orange Walk, Belize, and campus president of Rotaract, said Rotaract is underneath Rotary, and the Rotary Club sponsors Rota-
ract. “What frequently happens with Rotary relief efforts is that one club in one part of the world will partner with another club in another part of the world, so our efforts are linked up with a couple of clubs,” Edminster said. Edminster said they’ve collaborated with clubs in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the Livingston Parish in Louisiana for this project. Edminster said that many schools, most of the Rotarians’ homes and the Livingston Parish Rotary Club’s regular meeting place were flooded. He said the community requested school supplies so they can get their students back to their regular activities. Welch said he had a personal connection to Louisiana. He said when he mentioned the idea of sending supplies to a few Rotary Clubs in Louisiana, the Murray Rotarians were on board to help. The Rotary Club also helped with relief efforts in the past, including the tornado relief efforts for Oklahoma. To continue the collection efforts, the Rotary Club
engineering environment and its faculty’s ability to effectively teach content, as well as their availability to students. “The strength of this program is our faculty,” Claiborne said. “You can have all the administration you want, and you can even have all the good students you want, but the faculty is what makes the accredited program strong.” A new building is now under con-
struction on Murray State’s Gene W. Ray Campus as a result of the growing program. The modern building will accommodate students with state-ofthe-art classrooms, instructional spaces, high bay areas for engineering projects and student design labs. The 85,000-square-foot facility’s expected completion is set for Spring 2017.
students to take general education courses and some nursing courses at HCC and then easily transfer into the Nursing Program at Murray State. “This means that students who could not attend a four-year university… can now obtain the AAS [Associate of Applied Science] in nursing in two years and a BSN in one more full year,” Bozarth said. “It certainly is a win-win for everyone.” Since the agreement was finalized at the end of the summer, the nursing students entering the HCC Nursing Program were able to take advantage of the partnership. Bozarth said, the 40 accepted students in the HCC program have committed to the blended program between the two institutions. Bozarth said this provides individuals connected with the Fort Campbell Army Base an opportunity to take the BSN from Murray State as they are transitioning between assignments in the military. “Graduates of this blended program
will succeed in a career that influences the well-being of individuals, families and communities,” said Carol Murch, assistant professor and RN-toBSN program coordinator at Murray State. She said students can seamlessly transfer to Murray State to continue their studies due to the positive partnership between Murray State and Hopkinsville Community College. According to a press release from Murray State, Madisonville Community College and Henderson Community College both have agreements similar to the HCC program. According to Murray State’s website, the degree is offered in an online format, which allows a wider opportunity for the intellectual growth of adult learners who find it difficult to come on campus for study and coursework. “I appreciate getting to be a part of this endeavor to make the education process for our students more seamless and affordable,” Bozarth said.
collected blue pens, pencils, crayons, glue sticks and paper at the Bel Air Shopping Center in Murray. Welch said that the 155 members of the Murray Rotary Club have been responsive and so have many other businesses and news outlets. Welch said hopefully he and Ryan Flota, a Murray Rotarian who owns a moving business, will be transporting all the collected items next week. Vasquez said the Rotaract Club was willing to help the Rotary’s efforts however they could. “Since we fall under [the Murray Rotary Club] and we saw that they were doing this project, we decided to help and have a table here at the Curris Center to collect,” Vasquez said. “That was our first project, and we still have several this semester.” Vasquez said some of those projects include fundraising for Rotary International and raising awareness for Rotaract. Vasquez said she was a member of her local Rotaract Club in Belize. As the Murray State Rotaract president, she wants to develop more student involvement and more service projects.
Winslow Harvest Dinner features local farms Isabella Utley
Contributing writer iut1ey@murraystate.edu
Winslow Dining Hall hosted its second annual Harvest Dinner featuring local foods Sept. 7 where students were able to have a meal with homegrown ingredients, featuring dishes such as Vesuvio potatoes and panzanella salad. Emily Asher, manager of data and communications with dining services, said since the Harvest Dinner was such a success last year, Dining Services wanted to make it an annual event for the university community. “The local farms and businesses were proud to be a part of the dinner, as it gives them acknowledgment and appreciation for what they provide,” Asher said. Paula Amols, director of Dining Services, said since joining the Kentucky Farm to Campus program, it has been difficult. “It has proven to be very challenging to find Kentucky and other local and regional suppliers who can provide us with the volume of meat and produce we need on a continuing basis at prices that will fit within financial model and who will deliver this far west,” Amols said. Factoring in the budget, proximity of resources and volume, Dining Services decided to combine all of the local and
organic produce into one meal, Amols said. Amols said the dining team comes up with the recipes, with the guidance of Executive Chef Tim Bruce and Chef de Cuisine Nick Buckingham. Local businesses such as Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese, Harris Farms, Wurth Farms, Benton Bottoms Bison and Magney Legacy Ridge Farms were involved in the dinner. Amols said preparations for the meal began early in the summer so that produce like strawberries and corn wouldn’t spoil. “Some menu items weren’t finalized until just a week or two before the dinner, when we knew what other produce would be available,” Amols said. Emma Rodgers, freshman from Verona, Kentucky, said she liked that the food was all locally grown and wants to see this happen again. Rodgers said that if anything could change, she would like more stations to get food because the massive crowd caused long lines. Karina Weaver, freshman from Louisville, Kentucky, said she enjoyed the meal and agrees that Dining Services should run programs like this more often. She said she especially enjoyed the meatballs and cannoli. Asher said there was a lot of hard work that went into this event, but it was well worth it.
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September 15, 2016
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Proposed tax will drive us away The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board. There’s a first time for everything at Murray State: visiting Dairy Queen, discovering Pogue Library and pledging your love for the city sticker. That’s right – strange things are happening in our small town. If any Murray City Council members want your opinion, you adore paying a measly $50 per year for the gloriously reflective city sticker. In fact, you look forward to purchasing it. It’s your favorite Murray State tradition. Why? Because the city of Murray doesn’t have that many options for requiring us, and everyone else who works within city limits, to give them our notso-spare change, and we’ve got the winning hand in a choice between city sticker and a payroll tax. The proposed payroll tax, which Mayor Jack Rose discussed at the council retreat, would take approximately 1.25
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choice becomes clear: pay no money or pay a lot of money. It isn’t a tough choice for employed students and, well, every other employed person in Murray – the payroll tax would undeniably hurt us. Even President Davies frowned at the idea, calling it a “huge mistake.” If Davies, who usually has a bright and cheery attitude about everything, voices his concern, it must be a train wreck waiting to happen. Nothing is set in stone yet, but if faculty, staff and students don’t speak up about the issue, it could come down on us like a cinder block. If the tax goes through and doesn’t force existing residents out of the city, it would certainly damage recruitment efforts. Universities are incredible at concealing costs to incoming students, but it would be quite the feat to avoid telling students their paychecks will be cut into.
It seems the tax is an all around terrible idea. University administration is working on a list to present to the city and university about the tax and all of its shortcomings. But it isn’t terrible for everyone – oh no, the payroll tax would greatly benefit the retired and unemployed in Murray, as it would lower the city tax and remove the city sticker cost. Murray City Council, we’re on to you. We know you’d love to make Murray the Friendliest Town for Retirement in America, but cut us some slack. Students already face incredible debts just by enrolling at Murray State, and it feels like a slap in the face to impose yet another cost on us and straight from our tiny pockets. We love our city, and we have pride in it. But if this proposal advances, don’t come running after us when we drive away to some better, cheaper town.
