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THE MUR R AY STATE
Page 9 Student begins online campaign to ban campus preacher
NEWS
November 10, 2016 | Vol. 91, No. 11
Trump cinches White House Emily Williams
Contributing writer ewilliams15@murraystate.edu
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tate-by-state election results show Donald Trump won Kentucky as a whole by 63 percent of the votes in the state. Trump also took Calloway County, receiving 10,367 votes compared to Clinton’s 4,749. Members of the Calloway County Republican Party gathered to watch as the election results came in on Tuesday evening. A strong allegiance to the GOP was very evident in the majority of the members present. Greg DeLancey, citizen of Murray and chairman of the Calloway County Republican Party, said the fact that Trump is pro-life played a big role in his decision to vote Trump because the basic nature of life is important to him. “I’m relieved that the election is over,” DeLancey said. “We all have been waiting for this moment, but it really has been stressful.” He said he believes if Trump can pull jobs back into the country and create a certain amount of wealth then that is going to make a big difference in our community and country.
“All of the crazy antics of the candidates have been disappointing,” DeLancey said. “We didn’t get to the heart of the issues early enough and I felt as if voters were shortchanged in knowing which issues were important.” Bryan Ernstberger, county attorney in Calloway County and member of the Calloway County Republican Party, said he would not call himself a fan or big supporter of Trump, but he said he is very against Hillary Clinton. “I’m kind of disappointed that the primary process did not give us a candidate that we can be happier about,” Ernstberger said. “At the same time, I’m in the 83 percent of Americans that were voting against the other candidate. It wasn’t a choice, it was a lack of options.” Ernstberger said this election was astonishing to him because the precincts of Calloway County had much higher vote totals than in past years, which he said he’s glad to see. “Harris Grove, which is Calloway County’s largest precinct, had 960 [votes caste] two years ago, and this year had over 1,100,” Ernstberger said. “That’s not nearly the biggest shift. There were some precincts that voted double what they have
see TRUMP, page 2
Election Day letter to campus Abby Siegel || News Editor asiegel@murraystate.edu
President Bob Davies sent an email to all students, faculty and staff on Monday urging them to vote Tuesday and respond civilly when the results were revealed. Davies wrote that voting in the presidential election is “the ultimate activity of democracy” and is a privilege that the American people should not take lightly. In his email, Davies urged the Murray State community to remember that democracy is for all Americans, and as the results of the election unfolds to be mindful and respectful of others. “On campus, let us make sure we remain civil regardless of whether your candidate won or lost,” Davies wrote. “Let us respect the process of democracy and do what we can to support those in public service at all levels.” His email focused on acting civilly and avoiding making personal vindications or attacks on those with differences of opinion. He wrote that the community’s response to the results can begin “the process of healing and bringing people together.” “I appreciate President Davies addressing these important issues openly,” said Shannon Davis-Roberts, junior from Murray. Davis-Roberts said although Davies letter was not necessary, it shows his dedication to the people of Murray State and democracy. “We must rise above the vitriolic
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Elections spark student protests Emily Williams
Contributing writer ewilliams15@murraystate.edu
McKenna Dosier/The News
Some protesters held signs, ranging from Black Lives Matter signs to handwritten ‘Free Hugs’ signs.
Approximately 30 Murray State students drew a crowd to Waterfield Library Wednesday morning by implementing a peaceful protest in response to the 2016 presidential election results in an effort to advocate for individual rights. Cole Lawrence, senior from Benton, Kentucky, said he organized the protest because he believes many of the people who voted for Trump did so with the hope of taking away LGBT rights, women’s rights and the rights of African-Americans. “We’re just speaking up because everybody who ever stayed silent in the face of something like this is how every big disaster in history has ever happened,” Lawrence said. “I’m not going to scream at anybody. If somebody wants to come out here and scream at me, they can. I’m just going to stand out here and spread equality and not hate.”
Lawrence said the group gathered as a result of his post on Facebook and that they are not affiliated with any organization at Murray State. Campus police were present on the scene of the protest while students held signs that said “Queer and absolutely proud,” “You don’t get to vote for my rights,” “Black lives matter,” and “Pro-choice. Prowomen. Pro-freedom.” Jessi Moffett, senior from Louisville, Kentucky, said she came to the protest for her gay friends who believe they are a minority and are scared because of the results of the election. “I’m here because I had to hold my friends last night while they cried because they were scared to walk across campus at night because they’re gay,” Moffett said. “Even though I would like to be angry and hate, I’m not going to.” According to an article posted by The New York
see PROTEST, page 2
Democrats lose across the state Matthew Parks Staff writer
mparks6@murraystate.edu
On election night, Democrats across Kentucky lost in every major election. Jim Gray, D-Lexington, Kentucky, lost the election for Kentucky U.S. Senator to incumbent Rand Paul, R-Bowling Green, who withdrew from his presidential campaign earlier this year. The race between the two was the closest of any election in the state, since Paul won with 57 percent of the total votes. In the race for the U.S. House
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of Representatives First District seat, James Comer, R-Tompkinsville, won in a landslide victory against Samuel Gaskins, D-Hopkinsville, garnering 72 percent of the statewide vote. Closer to home, the race for the Fifth District seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives ended in yet another Democrat loss. Murray State alumnus David Ramey, D-Murray, lost to incumbent Kenny Imes, R-Murray, who has served six terms as the state representative in the Fifth District. Imes won a total of 69 percent of the state vote. “We have got to find a way to
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get working class voters understanding that the greatest political asset they have is still the Democratic Party,” Ramey said. “We have not done a good job of that.” Ramey said the Democratic Party in Kentucky is suffering from a base that is aging out and not bringing in enough “young faces” to make up for the difference. He said the vitriolic nature of politics, especially in this year’s elections, has painted the Democratic Party as something they are not. “I’ve never tried to take anybody’s guns,” Ramey said. “I’ve never tried to make anybody
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marry somebody they didn’t want to marry, and I haven’t killed any babies. We have to articulate a message that dispels these myths that take the focus off the real issues.” Ramey said he believes that with a Republican-controlled state, working men and women will suffer from stagnated incomes and the loss of state-instituted protections. Murray’s city council members were also elected during Tuesday’s elections. Most of those elected were previously seated on the council and were allowed to remain by popular vote.
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see LETTER, page 2
Republicans sweep local elections Lindsey Coleman Staff writer
lcoleman7@murraystate.edu
The Republican Party celebrated a clean sweep in the local elections on Tuesday. The offices of U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative for the First District, state Senator for the First District and state representative for the Fifth District will all be held by Republican candidates. With its win of more than 60 seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives, the Republican Party will have the supermajority vote in the Kentucky House for the first time in almost 100 years. Republican Larry Brown defeated Democrat Greg Stumbo for Speaker of the House. Kenny Imes, incumbent state representative from Murray, said the major change will be that bills that haven’t been heard will now be brought to the House, which he said will lead to two years of excitement. “It’s going to be a brand new day,” Imes said. He said pension, pro-life and transparency issues in Kentucky will be important bills moving forward and he said he wants citizens to be informed about the decisions that will affect their lives. Calloway County’s chairman for the Republican Party, Greg DeLancey, said Kentucky should see more legislation passed in the future because of the heavier Republican influence. “That, to me, is an exciting change for Kentucky,” DeLancey said. “With a Republican governor, Senate and House, you can get things done.” He said western Kentuckians should expect to see more improvements in infrastructure and pension funding. “I’m happy that the day is here. I’m happy we’ve seen victories in the state especially,” DeLancey said. “That’s exciting.” Bryan Ernstberger, county attorney for Calloway County, said he’s happy to see a Republican majority in the Kentucky House of Representatives. “It’s historic that the House has gone Republican,” Ernstberger said. “It was the last chamber in the South that was still Democratically-held, and it’s astonishing how much it went Republican.” Ernstberger said he hopes they wisely combat the pension funding issue in Kentucky since he knows it is a priority. “It’s great to see some of our local state politics start to reflect some of our more national conservative views,” Ernstberger said.
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November 10, 2016
Clinton campaign loses late-game footing Ashley Traylor Staff writer
atraylor@murraystate.edu
The Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, was expected to have the upper hand in the 2016 presidential election but fell short of her goal of becoming the first female president. Clinton lagged behind Trump in electoral votes for most of Tuesday night. In the end, she earned a total of 228 electoral votes, but Trump exceeded the 270 electoral votes needed to secure his place in the White House.
Early Wednesday morning the Clinton campaign chairman, John Podesta, addressed the crowds at the Democratic Headquarters in New York, where he said several states were still too close to call and told supporters to go home and wait for the last votes. He also thanked Clinton’s voters who encouraged her throughout her campaign. “I want you to know, I want every person in this hall to know, and I want every person across the country who supported Hillary to know that your voices and your enthusiasm mean so much to
her and to him and to all of us,” Podesta said. “We are so proud of you and we are so proud of her. She’s done an amazing job and she is not done yet.” Before the results of the election were calculated, the Associated Press predicted Clinton could win if she pulled victories in California, Maryland, Illinois. She also needed the key states Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nevada to sway the election in her favor. However, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, who have not voted Republican
TRUMP
in three decades, turned out to be Republican-stronghold states. Clinton did, however, pull victories in California, New York and Illinois; each of which have more than 20 electoral votes. In the close states, Trump defeated Clinton by only 1 or 2 percent. Before polls closed and votes were counted, Clinton took to Twitter to express her thoughts about the election: “This team has so much to be proud of. Whatever happens tonight, thank you for everything,” Clinton wrote.
stood in the crowd of bystanders gathered around the protesters. He said he thinks it’s good that people are voicing their opinion. “They’re going to support what they support and that’s fine,” Unterreiner said. “But I casted my vote for who I casted my vote for and they casted their vote for who they casted their vote for. We’re all human. That’s the heart of things.” Unterreiner said he believes life will go on and America will be fine. Malcolm Jones, senior from Louisville, Kentucky said he believes this year’s election is
PROTEST
From Page 1 historically voted or more.” Ed Davis, citizen of Murray and member of the Calloway County Republican Party said he voted for Trump because he would rather have an “unknown” as president than Hillary Clinton whose background appears very “unclean.” “If he can control his mouth, I think he’ll be alright,” Davis said. “I firmly support him and I think I’m like a lot of others in giving him the benefit of the doubt. I certainly don’t want the other candidate in there, so that’s primarily where I come from.” Davis said he thinks this year’s election held too much negativity. He said too much “mud” was thrown from both sides and candidates should stick to the issues and solutions rather than bashing the opposing candidate. He said since he’s 78 years old, he isn’t as much concerned about his own future as he is about the future of his 30-year-old granddaughter and what this year’s election will mean for her. “It’s sad that some of the mainline Republicans have acted the way they have,” Davis said. “I’m hopeful and prayerful that all this animosity that exists will cease and we will get back to making America great again.”
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Secretary Hillary Clinton reached only 228 of the 270 electoral votes necessary to win.
From Page 1 Times, many more anti-Trump protests have been sweeping the nation since Donald Trump was named president-elect early Wednesday morning. It says several hundred protesters gathered and chanted “Not my president” in the streets of Berkeley, California. Other protests were reported in Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Derek Unterreiner, junior from Perryville, Missouri,
a turning point for this generation he believes it goes against what we believe as a country to elect someone who believes in sexism and homophobia. “I guess you could say half of this generation probably supports the ideas that Trump promotes or are at least in the closet about it and the other half are probably against it,” Jones said. “I’m respecting people’s right to vote and people’s opinions but the one thing I don’t respect are people’s opinions that disrespect so many other people,” Jones said. Jones said love will always trump hate.
