The Murray State News

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THE MUR R AY STATE

NEWS

myGate scheduled system shut down Staff report This Sunday, Feb. 19, myGate, Canvas and other university resources will be unavailable between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. while the system is upgraded to a newer version.

Passwords will not be affected by this upgrade, but multiple systems will be unavailable, including: • Canvas • myGate • IASystem • Maxient • Omni/OU Campus • Primo (Exlibris, Library technology) • Scholarship Manager • SSO Manager (SSB/INB) • Service Catalog This upgrade will change the look of myGate, including moving tab locations and making it mobile friendly for phones and tablets.

Faculty and students are encouraged to plan to work around this maintenance window, and any questions about the update or system availability can be directed to the Murray State Service Desk at 270-809-2346 or msu.servicedesk@ murraystate.edu.

SGA’s march for higher education Ashley Traylor Staff writer

atraylor@murraystate.edu

In light of budget cuts to higher education, students from nine universities took a stand against Gov. Matt Bevin and defended higher education at the Capitol Rotunda Feb. 13.

Bevin decided on a 4.5 percent cut to higher education last fiscal year, in which the Kentucky attorney general, Andy Beshear, sued Bevin for his actions and pushed to restore funds in court. The court ruled in Beshear’s favor.

Regardless of it not being a budget year, Clint Combs, Student Government Association president, helped plan the Rally for Education, along with student-body presidents from eight Kentucky universities.

“Students don’t see their pockets being affected until it is a budget year, so it’s hard to recruit students to come up here if they don’t see that di-

rect impact,” Combs said.

Students from Northern, Eastern and Western Kentucky universities, University of Louisville, Morehead State University, Lindsey Wilson College, Spalding University, University of Kentucky and Murray State gathered in Kentucky’s capitol building.

Some made signs that read: “Education should not be a debt sentence,” “Help fund success, not drop out rates,” “Don’t throw shade, give me aid,” “Don’t make me fret about debt,” “Don’t gamble with education” and “CAP helps me get my cap and gown.”

At the rally, 14 guest speakers discussed reprioritizing higher education and funding the Kentucky lottery, which is college-funded scholarships and grants.

Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes was the first to speak, opening the rally.

see MARCH, page 2

Week 4 TRUMP Day 27 100 days of

Flynn fired Matthew Parks Staff writer mparks6@murraystate.edu

During his campaign, many cited concerns over Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia, and this week’s events have done nothing to assuage those fears for many.

After some media controversy, Michael Flynn, security adviser for the Trump Administration, tendered his resignation on Monday after he admitted to omitting information concerning Russia to the vice president in a debriefing.

Flynn claimed in his debriefing that the possibility of lifting sanctions on Russia were not discussed, but transcripts of the call proved otherwise. The administration also received a warning from the Department of Justice that labeled Flynn a security threat, saying they believed he was a potential target for Russian blackmail.

In his resignation letter Flynn wrote, “I inadvertently briefed the Vice President-elect and

FOLLOW US:

others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador.”

As the call took place before Trump’s inauguration, Flynn was speaking as a private citizen to the Russian ambassador.

Negotiating with foreign government on behalf of the U.S. government as a private citizen is illegal.

Following the initial scandal, Sean Spicer, press secretary, revealed the administration had known about Flynn’s apparent deception for weeks but had yet to do anything about it. “[We were] reviewing and evaluating this issue with respect to General Flynn on a daily basis for a few weeks trying to ascertain the truth,” Spicer said. “The evolving and eroding level of trust as a result of this situation and a series of other questionable instances is what led the president to ask for General Flynn’s resignation.”

see TRUMP, page 2

www.TheNews.org

Racing past Peay

Page 6

90 years of excellence

February 16, 2017 | Vol. 91, No. 18

The Racers’ bid for Rokerthon Murray State’s potential record-breaking spotlight

MURRAY, KY Lindsey Coleman Staff writer lcoleman7@murraystate.edu

To enter Murray State in the Rokerthon 3 contest, The Murray State News welcomes Racer Nation to star in a video next week to be sent to Today Show weatherman Al Roker.

The video will be shot Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 2:30 p.m. in the Quad. All community members, students and alumni are encouraged to attend in their Murray State gear.

The mission of Rokerthon 3: Storming Into The Madness is to travel to college campuses around the country to break world records with Al Roker and the help of college students.

To enter, colleges must submit a one-minute video featuring school spirit and a suggestion of what Guinness World Record Roker should break at the school. Entries are due Feb. 24.

Rokerthon isn’t a new endeavor for Roker. By broadcasting a live weather report for 34 hours in 2014, he set the Guinness World Record for the longest uninterrupted live weather broadcast and encouraged support for United Service Organizations.

Rokerthon 2 in 2015 celebrated Roker’s visit to all 50

states in one week to broadcast America’s weather forecast and support Feeding America.

Stephanie Elder Anderson, journalism instructor, and Leigh Wright, assistant professor of journalism, are spearheading the project along with Shawn Touney, Murray State director of communication, Jeremy McKeel, manager of Digital Media Services, and several journalism students.

“It’s an opportunity for our journalism students to use their talents to work on this video,” Elder Anderson said. “We want it to be student-based, but the whole community is encouraged to participate.”

For the video content, Elder Anderson and Wright suggest highlighting school spirit and the uniqueness of the Shoe Tree. As the tradition goes, if a student meets their spouse at Murray State, they are encouraged to nail a pair of shoes on the Shoe Tree in the Quad.

Elder Anderson said in light

of the tradition, she and her husband came up with setting a record for the most shoes donated to a specific cause.

“MSU is known for the Shoe Tree, so we wanted to find a way to tie into the folklore of the shoe tree,” Wright said.

“We decided that it would be a great idea to have people come and donate shoes.”

If Roker does come to Murray State, a drive will be held to benefit Soles4Souls and other charities in the community.

According to their website, Soles4Souls is a nonprofit based in Old Hickory, Tennessee, existing to disrupt the cycle of poverty by creating sustainable jobs and providing relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world.

“Shoes are something that we take for granted,” Wright said. “Sometimes for a child, not having shoes can be a big hindrance for school.”

Wright said three students will be key players in the video-making process: Abby Siegel, senior from Louisville, Kentucky, as scriptwriter, and Emily Hancock, sophomore from Bumpus Mills, Tennessee, and John Morris, senior from Nashville, Tennessee, as onair talent. Social media coordinators are Lauren Campbell, sophomore from Owensboro,

Kentucky, and Ashley Traylor, sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama.

“I’ve been impressed by the students and faculty involved for seeing the idea, collaborating and moving forward with plans and preparations for this contest,” Touney said.

Hancock said participating in the video is a way for students to show their love for the small-town college.

“This is a perfect way for the students to become more involved and be placed on television. What’s not to love about that?” Hancock said. “We want the students to come out because Murray State is our campus.”

As a television production major, Hancock said being a part of the video making process will be a good way to practice on her on-air talent and help her find a job in the future.

Morris said student involvement in the video will show the life at Murray State.

“We are the best advocates and embody the culture here,” Morris said.

Roker has not yet announced when winners will be chosen or when Rokerthon 3 will take place.

Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon/The News

Betsy backlash in Murray Lindsey Coleman Staff writer lcoleman7@murraystate.edu

On Feb. 7, Betsy DeVos, billionaire and proponent of charter school and vouchers, was appointed as the Secretary of Education by a historic 50-51 tie-breaking vote by Vice President Mike Pence.

Teachers and dissenters nationwide have disagreed with her appointment, pointing out that without having a public school education herself or sending her children to public schools, she is unqualified to be the Secretary of Education.

According to CNN, on Feb. 10, DeVos was briefly blocked by protesters as she attempted to enter a public school in Washington. She was later able to enter and speak to people in the school.

“At this point she is the Secretary of Education. She needs to be able to see what’s going on, and teachers need to be able to communicate with her,” Laurie Edminster, English teacher at Murray High School, said.

“So I don’t think blocking or impeding her from doing her job, or attempting to do her job, is going to be effective at all.”

Edminster said she has taught every grade from 7th to 12th in her 28 years of teaching. Seventeen of those years have been at Murray High. Before that, she taught in South Carolina and Texas, but she has always worked for public school systems.

“I was very disappointed that someone with no background in education, who has not attended a public school, whose children have not attended public school, was made the Secretary of Education to oversee public schools,” Edminster said.

“I understand that there are flaws in our system that need

@TheMurrayStateNews

Kelli O’Toole/The News

Murray has no private schools that fall within the district limit, worrying some teachers as to where they fit in to DeVos’s plan. to be reformed, because we’re human, and as long as humans are working with something, it’s going to be flawed. But I felt like it was a slap in the face that our voices were not heard, because every educator I know was adamant that someone with some experience in education be in that position.”

Kassity Sutherland, senior from Murray, graduate of a public school and future middle school educator starting in August, said DeVos’ confirmation was terrifying and worrisome for her.

“Words like committeewoman, philanthropist and businesswoman are frequently used to describe the positions that she has held in her lifetime, but none of these words matter in the realm of education,” Sutherland said. “According to the US Department of Education, 91 percent of pre-K through 12th grade students

@MurrayStateNews

attend public school, a place Betsy DeVos is not familiar with, by any means.”

Sutherland said Devos is simply not qualified to make decisions on what schools must do to receive federal funding, and DeVos doesn’t know what those public school students need in order to thrive.

“To my fellow educators and future educators, may the odds be ever in our favor,” Sutherland said.

One controversial priority for DeVos is increasing private school choice, which according to NPR includes “publicly-sponsored programs that give families money to spend on tuition at private schools.”

“One of the things that I think attracted others to her was school choice,” Edminster said.

“My concern is that it will be the death of public schools in big cities.”

She said she’s not necessarily

worried about schools in the immediate area, but she said schools in Memphis, Tennessee, and Nashville, Tennessee, might suffer greatly if school funds are taken out of the system, which Edminster said could be around $5,000 per child.

Erica Gray, Calloway County chemistry teacher, started teaching 14 years ago in West Palm Beach, Florida, at a high poverty Title I federally-funded school that supported school choice. She also taught at McCracken County briefly.

“When you start diverting public school dollars into private things, it creates an even greater performance and income inequality gap that is already an issue in a lot of those cities, so that’s a real concern,” Gray said.

She said most students attend

@TheMurrayStateNews

@MurrayStateNews

see DEVOS, page 2

MARCH From Page 1 Grimes said higher education is the key to put Kentucky back on solid ground by improving civic engagement, maintaining a healthy commonwealth and growing the economy.

“We will fight every step of the way for our students,” Grimes said. “You are the future of this state.”

She said she wants to see legislation that helps students attain degrees with less debt.

Jay Todd Richey, Western Kentucky University’s student government president, said since 2008, the amount of state funding has been cut by 32 percent. He said Bevin took it a step further last year when he cut $41 million.

“This is wrong for students,” Richey said. “This is bad for Kentucky. This is unacceptable.”

He said the Kentucky lottery has been used as a “piggy bank” because nearly $30 million has been diverted from the lottery

DEVOS From Page 1 public schools, and in order for students to be globally competitive, it is in our best interest as a nation to build up those public schools.

“One of the things I love about this country is that we educate everyone,” Edminster said. “We don’t handpick who gets to go to whatever school, like many countries do. That’s what makes America so strong.

Everyone is exposed to principles of education, and when we start messing around with that, we, our children, our grandchildren, are going to pay the price for it.”

Although President Donald Trump vowed to cut the common core standards for schools across the nation, Edminster said she understood why some were upset when the common core was implemented.