Between You and Media
TheNews.org 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.
percent from the paycheck of anyone working within Murray city limits. Don’t let those small numbers fool you, though: in a year’s time, those percentages of every paycheck add up to much more than the one-time payment – if you’re a law-abiding student who actually purchases a city sticker – of $50. Nothing like a choice between evil and a greater evil to get the message across that Murray loves housing Murray State and its students. The payroll tax would essentially become a reason for students, faculty and staff to move outside city limits to neighboring areas – Hazel, Paris, Paducah, Benton, etc. Somehow, that doesn’t seem an effective effort to encourage residents that Murray is a friendly, cheap and nice place to live. If you can get away with not purchasing a city sticker, the
You are what you Netflix Rachel Wood || Contributing writer rwood7@murraystate.edu Raise your hand if you’re already waiting for season two of “Stranger Things”. Ever since the advent of the “Netflix Original Series,” the way we consume TV shows has changed. A trademark of a Netflix Original is that an entire season of a series gets released at the same time. For “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” fans, that means 13 halfhour episodes in one go while “House of Cards” viewers are treated to 13 one-hour episodes. No matter the length, though, avid fans will be done with the season within the first 48 hours of release. Since there’s no need to wait a week between episodes, society has seen a rise in binge-watching culture. We’ve all been guilty of it at some point – we need to see what “House of Cards” protagonist Frank Underwood will do next, so we move on to the next episode. Then, suddenly, we’ve watched five episodes in a row. Thankfully, we can follow the season’s plot to completion without the danger of an intense cliffhanger. This pro binge-watching model, however, is only utilized by online streaming services but most commonly on Netflix. If your new favorite show is sponsored by Netflix, you’ll
definitely be given a season-long release. So, what’s the catch, then? For viewers, it looks like there isn’t one. While it might be difficult to remember plot points from a show you watched in a weekend 11 months ago, it’s not much different than the 10month gap between seasons of “Game of Thrones”. For producers, it may mean it’s time to change the model. Many traditional networks seem to be hesitant to try something new – without the week-long wait between episodes, it’s harder to maintain interest, right? It would make sense that fascination would become more engrained when a viewer stays engaged for 13 weeks instead of two or three days. Recent statistics tell us this isn’t actually the case. The Nielsen Company recently revealed that the season four premiere of “Orange is the New Black” reached 6.7 million viewers within the first 48 hours of release; 5.9 million people watched the second episode within that same time frame. These numbers equal, and sometimes surpass, the viewership numbers for traditional network shows. Likewise, a Netflix Original has a higher likelihood to maintain viewers throughout the whole season, avoiding the
midseason “slump” many network shows get caught in. Netflix has also been known to rescue and renew canceled series, like “Arrested Development” and the upcoming “Mystery Science Theater 3000”. These fan-funded continuations mean the content Netflix provides is almost guaranteed a large audience. It could be in a network’s best interest to investigate the binge-watching model a little more. While reality shows and TV contests, like “The Bachelor” or “America’s Got Talent”, may keep to their weekly release schedules, network dramas may need to see a move to a bulk-episode release. With a season-long release schedule, viewers have more input in the way they watch TV, either by watching one episode per day or several episodes in a row. Whichever the case, this change means the freedom for viewers to watch shows in a way that better fits their schedule; watching a show over a weekend can be more realistic for students than committing to a weekly release. It’s not completely a matter of laziness or over-consumption of media – it’s about consuming the media we like in a way that fits our lifestyle. Networks, it looks like this one’s your call. In the meantime, I’ll just be here avoiding “House of Cards” spoilers and waiting for a “Firefly” continuation.
OUR CONTRIBUTORS
Hallie Beard Opinion Editor
Dylan Doyle Junior from Marion, KY
John Muenzberg Lecturer of philosophy
Robert Valentine Senior lecturer of advertising
Rachel Wood Junior from Birmingham, AL
The News
Opinion
September 15, 2016
Letters to the editor In the second sentence of his “Letter to the Editor” in the last edition of The Murray State News, Professor Peter Murphy wrote “First, I want to thank the Republican Party for allowing groups like this to feel empowered to recruit members in the most public of places.” Dr. Murphy was referring to the Traditionalist Workers Party presence at a Murray State organizational fair two weeks ago. Of course, the Republican Party and our own large group of College Republicans on campus have nothing to do with the Traditionalist Workers Party or their views. I’m proud to be a co-adviser of the Murray State College Republicans. Let us look solely at our place of residence for a moment. It seems to have escaped notice that in Kentucky, we have an accomplished lieutenant governor in Jenean Hampton, who is an African-American woman. Kentucky has the youngest woman elected to statewide office in the United States in State Treasurer Allison Ball, who is a staunch Republican. Ryan Quarles, our agriculture commissioner, is the youngest statewide elected official in the United States and is a Republican. The first Hispanic to serve in the Kentucky legislature is Republican Ralph Alvarado from Winchester. Shall I go on? See any hate there from the Republican Party? Joy Roach Humphreys, Chairwoman Department of Management, Marketing and Business Administration
This is in response to the Sept. 8 letter to the editor by Professor Peter F. Murphy. He writes, “As soon as the Republican Party embraced the evangelical wing of the Protestant church, a more intolerant group you would be hard pressed to find, it was headed pell-mell toward fascism.” He also writes, “Silence is permission. Throw all hate groups off campus, period.” With these two statements in view, would he advocate throwing off Murray State premises all campus ministry groups of so-called “intolerant” evangelical Protestant churches or all Republican groups, who after all, are claimed to be heading “toward fascism”? There are many Murray State students, I am sure, who are Republicans and/or members of evangelical Protestant congregations. Would they feel that Murphy’s classroom is an inclusive “safe space”? Furthermore, are there any groups on the left Murphy would like to vocally condemn or will he maintain silence on them? Are there any groups on the left which he would publicly identify as hate groups, which he thinks should be denied campus access at Murray State? Murphy writes that Donald Trump “advocates rounding these people up for deportation (and worse – think the Final Solution!).” It is true that Donald Trump advocates enforcement of federal law by deporting criminal illegal aliens. The second claim, if Murphy is indeed writing literally and not just
Page 5 Some Things Considered Not that great By Hallie Beard
rhetorically, is an unsubstantiated allegation. Should he believe that Trump advocates genocide (“the Final Solution”), I challenge him to document the source of this claim from something that Trump himself has said or written. I will not deny that some individuals who support Trump may advocate genocide, but that is far different from claiming that Donald Trump himself advocates this. Keith A. York Murray
GOT OPINIONS? We want to hear from you! Send us your letters and commentaries. See details on Page 4.
CHEERS & JEERS Cheers to ... Big money
Jeers to ... Mold
Cheers to ... Local food
Jeers to ... the iPhone 7
The household income of U.S. residents increased 5.2 percent in the last year, according to a report in the New York Times. Hey, hey! The economy isn’t in tip-top shape, but 5 percent is fairly significant for just one year. Fellow Americans, come together and make it rain.
You heard, we investigated. The rumors are unfortunately true: a bunch of mold was found in Springer Residential College, and it was so bad that all the residents had to move buildings temporarily. What a lovely welcome back, right?
On Sept. 7, Winslow Dining Hall served meals featuring food from local farms around Kentucky and Tennessee during their Harvest Dinner. It’s always nice to have a break from “Boom Boom Burgers” and pizza casserole.
Apple made it official: the iPhone 7 will not have a traditional auxiliary jack for headphones. Instead, it will come with a Go-Go-Gadget contraption of an adapter, because that’s sleek and convenient. Good thinking, Apple! Steve Jobs would love it, for sure.