McKenna Dosier/The News
LETTER From Page 1 rhetoric of the past campaign season and it starts with being mindful of the stress, fear and anxiety many may be feeling,” he wrote. “Being mindful that this process became personal to many and being mindful that we are all here to assist all members of our community to be successful in reaching their
goals and aspirations.” Shannon Hicks, senior from Louisville, said she thinks students are more likely to read the tweets and Facebook posts Davies wrote encouraging students to vote, rather than his “long-winded letter.” “Today is one of the most patriotic days of the year – Election Day! Go out and be a part of the process by voting your conscious. Many have fought and died for us to have this opportunity. Take this moment to let your voice be
heard. GO AMERICA!” Davies wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday morning. “I think the letter was more preventative, especially with the sidewalk chalk that has been all over campus recently by the Students for Rand campaign, and then the retaliation against that,” she said. Historically, women have not always had the right to vote, and Hicks said this is why she hit the polls Tuesday wearing a t-shirt that said “Nasty Women Vote”.
“Growing up my parents always took me to the polls on Election Day,” Hicks said. “As a political science major, it is so critical to exercise my right to vote and participate in politics the most simple way possible.” Hicks said she anticipated a polarized response when the results were revealed. “Some will be rejoicing and others will fight and say that the election is rigged,” she said. “The majority of Americans that voted obviously feel that
a change in government procedures is a must, with that I do agree,” Davis-Roberts said. “Our government has been in a stalemate, neither side giving to the other.” Davies concluded his letter by encouraging the American people to heal the wounds that have been made during this election season. “It starts with each one of us being the person to set the example of representing true and caring citizens living in a democracy,” Davies wrote.
November 15
NOV. 29: COURAGEOUS
DEC. 6: ANGEL IN THE HOUS E
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November 10, 2016
POLICE BEAT Nov. 2
6:51 a.m. Racer Patrol advised Murray State Police of an abandoned 1:32cart a.m. Publicthe Safety received golf outside Lowry Center. a general incident report ininforrefOfficers were notified and an erencereport to a was harassment commation taken. plaintp.m at An Regents 11:42 officerResidential conducted College. Officers were notified a traffic stop at 121 North and and an information report Coldwater Streets. A citationwas was taken.to the driver for failure to issued 10:45a a.m. A caller reported wear seatbelt. The passenger an off-campus sexual assault. was arrested on an outstanding Officersand andwas the Murray warrant taken toPolice CalloDepartment were notified and way County Jail. a report takenreported for assisting 8:20 a.m. was A caller a resother agency. idential college flag missing. The Housing Office was notified. 11:22 p.m. A caller reported a 9:06 a.m. A caller reported a motor vehicle accident with no parkingatcomplaint at Roy Stewinjuries White Residential Colart Stadium. State Parklege. Officers Murray were notified and a ing Management was notified. report was taken. 1:23p.m. p.m. person flagged a 7:17 AnAofficer conducted downstop an at officer and reported traffic the Business Building a theft lot. of A property. parking citation Kentucky was issued State Police notified befor driving on awere suspended license. cause it occurred campus. the 8:51 p.m. A calleroffreported smell of gas at Hart Residential College. Officers, Murray Fire Depart7:42 Central a.m. AHeating caller reported a ment, and Cooling medical emergency Plant, Murray Gas and at theWinslow State Fire Dining Hall. Marshall wereOfficers notified.and A Murreport raytaken. Ambulance Service were was notified. The trans- a 12:01 p.m. A patient caller was reported ported to Murray Calloway sparking outlet in the 300 block Hospital a medical ofCounty College Courts.and Officers, the report was Murray Firetaken. Department, Cen12:13 p.m. A and person reported a tral Heating Cooling Plant stolen bicycle to Public Safety. and the State Fire Marshal were Officers A were notified and a renotified. report was taken. portp.m. was The taken for theft by un4:57 Murray Police Delawful taking under $500. partment was notified of a medical emergency at the Volleyball Courts. Officers and Murray Am12:56 p.m. An officer conducted bulance Services were notified. a traffic stop at the West Farm. The patient was transported and citation issued for no regaA report waswas taken. istration and conducted receipt and a 3:46 a.m. plate Officers failureoftoa notify of check persondepartment on North 12th transportation address change. Street. The person was arrested and 10:09 p.m.toACalloway caller reported a transported County Jail medical emergency in the for alcohol intoxication in aWhite public Residential parking lot. place. A reportCollege was taken. Officers, Ambulance 9:09 p.m. Murray A caller reported the on-call resi-at a Service smoke and detector activated Springer Residential College due to dence director were notified. a The hair dryer. were notified patientOfficers refused transport and threatAmbulance of fire was found. An by no Murray Service information report was taken. and a medical report was taken. 4:42 p.m. A caller reported a theft of property from a vehicle from Alexander Hall. Officers were no9:47 p.m. Safety tified and aPublic report was received taken for a general incident in the theft of under $500report by unlawful form from of terroristic taking a vehicle.threatening in Franklin College. 6:12 p.m. A Residential caller reported the Officers were notified and a resmell of marijuana at Hart. Officers port notified was taken foranthird-degree were and information report was taken. terroristic threatening. 11:32 p.m. A caller reported a suspicious person in the Re2:47 A caller reported an gentsp.m. Residential College parkunauthorized company selling ing lot. Officers were notified. products on campus at Winslow Dining Hall. The caller was referred to Student Affairs. 2:42p.m. p.m. A Officers mul6:12 caller assisted reported the tiple of departments a smell natural gas in at capturing the Old Fine suspect in the JCPenny Arts Building. Officers, parking Central lot thatand ledCooling officers Plant, in a pursuit Heating Murray Fire department, GasThe and across multiple Murray counties. the Statewas Firecharged Marshall were notidriver with speedfied a reportdriving, was taken. ing,and reckless fleeing or evading police, wanton endangerment, improper passing, Motorists assists – 8 following a vehicle too closely, Racer escorts – 1 failure to signal, no insurance Arrests – 2 and no registration and an assist otherSteele, agency report was taken. Alicia Assistant News Editor, 3:18 p.m. A caller uncompiles Police Beat reported with materials wanted by sexual between provided Publiccontact Safety and Emeracquaintances at a residential gency Management. college. Officers were notified Not calls are listed. andalla dispatched criminal report was taken for sexual misconduct.
Nov. 3
Hunters to donate to Soup for the Soul and Need Line Lindsey Coleman || Staff writer lcoleman7@murraystate.edu
Pat Scott, firefighter and Murray City Council member, started the Needy Meat Program, which is a support program to aid Need Line and Soup for the Soul in their fight to feed the hungry in Calloway County. Scott said he recognized that the local food bank and soup kitchen needed assistance. “You don’t think about it in this area, but there are children that don’t get to eat anything except what they get at school, and I’m concerned for them,” Scott said. Through the existing Hunters for the Hungry statewide program, each of the eight counties in the Purchase region received 375 lbs of meat last year, and Scott said that’s not enough to support the need in Calloway County.
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2:54 p.m. A person reported a theft of property. Officers were notified and a report was taken for theft by unlawful taking under $500. 5:43 p.m. An officer conducted a traffic stop at the 900 block of College Courts. A verbal warning was issued for failure to illuminate headlights. Racer assists – 0 Motorist assists – 5 Arrests - 0
Alicia Steele, Assistant News Editor, compiles Police Beat with materials provided by Public Safety and Emergency Management. Not all dispatched calls are listed.
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To remedy that problem, Scott said the solution is to start a local program in which hunters drop off their meat, the Needy Meat Program pays for processing and then the meat goes to Need Line and Soup for the Soul. “I believe we need to use the resources we have at hand to take care of the hunger problem,” Scott said. “We’ve got an overpopulation of deer, and we’ve got too many people who are hungry. We put the two problems together. It won’t completely cure everything, but it will definitely help.” Anyone can drop off a field-dressed deer to Hart Farms Meat Processing in Almo, Kentucky, and monetary donations for processing can be donated to Need Line or Soup for the Soul for a tax exemption. For contributors who don’t want to have a tax exemption, donations can be made to the Needy Meat Program account at the Murray Bank. One hundred percent of the donations will go towards deer meat processing, which costs $40 per deer. Scott said the Needy Meat Program is incorporated, and it is in the process of becoming a tax-exempt nonprofit. He said the board of directors is made up of deer hunters from many professions who want to help the public. Scott said he has worked as a public servant since 1972, at the Murray Fire Department for 31 years, and on the Murray City Council since 2005. “I’ve always tried to help people, and I’m not finished yet,” Scott said.
Starting the Needy Meat Program was driven by Scott’s faith, and he said it is what faith wanted him to do. “If God is in something, it’s not going to fail,” Scott said.
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Debbie Smith, executive director at Soup for the Soul, said the meat from the Needy Meat Program will be a great addition in soups, meatloaf and chili at the kitchen. “It’s a good way for people to give back to their community because they don’t want the meat and don’t really know what to do with it,” Smith said. “I just appreciate Mr. Scott for taking this on.” She said Soup for the Soul opened on June 1, 2015, and today serves dinner to 75-100 people five days a week. Anyone is welcome. Tonia Casey, executive director of Need Line, said this program will make a difference in the Murray community, and she is looking forward to collaborating with the Needy Meat Program. “I thank the hunters who are starting this program and the hunters who donate the deer and all donations to help pay for the processing of the meat,” Casey said. “Great Job!” She said Need Line has many existing partnerships with local entities such as Kids Against Hunger, Farms to Food Banks, Kroger, Walmart and Hunters for the Hungry. As long as the individual or family qualifies for Need Line’s Pantry Program, Casey said they will receive meat from the Needy Meat Program. To be eligible for the Pantry Program, one must show proof of income as well as fill out an application for assistance from Need Line. “This will help provide a healthy protein to families who might not otherwise be able to afford meat with meals,” Casey said.
Professor awarded Rotary Peace Fellowship Ashley Traylor || Staff writer atraylor@murraystate.edu
Kala Chakradhar, associate professor of social work, is the first professor at Murray State to be named a recipient of the 2017 Rotary Peace Fellowship, a three-month program for professionals to study peace and conflict resolution at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. She said when she found out she was selected for the fellowship, she was taken aback because of the competitiveness of the program. “Getting this was something unbelievable, but I’m glad I’m getting this opportunity,” she said. The felChakradhar lowship will focus on peace and conflict prevention. Chakradhar said she is looking to gain validation about
her experiences with conflict and add to what she already knows. “Conflict is in families and communities,” Chakradhar said. “We are seeing it in a larger way in the world with the wars that are going on.” She said she wants to incorporate the program’s training into her curriculum at Murray State and also on an international level as a study abroad program. The fellowship program will explore the theoretical background of what conflict is, what conflict resolution is and how to approach conflict resolution. “I’m really looking forward to that, especially for the multinational experience because I’m sure there are approaches that are going to be different based on the context and what works in that culture, so we will have a lot to learn from each other,” Chakradhar said. Martin B. Tracy, chairman of Murray Rotary Club subcommittee on the peace scholarship, said the club is very happy Chakradhar was accepted into the fellowship.
“It makes our club look good and it makes our local district look good and it makes Murray State look good to have a professor who qualifies for such a prestigious fellowship,” Tracy said. The fellowship is awarded to 50 applicants a year from a worldwide pool. Tracy said the program has been around since 2004 and only one other professor from Kentucky at the University of Louisville has received the Rotary Peace Fellowship. He said he hopes Chakradhar comes back to Murray State and integrates her new knowledge into her university curriculum. In September, she will present her education and experiences to the Murray Rotary Club. “She is very experienced in living and working in other cultures, which will complement the knowledge she already has and improve it, so when she comes back she will be fired up, she will be excited, she will be energized and she will be very anxious to incorporate her new knowledge into her curriculum,” Tracy said.