She said the element of teacher control was taken away with the advent of the common core, and there’s been a lot of

The News

News

Page 2 funding annually, leaving many students without financial aid.

Beshear said the key to making Kentucky thrive is investing in higher education.

“There is no question education paves, and education saves,” Beshear said.

Beshear said a big threat to education is legislators trying to directly control universities.

Senate Bill 107 would allow the governor to disband any university board if it is dysfunctional.

“That is a threat I cannot and will not allow for you,” Beshear said.

Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles said he believes in education because he grew up on a tobacco farm, and his parents were the first ones in either of their families to attend college. He said growing up, his parents told him if he worked and studied hard he could become anything he wanted.

He said there is more student loan debt in America than credit card debt, and because of that, higher education needs to be made affordable.

Quarles challenged students to communicate with their legislators and build relationships with them.

Sen. Max Wise, adjunct professor at the University of Kentucky, said we need to fulfill the Powerball promise: lottery money to fund College Access Program (CAP) and Kentucky Tuition Grant (KTG).

Rep. James Kay also stressed the importance of the Powerball promise and restoring the funds for those who need the financial aid to receive higher education.

Ashley Simpson, junior from Lindsey Wilson College, said the rally was a mix of each political party’s perspectives, which she enjoyed because it was not one-sided.

“It wasn’t a bash fest, like you see on the news,” Simpson said. “It was solely all of us here for education, which was one thing that will completely change the world.”

She said today starts a big movement in education, and when she becomes a teacher, she hopes this rally will benefit her students.

pushback about the federal government controlling what educators teach kids.

“You’ve got to have some control, some checks and balances, to make sure that the money is being spent effectively and that there are standards that students and teachers have to meet,” Edminster said.

Gray said from her experience in West Palm Beach the school choice program isn’t as glamorous as some may think.

“I experienced firsthand how a choice program affect[s] the public school,” Gray said. “It absolutely takes the best students from a school and leaves a population that is very challenging to teach, and with the limited amount of resources they are given, it makes it even harder.”

She was the school choice coordinator when she lived in West Palm Beach, which meant she had to recruit students to go to her school.

“If we make some public schools different than other public schools and don’t give them equitable resources, then I think as a nation we’re continuing to create the economic

divide that some kids and some families will never be able to get out of,” Gray said.

She said public education is the one level playing field offered to every student in the nation that will allow them the opportunity to combat poverty.

“If there’s something good that comes out of this, it’s that maybe we’ve got a more involved and educated electorate, but at what cost?,” Gray said.

A statement sent to The Murray State News from Kelsey Cooper, state communications director, on behalf of Sen. Rand Paul’s office said DeVos is committed to the principles of improving education opportunities, and Paul supported her nomination.

According to the statement, “Sen. Paul believes every child in Kentucky and America deserves a chance to get a quality education. Increasing the choices parents and students have and getting Washington out of the way are the most important things the federal government can do to improve the education opportunities available to our children.”

February 16, 2017

Jenny Rohl/The News

Colleges students across Kentucky came to the Capital Rotunda last week, fighting to stave off more budget cuts outside of the budget year.

TRUMP From Page 1 Spicer did not expand upon what he referred to as the “other questionable instances.”

When asked if Trump had instructed Flynn to speak with the Russian ambassador about sanctions, Spicer said, “No, absolutely not.”

It is, however, unclear why the White House waited so long to act on the information given to them by the Justice Department several weeks ago.

The current frontrunner for Flynn’s position is retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, according to administration officials.

CABINET CONFIRMATIONS

In an unexpected move, Andrew Puzder, Trump’s pick for the secretary of labor, withdrew his name from consideration on Wednesday afternoon.

While Puzder has not publicly stated a reason for his

withdrawal, he was facing a massive amount of criticism from Democratic senators and some Republicans, as he is a staunch opponent of minimum wage laws, paid leave and other workers’ rights.

There has been no word yet on who Trump will tap to replace Puzder.

On Monday, Steven Mnuchin was confirmed as the secretary of the treasury in a vote of 53 to 47. Mnuchin is a former senior executive at Goldman Sachs and a hedge fund manager.

IMMIGRATION BAN FOLLOW-UP

Following recent confirmation hearings, Trump has slowed the pace of signing executive orders and making policy changes.

Since last Wednesday, Trump has signed only three executive orders, all a part of what he calls an “anti-crime” initiative. Trump said the orders are intended to protect and expand the rights and legal protections for police officers and improve crime rates, especially in inner cities.

Last Thursday, an appeals

court voted 3 - 0 in favor of upholding the Seattle judge James Robart’s ruling against Trump’s immigration ban. For now, the order is still blocked and cannot be enforced.

The White House released a statement shortly after the ruling that said the Trump administration will take the fight over the order to the Supreme Court.

“The government has taken the position that the president’s decisions about immigration policy, particularly when motivated by national security concerns, are unreviewable,” the statement read. “Even if those actions potentially contravene constitutional rights and protections.”

Trump took to Twitter to express his own views.

“SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE,” Trump wrote on the social networking site.

Trump later said in a press conference that he might soon sign “a brand-new order” in regards to immigration bans in order to replace the nowblocked original ban.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION Get Involved!

Positions

Senate Chair

President - must be Junior by fall semester, 2.7 gpa Executive Vice President - must be Junior by fall semester, 2.7 gpa Vice President of Administration - 2.7 gpa Vice President of Finance - 2.7 gpa Senator At Large – 8 positions, 2.5 gpa College of Business – 3 positions, 2.5 gpa College Education & Human Services – 3 positions, 2.5 gpa College of Humanities & Fine Arts – 3 positions, 2.5 gpa College Science, Engineering & Technology – 3 positions, 2.5 gpa Hutson School of Agriculture – 3 positions, 2.5 gpa School of Nursing & Health Professionals – 3 positions, 2.5 gpa RCA President - 2.7 gpa RCA Vice President – 2.5 gpa RCA Secretary/Treasurer, 2.5 gpa

Elections/Ways & Means – 1 position, 2.5 gpa Publications & Public Relations, 1 position, 2.5 gpa University Affairs – 1 position, 2.5 gpa Judicial Board Chair – 1 position, 2.5 gpa SGA Webmaster – 1 position, 2.5 gpa

Applications due Monday, February 27, 2017 at noon in the CSI office.

All RCA officers must have lived in residential college 1 year prior to election.

Mandatory candidates meeting Barkley room, 4 pm.

Applications due Monday, April 3 at noon in the CSI office.

Applications due Monday, April 3 at noon in the CSI office.

Other Judicial Board – 10 members, must be Junior by fall semester, 2.5 gpa

Campus Activities Board – 15 chair positions, 2.5 gpa

Applications available online www.murraystate.edu/sga or in the Center for Student Involvement office, 111 Curris Center.

Online Voting, Monday, March 13, 2017 at 12:01 AM through Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 11:59 PM

The News

News

February 16, 2017 News Editor: Abby Siegel Assistant Editor: Alicia Steele Phone: 270-809-4468 Twitter: MurrayStateNews

POLICE BEAT Feb. 8

10:25 a.m. Murray State Parking Management reported a vehicle with its headlights left on in the Business Building parking lot.

The owner was notified.

10:44 a.m. A caller reported a reckless driver at the West Farm. Officers were notified and made contact with the driver. A verbal warning was issued and an information report was taken.

Feb. 9

12:43 a.m. A caller reported the smell of marijuana at White Residential College. Officers and the on-call residence director were notified. A citation was issued for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

9:17 a.m. A caller reported a non-injury motor vehicle collision in the Old Richmond Residential College rear parking lot.

Officers were notified and a collision report was taken.

Feb. 10

12:38 a.m. A caller reported a harassment complaint at James H. Richmond Residential College. Officers were notified and a report was taken for harassment with physical contact, no injury.

10:06 p.m. Public Safety reported a medical emergency at the William “Bill” Cherry Agricultural Exposition Center. The person was transported to Murray-Calloway County Hospital and a medical report was taken.

Feb. 11

4:49 p.m. A caller reported a maintenance issue at James H. Richmond Residential College.

Officers and the Central Heating and Cooling Plant were notified.

The maintenance issue was because of a burned ballast in a light and no threat of fire was detected.

6:36 p.m. An officer conducted a traffic stop on Shroat Drive. A verbal warning was issued for improper equipment.

Feb. 12

5:49 p.m. A person reported a theft of property. Officers were notified and a report was taken for theft by unlawful taking from a vehicle less than $500.

11:36 p.m. A caller reported the smell of marijuana at White Residential College. Officers and the on-call residence director were notified and an information report was taken.

Feb. 13

8:09 a.m. A caller reported a theft of property at Blackburn Science Building. Officers were notified and a report was taken for fraudulent use of a credit card.

10:34 p.m. A caller reported the smell of marijuana at White Residential College. Officers were notified and a citation was issued for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Feb. 14

1:49 p.m. Public Safety served a criminal summons for fraudulent use of a credit card less than $500.

8:57 p.m. Public Safety received a general incident reporting form in reference to an animal complaint at Regents Residential College. Officers were notified and an information report was taken.

Racer assists – 0 Motorist assists – 0 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.

Love Police Beat?

You can check it out every week online, too, on TheNews.org.

Page 3

WAVE donates $3,500 to Living Waters for the World Michelle Hawks

Contributing writer mhawks@murraystate.edu

At its first meeting of the semester, members of the WAVE leadership team presented a $3,500 check to Living Waters for the World, a global nonprofit that has installed and maintained more than 814 water purification systems in 25 countries.

WAVE is an organization created by Roger Weis, nonprofit leadership studies professor, to fundraise money for Living Waters for the World.

The organization’s goal is to provide clean water for Guatemala, which Weis said has the worst water conditions in the world.

He said there are still 600 million people in the world who have unclean water, something he finds unacceptable. Weis said he realizes the goal to eradicate contaminated water is bold, but it is something that has to be done.

“I’ll do it until I have no breath to give,” Weis said. “I don’t feel comfortable knowing that one person has unclean water.”

The check presented to Living Waters for the World marked the second water purification system WAVE has funded in Guatemala.

The organization fundraises throughout the year, and this semester they will be doing a “Bucket Brigade” and other campus activities, including setting up a table at the Curris Center.

Malley Johnson, junior nonprofit leadership major from Cunningham, Kentucky, and president of WAVE, said they are brainstorming new ideas for fundraising on campus.

“If you tell people about it, they will be will-

Jenny Rohl/The News

Ruth Ragovin, Malley Johnson, Roger Weis and Winston Adams participated in leading WAVE to raise the funds. ing to help,” Johnson said.

She said one of the goals for this semester is to involve the various campus ministries.

“I would really love to bring them together,” Johnson said.

Various businesses, such as Don Sol and Future Grounds, are represented on the leadership team.

“We get as much from corporate sponsors as we do from student activities,” Weis said.

Other members of the leadership team include Winston Adams and Ruth Ragovin, senior minister at First Christian Church in Murray, and Winston Adams.

Weis said he hopes to grow the team throughout the semester.

WAVE meets the first Thursday of every month at 5 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church.

For more information, contact Malley Johnson at mjohnson83@murraystate.edu.

Dressler chosen to play in England’s Pennine Spring Festival orchestra Michelle Hawks

Contributing writer mhawks@murraystate.edu

John Dressler, professor of music, was selected as a member of the French horn section for the orchestra of the 2017 Pennine Spring Festival in the West Yorkshire Dales, England.

The festival, which was founded in 1986, takes place annually at the end of May and lasts for one week. It coincides with England’s Bank Holiday. This year, the festival opens on May 29 with the first Dressler concert two days later.