Cheers & Jeers is written by The Murray State News’ Opinion Editor. Questions, comments or concerns should be addressed to hbeard2@murraystate.edu Rational Animal
Honorable disrespect John Muenzberg || Contributing writer jmuenzberg@murraystate.edu During the San Francisco 49ers’ preseason games, quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat down during the playing of the national anthem in protest. Kaepernick said, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” It is unclear how long he intends to remain seated during the National Anthem. Kaepernick has received a torrent of criticism and support. The criticisms against Kaepernick include suspicion of his motives and rejection of his cause. The most curious criticisms argue that his protest is inappropriate because it is during the national anthem, or during his work time or drawing attention away from his teammates. The reason these criticisms are so curious is that they do not seem to understand the nature of protest. The most effective protests are the ones that irritate people and capture our attention. To criticize Kaepernick because he is not showing respect for the flag is to essentially restate his own words. You do not have to agree with his cause to understand that blind respect for the flag is what he thinks is problematic. What is more noteworthy about his pro-
test is that he is acting by himself. Protesting alone often requires paying a great personal cost. At the ESPY awards in July, four athletes stood together and voiced support for police officers and the victims of police violence. By standing together they showed solidarity and brought attention to their cause. Any criticisms can also be shared. On the other hand, when, Emma Sulkowicz was frustrated with the refusal by Columbia University to expel a student she accused of sexual assault, she could have written letters or organized a march. Instead she began carrying her mattress around campus. She carried it to class, to dinner and eventually to her graduation. Sulkowicz was protesting the same administrators that were in charge of her education. By making that protest she was literally endangering her chances of graduating. This protest also drew national attention and national criticism. This protest was disruptive and was done at great personal risk. It was also quite effective. One of the most problematic criticisms of Kaepernick is that he is disrespecting the U.S. military. This is a problem of false transference. The U.S. military uses the U.S. flag to demonstrate allegiance to the United States. That does not then make it the flag of the military, nor does it make disrespect for
the flag transferable to disrespect for the military. On the other hand, the NFL has consciously sought to use respect for the U.S. military to gain respect for the NFL. Occasionally before games, there have been elaborate military celebrations that the NFL stated were done to show respect and appreciation for the “men and women in uniform.” What we now know is that many of these were in fact paid advertisements to attract new recruits. There is nothing wrong with selling advertising. But in this case the time before kickoff was presented as a ceremony of honor instead of an ad. Any network that refused to cover the ceremony could be accused of not respecting the military. The NFL was not spending their time or money to honor the troops. They sold that time and then lied about its purpose. The NFL was not honoring the troops anymore than they “honored” Pepsi by running their ads. You can argue that Kaepernick, a person who sat alone and who put his reputation and career at risk for a cause he believes in, is disrespectful. But I wonder if what he does is more disrespectful than a billion dollar corporation selling their honor to the highest bidder and then disguising that fact to benefit themselves. There can be honor in showing disrespect.
As a senior in college, I’m fully aware of what it means to be disappointed in myself. Like plenty of other students, I’ve had my fair share of late papers, incomplete assignments and skipped classes. I’m not sure how we’ve all accepted these things as a “norm” for even successful students (or maybe it’s just me), but the accumulation of these trip-ups and failures have caught up with my embarrassingly dismissive and narcissistic psyche. If you’re like me, you’ve justified these seemingly insignificant shortcomings with bloated statements about your attributes: “Yeah, I did a terrible job on that reading summary, but I’m a good person. Will it matter in five years if I got a C in this class as long as I’ve got a good heart and sometimes wonderful though usually mediocre attitude?” Or you make unfounded excuses for yourself: “I should have written a better paper, but I needed some me-time this weekend. Unlike every other weekend before this one, I was ready for a break on Friday – a three-day break in which I did nothing productive and spent too much money on things I could have done without. But hey, I deserved it.” Look, I’ve got news for myself and for you, and it isn’t good. Here it is: you – and I mean you, me, every student in this self-destructive boat at Murray State – did not deserve it, whatever “it” consisted of. And yes, it could certainly matter in five years if you got a C in a class you constantly slacked off in despite your good-person-ness, because guess what? That professor can’t honestly write you a recommendation when you need it. Let’s face it – would you even be able to write yourself an honest recommendation when you needed it? Keep in mind that resumés and recommendations are documents that speak to your accomplishments. This means your jobs, your awards, your products and achievements. Funny enough, these are usually void of a space to enter “Good Person,” “Active Thinker” or “Good at Making It Through Each Day.” Don’t get me wrong – you should still want to be nice, compassionate, selfless, whatever you consider the ingredients of your Good Person soup to be. But if you don’t have anything to show for those wonderful qualities, you’re going to have a hard time convincing anyone to invest in you after graduation. As Golda Meir, first female prime minister of Israel said, “Don’t be so humble. You’re not that great.” By completing assignments and also being a decent person, you’re not doing anything noble. In fact, you’re only doing the bare minimum of what is asked of you as a college student. Your degree, and hopefully your morals, require you to do these things. Now, I’m not one of those millenial-bashers who talks about how we all grew up getting participation trophies, because honestly, it doesn’t matter now how you grew up. Employers will not take the time to ask you, an adult, about the subtle damaging awards of your upbringing. They’ll take a glance at your resumés and make a decision on whether or not you can do the thing they’re asking you to do. Your actions, not your hopes or mind, will speak up and answer them. This may seem like an insensitive rant directed at you, tender reader, but trust me when I say this is a message to myself first. A few years ago, I made it a one-year goal to submit an article to Cracked.com and a five-year goal to get published on it. Go ahead, check the website – you won’t find my name on there, and I can tell you I haven’t submitted. If there were a space to publish “Good person and writer has thought a lot about submitting amazing article,” it would be there. Unfortunately, that’s not how it all works. So, take it from me and make a decision. Are you going to do what needs to be done or aren’t you? hbeard2@murraystate.edu
MCPHERSON
SELENA
Comic Why’d you leave?
Page 6
September 15, 2016
The News
Sports Editor: Mark McFarland Assistant Sports Editor: Sarah Combs Phone: 270-809-4481 Twitter: MSUSportsNews
Sports
Documentary boosts recruiting Mark McFarland Sports Editor
mmcfarland1@murraystate.edu
Murray State football got a little surprise when they were recruiting for this season’s incoming class. Defensive Coordinator Chris Boone is in his second season as the defensive coordinator for the Racers. Murray State is Boone’s 11th collegiate team he has helped coach, as well as coaching for UT Martin and Jacksonville State. He went on a recruiting visit to see defensive tackle Ronald Ollie at East Mississippi Community College. When he arrived, he found out there was a Netflix documentary called “Last Chance U” being filmed. Boone said he was a little surprised. “I actually forgot that was on,” he said. “When I got there they said they were filming a documentary, so I just kind of played a long. I didn’t really think anything about it.” Boone said while he was there he forgot the cameras were present at all. The film is about football players who are either out of high school or transfer students from Division I schools who were not able to play because of grades or off the field issues. It is called “Last Chance U” because this is some of the players last chance to make it Division I football and stay there. Boone said being on the show has helped the team’s recruiting. “It helped to obviously get our name out there,” he said. “That’s always good to get your name out, no matter what the aspect is.”
Boone said he has had high school and junior college coaches texting him about the film. “I’m sure a lot of recruits watch it because I had a lot of coaches and stuff text me,” he said. The Racers have started this season with many new faces as they brought in nearly 40 high school and junior college players into the program. Boone said their look on recruiting is easy. “We are always trying to find the best players,” he said. “It always starts a year or two years in advance, and you’re always hunting.” Boone said recruiting is all about evaluations and building relationships with players, coaches and families. With the big recruiting class both sides of the ball have had to deal with its share of plugging guys into positions, but it has been hard for the defense. Last season’s leading tackler, DeQuinten Spraggins graduated after last year. He finished his senior season with 90 tackles. Losing defensive production like that has made it tough on the Racers, but Boone said with a lot of new talent comes new opportunity. “There’s a lot of new guys here,” he said. “But at the end of the day the ball is going to get rolled out and we have to put a good product on the field.” Boone is always looking for ways to continue to help his team grow. The Racers have started this season 0-2 and Boone said the team needs to continue to work on things. “We have to do a better job of staying focused,” he said. “We have to do a better job of working through the week.”
Jenny Rohl/The News
Defensive Coordinator Chris Boone received some facetime on a recruiting visit to East Mississippi Community College for “Last Chance You.”