Rotary, a service organization, offers two peace fellowships: Master’s Degree and Professional Development Certificate, according to Rotary’s website. To receive the fellowship, an applicant is recommended to apply and go through an interview at a local level and district level. The Rotary headquarters in Chicago makes the final selections for the program based on the recommendations from the rotary clubs. Hannah Ellis, junior from Paducah, Kentucky, said she took one of Chakradhar’s social work classes last spring and the course focused on interviewing. She said she learned a lot in her class because of the depth of her knowledge and she was always willing to help. “I think she always goes above and beyond in whatever she does and I think this is just an example of that,” Ellis said. “She is willing to go overseas to do this awesome thing. I think she’ll do a great job representing Murray State and bringing back the culture she’ll learn about.”
Population decline projected in the region Matthew Parks|| Staff writer mparks6@murraystate.edu
Recent population projections released by the Kentucky State Data Center predict that counties in the Jackson Purchase region will ultimately decline in population over the next 35 years, with the exception of Calloway County. Matthew Ruther, director of the data center and assistant professor at the University of Louisville, said over the next 15 years, all counties in the region will likely experience an increase in population, followed by a decrease in the next 20, leading to an eventual decrease overall. He said the steady increase in the population of Calloway County is because of Murray State. He said counties with such institutions are the ones that usually continue to grow regardless of other trends. Ruther said while the Jackson Purchase region will likely experience some losses, it is the easternmost part of the state that is projected to suffer the largest decline in population. “Overall, western Kentucky will probably lose some population growth in the future,” Ruther said. “However, I don’t expect that it will be a tremendous amount.” Ruther said it is likely the main cause of the expected population decrease is the aging population of the baby boomers, those who were born in a period of marked birth rate increase following World War II from 1946 to 1964. As this group ages, Ruther said he predicts there will be an increase in
death rates coupled with an either neutral or negative birth rate, which will be largely responsible for population decreases across Kentucky, including the Jackson Purchase region. Ruther said his preliminary reports indicated that the Jackson Purchase region is home to an above average number of baby boomers, which could increase the effects felt. He said there are negative effects on the local economy, which come with population decreases. “The repercussions of population loss are a smaller potential tax base and basic financial issues,” Ruther said. “You have a population that is older, which can lead to a smaller work force as well as issues with transportation.” He said while the projections are based on trends from the last five years and the 2010 census, they are still projections and therefore subject to change. Michael Price, former interim director, researched and wrote another report for the Kentucky State Data Center that agrees with many of Ruther’s projections. Price said he believes a major cause of population loss in rural parts of the state is out migration, as people move towards more urban areas of the state or out of the state altogether. “As migration selectively removes young adults, local birth rates drop and death rates rise,” Price said. He said this out migration is why Kentucky’s overall population will increase over the next 35 years, but most counties in the Jackson Purchase region will decrease.
ENTERING JACKSON PURCHASE AREA POPULATION Price said the baby boomer generation’s increasing age is important, and he believes it will likely be the most important factor that affects the Jackson Purchase area’s population growth. “The sheer size of the baby boomer generation has produced an actuarial inevitability,” Price said. “Their presence has impacted the age structure – lowering the median age from 1950 to 1970 and raising it over each decade since.” He said he worries about the more rural parts of Kentucky because he believes they are the ones that will be hit hardest by population loss. “Throughout much of the delta regions of western Kentucky and the mountains of eastern Kentucky,
Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon/The News
News Editor: Abby Siegel Assistant Editor: Alicia Steele Phone: 270-809-4468 Twitter: MurrayStateNews
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negative population momentum has been building for decades,” Price said. “As a result, the viability of these communities is threatened.” While many areas in the Jackson Purchase region may suffer population loss, census data results from the Census Bureau show that Calloway County - and Murray specifically - should continue to grow. The data shows that from 2010 to 2015, Calloway County experienced a 3.1 percent growth in population and is expected to continue growing in the future. “The main reason we did this research is to help local governments plan for the future,” Ruther said. “It shouldn’t scare local residents; nothing is set in stone.”
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November 10, 2016
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It’s official: robo-journalists are ready to attack us all, destroy the world and defame the Constitution. Just kidding – they’re probably not going to do that. Robo-journalists are real, though. During the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Washington Post tested out a robotic results-gathering machine in order to quickly churn out rankings for their stories. This machine – let’s just call it what it is, a robot – was called Heliograf. The robot did well, apparently, because now the Post is using the robot for election coverage, too. Heliograf has graduated from its simple form as a number-cruncher and is now an assistant to human journalists. Through programming, the bot can now produce sentences along with statistics and similar material in order to tweet, post to blogs and write stories. The bot’s creations are supposed to be checked by a human journalist before publishing, according to The Washington Post. But how can we trust them as a source
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perk of using the bot, if there has to be one – it shouldn’t be completely void of emotion. Even if the bots were programmed to write with some sort of algorithm-produced emotion, would they ever reach the ability to write feature stories, conduct interviews or have revelations about what a source provides? Maybe, and that’s the frightening part. On the other side of the coin, these mechanical journalists could be useful, especially for election purposes. The bots can collect and organize information far more quickly than humans can, and in our technological society set for instant gratification, using resources like Heliograf could allow news outlets to churn out more accurate content within seconds. The Washington Post’s director of strategic initiatives said the robot “allows The Post to create stories that are better than any automated system but more constantly updated than any human-written story could be,”
according to their latest story on the issue. Furthermore, not all stories have that much humanity in them – many sports stories often use numbers, charts and similar reports as driving elements. For these kinds of posts, the robo-journalist is ideal. The bots, unlike humans, also don’t have to deal with travel and the associated costs. These machines can retrieve, create and send information from remote locations – their use could potentially save news outlets a significant amount of money in travel and worries concerning insurance and safety. The robo-journalists do have advantages, but don’t expect to see us favoring any Heliografs over our team of dedicated student journalists any time soon. Call us old fashioned, but maybe journalistic writing – and protecting the freedom of press and free speech, while we’re on the topic – should be left to real people, some AP Stylebooks and a lot of elbow grease.
Making Headway
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.
now? They’re using robots to do their reporting. Will Smith-style “I, Robot” fears aside, this is a troubling situation and one that could threaten real (read: human) journalists around the globe. Right now, these bots are still referred to as “assistants,” meaning the majority of writing and editing power is in the hands of real journalists. But if the bot possesses the power to write tweets and other posts, how long will it be before it creates full-length stories and publishes them? One more story for a robot is one less story for a real journalist – one who sacrifices time, energy and resources in order to do the job they’ve spent years training for. It’s not likely that a rise in robo-journalists would result in major job reductions, but it would erase the humanity from more stories. A criticism of the robo-journalists is that the prose they produce is too straight-forward and flat. While journalism should be unbiased and clear – a
America’s best lady Dylan Doyle || Contributing writer ddoyle2@murraystate.edu I am writing this before the results of the election, but by press time you will all know the identity of America’s next president. Since I am fresh out of crystal balls with which to tell the future, I would like to talk about someone this country will be losing either way: first lady Michelle Obama. President Barack Obama was, in many ways, the chief executive we needed but did not deserve. The first African-American to win the Oval Office has been a groundbreaking and resoundingly progressive president – a sorely needed step in the right direction. However, we rarely talk about Michelle as the first African-American first lady, and what that representation means in the cultural context of the country. As a graduate of Harvard Law School, Michelle Obama is in the running for most educated first lady in United States history, but it is her warm and genuine personality that captures the heart of the American people. In many ways, she embodies the best qualities of our democracy. With approval ratings running as high as ever following her aggressive campaigning for Hillary Clinton, it seems even this tumultuous election season can’t
bring Michelle Obama down. Even as we say goodbye to Mr. Obama’s political leadership, other spheres of American life say goodbye to the leadership of the first lady, including fashion, advocacy and celebrity. Her work fighting childhood obesity with the Let’s Move! campaign has transformed the national conversation concerning school lunches and nutrition, and her penchant for sleeveless dresses sparked a show-your-arms style trend that swept the nation. Besides all of these things, Mrs. Obama also stands for the highest ideals of our nation: truth, justice, equality and decency. Her impassioned repudiation of Donald Trump’s vile candidacy will go down as one of the most poignant political speeches of the decade, mostly because it managed not to sound like a political speech. Michelle
“
When they go low, you go high. That is the very essence of what it means to be an American.
”
Obama has a remarkable talent for making the public see her as a woman, a wife, a mother - not a policy wonk or a career bureaucrat. It is this quality that makes her such a powerful force in the national spotlight. When asked whether or not he was nervous for daughters Sasha and Malia Obama to start dating, President Obama said “the truth is, I’m pretty relaxed about it for two reasons. One is Michelle – she’s such a great example of how she carries herself, her self-esteem, not depending on boys to validate how you look or not letting yourself be judged by anything other than your character and intelligence.” It is so important for young girls to see that their worth is not defined by the gaze and perception of men, and this standard set by Mrs. Obama is a welcome change for the historically stuffy role of first lady. Whatever endeavors she takes on in the future, you can be sure she will do so with her characteristic grace and wisdom. It is simply who she is, and her impact on the role of the president’s spouse will be felt for generations to come. Put the vitriol of the past election cycle behind you, and live by the words of the best First Lady this country has ever seen: when they go low, you go high. That is the very essence of what it means to be an American.
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
November 10, 2016
Page 5
Letter to the editor
Some Things Considered
Preach By Hallie Beard, Opinion Editor
Got opinions?
We want to hear from you!
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Jeers to ... Starbooks soup
Cheers to ... Knowing
Starbooks soup is great sometimes, but what isn’t great is going into the library, expecting to see a fresh, hot vat of white cheddar mac n’ cheese only to find an empty bowl (right next to the always-full container of Tomato Tortellini or Chicken Noodle Soup). Do the good soups just disappear? HOW DO YOU TRACK DOWN THE GOOD SOUP?
This cheer is being written on Tuesday, Election Day. By the time it prints, all of us will know who the next POTUS is. Chances are, a lot of people will be upset, and a lot of people won’t be. No matter what though, at least we know now, right? Don’t you feel a little relieved because of that? No? OK, well, we tried. *Shrug*
CHEERS & JEERS
Cheers to ... Daylight Saving
Jeers to ... Canvas rejectors
For those of you who don’t like dark nights coming earlier, this is more of a jeer. But, the time change allows us to “fall back” and gain another hour of sleep, essentially. When waking up at 7 a.m., it will feel like 8 a.m. It’s a small victory, but that fake extra hour gets a big cheer from us worn-out student journalists and editors.
Come on, we all know those professors who refuse to use Canvas because it would throw off their groove or something. If a professor is extremely old and trying to learn technology would only complicate things and waste time, fine. But don’t refuse to use Canvas AND withhold grades on paper. You gotta let us know where we stand.