“We’ll have a great deal of work from the start,” Dressler said.

He said they will premiere a work

for the chorus and orchestra that week with the composer, from Lancaster, as the conductor.

Dressler said the one-week orchestral and choral gathering provides a challenging and inspiring environment for members to prepare for three concerts open to the general public. It also allows musicians from around the world to gather to rehearse and perform a wide range of repertoire in glorious surroundings, as well as get to know each other during a variety of social events.

He said singers and instrumentalists with a range of competence are welcome to participate on either a residential or a day-to-day basis. Singers are expected to feel comfortable with sight reading but should familiarize themselves with the music in advance. Instrumentalists are expected to play at minimum Associated Board Grade 7 for strings and minimum Grade 8 for wind players.

Dressler said his interest in the festival stems from the pride in featuring the music of 20th century British composers. Dressler has written books about some of these composers as part of his research activities, which has taken him to England on multiple occasions.

He said since he isn’t teaching summer school this year, he decided to contact Nick Concannon Hughes, music director of the festival. Dressler explained his interest in participating in the orchestra and included his research and orchestral experience.

Hughes wrote back, thanking Dressler for his interest in the festival, as well as sharing his enjoyment in the Yorkshire countryside. Hughes also informed him of an opening for the French horn section and said he would be pleased for Dressler to participate.

Amber Upton, senior music education major from Paris, Tennessee,

had Dressler as a professor multiple times.

“He expects a lot from us, but he makes it fun,” Upton said.

She said he takes time out of his day to get to know his students and interact with them, both inside and outside of class.

“I’m definitely lucky that I had him in one of my first music classes,” Upton said. “It definitely started college off right.”

She said she remembers an email he sent to her while in his music theory class, congratulating her on her high grade and letting her know he was proud of the work she had done throughout the semester.

“I’ve never had another teacher do that,” Upton said.

She said it didn’t surprise her that he was selected to be in the orchestra – he is just that good at what he does.

“As a future educator and musician, he’s an example of what I want to be,” Upton said.

Scholarship for students with autism officially endowed last month Abby Siegel || News Editor asiegel@murraystate.edu

Paige Effinger

Contributing writer peffinger@murraystate.edu

Ray Chumbler IV, 2015 Murray State alumnus, founded a scholarship for Murray State students with autism, and it was officially endowed in January.

The scholarship began in 2011 to fulfill the requirements of Chumbler’s high school senior project that had a community service component. In 2015, the scholarship was transferred to the MSU Foundation.

One of Chumbler’s goals with the scholarship is to financially help students with autism who are applying to college. Because he was once one of these students, he discovered there were no scholarships like these available for students with autism.

Chumbler said it is rare for colleges in the United States to have a scholarship specifically for students with autism.

“Since it’s for autistic students, it obviously means, ‘Hey, autistic people can actually go to college and be successful,’” Chumbler said. “I think this scholarship will make some progress to break down that stigma that surrounds us.”

The scholarship started with $3,000 donated through a raffle component of his senior project. Later, donations were collected to increase the fund. Chumbler set up a table in the Curris Center to collect money in addition to receiving donations from family, friends and other community supporters.

“We usually ask people for a minimum of $5,000, and then they have five years to reach our goal of

$25,000,” Jennie Rottinghaus, director of development, said. “The cool thing about Ray’s scholarship is that he helped us endow it in less than two years.”

Once the endowment reaches the self-endowed mark, the funds are invested and the interest earned after a year is used to form the scholarship.

The endowment is permanent, meaning it never has an end date.

“The scholarship is going to be here from now until forever,” Chumbler said.

Currently, a $500 scholarship is given each semester, but Chumbler said the more money that is donated the greater the scholarship can become.

He said he hopes to expand the scholarship to more than one recipient per semester.

Chumbler said there is a stigma that assumes au-

tistic people cannot be educated, attend school or be taught to drive.

“Most people, when they hear the word autism, someone like me never ever comes to mind,” Chumbler said.

However, Chumbler both went to college and graduated cum laude and has been driving for five years.

“I think Ray is one of the most kind, enthusiastic and caring young men that I have ever met,” Rottinghaus said. “He is so passionate about this cause – not only raising money but also raising awareness about students on the spectrum.”

Those interested in donating to the Ray IV Autism Scholarship Endowment can contact Jennie Rottinghaus in the Office of Development.

Photo courtesy of WKMS

Ray Chumbler IV gives a check to Jennie Rottinghaus, director of development, to establish the scholarship.

The News

Page 4

February 16, 2017

Opinion Editor: Hallie Beard Phone: 270-809-5873

M Connor Jaschen Editor-in-Chief • 270-809-6877 cjaschen@murraystate.edu

Abby Siegel News Editor • 270-809-4468 asiegel@murraystate.edu

Hallie Beard Opinion Editor • 270-809-5873 hbeard2@murraystate.edu

Opinion Our View The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board.

Danger: DeVos ahead

Gisselle Hernandez Features Editor • 270-809-5871 ghernandez1@murraystate.edu

Sarah Combs Sports Editor • 270-809-4481 scombs@murraystate.edu Selena McPherson /The News

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When president Trump was on his fiery campaign trail, he made it clear he would surround himself with people who would help him fulfill his campaign slogan: Change.

Scratch that – Make America Great Again, or “Change” with a makeover.

Well, since his inauguration, his promises have unfortunately come true. The new president has not wasted any time in hand-picking some strange Trumpites, including doomsday prepper Steve Bannon and the queen of education, Betsy DeVos. DeVos, who was appointed Secretary of Education Feb. 7, is about as qualified to make decisions about the public school system as our president is to be commander in chief. We know many Americans admire Trump for his lack of experience as a politician and believe it will enable him to do the job more effectively than pre-

vious presidents, but do those supporters feel the same way when it comes to DeVos and her specific position?

DeVos faces much opposition for her stance on school choice and voucher programs, and rightly so. While giving children and parents more educational opportunities sounds like a great plan, it collapses when put into practice with taxpayer dollars. DeVos, if given free reign, would use public funds in order for children to attend private schools, which, because of the religious nature of many of those schools, would violate the separation of church and state.

In Murray, educators worry what effect her plan would have on the Calloway County public school system. Like many other small, rural towns, there is no room for choice – there is only the few small public schools which cannot afford to lose fed-

eral assistance.

Erica Gray, who teaches chemistry at Calloway County and has also taught in McCracken County, told staff writer Lindsey Coleman about the dangers of DeVos’s plan.

“When you start diverting public school dollars into private things, it creates an even greater performance and income inequality gap that is already an issue in a lot of those cities, so that’s a real concern,” she said.

A recent Washington Post article discussed how harmful DeVos’s agenda could be by analyzing how Chile’s school system – which heavily operated on voucher programs – suffered. In that community, children from lower-income families were less likely to attain vouchers and were consequently stuck in a public school faced with less and less funding. Meanwhile, private schools recruited students based on family status, income and the projected performance of

the child and only educated those privileged groups.

Even if a small town like Murray had more school options, it’s easy to see how many students would get left behind and subject to underfunded, underdeveloped public systems because of their socioeconomic status.

Ultimately, it seems all politicians would argue they want the same thing: for the children in our country to be educated well and have as many opportunities as possible.

The path to achieve that, however, looks extremely different to the red and blue sides of our government.

No child should be forced to attend a school that doesn’t satisfy them, and if DeVos succeeds in implementing her agenda, there could be more students, not less, having to settle for subpar education because there is no alternative choice.

Between You and Media

The fools who dream differently Rachel Wood|| Contributing writer rwood7@murraystate.edu I am only slightly ashamed to admit that I’ve seen “La La Land” in theaters three times. Call it overrated, but it really is a charming movie.

So maybe it didn’t have the best singers and some of the plot elements have been met with criticism, but I have to say that I really enjoyed the movie, including its (somewhat odd) ending. As it turns out, a few of my friends had some different opinions. As we left the theater after their first viewing, they berated me for encouraging them to see a movie with such a “sad ending.”

I want to explain why the ending isn’t as bad as some of you might think. In fact, I think it’s what turns an average movie into a great one – a movie we can learn something from. That being said, beware of spoilers ahead.

It all depends, as usual, on a matter of perspective. So, the love story doesn’t exactly turn out the way we expect it to, but does that make the ending unhappy?

First of all, if “La La Land” had ended exactly how we expected it to, would it even be as good of a movie? Stereotypical storylines don’t exactly win awards and critical praise (yet Nicholas Sparks movies still capture a wide fanbase, for some unknown reason).

Second, when a movie sets out to show the uphill climb of following a dream, it kind of presupposes the dream will be the plot’s driving force. That’s exactly what happens; both characters achieve the dreams they’ve been chasing forever, just not with each other. Sometimes, that’s how real life works.

Maybe I’m just a jaded, overly-independent realist, but it’s very possible that your life goals don’t line up with those around you – and that’s OK.

“

It’s what turns an average movie into a great one

“

Austin Gordon

A lot of us, myself included, can spend hours imagining how things would’ve turned out if one thing in our lives had gone differently, especially when it seems like everything is going wrong. What if you’d gotten that scholarship? What if you’d picked a different major? What if you hadn’t taken the class where you met your best friend?

The ending of “La La Land” does a great job of representing this. The pieced-to-

gether clips, reimagining key scenes from the movie, show us what could’ve happened if one of the main characters had made a different, seemingly critical decision.

I feel like T.S. Eliot captures the essence of this ending montage in one of his poems: “Footfalls echo in the memory, down the passage which we did not take, towards the door we never opened into the rose-garden.” It sounds melancholically lovely, imagining what could have been, but it presents a problem – how do you know there’s a rose garden behind the door if you never opened it?

When things don’t go as planned, it’s easy to berate yourself about the one choice that may have changed everything. However, that’s part of the problem, too; you never truly know things would’ve changed for the better.

Author John Green says it can be nostalgic, an escape mechanism, to imagine the future, but I also think creating an imaginary past does the same thing. It takes our mind out of the present for a moment, but it doesn’t truly do us any good. I don’t fancy myself a “carpe diem” poet, but it’s important for us to remember that what could have been doesn’t define our happiness – it’s how we react to what really happened.

Would they have been happier together?

Maybe. But I feel like goal-driven people like Mia and Seb can’t help but be happy when they make their dreams into reality.

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

February 16, 2017

Page 5

Rational Animal

A repeat of the past John Muenzberg Contributing writer jmuenzberg@murraystate.edu In November of 1938, Nazi operatives and sympathizers vandalized Jewish-owned businesses in Germany. This practice was called “Kristallnacht,” in reference to the broken windows, but along with businesses, hundreds of synagogues were burned and dozens of Jews were murdered. This was a warning to Jewish citizens that they were now second class citizens. It was also a warning that German citizens should not patronize Jewish businesses.

Recognizing that the future in Germany would be dangerous for Jews, in May 1939 about 900 passengers boarded the MS St. Louis. The ship sailed for Cuba, and from there they hoped to get visas to enter the U.S. The number of German visas had already hit the U.S. quota, and the passengers were refused entry. After several rounds of diplomacy, a number of European countries agreed take in the passengers. Even so, it is estimated that about one–fourth of those passengers were later murdered in Nazi concentration camps.

Three years later, in the midst of World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt and members of his administration were still trying to prevent Jewish refugees from entering the U.S. Jewish people fleeing an organized effort to kill every Jewish person in Europe were denied entry into the U.S. because skittish officials were afraid of the possibility of spies, even though there was little evidence that spies were entering the country.