One door closes, another door opens Blake Sandlin
Contributing writer bsandlin1@murraystate.edu
Murray State’s rifle team has their sights set high this season with a talented roster, including four members of the All-Americans Rifle Team. One of them, Barbara Schläpfer, comes from a very different background than that of her teammates. Schläpfer, sophomore from Gais, Switzerland, lives in a small village of about 3,000 people. Her high school class was made up of around 20 students, so attending school at Murray State has been a real eye-
opener for her, Schläpfer said. Schläpfer’s interest in rifle sparked as a result of a soccer injury. When she suffered her injury, she was restricted from playing soccer for a year. Her uncle, who was the rifle coach in town, offered her a chance to shoot rifle with his team for a year. But what started as a hobby 10 years ago became Schläpfer’s main focus. She continued with the team, participating in many competitions along the way. Schläpfer says that in Switzerland, rifle is a very traditional sport. The club
she participated in is more than 250 years old. Her journey towards shooting for Murray State at the collegiate level began when she attended a practice camp in Italy and met Petra Zublasing, a former West Virginia shooter. Schläpfer’s team competed against Zublasing who took interest in Schläpfer. Zublasing asked her if she had ever considered shooting in the United States. Schläpfer told her she was interested, and Zublasing gave her contact information to Murray State’s Head Coach Alan Lol-
see RIFLE, page 7
Chalice Keith/The News
Schläpfer’s uncle taught her about rifle after her soccer injury.
Soccer injuries plague Racers Staff report
Kelli O’Toole/The News
Senior midfielder Lyssie Wright may have to miss the rest of her senior season because of injury.
The women’s soccer team has dealt with injuries all season, but a recent injury might force them to switch their style of play. Senior midfielder and captain Lyssie Wright might miss the rest of the season with a knee injury she suffered Sunday in the first half of the Racers 5-0 loss to the University of Kentucky. Head Coach Jeremy Groves said he is hopeful she will return, but it is not likely. “Hopefully Lyssie’s [injury will] just be a strain, it doesn’t look like that, but she’ll be a huge loss for us,” Groves said.
Murray State has been without senior forward Taylor Richerson for much of the season as she has suffered two thigh strains. Groves said he hopes she will return by the St. Louis game Tuesday. “She had a thigh strain, it was fine and then was doing too much stuff on it and rehurt it. It’s even worse than what it was the first time,” he said. “Now it’s a little bit of a setback, but she’s had maybe eight or nine days now of not really doing too much. Hopefully starting to get better.” After the game against St. Louis, the Racers will begin their OVC season at 1 p.m. Sept. 25, hosting Morehead State at Cutchin Field.
Sarah Says
NF Takes an L
There was widespread player demonstrations last weekend during the opening of the regular football season. The bold actions were an attempt to highlight the racial injustices in America. Following Kaepern i c k ’ s display during preseason games, other players have since followed in Sarah Combs his footAssistant Sports Editor steps by taking a knee while the national anthem plays. Usually, this subject wouldn’t ruffle so many feathers because it has become the norm. Free speech and solidarity behind the movement of social injustice and improvement, I get it; I support it. But being it was the 15th anniversary of 9/11, one of the most devastating tragedies in our country’s history, it ruffled the entire chicken. The NFL allowed it’s players to exercise their free speech to protest the national anthem, but refused Dallas Cowboy players the opportunity to commemorate the fallen police officer during preseason games. The fact of the matter is this; the NFL has the authority to stop players from boycotting the national anthem before games, it just chooses not to. When it comes to red button, sensitive issues, the NFL usually chooses the safest route. For instance, the Dallas Cowboy players were denied the opportunity to commemorate the officers in Dallas. The players requested to wear decals on their helmets to honor the officers. The league denied the request and turned them away with little explanation. What ever happened to good ol’ equality? The thing we have been fighting over for years. Every American has First Amendment rights. However, players are employees who are under rules of their employer, the NFL. Keeping that in mind, it begs the question, why did the league bestow the opportunity of free speech to players regarding the national anthem but not the Dallas Cowboys in supporting the fallen police officers? “Whether the NFL should use its authority to ban protests during or before games is a matter of debate. Whether they have the authority to do so is not: they do,” according to David Marcus and thefederalist.com It’s not a debate of politics and who stands for what side. It’s a debate of whether or not the NFL is remaining fair. Are NFL players allowed or are they not allowed to have political opinions as players? What is going on in that corporate office? It’s seeping into the fandom, too. Die-hard, lifelong fans are threatening to stop attending games, purchasing memorabilia and overall support of the teams. Choosing to protest on 9/11 was just in bad taste and allowing it to happen was bad judgment on the NFL. Ultimately, it isn’t about what you believe, it isn’t about what side you choose. It’s about the lives lost. It’s about the brave souls who literally ran towards death in hopes to save a fellow American. If that doesn’t deserve respect, in the form of taking a day off from sticking it to the architecture of our society, then I don’t know what does. scombs8@murraystate.edu
The News
Sports
September 15, 2016
Page 7
From big city to small community Collin Morris
Contributing writer cmorris29@murraystate.edu
Junior forward Harriet Withers claimed OVC Offensive Player of the Year for her efforts in the 2015 season. After being named the first OVC Offensive Player of the Year in school history and tying the school’s single season record for points in 2015, Withers said she has her sights set on further success. “I set myself to a high standard like the rest of the girls on this team do,” Withers said. “Obviously, I want to score some goals and bring my team to some wins individually, but as a team, I think we all have the same goal and that’s to make it to a conference final and win in the conference again. As long as we can work together and keep building on our success and our drive to win and be better players our team goal can always be to win.” Withers, from Murwillumbah, Australia, said she has spent the last two school years far from home and adjusting to cultural differences between the two coun-
tries but has taken the task in stride. “Obviously, coming from another country there’s always going to be a lot of cultural differences,” Withers said. “Thankfully the language was not something I had to adapt to, but I think America has a very welcoming culture – especially the Murray community.” Withers said the community of Murray has been very accepting of her and the other players from other countries. “With such a small community we’re all very involved with one another,” Withers said. “Having the supporters come in all the time is really nice. Back home in Australia I come from a much bigger place and there’s much fewer teams in the area so we were forced to fight for fans. The fan base here is definitely more connected. Their involvement and dedication is always so nice.” Withers said she knew there could be a possibility of her playing in the United States. “There was always the idea in the back of my head of coming to college in Amer-
ica, but the idea of coming here and going to a big school was really daunting to me,” Withers said. “Then, Coach Gross contacted me and I looked up Murray State and it was a small town with a really connected community and the program was developing with a new coach and those were all really big things for me.” Carrying a 1-3-1 record Withers said she continues to try and stay focused and help her team focus on the next game. “We’ve tried doing some different positioning with players,” Withers said. “But when it comes down to it, we just need to focus on our mentality and being positive and knowing the mistakes that we made in the Vanderbilt game as far as not going in hard or standing off players. Next game we’ll be going in hard and not letting players get any time or opportunities to have success against us. “ The Racers will travel to St. Louis to take on the Bilikens Sept. 20. St. Louis is 6-1 and will play Southern Methodist University Friday. Murray State has been shut out the last two games.
File photo
Withers enters her junior season as the reigning OVC Offensive Player of the Year after scoring a school record five game-winning goals.
Men’s golf top five
Women’s golf top five
1. Matthew Winder
70-72-73 – 215
1. Lucila Puente
76-72-71 – 219
2. Gabe Wheeler
74-71-73 – 218
2. Jane Watts
72-74-76 – 222
3.
Austin Knight
77-72-70 – 219
3. Sydney Kelley
81-70-71 – 222
4.
Daniel Taylor
75-72-73 – 220
4. Raeysha Surendran
75-74-76 – 225
5.