Cheers & Jeers is written by The Murray State News’ Opinion Editor. Questions, comments or concerns should be addressed to hbeard2@murraystate.edu The Fine Print
Robert Valentine || Contributing writer rvalentine@murraystate.edu
The lost word
If you write for magazines, edit books, and prepare the copy for advertising, write sermons, political speeches, comedy or if you are a student, words become the tools of your trade. You would no more abuse a word than a good carpenter would leave a wellmade handsaw in the rain. If you let words lose their proper meanings, you lose the power to communicate. You are a reader, we assume, because you are reading this column. It is not a huge stretch of the imagination to conclude that you have a certain respect for the meanings of words, too. If writers switch meanings or obscure them for no apparent reason, readers find themselves “lost at sea,” or “lost as a ball in high weeds,” or (my personal favorite) “as lost as an Easter egg in June.” It is possible that a writer or speaker may use a proper word in a proper way, but that your experience did not include the word in your mental dictionary. Even at the age of 46 (to which I now admit among strangers), I encounter words every day whose meanings are new to me. Still, when we have a perfectly pedestrian word that is used by some
writer or speaker to carry freight for which it is unsuited, we are needlessly confused. Some people get testy about it. One such person was the great American writer, Mark Twain. As he put it: “The difference between the right word and the nearly right word is the difference between lightning and lightning bug.” For Twain, the craftsman, words were precious tools with which one could order a steak with potatoes, or create a masterpiece that would endure for more than a century. A tool will do either task, and both tasks are important in our society. So, it was a sad moment when, some years ago, the children left “awesome” out in the snow all winter, and it warped. Now, the word that used to represent the grandeur of a Pacific sunset, or the birth of a baby, has come to express our feelings over hearing that we’re going to have spaghetti for supper. While I yield to no one in my affection for spaghetti, I think I can recognize the difference between the inspiring spectacle of the evening sun on the blue water and the satisfying slide of a lump of starch into an already-full belly. Only one of those experiences can actually inspire awe: a paralysis of mind and emotion brought on by the sudden realization that the world is a place of experiences beyond our
power to comprehend. Let us also say goodbye to another member of the “A” family: Amazing. Even people who know better have begun to use it in common conversation. To be amazed is “to be stunned or stupefied; put out of one’s wits as if by a blow to the head.” There are some amazing things out there in the world, but coffee, sprinkles on ice cream and the opportunity to take a make up-test are not among them. Still, perfectly sane people have used the word “amazing” to describe their reaction to each of these. So, now, in context, what does “amazing” mean? It means, like its companion word, “awesome,” less and less. Finally, if we keep uttering it without thinking, it will mean nothing. We might just as well jabber like apes, or speak like politicians. Words can change their meanings. It has happened before and will happen again. New words are introduced daily, and the demand to know what each word means expands moment by moment. Perhaps, if we all try to be more careful with these precious tools, we will have fewer “failures to communicate.” Over Thanksgiving Break, maybe I’ll re-read the dictionary. I forget how it ends, anyway.
Recently, “Preacher” Ross Jackson visited our campus again to spew what he calls the Gospel in the free speech zone. You either already know this or will hear it, but let’s just get this out of the way; what Jackson yells is not the Gospel. Elements of it may be there, but his understanding of Christianity is skewed, and one that is completely void of grace or redemption. So, if you listened to his speech because you were truly curious about your spirituality, don’t let Jackson’s performance make a real impression on you. His message was a caricature of Christian belief. That aside, I want to talk about what bothers me most about the Jackson event, and you’ll need to bear with me. When I logged onto Facebook days after his visit, I saw countless friends sharing a petition to remove him from campus in the future. Here’s the rub: removing him from campus would be a problematic ordeal that might do more damage than allowing him to be. Jackson’s message was hateful and judgmental, homophobic, sexist, etc. – all the things we want to rid from our campus. Even though he was in the free speech zone, his message is not one Murray State students want to give opportunity to. I get that, and that’s fair. However, if we remove people like Jackson from campus, we also should have removed the white nationalist group. Once we start forbidding people to come based on their beliefs, the line between what’s acceptable and what’s not becomes extremely murky and hard to maneuver. Creating a system for determining if someone’s views are harmful enough to put them on the blacklist would be a nightmare for university administration, and probably impossible to do. What one person thinks is harmful may not seem significant to another. I might be in the minority here, but I don’t trust the university to have my back. Sorry to any administration reading this – I have a skepticism and wariness for you all that I can’t shake. It’s nothing personal. Trusting the university to determine who will emotionally hurt me or not is a dangerous game, and one I don’t think we should give them the power to play. It hinders free speech, however offensive, and makes policy depend on the value judgments and biases of our administrative members. What’s my solution, then? It’s a tough one: just don’t listen to Jackson. Do you think Jackson would come back year after year if he didn’t think there would be a crowd of angry students surrounding him? Jackson is a performer, and he craves an audience. His show is reactionary – it relies on the audience’s participation and emotions. If you want him to stop speaking to you, don’t address him. Don’t be upset that you feel hurt after looking Jackson in the face for an hour and being one of his audience members. There’s a way to avoid that anger all together: don’t give it a source. Don’t encourage him. Don’t poke the bear, feed the fire, whatever lame cliché you prefer. Follow your mom’s advice from when you’d get in fights with your brother or sister: just ignore him. If you’re a Christian who’s offended by Jackson’s misguided rants, don’t use his error as a vessel for fruitless rage. That’s not Christlike, either, and it doesn’t do any good. If you think his message is incorrect, then take it upon yourself to share the right one. If you’re not religious and only attended Jackson’s speech for entertainment, stop doing that. Jackson wants to see laughing, crying, smiling, angry faces in his crowd, and if you’re one of them, you’re giving him the wink and the nod to come back again soon, y’hear? You might as well be setting a table and giving him a glass of sweet tea. To wrap up: just don’t. hbeard2@murraystate.edu
Comic It’s that time of the semester by Selena Mcpherson
Page 6
November 10, 2016
The News
Sports
Sports Editor: Sarah Combs Phone: 270-809-4481 Twitter: MSUSportsNews
Battle of the Bluegrass Racers give Colonels double dose on the road
41-28
Collin Morris Staff writer cmorris29@murraystate.edu
In the midst of the election season, the Racers continued their campaign for an OVC Championship Title with a 41-28 win over conference opponent Eastern Kentucky. After starting the season 0-4, the Racers’ win improves their conference record to 4-2 with an overall record of 4-5. The victory also increases the team’s win streak to three games following their upset wins over ranked opponents Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State. The game was a tale of two halves, as Eastern Kentucky outscored Murray State 18-7 in the first half, only to be outscored by the Racers 34-10 in the second half. The Racers were led by the quarterback-receiver tandem of redshirt senior KD Humphries and junior Jordon Gandy, respectively. Humphries threw for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Gandy caught for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns. The
two also connected for a 74yard touchdown bomb late in the third quarter. Freshman receiver Mareio McGraw also contributed a pair of goal-line rushing touchdowns for 36 yards. Redshirt senior kicker Connor Mitchell converted two of his three field goal attempts, including a 38yard make to start the fourth quarter.
Who’s Next?
v.
Jacksonville State TIME: 1 p.m. DATE: Sat, Nov 12 PLACE: Roy Stewart Stadium
On defense, Zachary Wade, redshirt junior defensive back, led all players with 17 total tackles. Redshirt junior linebacker
Lamont Crittendon followed closely with 10 total tackles of his own. Troy-Wayne Quinn, junior defensive tackle, also had an interception return and two solo sacks. In OVC play, the Racers now trail UT Martin 5-2 and Jacksonville State 5-0 in the OVC, with each team having only two conference games remaining. Murray State Head Coach Mitch Stewart was satisfied with his team’s halftime second wind in the postgame press conference. “We showed a lot of resilience,” Stewart said. “The first half we played about as bad as we’ve ever played and then the second half we put up, I guess, 31 points, and putting up 31 points is hard to do against anybody – it’s hard to do versus air. So, I’m very proud of the way we finished off the game and that obviously gives a great boost moving forward into this week coming up with the opponent we have.” The Racers’ next game is at 1 p.m. Nov. 12 at Roy Stewart Stadium where they will host No. 2 Jacksonville State.
3-1
Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon
Bryan Edwards
Contributing writer bedwards@murraystate.edu
After defeating Austin Peay State in four sets last week, the Murray State women’s volleyball team was back in action against the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. Riding a nine-game winning streak, the Racers extended that streak to ten with a victory over the Colonels in four sets (25-22, 28-26, 23-25, 2518). Eastern Kentucky opened the game with two points, but the Racers responded with three of their own. With the score tied at six, the Racers strung together four consecutive points to take an early 10-6 lead. The Racers and Colonels traded points throughout the early portion of the second set, but with the Racers leading 13-9, Eastern started a 11-4 run to take a 20-17 lead. The Racers went on a 7-3 run of their own, bringing up set
point for the Racers at 24-23. Eastern kept the set going by scoring three of the next four points, but the Racers scored the next three points to take the second set 28-26. Eastern opened the third set with a 10-4 run to take the early lead. The Colonels kept that momentum going and got the lead up to 14-10, but the Racers scored six consecutive points tying the matchup at 20. The Colonels took the last few points to force a fourth set by winning 25-23. The Racers opened the fourth set on a 5-1 run, but Eastern cut that lead down to one early in the match. Murray State remained ahead for the first half with the score at 13-10. The Racers went on a 6-3 run to take a 19-13 lead. Eastern scored three consecutive points, but the Racers went go on a 6-2 run to take the fourth set 25-18 and the match 3-1. Head coach Dave Schwepker was happy with the way his team responded to losing the third set.
“Eastern Kentucky was awesome,” Schwepker said. “Their defense was great, and we as a team just needed to go after it and fight.” Senior outside hitter Scottie Ingram recorded 26 kills, which is the most she has recorded in OVC play this season and second to her 30 kill performance against Ball State earlier in the season. Ingram credits the team for giving her the opportunities to perform. “Hannah was setting the ball in the right places today,” Ingram said. “All of the hitters were putting the ball down all day, and today was the best we have played as a team all season.” Senior setter Hannah Stultz had 56 assists in the win. Stultz has recorded 116 assists in her last two games. Senior libero Ellie Lorenz led the team with 23 digs in the win. The Racers (18-8, 13-1 OVC) will be putting their 10 game winning streak on the line at 3 p.m. Friday against Eastern Illinois in Racer Arena.
Top ranked Murray State falls Quinnen Taylor Staff writer qtaylor1@murraystate.edu
The Murray State women’s soccer team finished its season with a 2-1 loss against the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars in the semifinal of the OVC Tournament Friday at Cutchin Field. The defeat gives the Racers an OVC record of 7-0-3 this season. H e a d C o a c h J e r e m y Groves said he was displeased with the outcome but satisfied about his team’s successful season. “It was a scrappy game, not much quality to it, which I think was a little bit disappointing from our point of view,” Groves said. “I’m proud of the girls and I’m proud of what they’ve done
this season. It’s disappointing to end like this, but what these girls have done for this program is tremendous.” The first half presented back-and-forth shifts in momentum. The Racers couldn’t capitalize on shots that missed the net by junior forward Harriet Withers, freshman defender Karsyn Hasch and senior midfielder Ali Critcher. Both teams were held scoreless in the half as Murray State ended the first having attempted three shots with two shots on goal, while SIUE took two shots with one of them on goal. During the second half, the Cougars led off with a goal by junior midfielder Sydney Moore at the 56:52 mark to make it 1-0. Murray State responded minutes later with a goal by
Withers at 64:19 to tie the contest 1-1. In the overtime period, the Cougars’ freshman midfielder Peyton Roehnelt connected at 99:48 to end play on a 2-1 final score. The Racers concluded the game with five of their eight shots on goal, while the Cougars attempted 13 shots with seven of them on goal. Earlier in the day, the Eastern Kentucky Colonels clinched their semifinal game with a victory over the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in penalty kicks. The OVC Championship game was played at 1 p.m. Sunday at Cutchin Field between the Cougars and the Eastern Kentucky Colonels when SIUE came away as the victors of the 2016 OVC Women’s Soccer Championship with a result of 1-0.