Roosevelt’s administration argued that European Jews might be spies for the Nazis. As preposterous as this seems to us today, this attitude was a product of the fear from violence and the uncertainty of war.

Unfortunately, the executive order on immigration signed by President Donald Trump seems to be based on similar, unfounded concerns. While it is true that the

president has authority over many aspects of immigration, this recent order fails to make a distinction between different types of immigrants.

For one, the recent order does not differentiate short-term visa holders from permanent residents.

Permanent residents are people who have lived in the U.S. for a number of years and have received permission to live here – also known as having a “green card.” Getting one’s green card is often the step taken just before becoming a full citizen. This process takes years, and the applicants are subject to extensive background checks. Banning such people from the U.S., especially without prior warning, is to literally prevent people from returning to their homes, families and jobs.

Imagine if you were to return to your apartment after a day of class only to find

Many of these refugees are already living in broken families.

the landlord has changed the locks. You are informed that despite the lease you signed, your permission to stay here is being reevaluated. Will you fail your classes because you cannot return? Too bad. Will you be unable to return to your family? Too bad.

What is also cruel, and sometime even deadly, is denying entry to people who have been granted refugee status. People who are awarded refugee status have proven to the U.S. that returning to their home country is likely to result in imprisonment or death.

The vetting process for refugee status requires multiple interviews and takes a year or more to process. This is a stringent vetting process.

Many of these refugees are already living in broken families. Some refugees are children who have lost parents to war. Some are spouses who are trying to reunite with families. Most of them have lost their homes and are seeking protection in the U.S. The U.S. government granted entry status to these people. To rescind this, with no warning, and more importantly, without due process, simply because of one’s ancestry, is cruel and capricious and does nothing to increase the security of the U.S.

Got opinions?

Jeers to ... Stupid gifts

Cheers to ... Winslow

Speaking of Valentine’s Day, can we all agree that those giant stuffed animals they sell in bulk at Walmart are incredibly tacky? Who actually enjoys receiving those?

What does one do with a giant stuffed teddy bear or dog? Cuddle it when their lover breaks up with them?

Winslow Dining Hall had a special Valentine’s Day Dinner Tuesday, and it was delightful. Whether you had a sweetheart for the holiday or flew solo, it sure was nice of campus dining to make sure everyone was united with their one true love: food.

CHEERS & JEERS Cheers to ... Tiera Guinn

Cheers to ... the Rally

Tiera Guinn is a 22-year-old senior at MIT, and she’s already working for NASA, according to USA Today.

How does that happen? Most of our Editorial Board staff members are around 22 and we’re just making it through each news production day to get the Pony Express before it closes. Uh, anyway...major kudos to Guinn!

Why not add another cheers? On Monday, there was a Rally for Education at the Capitol in Frankfort.

Students from Kentucky universities gathered together once again to stand up for their education and make it known to legislators that we don’t mess around. Go, opinionated students!

Cheers & Jeers is written by The Murray State News’ Opinion Editor. Questions, comments or concerns should be addressed to hbeard2@murraystate.edu

Letter to the Editor

From Michelle Barber Interim LGBT Coordinator

In response to Martin Cothran’s Letter to the Editor concerning transgender students and “bathroom bills,” I would like to offer a few points intended for Cothran as well as Murray State students.

First, there are already transgender people using the restrooms of their intended gender. Research shows that 0.6 percent of the population identifies

as transgender* and these folks study and work alongside cisgender people every day.

If any government passes a law preventing individuals from using the bathroom of their gender, their politics are likely based on thinking they don’t know any transgender people. To legislate the bathroom would, for example, force transgender women – many who fully present as women, by the way – to use men’s restrooms and vice versa.

This would create more

Some Things Considered

On lending a hand when you can

confusion than it seems Cothran and conservatives realize.

But to Murray State students, I will say this: Martin Cothran does not, as far as my research shows, live in Murray, nor is he a member of our community.

Our community has 430+ faculty, staff, and students in the Safe Zone Program.

More than 700 people participated in the March for Social Justice and Equality in January. Murray State has the President’s Commission on Diversity and Inclusion

Hallie Beard || Opinion Editor hbeard2@murraystate.edu

In news this week, we’ve got a story on the cost of being an international student.

Through working in the writing center, I’ve had some interaction with international students and have heard about their experiences here, but I’m ashamed to say I’ve never gone out of my way to help out our visiting students, besides maybe offering a ride once or twice.

Making new friends on campus or reaching out to new students is never easy, especially if we think some linguistic or cultural barrier will make the process more difficult. But, as students at a university that has a large international population and welcomes those students, we should be more aware of how our interactions with them – or lack thereof – affect their perceptions of us and, ultimately, their stay in the U.S. Once, a student in the writing center brought in a personal essay about her expectations of going to

and the city of Murray has a Human Rights Commission.

And lastly, the Murray State LGBT Programming Office is here for you. We are located in Blackburn 243. We are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

And you are welcome here.

an American university and how her time at Murray State has compared to those expectations. In the essay, she revealed how much anxiety she had about coming to the U.S. because other friends who had participated in exchange programs described American students as mean, exclusive and apathetic to people who didn’t look like them.

I was appalled – it was heartbreaking to know international students expected us to be cold before their arrival in the U.S. I wanted to apologize to that student on behalf of any Americans who fulfilled that stereotype, but how genuine could that apology be if I haven’t put time into being a friend to them, either?

Thankfully, the student wrote that her time at Murray State improved after getting acclimated to student life and living in the residential colleges, but I still couldn’t help but feel a bit sad when she left.

So, even though I’ve only got a limited amount of time before I graduate and it’s a bit late in the year for a resolution, I’m resolving

*Flores, A.R., Herman, J.L., Gates, G.J., & Brown, T.N.T. (2016). How Many Adults Identify as Transgender in the United States? Los Angeles, CA: The Williams Institute.

WRITE

TO US! We want to hear from you!

SEE PAGE 4 FOR DETAILS

The Murray State News 111 Wilson Hall Murray, Ky 42071

to make more of an effort when it comes to befriending or helping international students.

If you’re like me and feel awkward trying to make a new friend without a specific plan, here are some ideas for how to make this process fun and helpful for all involved: Be a study partner. This is a fairly safe way to make a new friend and comfort someone who might be struggling with material.

If there are international students in your classes you think might be struggling to understand the professor or juggle all the reading, lend a hand. You don’t have to approach it as if you have all the answers – in fact, you could ask them for some notes or to figure out a problem you don’t understand.

That way, discussing the material is natural and no one feels embarrassed about not knowing something.

Share a meal. Next time you’re in Winslow or the T-Room and see an international student eating alone, ask if you can sit with them and tell them about your day. Or,

ask about their classes and see if you have any academic interests in common. Imagine you had to live at a university in a new country where the town was small and the friend groups were even smaller.

Would you want to eat alone in a crowd of people who seemed to enjoy each other and know exactly what’s going on? Probably not. Put yourself in their shoes and treat them as you’d want to be treated.

Be friendly to hitchhikers. OK, this isn’t the 1960s and it’s not likely you’ll see anyone holding their thumb out on the side of the road, but I’m sure you’ve seen international students lugging their grocery bags from the store across 121. In this cold, that’s a miserable trek, and you know those grocery bags aren’t strong. If you’ve got room in your car, roll the window down and ask if they need a ride.

It’s not that weird, and it never hurts to ask.

Hopefully these tips help all of us bridge the gap between awkward smiling and friendship or at least make someone’s stay here a little brighter.

The News

Page 6

February 16, 2017

Sports Racers dominate the paint Sports Editor: Sarah Combs Assistant Sports Editor: Collin Morris Phone: 270-809-4481 Twitter: MSUSportsNews

Bryan Edwards Staff writer

bedwards16@murraystate.edu

The Murray State men’s basketball team defeated Austin Peay 102-58 in the second installment of the Battle of the Border rivalry series.

The 44-point win was the largest margin of victory by either team in the 123-game series history.

Head Coach Matt McMahon said the Racers played their best game on the court this season.

“I was really proud of our guys and the way we responded on the defensive end of the floor,” McMahon said. “We were able to do a good job on the defensive glass and it led to a lot of transition offense.”

The Racers out-rebounded the Governors 43-21 in the contest. The Racers also notched 14 points on fast break opportunities.

Junior guard Terrell Miller Jr. said the team focused on defensive play and boxing out to rebound in practice before the game.

“We were all behind each other tonight and really helped each other out throughout the game,” Miller said. “We’ve really worked on boxing out in practice. After we play defense for 30 seconds, we have to box someone out.

We’ve been working really hard in practice and it showed tonight.”

The Racers held the lead for more than 35 minutes of the game, getting ahead by as many as 48 points, including a 31-point lead at the half.

Junior guard Jonathan Stark led the team with 13 points at the half.

Miller led the team with 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting and made all four 3-pointers he attempted in the game.

The Racers scored 62 points in the paint in the game, which is the highest mark of the season.

The Racers are 4-3 when scoring more than 30 points in the paint during OVC play.

Six players for Murray State reached double figures on the scoresheet. Freshman forward Jalen Dupree posted a season high of 14 points during the game. He and freshman forward Gil-

2016-17 season OVC matchups

bert Thomas Jr. combined for 26 points on 12-of27 shooting from the floor.

McMahon said he was happy with the production of the two freshmen in the game.

“The freshmen bigs were fantastic tonight,” McMahon said. “Jalen gives the team a big presence inside and I thought he played a very good game all around tonight.”

The victory gives the Racers three points and expands their lead in the Battle of the Border to 22.5-7.5, with 11 events remaining in the series The win gets the Racers back to .500 at 13-13 overall on the season and moves them .5 games back from the OVC West lead at 7-5.

The Racers will take the court again at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16, against the Cougars of SIUE at the CFSB Center.

POINTS IN PAINT

OPPONENT

W/L

62

APSU

W

27

MOREHEAD

L

30

BELMONT

L

38

UTM

W

38

SEMO

L

34

APSU

L

38

EKU

W

22

SIUE

W

28

EIU

W

20

TTU

L

16

JAX STATE

W

30

TSU

W

Chalice Keith/The News

Freshman forward Gilbert Thomas, Jr. scored 12 points for the Racers.

Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon/The News

Soccer recruits Rifle scopes out NCAA competition depth to roster Bryan Edwards Staff writer

bedwards16@murraystate.edu

Depth was the word soccer Head Coach Jeremy Groves used to describe the recruiting process this offseason as the Murray State soccer team added eight high school prospects and one transfer to their roster for the 2017-18 season.

“We needed depth overall,” Groves said.

“We only lost two players from last year, and I think we just needed some competition so they could push the other players and make them better overall.”

The team signed eight recruits, spanning four states and addressing three different positions. The Racers signed Annamarie Arino and Izzy Heckman, from Powder Springs, Georgia; Symone Cooper, from Loganville, Georgia; Rebecca Kubin, from Lake Zurich, Illinois, Allyson McAtamney, from Noblesville, Indiana; Ann Taylor and Reagan Pittenger, from Murray; and Kayla Travis, from Calvert City, Kentucky.

The Racers also added freshman transfer from Samford University, Miyah Watford.

Watford played one season for the Bulldogs, recording one assist in 16 matches on the pitch last season. In high school, Watford was a First Team All-State selection in 2015. Groves expects Watford to bring experience to the team.

Watford must sit out during the 2017 season due to NCAA transfer regulations.