Lance Davis
71-80-70 – 221
5. Anna Moore
77-75-77 – 229
RIFLE From Page 6
lar. The recruiting process between Lollar and Schläpfer was much different than that of many college athletes, Schläpfer said. “First we just emailed each other, and I kept him updated on every competition that I shot in,” Schläpfer said. “It wouldn’t have been beneficial for me to have come there or for him to come over to watch me because it was too expensive. We just had a lot of contact through email and Skype.” Schläpfer hesitated when she was offered the chance to shoot for Murray State at the Division I level, but she said at the end of the day, the decision to leave home was without regrets. “The possibility to get an education and shoot at the same time was too interesting an offer to turn down,” Schläpfer said. Schläpfer said that one of the biggest things she’s noticed since being in Murray is the way that people think. Since her town is so small,
she was accustomed to walking everywhere she went. But at Murray, she’s noticed a big difference in students’ reliance on their cars. “I walk everywhere back home. But here, you take the car to drive from the range to Winslow,” Schläpfer says. The All-American seems to be adjusting nicely to her teammates, who she said she has gotten close with over the past year and a half. “I think we are pretty close. We do a lot of things together. During the week, we will go to dinner together, and on the weekends, we sometimes go to the lake,” Schläpfer said. With the upcoming season fast approaching, Schläpfer said she isn’t feeling the pressure that might come with being ranked so high in the pre-season. “I don’t feel pressure because if I see my teammates practicing, I can see that we are able to be second in the nation or maybe even lead the nation,” Schläpfer said. “So it’s not like we have to do something that we don’t do every day. The scores that we need to be second or first in the nation, we have every day. So pressure, isn’t the right word – it’s more excitement.”
U.S. 641 N. Murray 270-753-9622 Circus Skate Murray, KY
Mark McFarland/The News
Sophomore Gabe Wheeler from Sikeston, Missouri, finished the MSU Invitational with a score of 218.
Cross-country finishes top five Tierra Reese
Contributing writer treese11@murraystate.edu
At the 2016-17 season opener cross-country meet in Nashville, Tennessee, the Murray State women’s team finished in fourth place and the men in fifth at the Belmont Invitational on Sept. 3. Vallery Korir, junior from Iten, Kenya, and Mason Swenson, freshman from Phoenix, both individually set personal record times and were added to the Racers AllTime list. This meet was Swenson’s first race in her collegiate career. She said her transition from high school is exciting and wants to improve over the season. “I couldn’t have asked for a better leeway into it,” Swenson said. “It was a good meet to start off with, and I was really happy with it.” Swenson said she was impressed with her teammates racing capabilities at the season opener and is optimistic that the team will do very
well throughout the season. Swenson’s best time in the 5K run was 18 minutes, 28 seconds and she finished 15th individually. “I thought we all ran really well for our first meet out. Everybody showed up prepared. We all raced pretty smart,” Swenson said, “I came out a little slower and then I was able to pick it up to hit that last mile as hard as I could and catch a lot of girls in the last mile.” Korir also has said to have confidence in her teammates and herself about winning OVC Championship this season. After redshirting last year, Korir is back this season and set a personal record of 18 minutes, 10 seconds in the 5K run. “I think I really did good compared to last year’s cross-country. Coming back from redshirt last year and it being my third time running cross-country ever in life, I think I did really well,” Korir said, “I learned cross-country is way different from track and you really have to be
strong mentally because it’s hard.” Mark Ventura, junior from Slade, Kentucky, is in the top five on the men’s cross-country team. After witnessing some of the results from the first meet, Ventura said he has ambitious goals in mind for the team and himself during this season that he thinks can be achieved. “We’ve never had this fast of a group since I’ve been here, so I’m excited to see how we compete in OVC because we definitely went into it better than last year,” Ventura said. “Something that we all did really well was working as a team. I’ve never ran with a teammate from the beginning to end.” Head Coach Jenny Swieton of both men and women’s cross-country teams said that this season opener gave her great insight into how the season will go. Swieton, like her players, is more than hopeful that both teams will win the OVC Championship this year. “We’re in the best place
that we’ve ever been in and if there was ever a year to win, this would be the year,” Swieton said. Swieton said overall she was impressed with how her athletes raced in the invitational and said the teams haven’t started in-depth training yet so, with more training, she is excited to see how far the team will go. “It went really well. Probably the best we’ve started as a whole,” Swieton said. “We’re definitely a team that gets better as the season progresses. We’re just in the beginning stages of our training so it’s exciting to see them doing as well as they are without getting into the real meat of the training,” Swieton, Korir and Swenson all have the main goal of winning the OVC Championship this season. “I know the character of our kids and how much they want it and the good decisions they make outside of practice and I think that will always give us the one-up on other teams,” Swieton said.
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September 15, 2016
Racers rely on underclassmen: shooting for Richmond Collin Morris
Contributing writer cmorris29@murraystate.edu
The Murray State men’s
golf team will travel to the hills of Richmond, Kentucky, to join Eastern Kentucky for their first away tournament of the fall season. Coming out of their first tournament of the year, the Murray State Invitational, the Racers saw a top five that included all three of their freshman newcomers – Avery Edwards from Paducah, Kentucky, Austin Knight from Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Cole Manion from Clarkson, Kentucky. The invitational tournament marked the first official college performance for these three athletes, but this Saturday could prove to be a task in their first away tournament as college golfers. Nevertheless, Head Coach Eddie Hunt said he still holds his same, unwavering confidence in his team. “Well, [the freshman] are all good players that have played a lot of golf and had a lot of good tournaments, but you get into college sometimes and it’s a little bit different,” Hunt said. “But I think with the experience they’ve had over the summers, they may have some ups and downs, but they’ll play pretty well. I’ll be
Mark McFarland/The News
Murray State competes at Frances E. Miller Memorial Golf Course in Murray. surprised if they don’t.” The experience of playing on the road, involves many factors. The Racers will be forced to travel a long distance prior to the tournament, seeing unfamiliar faces and staying in an unfamiliar location. In golf, however,
the athletes must deal with another variable – the away course. “It’s been a few years since we played Richmond,” Hunt said. “They had some issues with the weather and the course wasn’t really in as good of shape as you’d like, but now they’ve redone the whole
course through their PGA apprenticeship, so they’ve really done a lot of work there. I think it’s a top notch course now and we’re looking forward to going there.” Despite the early production from his freshman, Hunt still looks to his upperclassmen to set the example; specifically
his lone senior Matthew Zakutney from Paducah, Kentucky. “Matt is still our leader and will be when the year is out,” Hunt said. “He is our best scorer and our top player, but I value a lot more the leadership than where anyone stacks up in the lineup.
Plus he’s a senior and I think he’ll provide really good leadership for our freshmen and that’s what I’m looking for.” In addition to the three freshman, the Racers also saw Daniel Taylor, a junior from Princeton, Kentucky, join the top five for the invitational; potentially giving the Racers a second upperclassmen to lead the young team. “Daniel is a hard worker and I expect a good year from him. He came through in the qualifying and got into the top five with some really strong rounds,” Hunt said. “I think last year he was more up and down; he’d get into some tournaments and then not play as well, but I think this year he has really matured on the golf course, is making better decisions and will play well.” Taylor said he sees himself as one to potentially fulfill the team’s need for experienced leaders. “I think I’m taking on more of a leadership role. Being such a young team I think Coach is looking for some of the upperclassmen to step up and take the place of the four seniors that left last year,” said Taylor. The EKU Intercollegiate Tournament will take place at on Sept. 17-18 at University Club in Richmond, Kentucky.
Senior Night Staff Report The Racers will graduate nine players after the 2016 football season. Murray State lost 28-22 last Saturday. It was the last first game of the seniors careers at Murray State. The nine seniors are quarterback KD Humphries, wide receiver Jesse Blackburn, wide receiver Malik Golson, wide receiver Mitch Stults, linebacker Jonathon Jackson, defensive back Toby Omli, defensive lineman Zuri Elrington, defensive lineman Tony Mays II and kicker Connor Mitchell.