Kelli O’Toole/The News
Midfielder Taylor Richerson hits the ground just outside of the box at Friday’s semifinal game.
Two OVC Player of the Rifle breaks school records Week honors for Volleyball Blake Sandlin
Contributing writer
bsandlin1@murraystate.edu
Ingram Staff Report For their performances this past week, senior outside hitter Scottie Ingram and senior setter Hannah Stultz received OVC honors. Ingram was named Adidas OVC Player of the Week and Stultz was named OVC Setter of the Week for the week of Oct. 31 through Nov. 6. In wins over Austin Peay State and Eastern Kentucky, Ingram had 41 kills and a .188 hitting percentage during the week, while also posting dou-
Stultz ble-doubles in both games, recording 31 digs total. Stultz is coming off a career week, posting a career high 60 assists in the victory over Austin Peay and 56 more in the win over Easten Kentucky. Head Coach David Schwepker said he has always believed that Stultz would perform well this year after playing behind the 2015 OVC Setter of the Year Sam Bedard. “At the beginning, it was rough on Hannah to play behind someone like Sam,” Schwepker said. “I told her that everyone
would forget about Sam after she stepped on the court, and everybody has, Hannah has played great all season.” Ingram posted a 26-kill and 16-dig performance against Eastern Kentucky marking her 18th double-double of the season, while shooting .321 during the game. “Scottie played phenomenal,” Schwepker said. “She had a great attitude and played great tonight.” Murray State plays Eastern Illinois at 3 p.m. on Friday Nov. 11 in Racer Arena.
Murray State’s rifle team went on the road last weekend, traveling to Morehead, Kentucky, to shoot against the Eagles of Morehead State. The No. 2 Racers came out victorious Saturday, Nov. 5, claiming a win with an aggregated score of 4,698 to Morehead State’s 4,590. The match was yet another record-breaking performance for the team, as it set a new school record in air rifle with a score of 2,378. The team previously set a smallbore school record, shooting a 2,353. Four of the top five individual shooters were Racers. Ivan Roe, junior from Manhattan, Montana, led all individual shooters with an 1,183. MacKenzie Martin, sophomore from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, followed with a score of 1,174. Junior Ben Estes, from Ozark, Missouri, also had a big day, finishing with 1,170.
Another record-breaking performance came from sophomore Alathea Sellars, from Puryear, Tennessee. Sellars scored a 597 in air rifle, setting a new individual air rifle record at
388 in smallbore. Sellars said that one of the challenges she’s faced this season has been adjusting to shooting with a new gun, but having her teammates support throughout the year has RIFLE TEAM RECORDS helped her succeed. “It’s taken a lot of work to get comfortable with my new gun, but I believe that AIR RIFLE (TEAM) the change was good for me,” Sellars said. “I hon2016 RIFLE TEAM estly couldn’t have done this PREVIOUS RECORD: 2377 without my team. I know NEW RECORD: 2378 this is an individual sport, but they have been behind me every step of the way.” Individually, Morehead State was led by the shooting of Karly Potts, AIR RIFLE (INDIVIDUAL) freshman from Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Potts shot a ALATHEA SELLARS score of 1143 total. She manPREVIOUS RECORD: 596 aged to score 563 in smallbore and 580 in air rifle. NEW RECORD: 597 The Racers are back on the road on Nov. 12, when they travel to CoGraphic courtesy of Austin Gordon lumbus, Ohio, to compete Murray State. Her score of 597 in the 2016 Buckeye Open. The led all shooters on the day in air tournament will kick off at 8 rifle. Sellars finished with an aga.m. Saturday at Ohio State gregated score of 985, shooting University.
The News
Sports
November 10, 2016
Page 7
Basketball dominates exhibition opener Bryan Edwards
Contributing writer bedwards@murraystate.edu
Chalice Keith/The News
Freshman forward Gilbert Thomas Jr., throws down a dunk against Berry College.
The Murray State men’s basketball team opened the 2016-17 season with an exhibition against Berry College with a 116-71 victory in its only tune-up match before the regular season begins next Friday. Junior forward Terrell Miller Jr. scored the opening points for the Racers with a 3-pointer from the corner and Murray State never looked back. The Racers shot 63 percent from the field in the first half, helping them secure a 65-33 lead at halftime. Senior guard Damarcus Croaker led the Racers with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the first half. Senior guard Bryce Jones, along with junior guard, Jonathan Stark, led the team with four assists each. All 11 players dressed in a Murray State uniform scored during the first half. The Racers also shot 86 percent from the free-throw line, shooting 19-22 from the charity stripe. While the offense scored 65 points, the defense held the Vikings to 33 points, shooting 35 percent from the field and 0-of-9 from the 3-point line in the half. The Vikings’ defense tallied
10 turnovers in the first half, leading to 23 points for the Racers. Freshman forward Gilbert Thomas Jr. scored six points in the first half. Thomas scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, as the Racers went on to take the victory 116-71.
credits the team’s athleticism and speed for coming up with those results. “We have a lot of athletic guys on our team,” Jones said. “As the point guard of the team, I want to push the ball and that’s what you’re going to see this year.” Although coming out with the victory, Murray State did lose a piece of the team during their game when senior forward Gee McGhee hurt his ankle midway into the second half. “Gee is fine, he rolled his ankle a little bit,” Jones said. “We are going to have to do some tricks to get him ready for Friday because we need him.” Head Coach Matt McMahon said he hasn’t heard anything - Bryce Jones, senior point guard about McGhee’s status and is hoping to have him back for the season opener. The Racers were led by McMahon said he was Croaker, who finished with 22 pleased with the team’s overpoints on 10-of-14 shooting, 3 all performance. rebounds and 2 assists, and “I was pleased with our deThomas, who had 21 points fensive intensity, and I liked on 9-of-10 shooting and 5 re- how we were able to share bounds in the win. the ball on the offensive end,” Stark and Jones tallied an McMahon said. “We still have assist to turnover ratio of 15:1. to work on not turning the The Racers finished shoot- ball over, but I like where we ing 59 percent from the field are this early.” on 43-of-73 shooting, record- Murray State opens regular ing 47 rebounds, 28 assists season play at 7 p.m. on Friand 21 steals that led to 37 day, Nov. 11 against the 2nd points. ranked Missouri Valley Con The Racers scored 34 points ference Illinois State Redon fast break, and Bryce Jones birds at the CFSB Center.
“
We have a lot of athletic guys on our team. As the point guard of the team, I want to push the ball and that’s what you’re going to see this year.
”
Lorenz receives third OVC Co-defensive Player of the week Bryan Edwards
Contributing writer bedwards@murraystate.edu
The Murray State women’s volleyball team has had success this season, with an 18-8 record overall, and having only lost one game on OVC play this season, the Racers are currently sitting on top of the OVC standings with just two games to play in the season. The Racers have been led by two-time OVC Player of the year and senior outside hitter Scottie Ingram this year, who has recorded 413 kills in 96 sets played this season, and senior setter Hannah Stultz has led the team with 684 assists in 69 sets played, but without the play of senior
libero Ellie Lorenz, a number of those kills and assists might not be in the stat sheet. Lorenz, a St. Louis, Missouri native, was named OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 23 through Oct. 29 for her performances in matches against Southeast Missouri State and Tennessee-Martin. This honor is the third time this season for Lorenz, who is just focused on helping the team win at any cost. “It was a nice honor, and I was happy to have been given the award,” Lorenz said. “The award is usually given out on Monday, but we have games to play and I’m just focused on those games.” Lorenz recorded 41 digs in the matches against the Redhawks and the Skyhawks,
and averaged 6.8 digs per set in that span. Head coach Dave Schwepker gameplans in favor of Ellie, giving her the entire right side of the backcourt while in play. “Ellie is so special, and whatever she sees, she gets,” Schwepker said. “We try to funnel balls back to her because she can get to them. She’s had a great four years here and has really shown out this year.” Lorenz has recorded 507 digs this season, averaging 19.5 per game and has played in every set that the Racers have played this season, and while playing a defensive position she has helped the offense some as well, contributing 33 assists and 13 service aces this season. Ingram has been very happy with how Lorenz has performed this season.
“I tell her every day that she is unbelievable, the best libero I’ve ever seen,” Ingram said. “She is the heart of this team, and the ball could be 20 feet away from her and she will get to it, and we feed off of the plays she makes.” Lorenz said her size contributed to the position she plays, but she loves playing every minute she can. “When I was younger, they positioned me at libero because I was short and I stopped growing,” Lorenz said. “I stuck with it and I love playing.” Lorenz and the rest of the Murray State women’s volleyball team will be back in action at 3 p.m. on Friday against the Panthers of Eastern Illinois at Racer Arena.
“Extending the stay to San Jose” reaching finalization Quinnen Taylor
said. “At that point, I thought it’d just be an article for our website over at WPSD; just something short because I knew, doing a television story wasn’t going to be realistic because so many of those guys are playing basketball overseas and so on. So, I just thought it’d be a neat little look back and the more I got into it and the more people that I talked to, it just looked like layers of an onion, kept peeling it back and found out things about that team that I had no idea had ever happened.
Staff writer qtaylor1@murraystate.edu
As soon as the shot fell into the basket at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, senior forward Danero Thomas and the Racers celebrated near mid court in what arguably went down as the biggest shot in Racer basketball history. Jeff Bidwell, sports director for WPSD, began a project that memorializes the shot and the historic 2009-10 season with a book named by the same phrase uttered by Neal Bradley, Murray State men’s basketball broadcaster, after the basket to advance 13-seeded Murray State into the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament, “Extending the stay to San Jose.” During the memorable season, Murray State finished with an overall record of 31-5 with a 17-1 OVC record including winning streaks stretches of eight and 17 games. The Racers completed their season with a 54-52 loss to eventual NCAA tournament runner-ups, the fifthseeded Butler Bulldogs, who fell to the first-seeded Duke Blue Devils after a last-second half-court heave by sophomore forward Gordon Hayward that just missed off of the backboard. Bidwell said the project blossomed from a little plan to a much larger venture. “It started as a very small project, probably almost two years ago now,” Bidwell
“
That’s when I knew I had done something special. Every kid dreams of a moment like that and for me to be living it was amazing.” - Danero Thomas, former Racer
”
“No matter how much we’ve been around them, sometimes there are things that happen behind closed doors that you just don’t know about and we didn’t know,” he said. “I thought it was fascinating and so I just kept talking to more people and eventually the amount of information that I found out and the amount of interviews that I’d done, this went from a small deal to
now kind of a big deal and thought it would be good in a long form, ultimately in the form of a book.” In the publication, Bidwell includes insights from approximately 40 people who were significant to the program during its season. Among those sources was Bradley, the mastermind behind the phrase. He said he was surprised by the memorable outcome and just uttered the words spontaneously. “I had no idea what I was about to say,” Bradley said. “You have to realize as long as I’ve been doing Racer games, they usually ended in disappointment in those situations. They’d taken the timeout to set up that final play and I was basically prepared for the bad side of it. You hope for the good side but prepare for the bad. He knocked it down and the words just simply flowed out. It was amazing to watch the team celebrate with a dog pile down at the other end of the floor.” Dave Winder, assistant athletic director, got to make the voyage to San Jose. He recalls the last second shot and how excited the fans were, in which he mentions they were crying “tears of joy.” Winder said he appreciates the idea of the book project and what it represents. “I thought it was a great idea from the start and I’m glad that he stayed with it and pursued it,” Winder said. “He’s doing that on the side on top of his full-time job so
I’m sure it’s been a labor of love for him because that was about the time when WPSD started following the Racers whereever we went. They had a first-hand account of that entire season and I remember Bidwell telling me some of the people he’s talked to to get their personal memories of what happened especially that game when the Racers beat Vanderbilt.” While the teammates piled on the floor, the maker of the shot remembers the elation of the moment. Thomas said the feeling of hitting the momentous shot started to increase during his moments at the hotel after the game. “When I first hit the shot, I was just happy about going on to the next round,” Thomas said. “But it really hit me when I got back to my hotel room when my family and friends were going crazy, and it was all over the news and the whole school was so happy and going crazy as well. That’s when I knew I had done something special. Every kid dreams of a moment like that and for me to be living it was amazing so it was the best feeling in the world.” Bidwell said he is currently in the final stages of the editing process and the book is expected to be sent off to the printer in “about a week” and on the market by the first of December. He also mentioned a sale and signing event possibly taking place in December
Photo courtesy of Jeff Bidwell
once the publications have been completed. For Bidwell, this season wasn’t just an ordinary season for the Racers but a special one. “No one ever imagined that you’re going to go to the tournament and win a game, especially at that point because
it had been a little long since it had happened before,” Bidwell said. “But, you could tell that this was just a different team and it was a different kind of team and they were just really, really good which it had been a while since we’ve seen a team from Murray that were that good.”