After their OVC Championship season in 2015 and finishing with a 16-5 record overall, the Racers finished their 2016 campaign with a record of 8-5-4, falling in overtime in the OVC Tournament semifinals to SIUE. Groves said the team never reached its full potential in the 2016 season.

“We started the year 1-4-1 and going into conference we started to get players back from injury, and the team’s form got a little better,” Groves said. “I wasn’t happy with how we played last year, we never really reached the pinnacle of what we could do. We had a great year two years ago, and we didn’t reach those heights again. I was proud of how tough we were and how much we fought hard, but we let ourselves down during the tournament.”

The team returns all but two players next season, including 2015 and 2016 OVC Offensive Player of the Year, junior forward Harriet Withers, who had eight goals and four assists in the 2016 season.

Groves said that the new recruits will add quality depth to the group for next season.

“This class has been a product from day one, so we had a lot of time recruiting this class to our team,” Groves said. “I think that these kids are going to be really good players and will bring a lot of quality to the team.”

Blake Sandlin Staff writer

bsandlin1@murraystate.edu

Murray State’s rifle team went head-to-head with second-ranked West Virginia on Sunday but came up just shy in a tight match that ended 4,726-4,713 in favor of the Mountaineers.

Despite a record-breaking performance by junior Ivan Roe, from Manhattan, Montana, West Virginia handed the third-ranked Racers their second loss of the year in their final regular season match held in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Racers put up a score of 2,340 in smallbore and 2,373 in air rifle, although it wasn’t enough to surpass the Mountaineers, who shot 2,345 in smallbore and a 2,381 in air rifle.

The match featured West Virginia sophomore from Springfield, Virginia, Ginny Thrasher and Murray State’s Roe, who currently are leading all shooters in the nation. Thrasher currently

holds the top spot, averaging an aggregate of 1,185.5, while Roe is second with an aggregate of 1,182.2.

Roe led all athletes with an aggregate of 1,185 after shooting 587 in smallbore and 598 in air rifle. Roe’s near-perfect performance in air rifle was enough to break Murray State’s air rifle record. Sophomore from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, Mackenzie Martin, finished third overall with an aggregate of 1,183 after shooting 587 in smallbore and 596 in air rifle.

West Virginia’s leader, junior Elizabeth Gratz, from Sigel, Illinois, tied Roe for the top shooting performance, matching his 1,185 in the Mountaineers winning effort. Milica Babic, freshman from Belgrade, Serbia, also shot 584 in smallbore and 599 in air rifle to give her an aggregate score of 1,183. Thrasher, who won a gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, finished with 1,183 after shooting 584 in smallbore and 599 in air rifle.

West Virginia’s victory on Sunday marked an undefeated season. The Racers’ other loss of the year came against the nation’s top team, Texas Christian. Although Murray State has struggled against the country’s top tier teams, Roe said he isn’t worried about the challenge they may face in the postseason.

“As for losing the two matches, it’s only a loss if we don’t learn something from it and I think everyone took something out of those matches that will help us continue to get better,” Roe said. “I know we have what it takes to compete with them postseason.”

The Racers have now completed their regular season campaign and look to make their mark on the national level following their OVC Championship victory last week. They will be at home for the final time at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19 at the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range for their NCAA qualifying match against eighth-ranked Nebraska.

Racers sweep Governors on home court Blake Sandlin Staff writer

bsandlin1@murraystate.edu

Murray State’s women’s basketball won its second game in a row Saturday night with a 67-62 win over Austin Peay.

After losing five-straight games, the Racers rallied their second-straight win, improving to 14-11 on the year and 6-6 in conference play.

Coming into Saturday night, junior forward Ke’Shunan James was averaging 19.5 points per game for Murray State.

Saturday night was no different as James continued her scoring barrage, leading the Racers in scoring with 28 points along with eight rebounds. Kyra Gulledge, senior forward, grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the team.

Junior guard, Bria Bethea, pitched in 19 points, all of which came in the second half of the game.

James complimented the performance by Bethea, praising her ability to shoot the ball no matter the situation.

“Bria [Bethea] is coming along, and I love it,” James said. “Because she’s not afraid to score the ball, she’s definitely not afraid to shoot it. She takes risks, and I’m loving her right now.”

The Governors’ Tearra Banks, senior center, led all scorers with 31 points and nine rebounds. Keisha Gregory, sophomore guard, added 14 points along with seven rebounds in a losing effort by Austin Peay.

Murray State’s win has them tied with Austin Peay for fourth place in the OVC stand-

“

Bria [Bethea] is coming along, and I love it.

Because she’s not afraid to score the ball, she’s definitely not afraid to shoot it. She takes risks, and I’m loving her right now.

”

-Ke’Shunan James on Bria Bethea’s game against Austin Peay State University.

ings at 6-6. The Racers also extended their lead in the Battle of the Border Saturday against the Governors, with the women’s win pushing the lead to 19.5-7.5.

The Racers and Governors played a tight first half that had Murray State up just two points at halftime.

Murray State’s Head Coach Rob Cross said he was pleased with his team’s ability to compete in the second half and outplay their opponent.

“We did a great job in the second half applying pressure,” Cross said. “We out-rebounded them in the second half, which was critical. We outscored them in points in the paint, and with Banks on your team, you’re going to get a lot of points in the paint.”

The Racers will be on the road next game, tipping off at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15 Jenny Rohl/The News against Eastern Illinois, who is currently sitSophomore forward Taylor Reese pulls down a rebound against APSU. ting at 4-9 in OVC play.

The News

Sports

February 16, 2017

Page 7

Softball swings into season Robert Jaco

Contributing writer rjaco@murraystate.edu

The Murray State softball team tallied a 4-1 record over the course of three days at the Mercer Invitational last weekend.

FRIDAY

The Racers opened the season posting two wins on Friday against the Bears of Mercer University and the Vikings of Portland State. The Racers began the day with a 9-4 victory over Mercer thanks to a pair of home runs from senior catcher Jocelynn Rodgers and senior first baseman Jessica Twaddle.

After a battle for the lead in the early innings, Rodgers busted the game open for the Racers with a three-run blast, her second home run of the day. After tacking on a couple

runs a piece, the Racers closed out the win.

Murray State committed two errors early against Portland State, giving them a 1-0 lead. The lead lasted until the Racers rallied for four runs in the bottom of the third.

Freshman outfielder Kaylee Ranburger and sophomore infielders Madison Culver and Brenna Finck led the offense for the Racers as they cruised to a 5-1 win over the Vikings.

SATURDAY

Murray State began day two with another win over the University of Dayton. Senior pitcher Mason Robinson outlasted seven innings for the Racers, allowing two runs.

The offense continued their hot streak, hitting their fifth home run in three games.

Rodgers, Twaddle and senior infielder Taylor Odom posted RBIs. After holding

the lead throughout the day, Murray State went on to win the game 5-2.

Game two against Kent State, the Racers missed an opportunity with bases loaded in the top of the first inning and came away with no runs. The following bottom half inning the Golden Eagles took a commanding 4-0 lead in part by a threerun home run from junior infielder Maddy Grimm.

Culver and Odom answered three innings later, cutting the Racers deficit to three runs. Grimm notched her second three-run home run of the day to propel the Kent State offense, followed by a RBI double an inning later. The Golden Eagles won the game 14-5 because of the eight-run rule in the sixth after a two-run single from Jen Cader and three-run home run from Hunter Brancifort.

Racers seek higher OVC seed Kelly Diesel

Contributing writer kdiesel@murraystate.edu

Murray State women’s basketball team welcomes Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to the CFSB Center this at 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. This will be the Racers’ second game against SIUE this season.

Murray State won their first meeting against Cougars this season by a final score of 84-77. The Racers made 13 3-pointers in the contest and ended the game on a 19-8 run.

The Racers’ leading scorer on the season, junior forward Ke’Shunan James, tallied 23 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in the first meeting

against SIUE. That was James’ fourth double-double on the year. LeAsia Wright, senior guard, also put up 23 points and dished out three assists in the win. Murray State shot 50 percent from the floor and 43 percent from behind the 3-point line.

James and Wright lead the Racers in points per game, with James averaging 19.9 and Wright averaging 15.2. Third on the list of scoring for the Racers is junior guard Bria Bethea, who averages 10.6 and hit a clutch go-ahead 3-pointer against SIUE in their last game. Senior forward Kyra Gulledge, leads Murray State in rebounds per game with 7.8.

“I can’t say enough about what [Gulledge] does re-

bounding the basketball when we’re not getting her a lot of field goal attempts,” Cross said. “She does the dirty work for us there.”

“Anybody can go get beat by 20 on any given night in this league right now,” Cross said.

“I don’t think Belmont will get beat by 20 by anybody, but they are certainly beatable by anybody. The league is exciting, it’s going to come down to that final Saturday unfortunately for my health but that’s the way it is.”

Murray State has two games left after playing SIUE before the OVC Tournament play begins. The Racers are currently fourth in the OVC standings, trailing Tennessee Tech, Morehead State and Belmont.

ALLSTAR GAME

Taylor Family Dental

NAME

Dr. Randy Taylor, D.M.D. Dr. Rich Vonnahme, D.M.D. Dr. Anna Jayjock, D.M.D.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Jimmy Butler LeBron James DeMar DeRozan Kyrie Irving Paul George Kevin Love Kyle Lowry Paul Millsap Isaiah Thomas Kemba Walker John Wall

700 Whitnell Avenue Murray, KY 42071

(270) 753-9201

EAST NAME

ROSTER

TEAM

Milwaukee Bucks Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Toronto Raptors Cleveland Cavaliers Indiana Pacers Cleveland Cavaliers Toronto Raptors Atlanta Hawks Boston Celtics Charlotte Hornets Washington Wizards

EDITOR’S PICKS EAST

WEST

Kelsey Watznauer Connor Jaschen Hallie Beard Stephanie Elder

Collin Morris Sarah Combs Gisselle Hernandez

ROSTER

Anthony Davis Kevin Durant Kawhi Leonard Stephen Curry James Harden DeMarcus Cousins Marc Gasol Draymond Green Gordon Hayward DeAndre Jordan Klay Thompson Russell Westbrook Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon/The News

TEAM

New Orleans Pelicans Golden State Warriors San Antonio Spurs Golden State Warriors Houston Rockets Sacramento Kings Memphis Grizzlies Golden State Warriors Utah Jazz Los Angeles Clippers Golden State Warriors Oklahoma City Thunder

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SUNDAY

Murray State came to play in their rematch with Kent State on Sunday afternoon.

The Racers cruised to a 10-0 win in five innings. Murray State had a 2-0 lead after scoring a run in the first and third innings. The Racers ended the game with an eight-run fourth inning, capping off a 10-0 win.

Robinson continued her early season success with another win, shutting out five innings.

Rodgers lead the way offensively for the Racers, posting eight RBIs over the five game weekend. Twaddle contributed as well, with two home runs and four RBIs of her own. The pitching dominance of Robinson gave her a 3-0 mark, all complete games and one shutout.

Murray State is back in action Feb. 17-19, as the Racers travel to Mobile, Alabama, for the Mardi Gras Invitational.

Sarah Says Stuff 100 wins and 100 haters

In my fourth grade 4-H class, a spiffy police officer came and said we can be anything we want to be. As an adult, I cling to that.

You can be anything you want to be, just Sarah Combs please for the love of everything good don’t be a uninformed hater.

The Uconn’s women’s basketball team won its 100th [one-hundred, no extra zero here] straight game. Humanity says the sports realm will always have a pool of commen’haters but there should be rules and regulations to your opinion. You are reaching for witty bar talk banter if you support Kentucky men’s basketball, but you dislike Uconn’s women’s basketball team.