Humphries went 35-52 for 356 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Blackburn finished the game with two recepttions for 24 yards with his longest reception being for 17 yards. Blackburn was voted to the All-OVC preseason team. Golson caught the ball five times for 21 yards and a long reception of nine yards. He also received two punts, each only for one yard. Stults finished fifth in receiving with four receptions for 26 yards. He also hauled in a 17 yard reception to add to his total.
Jackson finished third on the team in tackles for the game. He earned nine tackles, four being solo and five being assisted. He also added one quarterback hit to his stat sheet. Omli came up with five total tackles. Three being assists and two of them being solo. Elrinton ended up with one solo tackle on the night to finish out his senior night. Mays II did not earn any stats on for the night. Mitchell went three for three on kicking field goals as they were all over 30 yards. He kicked it through the uprights from 31, 36 and
37 yards. He also ended up kicking the ball off five times totaling 305 yards and earned two touchbacks. The Racers begin the season 0-2 after a 52-3 loss to the University of Illinois and the loss to Missouri State. The seniors and the Racers will travel Saturday for a 6 p.m. game at Southern Illinois, in Carbondale, Illinois. Murray State and Southern Illinios have not played each other since the Salukis beat the Racers 32-7 in Carbondale in 2003. The Racers lead the all-time series at 10-8-2.
Chalice Keith/The News
Murray State football team celebrates Senior Night with their families.
FANTASY FOOTBALL QB
RB
WR
TE
K
Andrew Luck
DeAngelo Williams
Brandin Cooks
Jack Doyle
Dan Bailey
35 pts
28 pts
27 pts
15 pts
COLTS
STEELERS
SAINTS
COLTS
COWBOYS
17 pts
Top Scorers - Week 1 ESPN standard scoring
DEFENSE VIKINGS
21 pts
AP
September 15, 2016
Features Editor: Gisselle Hernandez Assistant Features Editor: Brianna Willis Phone: 270-809-5871 Twitter: MSUNewsFeatures
Page 9
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Features
Da’Sha Tuck
Staff writer dtuck@murraystate.edu
Focused on her faith and family, Arista Manning, senior from Kirksey, Kentucky, took her first bold steps into the music industry with the release of her debut album, “Ride This Night.” The album was set to release Sept. 2, but because of technical issues, it was officially released on Sept. 7. It is now available on all media outlets including Spotify, iTunes, Apple Play and more. “It’s all out there now,” Manning said. “Sometimes we just have speed bumps like that when working with bigger companies.” The album has five songs: “Ride This Night,” “Amen to That,” “Lucky Enough,” “Wrapped up in Me” and “Southern Drawl.” “I searched for months in order to personalize the album and find material that best fits my style,” Manning said. “I selected various pieces from different writers in the Nashville area.” Shane Barrett Music pitched the majority of the songs on her album, she said. Manning described her musical style as a mix of country and bluegrass witGROWING UP Manning grew up a farmer’s daughter, watching her father work extremely hard to provide for his family and allow his daughters to reach for their dreams, she said. “I grew up on a farm following a tobacco setter,” Manning said. “Just me and my dog.” She said she was raised to hold family close and to always be family-oriented. Manning first began singing in her church, singing in front of an audience for the first time when she
was o n l y eight years old. “My parents were my praise team leaders at my church,” Manning said. “They got me heavily involved in music.” Throughout high school, Manning said she gained confidence in her voice through performing. Growing up in a rural setting, Manning said the thought of living in a big city like Nashville is a little intimidating, but she envisions herself there one day.
MANNING PRODUCTIONS Support has flooded Manning ever since she was a little girl, with a lot of it coming from her family. She said her parents have been a huge influence for her music career. Manning’s father, Anthony, even founded a music production company solely for her. “Technically, I’m with an independent label,” Manning said. “My dad, he created a company for me called Manning Productions. So this is my label as of now until I get signed with a major label.” Manning said her dad is always right by her side. “Music is a business,” Anthony said. “Our daughter wants to make a career out of it and every business has to have an origin. We take Arista’s passion for music very seriously and we are going to see this through.” Her original producer, Mike Jones of Murray, also helped Manning excel in her career. Jones died a little more than a year ago but Manning said he is still present in “Ride This Night.” Jones h e l p e d produce two of the five songs on the album. He also put Man-
ning i n cont a c t with her current producer, Steve Pope of TuneShop Productions, before he died. Jones and Pope were colleagues and Manning said Pope made a promise to Jones that is driving her career today. “Steve actually made a promise to Mike to watch out for me, to take care of me and to push me as far as he could,” Manning said. “That is just really special to me that Mike was tied into this whole project.”
LOOKING FORWARD Since the album release, and even before, Manning said the support from the Murray State community has been amazing. “I could not be more proud of Arista,” said Mary Hundley, senior from Madisonville, Kentucky, and Manning’s sister in Alpha Omicron Pi. “Seeing the way she juggles classes, working, sorority activities and her music career is astonishing. I don’t know how she does it.”
Photos contributed by Kelli O’Toole
Manning said her strong faith in the Lord is what keeps her going. The feedback from the album, she said, has been great so far. In the future, Manning Productions is planning a radio tour. This will be broadcasted on stations in the Nashville area as well as locally. Manning said local performances are in the works as well. She hopes to have benefit concerts later down the road. “I just want to be passionate about whatever it is I’m doing for the rest of my life,” Manning said. “I don’t want to settle for a nine to five job like everyone else if I don’t have to. I want to shoot for the stars and chase my dreams. We only get one chance in this life and I’m going to give it all I have.”