The News
Sports
Page 8
November 10, 2016
Ultimate Frisbee puts a new spin on campus sports Collin Morris || Staff writer cmorris29@murraystate.edu
While the country continues its perpetual infatuation with the three mainstream sports of football, baseball and basketball, a growing sport is revolutionizing college campuses. This spring, the Murray State club Ultimate Frisbee team will be hosting its own home tournament with multiple other clubs traveling to compete. Logan Burnett, junior from Newburgh, Indiana, and a captain for Murray State’s club team, said the team stresses inclusiveness and welcomes any students who may be interested. “Part of our vision, which is in our constitution as well, is that we
don’t discriminate against any players,” Burnett said. “We have people on the team that come out and play regularly but if anyone wants to come see what it’s about, we won’t turn them away. Our practices are more or less just times for people to get together and play.” Ultimate Frisbee is a nationally-played sport and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Another player, Matthew Archey, sophomore from Columbia, Kentucky, said he wanted to dispel the common misconceptions surrounding the sport. “Ultimate Frisbee is the fastest growing sport in the world right now,” Archey said. “They’re actually considering adding it to the Olympics in the next 10 years or so and there’s even a world champi-
onship for it.” The sport is non-contact and closely resembles soccer in that it is a constant flow of gameplay with the objective of moving the Frisbee disk up the field and into scoring position. Two teams, typically consisting of seven players, compete to score “touchdowns” by passing the Frisbee disk until they reach the opposing team’s end zone. It is also self-officiated in both recreational and competitive play. For the Murray State team, Archey said their end goal is to earn official recognition from the university and perform at higher-level tournaments. “USA Ultimate, which is a national organization that hosts college-level Ultimate games, actually hosts a season in the spring
and then a playoffs in the summer time,” Archey said. “I’ve actually played against college teams before and I think Murray has a decent shot at getting out of regionals. And if we do well enough there, we can go to the university and ask them to officially recognize us.” When asked if he could say one thing those who have never played Ultimate Frisbee, Burnett said he can only ask them to give the sport a chance. “Give it one game,” Burnett said. “A lot people knock Ultimate by name alone; they hear it is played with a Frisbee and they think it sounds silly, and maybe it does sound silly, but you give it one game and the illusion of what people think it is shatters.” Burnett also said newcomers will
Humphries prepares for final games of career Blake Sandlin
Contributing writer bsandlin1@murraystate.edu
After snagging three straight wins during the past three weeks, two against ranked opponents, Murray State’s football team has bounced back after starting the year 1-5. Now 4-5, the team has rallied to put themselves in a far better position to open up postseason play in late November. The Racers recent success has put the OVC on notice, as it awarded quarterback KD Humphries, senior from Montgomery, Alabama, the Humphries Adidas OVC Football Offensive Player of the Week honor twice in October. Humphries was honored to have received the awards but was quick to give recognition to the teammates that make his job easier. “It’s a great honor,” Humphries said. “I get that that honor wouldn’t be possible without my teammates and
us getting big victories. That award goes more to the offensive line and playmakers who are doing something with the ball once the ball has been given to them.” His first honor came as a result of his record-breaking performance against Austin Peay State, when he passed for five touchdowns and a total of 455 yards. He went 49-of-60 in completions, breaking the school and OVC record for most completions in a game. His second honor in the month of October came after a win against 25th ranked Tennessee State. In that game, Humphries again passed for five touchdowns and this time threw for 389 yards. “I have a lot of room for improvement,” Humphries said. “We’ve got two more games left on our schedule and we still feel like we haven’t played our complete game yet. We’re still looking for room to improve.” The senior quarterback has also made noise nationally. In the FCS national rankings, Humphries ranks 11th in the country in completion percentage, fifth in completions per game, eighth in passing yards, fourth in passing yards per game and 13th
in passing touchdowns. Humphries, while acknowledging his statistics, puts his stock in his team’s performance, not his own individual stats. “It’s a great statistic, but I’ll take wins over those numbers any day,” Humphries said. “I’m just worried about the next opponent.” Humphries’ team-first mindset is based on what he’s been able to accomplish at Murray State. Humphries is currently second all-time in the four major passing categories: yards, attempts, completions, and touchdowns. Humphries is on pace to pass each of those records by the end of the season. These records are all held by previous Murray State quarterback and current wide receiver coach, Casey Brockman. Brockman, who played for the Racers from 2009-12, had high praise for Humphries and what all he has been able to accomplish since coming to Murray State. “He is obviously the leader of our team and he’s what makes our offense go,” Brockman said. “Usually there’s a direct correlation in how he does and how our team does. If he plays well, we usually win. If he strug-
gles a bit, we often struggle as a team.” Brockman said the possibility of giving up his old records set at the school isn’t bittersweet, he’s just proud of the progression Humphries has made since joining the Racers five years ago. As for the impact Brockman has played in Humphries progression during the years, Humphries said his old teammate has taught him a lot about the game. “He took me under his wings his senior year, with me being a freshman, he’s taught me so much,” Humphries said. “The ins and outs of this offense and a lot of little things. I always say that the little things gravitate to the bigger things. Having him there is special, and he’s one heck of a coach.” As Humphries finishes out his last few games of the season, and as a Racer, he said he wants people to remember him as a player who worked hard every single day. “I’d just want to be known as a guy who’s a hardworker day-in and day-out, a guy that loves all of his teammates, and a guy that’s for everyone,” Humphries said.
find a sense of adaptability when starting the sport, unlike other sports in which you’d have to play from a young age to understand the rules and conform to the play style. The team welcomes any and all students to their open practices at the intramural fields. Those interested in joining the team, experiencing the sport for the first team or even just playing ultimate recreationally can contact the team at murraystateultimate@gmail.com or find their page on Facebook under “Murray State Ultimate Frisbee Club.” The Murray State Ultimate Frisbee club has yet to schedule its next tournament but have two pending for the spring. Burnett said the team is going in with hopes of finishing in the top three.
Men’s basketball opens against Illinois State Staff Report After beating Berry College 116-71 Nov. 3 in their only exhibition game, the Murray State Racers tipoff the season Friday against Illinois State at the CFSB Center. Murray State returns only four players from last season’s squad but Head Coach Matt McMahon said he was happy with the way the team played during the exhibition. “I was pleased with the energy and effort our guys played with,” he said. “I thought they played together, really shared the basketball.” The Racers had another winning season last year and finished 17-14 after a loss to Morehead State in the OVC Tournament quarterfinals. Illinois State was 18-14 last season and 12-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Redbirds were picked second in the MVC behind Wichita State and received four firstplace votes. Illinois State’s Mikyle Mcintosh and Paris Lee were each named to the MVC Preaseason All-Conference Team. McMahon said Lee is just one of the players the Racers need to watch for the Redbirds.
“They’re a very athletic team,” he said. “I think you’ll see them in the open floor. They have some very skilled and versatile players. I think their point guard in Paris Lee really makes them go. He’s an elite level guard, all-league player, one of the better defensive playing guards we’ll see all season.” McMahon said despite Illinois State having a solid team, he’s not sure what to expect. “That’s one of those things about these early season contests, two really good basketball programs,” he said. The Redbirds beat Murray State 63-61 last season in Normal, Illinois. Senior point guard Bryce Jones said games against teams like Illinois State is the reason he and the other players on the team came to Murray. “I think we’ll compete at a higher level because we know what’s at stake,” he said. Jones finished the last game against Illinois State with 12 points and four assists. He said he knows it will be a physical game. “Kind of a scrappy team, can play inside and out,” he said. “I think we’re ready for them.”
Come join us for INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK Monday Nov. 14 CC Barkley Room 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. CCSA LONDON SUMMER 2017 – GET STARTED TODAY! - Bernard Lewis and Danielle Nielsen An Application Session. We can help you get started or finish your application.
CC Mississippi Room 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. WHO’S GOT IT RIGHT? - Beth Acreman (UK), Education Abroad Coordinator, Bill McKibben (South Korea) Director for International Enrollment and Retention, and Laura Mason (Finland) ESL Admissions Coordinator A comparative study of the educational systems in South Korea, UK and Finland. Does any country have it right?
CC Barkley Room 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. HOW GLOBALIZED IS THE AMERICAN ECONOMY? - Seid Hassan PhD Professor of Economics How the American economy is interwoven with the rest of the world and why trade is important to the U.S. and the state of Kentucky.
Faculty Hall, Room 401 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. WANT TO STUDY IN GERMANY FOR A SEMESTER?
State of the University Address Today, Thursday, Nov. 10 • 2:30 p.m. Wrather Auditorium President Bob Davies will deliver the annual State of the University Address today, Thursday, Nov. 10. The event is open to all faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members. A reception will be held immediately following the Address in the Wrather Room of Wrather West Kentucky Museum. For those unable to attend, the University address will be available through a live stream that afternoon at murraystate.edu/streaming.
CC Cumberland Room 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. EDUCATION ABROAD SCHOLARSHIP AND BUDGET SHEET WORKSHOP - Education Abroad Office Learn about the education abroad scholarship application process, discuss the essay question, and find our how to make your application as competitive as possible. Representatives from the Financial Aid and Scholarship Offices are present to help complete the required Budget Sheet. Students may attend this even at any state of the application process, and we recommend attending a workshop early.
CC Barkley Room 3:45 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. MODERN LANGUAGE COLLOQUIUM - Alford, Jessica Lauren. “Feminism in Pre-Feminism Japan: Was Tanizaki Jun’ichiro an Early Feminist?” An analysis of Some Prefer Nettles.” Double major: B.A. in Psychology and Japanese. - Jones, Brandon A. “Education in Mexico and Costa Rica.” B.A. in Spanish K-12 Teaching Certification, minor in Earth Science. - Patterson, Deon. “The Influence of Japanese Animation on Western Society.” B.A. in Japanese, minor in Graphic Design. - S. Marie. “Peruvian Japanese Cultural Identity Between Two Worlds.” Double major: B.A. in Spanish and Japanese - Woosley, Jacob. “Opportunity in Education: Reality for Students in the United States vs. Cuba.” B.A. in Spanish K-12 Teaching Certification.
Find out how to get your application moving.