It’s entertaining to me, listening to an avid “one and done” supporter openly discredit a team because of their superiority. Do you hate them because they are superior or do you hate the fact they are doing more than your NBA draft pick breeding ground program can do? Is that coffee in your cup or misinformed herbal tea? Let’s look at some stats.

As for the 100th win over South Carolina, sophomore guard Katie Lou Samuelson leads the team in scoring with 20.8. Sophomore forward Napheesa Collier comes in a close second with 19.1. After her? Junior guard Gabby Williams with 13.1.

And finally junior guard Kia Nurse with 12.8.

Notice a pattern?

Notice how the leaders of their team aren’t sprinkled with the “one and done” mentality. Remember when UK Head Coach John Calipari said the goal of the 2015 season was to send players to the NBA instead of winning a title?

“You may think that goal was to win the national title and win all the games… It was to get eight players drafted.”

Did he seriously think that would fly with any person who knows anything about a basketball program? My. What an agenda.

This Husky program is successful because Head Coach Geno Auriemma coaches with a team-first mentality. Calipari sits on the Kentucky Wildcat household name and lures players in with promises of NBA careers.

The culture gap between former athletes who understand the game and agenda influenced sports fans is rearing its ugly head with this one. Opinions are free, but think before you hate a program that built its superiority with brick and mortar, while praising the brick wall paneling of Calipari’s coaching style.

The News

Sports

Page 8

February 16, 2017

We’re all just a kid from somewhere Blake Sandlin Staff writer

bsandlin1@murraystate.edu

As the Murray State’s men’s basketball team prepares for its final home game of the season Saturday night, a lot of the focus will be on the seniors, who will suit up for their final time in the CFSB Center. For Bryce Jones, the path to Division I basketball was more difficult than most.

Jones grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and attended high school at Boys and Girls High School.

Because of his size, Jones rarely saw the floor. He played junior varsity his first two years of high school and saw limited minutes his junior year. Despite this, Jones said he kept his head high.

“I was very small; I weighed about 130 pounds probably soaking wet playing varsity basketball,” Jones said. “I didn’t have an oppor-

“

tunity right away. I played behind three other guards – there were three other guards ahead of me, and I was the last one. I didn’t let that defeat me, though. I always knew that I could be out there one day.”

After his junior season, Jones faced more adversity.

Jones expected to receive a starting position his senior year, but he was surprised when he was forced to come

start,” Jones said. “I got overlooked once again, but I didn’t let it defeat me. They were playing mind games on me throughout that whole year, but I still stayed to the course because at the end of the day, I just wanted to win.”

In Boys and Girls High School’s 2011 season, point guard Tyliek Kimbrough suffered an injury early on, and Jones was given the chance to start for the first time.

Jones stepped up for his team, but it wasn’t enough to keep him in the starting lineup.

“When he got hurt like the third game in, I started right away and recorded my first triple-double ever in my career,” Jones said. “My first game I ever started I recorded a triple-double, and I was one steal away from a quadruple-double. The next five games I was averaging around 24 and 7 when I started. Then he came back healthy, and I got sat right back down.”

As the days in Jones’ high school career began to dwindle, so did his chances of getting recruited at the Division I level – a dream he had always had. However, just like he had all of his life, he persevered. Jones played AAU basketball during the summer after his senior year and eventually found a home in 2012 at Believe Prep Academy out of Rock Hill, South Carolina.

After a year of playing there, Jones said he wasn’t receiving any Division I offers, but he was receiving a lot of attention at the junior college level. Although Jones was hesitant to lower his standards, Believe Prep Academy Associate Head Coach Kevin Jackson told Jones he could use it as a way to get noticed by bigger Division I programs.

“Bryce thought it was just

I’m just a kid that’s never going to give up no matter where I am.

- Bryce Jones, senior guard

”

off the bench as the sixth man. This was a major roadblock for Jones, but he chose to put his opinions aside for the good of the team.

“I didn’t start my senior year; I thought I was going to be starting my senior year, but I didn’t get a chance to

Jenny Rohl/The News

Jenny Rohl/The News

Senior guard Bryce Jones recorded a triple-double in his first high school start coming off the bench for Boys and Girls Highschool in New York. the ultimate disrespect to go to junior college,” Jackson said. “I explained it to Bryce that I was a former junior college coach for many years.

I told him junior college is very tough. It’s not for little boys, and it’s not for babies.

He had no idea how powerful it was. It was another branch to get to the next level.”

Jones decided to take his talents to Jones County Junior College, a small school located in Ellisville, Mississippi. With Jones at the helm, the team claimed the 2014 NJCAA Division I National Championship against Indian Hills Community College, the No. 1 ranked junior college in the nation. The national championship gave Jones some much needed publicity on his journey to playing Division I basketball.

“A JUCO team from Mississippi has never won a national championship, and I honestly don’t think that’s

ever going to happen again,” Jones said. “But we still fought through, and we won it. That was a big accomplishment for me, and it opened up a lot of doors for my basketball career.”

Jackson’s words started to come to life as Jones began to see schools that hadn’t previously given him any interest come knocking. One of those, of course, was Murray State.

After Racer guard Cameron Payne decided to leave for the NBA, Jones saw a void that needed to be filled.

“When [Payne] decided to leave, I thought it was a nobrainer to come here,” he said. “You know, it’s a good school for point guards; they win here a lot. So I came from winning, so I wanted to keep my legacy going by winning.”

While many players face obstacles on their paths to success, most lack perseverance. That perseverance, Jackson said, is what will

have him sharing Jones’ story for years to come.

“Bryce has been a great, feel-good story man,” Jackson said. “Every kid that has gone through our program, I tell them about Bryce Jones.

He went through a lot of ups and downs, a lot of trials and tribulations, but we were able to get him right.”

Jones will soon be wrapping up his collegiate career as a Racer, and while he is unsure of what his future holds, one thing Racer Nation can be sure of is that he’s going to give it his all.

“I’m just a kid that’s never going to give up, no matter where I am,” Jones said.

“Just like after this, after I leave here, I don’t know if I’ll make it to the NBA one day, but that’s my goal. If I go overseas, it ain’t nothing. Whatever’s going to be thrown at me, I’m going to be ready for it. That’s just how I’m built.”

Track and field Tennis completes fifth away match travels to Marshall for second meet Keith Jaco

Contributing writer

rjaco@murraystate.edu

Quinnen Taylor Staff writer

qtaylor1@murraystate.edu

The Murray State women’s track and field team had nine athletes finish in the top six Friday and Saturday in the Chipotle Marshall Swieton Invitational at Marshall University.

Head Coach Jenny Swieton said she likes the team’s progression so far into the season.

“This was a great weekend for us,” Swieton said.

“We had some great performances all the way around, and with the conference meet coming up on the 24th, we’ve got quite a few that are competing at a high level.”

Jabreuna Brimlett, sophomore from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, ended the 60-meter hurdles clocked at 8.60 seconds, earning a first place finish, and she took second place in the long jump with 5.68m.

Taylor McCammon, junior from Kankakee, Illinois, finished in sixth in the 60meter hurdles with an 8.80 second performance.

The 200-meter dash resulted in a nearly identical finish, as sophomore Tamdra Lawrence from Macon,

Georgia, rounded out the first place position and freshman Norma Abdur-Rafia from Oak Park, Illinois, took second. Lawrence and Abdur-Rafia finished with times of 24.34 seconds apiece.

Murray State received third in the 5,000-meter run as Meagan Smith, junior from Danville, Kentucky, finished with a time of 17:43.43.

Murray State’s A-squad for the 4x400-meter relay finished in fourth with a time of 3:53.13 minutes. The Racers also earned sixth place with the B-squad for the

“

With the conference meet coming up on the 24th, we’ve got quite a few that are competing at a high level.

”

- Head Coach Jenny Swieton

4x400-meter relay, running 4:00.66.

Freshman Jewel Wagner from Alton, Illinois, threw 12.72 meters in shot put, earning the Racers sixth place.

The Racers will participate in the OVC Championships from Feb. 24-25 in Charleston, Illinois, followed by the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas from March 10-11.

The Murray State tennis team e a r n e d their first win of the season Friday, notching a 5-2 match win over the Arkansas State RedCaetano wolves.

The only struggles for the Racers came in singles losses from Anja Loncarevic and Sara Loncarevic, sisters from Guilherand-Granges, France.

The Racers’ success came in both singles and doubles where they won two of their

three matches. The Loncarevic sisters and sophomore Jeanne Masson, from Dinard, France, and freshman Sara Bjork, from Malmo, Sweden, took home doubles wins.

The Racers entered their match Friday still without a win, giving Head Coach Jorge Caetano and the team a chance to capture win number one.

Caetano said Friday’s matchup with Arkansas State was important.

“Friday’s match was really important to us,” Caetano said.

“I think every match we played we played better and better, the girls are feeling more comfortable on the court.”

Murray State followed up their win on Friday with two matches on Sunday, including a morning match against the Central Arkansas Bears

and a night match against the Southern Illinois Salukis. The Racers struggled early against the Bears, dropping the match 4-2. Caetano’s young team played well against an inexperienced Saluki team posting a 5-2 win and splitting the day’s matches.

In the win over SIU, freshman Anja Locarevic won the deciding third set point against junior Xiwea Cai, from Tianjin, China, capturing the 5-2 victory. The Racers placed victories in doubles with wins from pairs Masson and Bjork, as well as Anja Loncarevic and sophomore Amina Hadzic, from Esbjerg, Denmark.

After losing the morning match, Caetano said he was pleased with his team’s resilience in pulling out a win

over SIU. “In singles this weekend I think what went really well was the will of these girls to battle and try and win these matches” Caetano said.

While the Racers played well later in the day, Caetano said he still concerned with a few aspects of his team’s play and has hopes for improvement.

“We need to play a little smarter on the key points,” Caetano said.

The Racers’ split decision Sunday brought them to a 2-3 record on the year. Murray State is back in action at 9 a.m. on Feb. 19-20 as the Racers travel to Tennessee to take on East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tennessee, and Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

TENNIS SINGLES RESULTS Match 1

Match 2

Match 3

Match 4

Match 5

Overall

Sara Bjork

L

L

W

W

L

2-3

Claire Chang

L

W

-

-

W

2-1

Amina Hadzic

-

-

W

W

W

3-0

Sara Loncarevic

L

L

L

L

W

1-4

Anja Loncarevic

L

W

L

L

W

2-3

Jeanne Masson

-

L

W

L

-

1-2

Hannah Rickard

L

-

-

-

-

0-1

Alina Schibol

L

L

W

L

L

1-4

Mesa Trimm

-

-

-

-

-

0-0

Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon/The News

The News

Page 9

February 16, 2017 Features Editor: Gisselle Hernandez Assistant Features Editor: Emily Williams Phone: 270-809-5871 Twitter: MSUNewsFeatures

Features

Something’s fishy with your Sweetheart

l i s t of red flags for people to be aware of. These warning signs caution against a person who claims to be in love very early on, refuses to meet in person, demands the relationship be kept secret and urges for money and gift cards to be sent overseas.

If you watch the MTV show “Catfish,” some of this may sound familiar.

“Catfish” refers to a person who lures someone into an online relationship with a fictional persona. The term was coined after the documentary that started the TV show.

Jana Hackathorn, assistant professor of psychology at Murray State, said catfish are lonely people with social anxieties, a low self-esteem and a need to belong. She said most catfish pretend to be someone else, a person who is living a fabulous but fictitious life and are successful in that endeavor.