The News
Features
Page 10 FRIDAY
THURSDAY
SATURDAY
September 15, 2016
SUNDAY
MONDAY
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8:30 a.m. “Coffee with Bob” Rocking Chair Lounge
7:30 p.m. Cinema International: “Marguerite” Curris Center Theater
10 a.m. Festival of Champions Roy Stewart Stadium
2:30 p.m. “Bonnie and Clyde: The Musical” Central Park
8:30 a.m. Constitution Day Curris Center Theater
WEDNESDAY
TUESDAY
20
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11 a.m. Harnessing the Power of Your Emotional Intelligence Online
9 a.m. Senior Animal Adoption Days McCracken County Humane Society
Campus political parties focus on statewide matters Photo courtesy of nobomagazine.com
Photo courtesy of advancedgraphics.com
Taylor Inman || Staff writer
said. “But I think that’s because there’s not a lot we can do very directly for the presidential election.” Allison Prokop, vice president of the College Democrats, said they are about to devote their time to campaigning. “The Democrats plan to help David Ramey. He’s running for state House of Representatives,” Prokop said. “A few of us will be volunteering to canvas for him. We do a lot of work on the local level, but we get the most attention about the national-level stuff.” But make no mistake, even though they devote time to the statewide election, the groups make sure they’re all on the same page about the presidential election, despite the idea that some of their members might not agree with the candidate that their party chose. “We have a few members that are not going to support him, but that’s what makes us diverse,” Futrell said. “I want us to sup-
tinman1@murraystate.edu
The primaries ended with the summer and with it came changes to the election. But what changes have been happening with the student-run political groups on campus? The College Democrats and College Republicans get a lot of attention when it comes to the presidential election, with both groups growing in member size around election years. But they spend the bulk of their time being involved with the statewide elections, which get far less of the spotlight. Savannah Futrell, president of the College Republicans, said her group can find more opportunities in the statewide elections compared to the presidential race. “As a whole, more of our members would rather be involved with the Kentucky election than the presidential election,” Futrell
Kappa Delta takes aim for abusefree society Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon/The News
Gisselle Hernandez Features Editor
ghernandez1@murraystate.edu
Greek students spent the weekend crouching in the dark behind hay bales and hiding behind tarp-covered walls in hopes of winning Kappa Delta’s annual Laser Tag Tournament benefiting Prevent Child Abuse America. Kappa Delta’s main philanthropy is Prevent Child Abuse America and every year the sorority hosts “Shamrock Week” on campus where the sisters raise money for PCAA. Last fall, KD hosted their first laser tag event at the end of their Shamrock Week, which was open to both Greek organizations and the community. This year, the sorority decided to switch things up a bit to make the week more beneficial to PCAA. Shamrock Week kicked off with Flamingo Flock – Greek organizations having to pay to remove flamingos from their yard that were placed there by KD – and the sisters tabled throughout the week to raise money. Most Greek organizations do change wars to collect money for their philanthropy, but KD decided to do “Pick a Number” instead. Each Greek Organization was given a board with numbers from one through 40. A person would pick a number and pay whatever that number was to cross the number out. When all the numbers on the board were crossed out, the total amounted to $820. Sarah Kelley, president of KD,
port our Republican candidate, but there’s always going to be someone who doesn’t share the exact same views.” Futrell said it is her job to make sure Murray State’s chapter supports their candidate. “It’s my goal as the president to make sure we support the Republican candidate as a chapter,” Futrell said. “But there are members who, on their own time, don’t have to support Donald Trump if they don’t want to. I’m not going to push them to do that on their personal time.” On the Democrat side, one will find no “Bernie or Bust” people, a term given by the media to describe those who supported Sanders in the primaries and refuse to support Clinton in the main presidential election. “Most people are open to vote for someone else because he became such an instrumental part in the platform that his views have become the Democrats views,” Prokop said. Murray State had a “Racers for Bernie” group last semester that was larger in size
said this proved to be more beneficial to PCAA since more money was raised. Kelley said advertising during the summer also helped in the spike in profits this semester. After a week of Kappa Deltas selling barbecue nachos, pinwheels and T-shirts, Greek organizations gathered with their laser tag teams at the William “Bill” Cherry Exposition Center Friday night. Each Greek organization could register more than one team. They paid $70 for the first team to participate, $50 for an additional team and $20 for any other additional teams after that. Each game lasted seven minutes, with sororities playing on one side of the arena and fraternities at the other. At the end of the tournament, Pi Kappa Alpha and Alpha Delta Pi emerged as champions. The new daggermen for the sorority, which is the equivalent of sweethearts in fraternities, Chantry Carroll and Nathan Brown, were announced. Natalie Hubbard, vice president of community service for KD, said this year they definitely saw a jump in profits from last year. She said the profits from Friday night and other outside donations amounted to approximately $1,200. The laser tag event was open to the community on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Although no exact number had been calculated, Hubbard said there were a good amount of people who came to play throughout the day, up to almost closing time. “They love the cause just as much as we do,” she said. “We try
than the College Democrats and College Republicans, according to numbers on their social media pages. But since the Vermont Senator has dropped out of the race, the group ceased to exist. Brandon Simpson was the president of “Racers for Bernie” and said where exactly all of those people went after Sanders dropped out of the race. “Most of our members were already involved in other organizations, especially the campus Democrats,” Simpson said. “I think most of the students we had will still vote for another candidate, but some were ‘Bernie or Bust.’” Students will be able to see the College Democrats and College Republicans in the upcoming weeks around campus. They will soon be investing their time in booths that help students register to vote. “We just want to make our campus a registered campus,” Futrell said. “We just want people to get out and vote.”
getting the word out there, to let people know what we’re here for and I think that’s helped a lot.” Hubbard said it is not difficult to get people to be involved. She said once someone hears what the cause is about, they don’t need any more convincing. “They come up and say ‘what are you raising for?’ Once they hear PCAA, they don’t question more; they just say ‘we’re going to support you no matter what,’” she said. “Which is great about the Greek community; they will always support you without question.” Eighty percent of the profits KD makes during Shamrock Week goes toward PCAA Kentucky and 20 percent goes to PCAA National. According to National Children’s Alliance, an estimated 679,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in 2013. Although KD’s main philanthropy is PCAA, Hubbard said they assist in other areas such as hosting a book drive for an alumna’s school and donating baskets to the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in Murray. “We try to go above and beyond and try to help these kids as much as we can,” she said.
Chalice Keith/The News
Munroe finds magic in more than smoke and mirrors Staff report At 29 years old, Jim Munroe, magician and speaker, heard the words, “Mr. Munroe, you have leukemia” after taking a trip to the emergency room for intense leg pain. After a series of tests Munroe describes as a “complete whirlwind,” he was told he had two months to live if nothing was done about his condition. He said he was diagnosed with Ph-Positive ALL - a rare form of the cancer that will continue to return after remission without a bone marrow transplant. According to Be The Match, a nonprofit op-
erated by the National ter wasn’t a close enough through Be The Match. Marrow Donor Program, match,” Munroe said. “Out of a 7-million peoa bone marrow transplant A brother or sister of a ple in an international takes a donor’s healthy patient needing a transdatabase, there was only blood-forming cells and plant has about a 25 perone person capable of transfers them into the cent chance of being a saving me from my dispatient’s bloodstream. match, according to Be ease,” Munroe said. “It The Match. Munroe will be at Murjust takes one.” T y p i ray State Sept. cally becoming 17 at 7 p.m. in a donor costs Lovett Audiabout $100, but torium doing those who ata mystery illutend the event sion show titled, will be able to The Maze, and sign up for free. is open to the About 1 in 430 Murray commuU.S. Be The nity to attend. - Jim Munroe, magician who was diagnosed with leukemia Match Registry Attendees will members will be able to sign go on to donate up to become a bone marrow or periphbone marrow donor that Munroe was matched eral blood stem cells night through the Be The with a donor, a 19-year(PBSC) to a patient, acMatch organization. old female, who had cording to Be The Match. “My own biological sisregistered to be a donor
“
There was only one person capable of saving me from my disease. It just takes one.
”
“They are the organization that saved my life, so it just seems fitting,” Munroe said. Munroe said he is completely cancer free today. The Maze has been to 48 of the United States and internationally in Australia, Canada and Europe, often doing the show on college campuses because they meet the age demographic for potential donors. Munroe said he started with a Fisher-Price magic set when he was 6 years old and has been doing magic and illusions ever since. “I was always drawn to magic as a kid, just kind Contributed by Kelli O’Toole of my make up,” Munroe Magician Jim Munroe will perform at Lovett Auditorium on Saturday. said.
The News
Features
September 15, 2016
Pop Culture Corner
Photo courtesy of screenrant.com
“Fifty Shades Darker” trailer brings the heat “Fifty Shades Darker” trailer was released Tuesday leaving more questions than answers. What’s with the mask? Who is Rita Ora’s character? How did Christian win Ana back after the cliffhanger at the end of the first film? Who knows what is in store, outside of those who read the book, but we’re dying to find out.