Woods Hall, Lobby A
CC Mississippi Room
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. WELCOME BACK – NOW WHAT? MARKETING YOUR INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. CALLIGRAPHY WORKSHOP - Presented by International Cultures & Languages Association (ICALA) Club
Tuesday Nov. 15 CC Barkley Room
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ENHANCING YOUR STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM THROUGH RESEARCH - Jessica Naber, RN, PhD; Kathleen Farrell, DNSc, APRN, ACNP-BC, CCNS, CCRN; & Miranda Sue Terry, PhD , School of Nursing and Health Professions This presentation will facilitate a discussion on how to incorporate research into study abroad programs and courses, both abroad and at home. Examples of research activities will be provided.
CC Barkley Room 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. EDUCATION ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUSINESS: EMLYON (FRANCE) AND IBS (WORLDWIDE) - Dr. Timothy C. Johnston, Professor of Marketing and Dr. Joy Humphreys, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Business Administration Faculty program directors will discuss education abroad opportunities for business students. Students can earn credit in business courses by studying in Europe or Asia, and taking courses in English. Study abroad opportunities range from a few weeks to a semester. Business Administration students can even earn a second degree from a French university for
Equal education and employment opportunities M/F/D, AA employer Murray State University supports a clean and healthy campus. Please refrain from personal tobacco use.
studying for two semesters. These programs are especially suited for MBA students and undergraduate business majors and business minors, and business-related programs (PR, International Studies). Learn how you can make progress on your business degree while studying in international locations.
- Robyn Pizzo, Senior Education Abroad Advisor You’re back from your study abroad and wondering what’s next. In this session, we’ll cover where and how to list study abroad on a resume, practice your responses to questions you might be asked in a job interview about your experience, and go over some internationally-focused job opportunities.
Wednesday Nov. 16 CC Ballroom 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. INTERNATIONAL BAZAAR - Sponsored by the International Students Organizations and International Students Services Office Experience culture through food, art, language, music, dress, dance, and more, presented by Murray State international students from India, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Tunisia, Taiwan, Belize, South Korea, China, Germany, Vietnam, and Tajikistan.
Cumberland Room 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. EDUCATION ABROAD SCHOLARSHIP AND BUDGET SHEET WORKSHOP - Education Abroad Office Learn about the education abroad scholarship application process, discuss the essay question, and find our how to make your application as competitive as possible. Representatives from the Financial Aid and Scholarship Offices are present to help complete the required Budget Sheet. Students may attend this even at any state of the application process, and we recommend attending a workshop early.
November 10, 2016
Features Editor: Gisselle Hernandez Assistant Features Editor: Brianna Willis Phone: 270-809-5871 Twitter: MSUNewsFeatures
Page 9
The News
Features
Anti-Ross petition gaining traction
Sydney Anthony
Contributing writer
Staff report A petition has been created asking President Bob Davies to ban Brother Ross Jackson from Murray State University. Jackson, who has earned the nickname “Hell Guy” among students, has visited Murray State three times, drawing the attention of students and utilizing the "free speech circle," where students gather around him and he preaches his beliefs. Jackson commonly targets women, as well as other groups, including the LGBT community. He arrived last Monday Oct. 31 and stayed through Tuesday, Nov. 1. Approximately 75 students gathered around him. Sylvia Stewart, sophomore from Clarksville, Tennessee, created the petition Oct. 2 after seeing Jackson’s return to campus. She said the idea also stemmed from witnessing Jackson on campus last year. “I started wondering if that was going to be every fall: go to school, laugh at ‘Hell Guy,’ then go home and complain about it,” Stewart said. “Why couldn't I try to actually do something about it?” Stewart said it also hits home for a lot of students. In her petition, which can be found on Change.org, Stewart asked Davies to ban Jackson from setting foot on campus. The description states Jackson’s presence on campus makes the “university look horrible,” especially for high schoolers who come to visit and tour during Jackson’s preaching. Stewart said several of Jackson’s actions fall under harassment. These include Jackson asking women about their virginity, verbally demeaning them for their appearance and singing a song that he refers to as “It’s Not Okay To Be Gay.” “I got on my computer and started the petition,”Stewart said. “But I really didn’t think it would get this much support.” Some students are strongly in support of the petition and think Jackson deserves to be banished for his actions. “He needs to go away,” said Bailey McChesney, sophomore from Danville, Indiana. “All he does is bring negative energy to the campus, and it isn’t right for him to talk down to everyone with beliefs different to his own.” On the other hand, some students believe that banning Jackson from the university is not as urgent of a matter as others and interferes with freedom with speech. “I believe unless he breaks a university rule, he has the right to speak in public,” sophomore Jacob Bandura said. The petition has 836 signatures, more than 100 comments and shows no signs of slowing down. Davies has not commented on the petition.
Sigma Pi raises suicide awareness funds
santhony2@murraystate.edu
Jenny Rohl/The News
Jackson visited campus on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, speaking his beliefs to unnerved students.
Sigma Pi held their annual Fall Festival benefiting the Sean Vernon Feliciano Amazing Day Foundation on Saturday at The Arboretum. “The Sean Vernon Amazing Day Foundation has been our partner philanthropy for 27 years,” said Ethan Lett, junior from Henderson, Kentucky, and Sigma Pi’s Fall Festival chairman. He said the Amazing Day Foundation helps college students cope with mental issues and raises suicide awareness. He said last year’s event raised $1,200, and this year they want to meet or exceed that number. This year, Sigma Pi sold Oreo balls in the Curris Center and added additional games to the carnival. Lett said attendees were able to play carnival games in teams or individually. The games consisted of a balloon pop, shooting gallery and a sailboat race. He said tickets were earned by playing games and the participant with the most tickets won a gift card. Teams also made pumpkin pies prior to the Fall Festival and the winner received bonus points for their team. Lett said Greek life is often seen in a negative light, and he said he hopes that raising money for a good cause will show that there is more to Greek life than the social
components. Tyler Howell, junior from Louisville, Kentucky, and Sigma Pi brother who attended previous Fall Festivals, said the event was better than previous years because participants were able to play individual carnival games while the group games were being set up. Steven Dye, junior from Redmon, Illinois, and Sigma Pi brother, said everyone had fun this year because it was “by far” better than other years. “By adding the additional carnival games and not having too much down time between group games, we were able to keep participants active and enthusiastic about the event,” Dye said. John Bailey, junior from Beaver Dam, Kentucky, said it was good seeing other organizations come together for a good cause. “Seeing all the sororities come out and raise money for suicide prevention and awareness was great,” Bailey said. However, he said the best part of the event was seeing other members of his new pledge class dress up as scarecrows and have a “scarecrow fashion show.” The winning team of the day, out of the seven participating, was Alpha Delta Pi. The winner was decided based on who won each team event and which team cooked the best pumpkin pie.
The elephant in the classroom
Sydni Anderson
Contributing writer sanderson33@murraystate.edu
Gisselle Hernandez Features Editor
ghernandez1@murraystate.edu
Taking care of wounded elephants in the hills of Chiang Mai, Thailand, is not how most college students imagine spending their summer. Vasiliki Wilk, senior pre-veterinary major from Rineyville, Kentucky, was able to do just that, and more, when she went with the Boston-based Loop abroad program to Thailand last summer.
see ELEPHANTS, Page 10
Photos contributed by Vasiliki Wilk
The 7th Annual Roots Music Concert, called Roots 7, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15 at Lovett Auditorium. The concert, sponsored by the Murray State History Department, will feature two Nashville-based bands: Americana artist Derek Hoke and the award-winning Kenny and Amanda Smith Band. Derek Hoke is an Americana artist and self-taught guitarist, singer and composer who writes his own music. The Kenny and Amanda Smith Band is an acoustic based contemporary bluegrass band. Ted Franklin Belue, senior lecturer of history, has been working the Roots concert since the beginning. He said the concept of the concert was to offer the community a chance to hear music that reflected a “historical interest.” Belue said they wanted to include music that focused
on “Americana,” which embraces American music and the roots of American music. Previous concerts included bluegrass, western swing, Celtic music, and European Romani music. Belue said he asks performers to pause while they’re performing and explain the instruments they’re playing and talk about the pioneers of the genre they’re performing. In addition to providing a concert to the public, Roots works with Murray-Calloway County Need Line to give back to the community. Although the concert is free, they encourage attendees to bring canned goods. The concert will collect these donations and give them to the local Need Line. Last year was the first time Roots accepted cans. The idea was Kathy Callahan’s, chairwoman of the Murray State history department. “I thought, ‘why don’t we consider using Need Line,’” she said.
see CONCERT, PAGE 10
Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon/The News
Good music for a good cause
The News
Features
Page 10
November 10, 2016
Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon/The News
Global Trekkers
New study abroad club creates community among students Da’Sha Tuck || Staff writer dtuck@murraystate.edu
Students who have studied abroad or are interested in doing so now have a central hub where they can connect with other students who have the same interests: the Global Trekkers club. Club Adviser Melanie McCallon Seib, Murray State Education Abroad director, said the club began with a group of peer advisers, students who have studied abroad, who wanted a way to keep in touch. She said those students
ELEPHANTS
From Page 9
WORKING AT THE PARK
Wilk spent three weeks at the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand taking care of elephants who were victims of logging and trekking, which is the act of using the elephants to ride on. Although the act was banned in Thailand around the 1900s, neighboring countries like Cambodia still make it their mission to abuse elephants to get meat or ivory from them. Oftentimes, Wilk said the elephants would still wander into the jungle and get caught in traps or get their legs blown off in landmines. Those ones were cared for at least once a day and sometimes more. Wilk worked on the feeding schedule the first week, and other times crossed the river to help other elephants who were in a trekking camp. Elephants were also trained for street begging, in which people remove the baby elephants from their parents and train them to beg for food in the streets. She said she was in very close contact with these elephants, and she said they can be dangerous if threatened. “A lot of people refer to elephants as ‘gentle giants’ and that’s not necessarily true,” Wilk said. She said each elephant had a mahout, though – a sort of companion or master who is with the elephant every single day. These mahouts would praise them and discipline them when necessary. Elephants become attached
wanted a way to share their experiences with others who had similar experiences. “When a student studies abroad and they come home, nobody that they know at home knows what they just went through and knows what that experience was like,” Seib said.
WHO ARE THE GLOBAL TREKKERS?
The club is brand new and has only had two meetings. It is open to anyone interested in learning more about the world. Since the club is just getting started, the officers have not planned any events but plan to their mahouts and come to trust them after all the abuse they have endured. Wilk also worked at an animal shelter called Animal Rescue Kingdom. There she put her veterinary skills she learned at Murray State to practice by pulling blood, doing skin scrapes and learning about different parasites. She said in Thailand, the dogs are almost considered as pests and they roam the streets and because of this they are taken up in shelters. “Unfortunately, a lot of the times these shelters become their forever homes,” she said. “It’s not like the States where they get adopted, so there were lots of shelter animals and the conditions are not like the States either. They’re very, very different.”
CULTURE IMMERSION
Wilk said one of the most difficult aspects of the program was communication with the natives. Although the schools taught English and some of the veterinarians spoke English well, asking for something as simple as directions became a feat. The religion of the country also played a big part in the way they handled sick animals. Wilk said because the Thais are Buddhists, they do not believe in euthanasia, unlike the U.S. “But at the same time, they do more drug therapy and more support therapy and a lot of the times, cases that we would euthanize in the States make it out and survive in Thailand so it’s a catch-22,” Wilk said. Another thing that had stark contrast with the U.S. was the materials Wilk and the rest of her team had to work with. She
U.S. 641 N. Murray 270-753-9622 Circus Skate Murray, KY
to be involved with campus through social events, fundraising for future students who want to study abroad, promote study abroad programs, connect with international students and more, Seib said. Seib said the group has some really exciting ideas and she is excited to see what happens. Meetings are held every two weeks on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. in the Woods Hall lobby. The next meeting will be Nov. 15.