“Their behavior is reinforced because when they created the false persona, someone fell in love with it,” Hackathorn said. “Why wouldn’t you want to continue to be that person?

Why would you want to go back to your old boring life when you have a person online

Sydni Anderson

Staff writer

sanderson33@murraystate.edu

You’ve seen it on TV, online and maybe in real life. With the advent of the internet, love games have been taken to a new level of predation. Two weeks ago, the Kentucky Attorney General’s office released a letter warning of “Sweetheart Scams.” According to the note, online dating scams stole more than $80,000 from Kentuckians last year.

Attorney General Andy Beshear said the new year and Valentine’s Day attract scammers who want to exploit those seeking new friendships and relationships. In addition, the note provided a

who is writing you love poems and falling in love with your persona?”

Hackathorn said human beings have a fundamental need to belong.

“It is who we are as social beings, and it drives the vast majority of our behaviors, even the negative ones,” Hackathorn said. “It’s a complicated construct, but at the end of the day, it is what motivates us.

The need for romantic connections stems from that same need to belong mixed in with some very biological and evolutionary needs, as well. It’s a Molotov cocktail for love, so to speak.”

Just as a need to belong can motivate catfish, it also contributes to people being susceptible to scams and catfishing.

In his warning, Beshear expressed the importance of sharing caution.

“We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers – and this is especially true when it comes to helping our friends and family avoid falling victim to a scam,” Beshear wrote. “I encourage everyone to call or visit with those they care for this month, especially younger or older relatives who may live alone or be lonely, and discuss scams and help them to know the common warning signs.”

Graphic courtesy of Austin Gordon/The News

HOW ONE BECOMES A CATFISH:

1

Crafting a persona

Catfish will use other people’s pictures and create a backstory to form a fictional identity.

2

Luring victims

Catfish will say exactly what people want to hear.

3

Claiming love too fast

Catfish claim to be in love very early on.

4

The process of building diversity Da’Sha Tuck || Staff writer dtuck@murraystate.edu

Accuracy and attention to detail are two important concepts when working to build diversity at Murray State through international recruitment.

Bill McKibben, director for international enrollment and retention, believes international enrollment is extremely important for post-secondary institutions.

“This is an untapped enrollment source for new students to the university,” McKibben said.

GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS

Because international enrollment is so important, Murray State takes an in-depth approach to recruiting. They do this by first completing an “institutional analysis” to decide which destinations would provide the maximum result.

Weihong Gao, English as a Second Language (ESL) director and interim director of international recruitment, said the most common countries pursued are in East Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.

The next step in the recruitment process is for Murray State recruiters to take trips to those countries and attend education fairs, visit partner universities, high schools and recruiting agencies, Gao said.

This process also includes meeting with the prospective students and their families.

Gao said recruiters usually take two trips a semester.

After the trip has concluded, these recruiters remain in contact with the potential students, encouraging them to apply to Murray State. This connection is kept up through what is called armchair recruiting – contact maintained through email campaigns, social media, Skype, etc.

Gao said Murray State has been doing well with bringing in more diversity to the campus through international enrollment.

“Given our location and limited number of programs at the graduate level we are pleased,” she said.

Once applications have been completed, the International Admissions Office starts processing the potential students’ applications.

Murray State currently hosts more than 700 international students from more than 60 countries, Gao said.

This includes 560 students taking university classes and those enrolled in ESL courses.

Even once all the paperwork has been completed and these new students arrive in the U.S., the work is not finished.

The International Admissions Office even goes as far as arranging airport pickup for these new students and transportation to Murray.

Several other support avenues are offered by the International Admissions Office once they are settled on cam-

pus. Translators are readily available, students are assisted with their residential check-in process and are even helped with tasks like setting up bank accounts.

Gao said having international students enrolled at Murray State positively impacts the campus as well as the Murray community. She said it is beneficial to the American students to be exposed to different cultures.

“

Students are the future of one’s country. Having global citizens who are well-versed in different cultures will help ensure our world is a better place.

”

- Bill McKibben, director for international enrollment and retention.

“Having a diversified student body aids in breaking down negative cultural connotations and helps eliminate some common stereotypes,” McKibben said.

FROM THE STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Nadia Khan, graduate nonprofit leadership student from northern Pakistan, has been attending Murray State for more than a year.

Khan first heard about Murray State through her academic advisor in Pakistan.

She is currently working as a registered agent with Murray State’s International Admissions Office.

She said her decision to attend Murray State was not difficult because Murray State had academic programs that intrigued her. Khan said the rest was history.

Coming to America was a bit of a culture shock, Khan said.

“The people here are more casual and friendly, traveling is more expensive, fast food is common among youngsters and the weather is unpredictable in this country,” she said.

“One thing I like is how Americans love coffee and I love coffee.”

Khan said she feels accepted and included in all aspects of her life on campus. She works in the International Admissions Office as a graduate assistant.

Although she feels accepted in Murray, one drawback is being so far away from family. Khan said this is an area where the International Admissions Office could help more.

“The international recruitment office needs to work on the effective communication and understand that these students who are coming all the way from another part of the world need moral support,” Khan said.

Create excuses

Catfish will make up excuses as to why they can’t meet their victim in person or video chat.

5

Ask for money

Catfish will scam their victims out of money by asking for checks or gift cards to be sent to them.

Alpha Gams kiss away hunger Nick Erickson Staff writer

nerickson@murraystate.edu

Alpha Gamma Delta is aiming to make a difference this February, as they held their “XOXO Gossip Squirrel” event last week and also will be holding a blood drive at Murray State in correlation to the sorority’s Annual Week of Service.

The sorority’s fourth annual “XOXO Gossip Squirrel” event was held in the Curris Center on Feb. 8-10. Using the tagline, “Kiss Away Hunger,” bags of Hershey’s Kisses were sold for $3 to raise money for ending world hunger. Attached to each bag was a valentine, which Greeks could give to other Greeks.

Philanthropy coordinator Hattie Grinn said raising money for the cause is important to her and her sisters.

“Raising money to fight hun-

ger is something we love to do,” Grinn said. “There is so much work behind it, and it takes each sister for a successful event.”

Grinn said the name came from fellow sorority sister, Rachel Ross, when the group was searching for a philanthropic event.

“Since Gossip Girl was a popular television show at the time, it fit well,” Madison Barletto, organizer for the event, said.

“Plus, it’s held very close to Valentine’s Day.” As the event was underway, the sorority kept score of which fraternity and sorority received the most valentines. On Wednesday, Kappa Delta took first place sorority, with Alpha Sigma Alpha and Delta Zeta taking second and third place, respectively. Sigma Chi took first place fraternity, with Pi Kappa

see AGD, page 10

Jenny Rohl//TheNews

Alpha Gamma Delta sisters selling goodies bags to raise money for world hunger.

The News

Features

Page 10

February 16, 2017

Doggie Day Spa Largest in three years Emily Williams

Assistant Features Editor ewilliams15@murraystate.edu

Around 70 of Murray State’s Animal Health Technology/Pre-Veterinary Club members were able to gain hands-on experience, as well as bond with furry friends, at one of the largest annual Doggie Day Spa and Pet ID Clinics on Saturday, Feb. 11 at the A. Carman Animal Health Technology Center.

The event drew a crowd of more than 300 community members and their fourlegged friends, who had the option of receiving a bath for $10, an ear cleaning and a nail trim for $8, or “the works” – a bath, ear cleaning and nail trim – for $15. Microchipping was also available.

Bailey Spillman, junior from Louisville, Kentucky, and fundraising chair for the Animal Health Technology/ Pre-Veterinary Club, said it was her third year partici-

Chalice Keith/The News

AGD From Page 10 Alpha and Alpha Tau Omega in second and third.

Hannah Combs, sophomore from Hazard, Kentucky, said participating in the event is a fun and useful way to spread awareness.

“Everyone needs to be aware that people go to bed hungry every night,” Combs said. “It’s up to us to put an end to it, and this event is one of more interactive ways to accomplish this.”

The sorority also partnered with the American Red Cross for the blood drive, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 16-17.

Barletto said a table will be set up at the Curris Center. There, students will be able to find information about the blood drive, including where to sign up. The drive is open to anyone who is eligible to give blood.

Students must sign up online at redcrossblood.org and enter the password “MSUKY” in order to schedule their donation appointment.

Read more at TheNews.org.

Jenny Rohl//TheNews

pating in Doggie Day Spa. “This is the biggest Doggie Day Spa I have personally ever worked,” she said. “And I’ve been here three years.”

Spillman said they raised $3,288 and that they saw the same number of dogs – 216 – that they typically see on AHT Day. To her, it was a huge deal.

“To see that many dogs in a shorter time frame was a significant difference from the 125-150 dogs we normally see on Doggie Day Spas,” she said.

The event also allows for the opportunity for pre-vet students to practice their essential skills.

“This event is a great community builder,” Spillman said. “We have everybody come out here, everyone gets exposure to the club, the club gets exposure to the community. It’s just this big, family event for everybody.”

Spillman said the proceeds from the event go toward the Pre-Vet Tech Club and help with funding for activities such as their Mutt Strut, a 5K they put on annually.

Dakota Parrish, senior from Murray, brought her dog, Oakley, to the event.

“We got the works, so that’s his ears, his nails and his bath,” Parrish said. “He

weighs 115 pounds so I’d rather have more hands than just me.”

Parrish said she heard about the event through her sorority sisters of Alpha Delta Pi who are pre-vet and posted about the event on their Facebook page.

“I frequently visit our Humane Society and I love it,” Parrish said. “They do so much for our community and everybody there is just so wonderful.”

Leah Collins, freshman from Bowling Green, Kentucky, said it was her very first time participating in Doggie Day Spa and she really enjoyed the experience.

“I’m in the small animal dry room so that’s pretty fun,” Collins said. “It’s a little challenging but that’s what we want; we want challenges.”

Collins said she hopes to move back to Bowling Green, when she graduates from Murray State and work for a large/small animal veterinarian since she has been around livestock since she was a young girl and has a passion for animals. She said she is thankful for events like Doggie Day Spa to help her prepare for her future as a veterinarian.

Annual Sabor Latino showcases food, culture, talent Gisselle Hernandez Features Editor

ghernandez1@murraystate.edu

Murray State students came together for a night of authentic Latin foods, cultural dances and traditional board games for the annual Sabor Latino hosted

by Sueño Latino, the Hispanic club in the office of Multicultural Affairs, on Friday in the Curris Center Ballroom. ​ The event is usually put on in the fall semester but was pushed to spring to allow for more planning, said S.G. Carthell, senior director for diversity initiatives.

“Whenever [an event] is in the spring, I don’t know, it seems like it’s so much better,” Carthell said.

The reason for this, he believes, is later in the fall people try to get ready for the winter, and when students get into the spring, they come back from break and there’s “a kind of excitement to come together and do things.” ​He said it was also better to have it in the spring as there are currently exchange students from Honduras and other Hispanic countries at Murray State who were able to participate at the event. ​The event began with an introduction from President Bob Davies welcoming the crowd with Hispanic student Zuleyka Valdes as his translator.