Page 11
‘Bad Vibrations’ brings the grit Nick Erickson || Staff writer nerickson@murraystate.edu
Every genre of music, ranging from rock to EDM, country to hip-hop, has their own respective artists that are considered the “pinnacle” of that genre. These artists set the bar for younger and aspiring artists and are forever influential to that style of music. Like Britney Spears to pop or Snoop Dogg to rap, such are Floridan rock band A Day to Remember (ADTR). For more than 13 years, the band has continually pushed out releases that have caused them to skyrocket to being one of the largest names in the scene. The group has always managed to stand out among others with their ability to seamlessly blur the lines between heavy metal and pop. Last week, the quintet dropped their sixth studio album, “Bad Vibrations.” Leading up to its release, vocalist Jeremy McKinnon said in an interview that the record would be heavier than their past three records combined. Does “Bad Vibrations” live up to McKinnon’s claims and the anticipation of their gargantuan fanbase? It most certainly does. Much like the ADTR records of the past, there is always a healthy dose of diversity in the songwriting and tracklisting. The band itself has never been keen on writing overly-complicated compositions. Instead, they merely focus on
the “fun” aspect of the music, seeking to write material that will invoke an invigorating live atmosphere at their shows. With this in mind, there are the glossy, boy-band tinged choruses that make a good deal of their songs radio-friendly and accessible to the masses. However, there are always the heavy moments that the band pull-off so exquisitely. Once listeners press play, it will become clear that McKinnon was right. The album’s opening title track comes in powerful, littered with guitar feedback and McKinnon’s raw screams. “I can feel your bad vibrations,” he belts out over the downtuned onslaught courtesy of respective lead and rhythm guitarists Kevin Skaff and Neil Westfall. This track alone proves that ADTR are not afraid to show some grit. Lead single “Paranoia,” released earlier this year, is tinged with hardcore-esque riffs and shouts that nod in favor to bands such as Beartooth and Stick To Your Guns. The bombastic choruses are huge enough to induce an entire arena to chant along and will be stuck in millions of people’s heads for the long run. The group continues on throughout the record to push out some of the heaviest material of their discography. “Exposed” is arguably in the running for the title of their heaviest breakdown, with sections reminiscent of “Mr. Highway’s Thinking About The End” from 2009’s “Homesick.” The empowering
gang-vocals and bass chugs of “Reassemble” further the album into rougher territory. Let us not forget the melodic side of ADTR, where much of their glory lies. “Naivety” sounds positive on the surface, but beneath the Blink 182 vibes, its lyrics have a dark undertone about the horrors of getting older. McKinnon’s voice is silk against palm-muted chords and upbeats, and is equally dance-inspiring as it is depressing. “Same About You” brings up an emotional breakup and, to much surprise, leads into an intricate solo from Skaff, something their group is not well-known for. It’s both impressive and a breath of fresh air into their repertoire. With every member inching into their 30s, many bands in this field of music would have lost their steam by now. ADTR proves with “Bad Vibrations” that age does not define what material a band can pump out. Steering clear of beating a dead horse, the band has taken their sixth album as an opportunity to embellish their heavy, metalcore roots, and also put out some of the strongest, yet lightest, material of their career. “Bad Vibrations” takes the polished aesthetic of 2013’s “Common Courtesy” and the edginess and angst of “Homesick.” Already topping Billboard charts these past years, “Bad Vibrations” is another notch in the post on ADTR’s way to music domination.
Moms let loose and get down
Photo courtesy of dailydot.com
Ryan Lochte loses fans, not over dancing Ryan Lochte and Cheryl Burke were shocked during their first performance for “Dancing With the Stars” this week when protesters stormed the stage. Ryan Lochte, last time in the headlines for lying about being held at gun point, has made some enemies with his lies. Here’s hoping things are smooth sailing next week.
Soundbyte “Who are you texting!”
-Blac Chyna, An explosive argument on the premiere of “Rob and Chyna” has now turned into an internet meme. Hope they work it out soon.
Photo courtesy of -
“Bad Moms” shows moms in a new light, proving that just because you are a mom doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time. Nick Erickson|| Staff writer nerickson@murraystate.edu
Most college-aged people know from experience, whether it be acknowledging their own mother or having a child of their own, that being a mother can be a very taxing position. There is so much pressure on them and the crippling fear of letting others down, whether it be their child, their spouse or even their close friends. The new comedy “Bad Moms” hits the nail on this truth, all while infusing it with gut-busting laughs. The film, directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the masterminds behind “The Hangover,” details a group of overworked mothers who decide it’s time to let off some steam and make some life changes, often via raunchy and risqué behavior. It’s hilarious without being over-the-top. Actress Mila Kunis, well-known from her role as Jackie from “That 70s Show,” stars as Amy, a suburban wife and mother of two kids living in Chicago. In her early 30s, she
constantly feels overwhelmed from going back and forth from her job, to taking care of her kids and attending their school’s PTA meetings. After a night at bar with two other mothers, Carla (Kathryn Hahn) and Kiki (Kristen Bell), both of whom also feel like they’re in the same predicament, Amy decides it’s time to forget about the escalating tension of life for a bit. In addition to the binge, they also make the decision that one change needed to be made in their lives is to take down the PTA president Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate), who is bitter and controlling over the others within the group. In spite, Amy decides to run against Gwendolyn to become the new president. This newfound freedom within the group, allowing their inner desire to unwind, is exactly the juxtaposition to Applegate’s character, thus allowing hilarity to ensue. While yes, there are a handful of more dramatic scenes, the majority of the film’s message is about being able to have some pure enjoyment every now and again, and that’s where most
of the charm and energy of the film lies, much in the audience’s favor. There is just about everything one could expect from a “wild night out,” right down to slow-motion montages of inebriated endeavors in a grocery store. When things do slow down and tables turn, it is easy to empathize with Amy and her ensemble, learning that it is easy to let stress get to one’s self. This allows the film to be more than fun, but thought provoking as well. Yet, the film nary loses pace when these moments occur, and it’s back into the hysterics. While it might feel slightly predictable at times, and as cliché as the theme of “taking down the boss” might be, the mere cheekiness of the film negates that. “Bad Moms” is without a doubt the strongest comedy to close out the summer. It’s loud humor and energy are sure to keep the attention span of those the disaster that was the latest “Ghostbusters” couldn’t keep. For those seeking a light-hearted and relatable film to watch with the girls, search no further.
Just So You know
Speaking Up
I imagined the sting of it, the biting metal slicing into flesh, ruby beads dripping down the fingerand Gisselle Hernandez t i p s falling onto Features Editor the whitetiled bathroom floor. I pictured the face of pure ecstasy that must have been on her face as she did this, plastered there as she felt this was the only way to feel release, freedom. As I saw my friend’s puffy, red line already scabbing on her wrist next to me in class, I remember feeling so helpless, angry tears burning the back of my lids. “It’s not a big deal, Gis. I don’t make it deep enough so don’t worry.” My eyes scanned the similar pale scars along her other wrist, some peeking over her ankle socks and I felt like someone had punched me in the chest as anger welled up inside me. How dare she? How dare she ask me not to worry? How dare she ask me to pretend I don’t see it as a “big deal?” And then I felt anger at the world. At making my friend think this was the only way to feel okay, to cope. At how many other kids feel this way, one in every 10 high school students to be exact. And I have never felt this angry before. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness month, and it’s one of the awareness months that tug a little bit more at my heart. Throughout my life, I had always been faced with these situations. There’s something that snaps inside you when you look into your friend’s eyes as they beg you to not tell anyone. To them, this is the only way they feel free from whatever nightmarish visions plague them. Because of this “trust,” you choose to say nothing, even if it happens again and again and worse every time. Even if after a while, it finally does become deep enough. Last year, I wrote an article on the Walk of Remembrance the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Calloway County hosted in honor of suicide victims. I spoke with Pat Harrington for the story, who had lost her husband to suicide. She said one of the main problems with suicide is people try not to talk about it and high school kids have this “oath to secrecy” to not say anything out of respect for friends. But losing someone as a friend is always better than losing a friend to suicide. Especially in college, I don’t hear people addressing the problem much. There are events in honor of suicide prevention, but people still swallow their feelings when those dark thoughts creep in or – this is a common one – pass off their anxiety and depression as a joke. People don’t pick up on it because of the humor in it, and that person ends up feeling utterly alone. It’s never, ever a good feeling when you keep telling yourself “I should have…” when it’s already too late. Not just for this month, but every single time you are faced with a situation where you can say something, don’t try to be a “good friend” by keeping your friend’s “secrets.” If you do, you might end up with no friend at all.
ghernandez1@murraystate.edu
Out this week
Read It
“The Walking Dead: Volume 26” by Robert Kirkman
See It
“Snowden”
Hear It
“Live at the Hollywood Bowl” by The Beatles
Rent It
“The Conjuring 2”
Play It
“NBA 2K17”
Page 12
The News
September 15, 2016