WHAT IT MEANS TO THE STUDENTS
Alyssa Allen, junior from Mount Vernon, Kentucky,
was elected as the Global Trekker’s 2016 treasurer. She studied abroad in 2015 in Regensburg, Germany. She said when she came back home “reverse culture shock” was a real challenge for her. “I felt that I had changed so much and was grateful for my experience, but people could not understand that and old friends started to feel like strangers,” Allen said. Allen believes this new club will help future students who study abroad in many different ways. “If you have studied abroad before, especially if you have
just returned, it will give you a community of people who have been through what you are going through; a place to make connections, share stories without feeling like you are bragging, and a place to, perhaps, find future travel buddies,” Allen said. The club will be beneficial to those students who are interested in studying abroad in the future. Learning the dos and don’ts, cultural differences and talking through safety concerns with a community of students who have been there can help with the transition, Allen said. Erin Wallace, senior club
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FUN ACTIVITIES
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CONCERT
said in the States, it is all about sterility and making sure everything is clean and it’s “not like that at all in Thailand.” “We were not working with that, so you kind of have to be creative and work with what you have,” she said. She said elephants are very big in Thailand as the people look at them as bringing the country up to where it is now and they were used in war, so the elephants are like “prized possessions.” The lifestyle in Thailand was also very different to the U.S., Wilk said. She said she wants to go back and definitely enjoys the atmosphere. “In the States we kind of chase the dollar like go, go, go. It’s stressful here,” she said. “I think we get caught up on the things we have and over there it’s not necessarily about what you have, it’s just kind of going with the flow. You’re living with less, which is actually less stressful.” She was able to visit one of the tribal schools and Wilk said the children actually want to learn and are passionate about their classes, something she said you might not see in the U.S.
Wilk did not spend the entire time taking care of wounded animals but was also able to enjoy some downtime in the foreign country. After they were done with chores at the park, Wilk said they visited the Junior River or visited the night market or even went zip lining in the jungle. Wilk said she enjoyed the night market because of all the talented Thai artists and the cultural food.
member from Louisville, Kentucky, described the new club as being geared toward global-minded students. She said the club hopes to connect various students and faculty through their common interest in experiencing different cultures. “Hopefully we will create an environment that will spark interest throughout the campus about different cultures and countries,” Wallace said. “I am really looking forward to seeing how this club grows and develops over the coming semesters.”
Photos contributed by Vasiliki Wilk
Wilk spent the summer helping wounded elephants and dogs in Thailand.
M
“Why don’t we ask people for canned goods?’” Callahan said she wondered how people could give back to the community without offering money. She said it worked out well last year and the response was “overwhelmingly positive”. She said Need Line covers a large region and many people depend on them for food. “Some people brought sacks of cans and other people brought one.” She said. “There were around 300 cans collected.” Tonia Casey, executive director of the Murray-Calloway County Need Line, said all donations from Murray State are greatly appreciated. “We have over 900 who came to Need Line last month who needed food,” she said. “You can tell just by those numbers, that the donations from Roots last year made a great impact.” She said it’s important that we come together as a community and Murray State does a great job of doing that. “Food insecurity is scary,” Casey said. “If we can prevent hunger in our community, our community is going to be a brighter and better place to live.” Belue said Roots is a great way to reach out. “It’s for a great cause. It’s our department giving back to the community. It’s Murray State giving back to the community,” he said.
THE MUR R AY STATE
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The News
November 10, 2016
Features
Page 11
“Inferno” delivers action and thrills
Photo courtesy of rottentomatoes.com
Main characters Robert Langdon and Sienna Brooks look perplexed as they race against time to solve a crime in the making._ Nick Erickson || Staff writer nerickson@murraystate.edu
It has been a whole decade since Dan Brown’s controversial novel “The Da Vinci Code” made its way to the big screen. Beloved actor Tom Hanks portrayed the protagonist, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, on a quest to find answers on an unknown murder, cryptic clues and a 2,000-year-old secret which could shake the foundation of Christianity. Ten years later and a follow-up film, “Angels and Demons,” in the bag, we have the newest installment in Brown’s series, “Inferno.” Arguably as exhilarating and mind-boggling as Brown’s series inception, the thriller is sure to spark some religious commentary and induce bloodrush. Awakening in a hospital room in Italy, Langdon has retrograde amnesia. With no recollection of where he is or why he’s there, he is left panicking and suffering disturbing visions of biblical-esque imagery, including rivers of blood. It’s not long before his prodigy Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones) helps him escape and tells him that he’s being hunted down by various groups, including the World Health Organization, for he is in possession of an object that’s crucial to unveiling where
a plague of global proportions is about to hit. Following the death of psychotic billionaire Zobrist (Bill Foster) are a trail of clues revolving around Dante’s Inferno, and, of course, Langdon is the only man who can stop the mass extinction of half of the human race that Zobrist had planned to execute in his “Divine Comedy.” As clues are revealed through Dante’s writings, as well as several of his art pieces, there are more twists continually added to the scenario at hand, and it’s easy for viewers to keep focus with so much new information being thrown in their faces. Throughout Langdon deciphering anagrams and brisk transitions through beautiful locations in Europe, not to mention famous paintings and sculptures, the film nary loses its brisk pace. The mesmerizing soundtrack compositions by Hans Zimmer, who notably arranged the scores for films such as “Interstellar,” help create a feeling of urgency to the film’s frantic nature. Hank’s portrayal of Langdon is as authentic and captivating as any character he has ever done. He effortlessly makes it seem that Langdon is always one-step ahead of everyone else on screen, while doing a believable job presenting Langdon as an accessible, ev-
eryday guy. One of the few downsides to the film is that other characters, including Brooks and Zobrist, are less incorporated in the film. Albeit, Hanks is the star and the film revolves around his amnesia-laced attempts to save the world, so this can be forgiven. The depictions of what the world will become following the spread of this plague, its mirroring of how Dante depicted hell to be, is sure to rile up devout believers in a similar manner to how “The Da Vinci Code” stirred up the Catholic demographic through its tellings of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. This history, and its often entwined historical fiction, is all the more reason to be intrigued. At its core, “Inferno” follows suit with “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Demons.” A race against time, the film highlights interesting historical context and blends it with shootouts and chase scenes galore. Many will likely think “Inferno” is a rehashed thriller on Hank’s behalf, but the film still has its bright spots: pulsating action, mystery and allaround beautiful camera aesthetic. “Inferno” will leave viewers feeling like they just left a high-speed car chase, all while getting a lesson in classical art and literary works. Third time’s the charm.
A dash of soul and authenticity Nick Erickson|| Staff writer nerickson@murraystate.edu
In having planned to put out his 17th studio album in July under the title “Some Town Somewhere,” country powerhouse Kenny Chesney revised the album completely and brought a new one to the table. His recently released album, now called “Cosmic Hallelujah,” takes creative measures to breathe life into his music, while keeping it contemporary and stadium-friendly enough for the masses. No stranger to the country music demographic, Chesney has been topping the charts for more than a decade. Although keeping in a similar vein of lyricism that encompasses most country music of today, Chesney still offers innovation on “Cosmic Hallelujah.” Taking aspects of modern production that fans love to hear, all while giving a sense of authenticity that is found less of today in the scene. Raw country instrumentation is often favored over synthesized strings and beats. Opening the album is “Trip Around the Sun,” a barrage of hand-clapped beats and a crisp banjo paves the way for Chesney’s smooth voice. Singing of relaxation, this track is as lyrically laidback as can be. “Pulled along by gravity, and nobody knows why, so it’s a cosmic hallelujah that we’re sitting here right now,” Chesney sings. An anthem for snug summer nights, this track is a perfect listen for spending downtime enjoying life with friends. “All the Pretty Girls” carries the party-torch of the previous track. With his deep croon, Chesney details his nostalgia felt over his days in college. Moving into deeper territory, “Noise” features
some social commentary, as Chesney sings of how absorbed people of the 21st century are with technology. “Trapped in our phones and we can’t make it stop,” he sings. With most people oblivious to their attachment to their devices, this track is a conscientious take on the current generation. Lead single “Setting the World On Fire” features popstar Pink’s velvety voice. The duo entwines and sings of pure, blood-pumping romance. Set to an arpeggiated guitar lick, acoustic strums and a simple beat, Chesney and Pink’s harmonies are well-executed and never too flashy. The message is fun and as minimalistic as the music itself, and it works in their favor. Chesney is one of the most profound country artists in today’s time. Taking pieces of modern country that is beloved by many, he has managed to put more effort into the words he sings than most, without being overly formulaic. Instead of mindlessly singing of beer and pretty women, Chesney is passionate for his message of living in the moment and appreciating life. While the lighthearted, alcohol-centered themes are present, they are shadowed by introspective emotion and authenticity. “Cosmic Hallelujah” is the grace the country music world needed.
Just So You Know
Listen Up If you have been keeping up with my columns, you know I’m an introvert at heart (96% introverted, according to Gisselle Hernandez this online Features Editor quiz I took.) Because of this, I am often on the other end of conversations, listening and absorbing more than contributing. I have often been chastised for this throughout my life, for not giving my opinion, but more often than not, I have a good reason to do so. In the rare moments that I decide to give my ‘oh-so-valuable’ input, they are often taken dismissively. We have all heard of people in this day and age having conversations to wait for their turn to speak and not to listen. I have also been guilty of this sometimes, but it happens so much to me that I decide to just shut up and listen. In groups or even one-on-one conversations, people would pour out the latest gossip or their very, very strong beliefs, – whether religious, political or something as simple as what they think of the writer’s decision to kill someone off on a show – but when I try to give my input, their eyes glaze over and the timer has been set for a countdown until they can talk again. Most people don’t realize they do this; humans are naturally self-absorbed without even trying to be. It’s never about what you think of them, but what they think of you, so most of the time people are trying to cram their ideas and beliefs down friends’ throats without trying to listen to what they actually have to say. I came to this hard realization when I actually was one of those people speaking without consequence, fired-up over some debate, trying to prove I was right. Thing is, you’re not right if you aren’t hearing the other side. And this doesn’t go only for the obvious tense political ambiance surrounding all of us this week, but little things like asking your friend how her day went. Do you really care? Or did you just ask so you could tell someone about how your day went? Newsflash: other people have stuff to say, too. And you don’t have to be one-upping people all the time, too. Countless times I have confessed to a friend about something horrible that happened to me and then have them make it about themselves. Whether bringing up “something worse” so I can see I “don’t have it that bad” or using it as a parachute to land on one of their successes they have been dying to tell you. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re proud of something or if you want to share some experiences, you have every right to. But not at the expense of someone else. It’s time for people to realize it’s not all about them. Talking over someone else or making people feel like their thoughts don’t matter can lead to more serious consequences, like people bottling up their problems or feeling like they have no one to talk to. Everyone wants not only to be heard, but to be listened to. With time and practice, this can be achieved. Next time you’re having a conversation, don’t keep thinking about what you’re going to say next. Try to focus on what the other person is saying first. You never know, you might find they’re actually worth listening to. ghernandez1@murraystate.edu
Soundbyte “House of cards!”
-Scott Patterson, Exclaiming the popular Netflx show would be the type of programming Luke from Gilmore Girls would binge watch in 2016.
Photo courtesy of http://thebull.cbslocal.com/
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November 10, 2016