“Tonight is about sharing culture,” Davies said. “In these times, we must continue to come together because that is what America is about.” ​The next item on the agenda was a famous Latin board game

Chalice Keith/The News

(Top) Foreign exchange students perform traditional dance. (Bottom) students present on Puerto Rico. called La Loteria, which is very similar to bingo. After prizes were awarded to the game winners, authentic traditional Latin food was served. As people indulged in the dishes, they applauded Valdes while she sang a song in Spanish. Presentations from different countries then ensued, with Nicaraguan exchange students presenting on their country and performing tradi-

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HIRING Pick up an application at 111 Wilson Hall or apply online at thenews.org/apply

tional Nicaraguan dances. As Panama, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Honduras gave their presentations, they touched on each of their country’s foods, festivities and history. ​ Don Robertson, vice president of Student Affairs, said he has been to all three of the Sabor Latino events, including this one. He said it’s one of the traditions he looks forward to,

and it is very important.

“It’s a great event, so I mark it early on my calendar so I can be here,” he said. “It’s once again the sharing of culture with our American students and a way of celebrating a different culture. It also shows the students from different countries how important they are to us, so we want to help them feel welcome.”

Sabor Latino is one of the many events the office of Multicultural Affairs sponsors, and Carthell said it’s designed to build a critical mass. The event allows students to have certain affinities and come together and participate without a lot of pressure or worrying about budget.

“We cover everything for them, and it’s also a retention piece for us because we get them connected to our resources in the office,” Carthell said.

The event is free, but the office budgets for these types of cultural events. Carthell said they also have very generous alumni who donate to the office as well.

“We get support from Student Affairs, but I budget for this, I mean this is a part of our office, part of what we do,” Carthell said. “There is a pretty good cost to it, but if you look around the room you can see that it’s worth it. This is what makes it amazing: when everybody shows up.”

He said the first time they put on the event, it was in the dance lounge, and the response was good.

“We had a really good crowd and, of course, you know our Hispanic progress is really

U.S. 641 N. Murray 270-753-9622 Circus Skate Murray, KY

small here, so to have support like this is really important for the students so they can see they are valued,” Carthell said.

The Sueño Latino club consists of about five or six students, even though there are around 60-70 Latin students on campus. Carthell said scheduling conflicts can make it quite difficult to get all the students together. He said the students play a big role, especially because the office has only two staff members. He brought his leadership team – a group of volunteering students – to help with the event.

“It’s just another opportunity afforded for people to learn about different cultures from a hands-on perspective; we see students and cultures from their eyes as well,” he said.

Robertson gave the parting words as the event came to a close, thanking everyone for taking the chance to appreciate different cultures.

Osvaldo Rojas, junior from Murray, was one of the many attendees at Sabor Latino. It was his second time attending the event, and he said it was much bigger than last year’s.

Rojas said he liked that it got people involved in learning different cultures and not just one specifically.

“I think especially for exchange students, sometimes they may feel like they are not as involved with the university,” he said. “So I think events like this helps bring everyone closer together, and it makes them feel part of the Murray State experience and not just that they’re visiting, but that they’re actually welcome here.”

The News

Features

February 16, 2017

Under the Radar

Big Sean brings the grit Nick Erickson || Staff writer nerickson@murraystate.edu

Photo courtesy of pinterest.com

Mayer plays Cupid Valentine’s Day was just a little bit sweeter this year if you follow John Mayer on Instagram. In light of the season of love, Mayer posted a video of himself singing a little tune meant to unite crushes all across the globe, asking his followers to tag their crush in the comments. The jingle he sang went a little something like this: “Somebody’s stalking you/ Somebody wants to talk to you/ Somebody wants to take a walk with you/Somebody wants for you to follow them, too/So you got a crush, ain’t it nice to know?”

He then ended the video by being adorably awkward and stating, “It’s my job to connect people, so have a good time.” How sweet, J. Mayer. But what about you? Will you be our crush? You know we’d send you a Valentine any day.

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When rapper Big Sean released “Dark Sky Paradise” in 2015, he treaded into a more serious, moody tone. With his newest studio release, “I Decided,” the Detroit-native proves to have matured even further, not only as an artist, but as a person.

An album loosely based off the concept that each decision in his life has changed him in a certain way, the beats and message have as much grit as ever.

The album kicks off with the dramatic “Intro,” which features the voice of an old man telling someone he’s wasted at his dead-end job the past 45 years. The track quickly bleeds into “Light,” where Sean raps over the bluesy sound of a Rhodes piano. Sean’s crisp voice sounds confident as he raps over singer Jeremih’s smooth singing voice. “Even if you take away my life, you can’t take the light,” the two sing. “No

matter how much they gonna shade you.”

“Bounce Back” picks up the pace as a trap beat paves the way for Sean to quickly rap over subtle bass booms, resolving into piano. Legendary rapper Eminem features on “No Favors,” where he and Sean both trade lines off rapping how they didn’t need help to get to top of the rap scene.

While far from humble, the boldness of this track is admirable, and the instrumental backing Sean and Eminem is undeniably hard-hitting.

Piano loop-driven “Owe Me” is a stand-out track merely for its creative use of chord-hits and vocal rhythms. Here, Sean opens up to a former lover, telling them he’s moving on. The combination of keyboards, a faint train whistle and an ominous vocal chant add an almost unsettling atmosphere to the aura of “Halfway Off The Balcony.” The ending of “Voices In My Head/Stick To The Plan” proves Sean has the speed and vocal chops to stay relevant

among many of the newer artists in the scene.

Closer “Bigger Than Me” features the astonishing accompaniment of the Flint Chozen Choir and utilizes one of the catchiest synth intros in modern rap. The choruses are bombastic and soulful, as Sean sings, blending together with the multipiece harmonies of the choir. Concluding with a phone-call between Sean and his mother, the two talk of his future and his realization that his career is his “chance to go back and make it all right.”

With “I Decided,” Sean continues to distance himself from writing “party” songs about clubbing, and onto tackling his introspective thoughts. Though the writing has developed, Sean’s signature flair of humor in his bars is far from gone.

“I Decided” is the most musically-dynamic rap record since Kanye West’s “The Life of Pablo,” and that is a huge comparison Sean deservingly lives up to.

Photo courtesy of lovebscott.com

Lego Batman Well-Constructed Photo courtesy of hellomagazine.com

Adele’s Do-Over The Grammys were Sunday night and just in case you didn’t get to tune in, you have some catching up to do. After last year’s award show mishap where Adele blamed her odd-sounding performance on a piano mic falling on the piano strings, the singer encountered yet another unfortunate mistake on Sunday night.

During her tribute to George Michael, Adele decided she didn’t like the way it was sounding. She then cursed, apologized for cursing and asked the band to start the tune again, stating, “I know it’s live TV – I’m sorry. But I can’t do it again like last year. I can’t mess this up for him.” The singer got her do-over, sang without interruption and cried when the crowd applauded when she was finished with her tribute. You go, Adele.

Sometimes we just need a second chance, right?

Grant Dillard

Contributing writer gdillard@murraystate.edu

After the success of 2014’s smash hit comedy film, “The Lego Movie,” it only made sense to release a spinoff film based around one of its most popular characters: Lego Batman. What could have easily been a lazy cash-in on the Lego brand and the Batman name actually manages to be just as great as “The Lego Movie,” as well as being one of the best Batman movies of all time.

The movie focuses on Batman (Will Arnett) doing his typical superhero duties: saving Gotham City, stopping the bad guys and looking cool while doing all those things, all of which moviegoers are most likely familiar with at this point.

But despite all the praise and glory he gets from Gotham’s citizens, Batman feels depressed because he doesn’t have a family like he used to as a child. He prefers to work alone, despite having his butler,

Alfred (Ralph Fiennes), as well as other allies including Dick Grayson (Michael Cera) and Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) who are constantly telling him he needs to learn to work together with them. Meanwhile, The Joker (Zack Galifianakis) plans to destroy Gotham City, all while trying to make Batman admit that he is the dark knight’s greatest enemy, pretty much like a twisted romance film.

The characters that help the film stand out the most are Batman and the Joker. In this movie, Batman is a straight-up narcissist. He takes every chance he gets to gloat about how awesome he is, but deep down, he feels lonely. He always wants to work alone, but only because he doesn’t want to lose anyone he cares about, like he lost his parents. The Joker is also handled brilliantly, always obsessing about getting Batman to tell him that he hates him. It’s like a romantic comedy in reverse, and it leads to a lot of entertaining encounters between

the two.

“The Lego Batman Movie” is fast paced and has a great sense of humor. The film takes full advantage of the history of the Batman character. Several forms of Batman filmography are given humorous references: from the Adam West TV series to “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” and even last year’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

The first act is the funniest, hands down, where Batman takes on nearly all of his villains. The amount of gags is so gigantic; it may even take multiple viewings to catch all of them. The second and third acts don’t have as much humor as the first, but they take the time to develop the characters and make them interesting.

With great characters and really clever comedy, “The Lego Batman Movie” is more than just a typical animated kids film. It appeals to Batman fans, both young and old, as well as casual viewers looking for an entertaining family movie.

Just So You Know

It’s worth it

“Well, you’ll have to learn.”

I looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

“Dad, I can’t possibly learn stickshift in less than a week,” I protested.

“You can, and you have to. This was the only car Gisselle Hernandez I could get, plus it’d be good for Features Editor you to learn to drive standard.”

This is the conversation I had with my dad in the fall of 2015, when he drove up my little Mazda from Texas for me because he didn’t like hearing I was walking home from the newsroom at 1 a.m. on production nights. When he told me he got me a car over the summer, I was excited and grateful, but I’d be lying if I said the thought of driving a manual car in the United States – where traffic is totally different from Belize – didn’t scare me a bit. I vowed to myself I would learn how to drive manual by the end of the summer, but even after Dad taught me the basics, I did not keep up on my promise. I tried practicing, but with no manual cars ourselves, it was difficult to master. When August came, I was anxiously waiting for my car to get in.

When the Mazda finally arrived, I remember my dad asking me to drive us to school. I was terrified – I thought he was going to teach me some more first.

To sum it up, my first week in Murray with a manual car was complete, utter hell. If you really want to test your patience, try to learn how to drive a stick. I remember just breaking down whenever my car stalled at stop lights and a whole line of people would honk at me from behind. I remember my poor friend almost hitting her head on the dashboard a million times when I was trying to master shifting gears (yeah, it was that bad).

The ultimate test was my first ever concert (Twenty One Pilots in Nashville, Tennessee), when I had to drive in a big U.S. city for the first time. I could barely drive in a city in an automatic without having a panic attack, but I knew I had to (which shows how much I love this band). It was the most challenging thing to ever to happen to me.

It sounds dramatic, but we are talking about someone who’s used to driving in only one-lane traffic her entire adult life, even on a major highway.

Belize isn’t big enough to have highways, interstates or huge overpasses, so this was new. However, I managed to get back to Murray in one piece, albeit with a huge migraine and a little nausea.

You have to go through something a little grueling to appreciate how rewarding it feels. For me, it was whenever someone was impressed by me being able to drive stick. Learning this may seem like an insignificant thing, but I never thought I would drive in the U.S. to begin with – much less in a car many people my age can’t drive. It made me believe in myself more and made me think of my favorite band’s words when they won their first Grammy this weekend: “Anyone from anywhere can do anything.”

Soundbyte “I’m gonna talk.

Y’all can play the music if you want.”

-Chance the Rapper, in one of his three acceptance speeches at the Grammys, after the band attempted to play him off the stage

Out this week

Photo courtesy of usmacmillan.com

Read It

“Drop the Ball” Tiffany Dufu

Photo courtesy of movieinsider.com

See It

“The Great Wall”

Photo courtesy of yeproc.com

Hear It

Northern Passages

Photo courtesy of IMDb.com

Rent It “Arrival”

Photo courtesy of microsoft.com

Play It

“Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition”

Page 12

The News

February 16, 2017