The Murray State News

M

THE MUR R AY STATE

NEWS

Katlyn Mackie

Contributing writer kmackie2@murraystate.edu

Racers fall short

Page 7

90 years of excellence

March 9, 2017 | Vol. 91, No. 21

Race for the Presidency

Lucas Reed

Ashley Traylor || Staff writer

GIVING BACK

atraylor@murraystate.edu

Lucas Reed, junior from Paducah, Kentucky, became involved with SGA last year and held the position of government relations chairman during this time. Now, he has his sights set on the presidency.

He said he believes becoming president is one of the many ways he could give back to Murray State.

“Having some of my ideas benefit other organizations or some of the organizations that I had been a part of – and then also benefit the university as a whole, because they have given me so much more than an education – is great,” Reed said.

He said one of his goals would be to make SGA more known throughout the community by using social media to post a Google Calendar of SGA events.

He said he also hopes to make information more accessible to the public through Facebook or Twitter live feeds of the business meetings.

Reed said he has also been looking at making print copies in Waterfield Library free.

“The university doesn’t really make that much money [off the copies], they barely break even on it half the time,” Reed said. “I would like to make those free to students because it’s like that at other universities as well.”

Clint Combs first stint as a student representative came in sixth grade, where he served on student council. At that moment, budget cuts never even crossed his mind. Almost 10 years later, though, they took center stage as Combs readied himself for a possible second term as Student Government Association president at Murray State.

Faced with Gov. Matt Bevin’s proposed budget cuts, Combs was in a position to lead gavel-inhand, far from where he was his freshman year. In fact, Combs struggled to make headway into the organization he now leads until his junior year, when he was selected senator-at-large.

Campaigning began immediately when he was elected as senator-at-large.

“I really knew I would’ve enjoyed running for president as soon as I stepped on campus,” Combs said.

Combs ran for SGA president in 2015 and 2016, winning both elections. In 2015, he won 38 percent of the vote in a three-way race against his opponents, Luke King and Michael Mann. The next year, he defeated his opponent, Patrick Hooks, by 500 votes.

“I’ve always had a passion to represent my peers,” Combs said. “And I feel like I’ve been blessed with some ability to lead and I think through the years, I’ve really been able to hone in and work on my abilities to represent people and know how to look past my own personal views to a much larger group.”

Because of Bevin’s university budget cuts, SGA experienced a 22 percent funding cut, which brought challenges to his presidency.

Combs lobbied for Murray State students to ensure academic programs and student services

see COMBS, page 2

How to vote

Voting opens on myGate at 12:01 a.m. on March 13 and goes on until 11:59 p.m. on March 14. The new president will be announced on March 15 at 5 p.m. in Winslow Dining Hall.

McKenna Dosier/The News

Tori Wood

ADVOCACY Tori Wood, junior from Symsonia, Kentucky, has been involved with SGA for the past two years and said she wants to be a voice for the student body.

“I genuinely believe that students on campus deserve to have a voice, and I think they should have someone that positively represents them and is willing to fight for them,” Wood said.

“I think that my leadership and my administration will be able to help advocate for students.”

Wood has previously served as a senator, chief of staff and vice president of administration during her time with SGA. Wood said she believes SGA is not properly publicized. She said she plans to help properly market SGA so it can function to its full capabilities.

“Within my campaign, I have worked very hard to market the administration that I have, so I know that within my time, hopefully, as president I won’t just say that I’ll do it, I’ve already done it,” Wood said.

Wood said she wants to see change on campus and be able to represent the whole student body. She said all of her experiences and leadership positions have allowed her to gain an understanding of SGA and prepared her for the role.

Wood said she urges people to be aware of changes on campus like budget cuts for higher education, Health Services and parking and said she plans to advocate for the student body for these changes.

“Essentially, I just want people to vote,” Wood said. “We as students are able to decide who sits in that position.

Even if it’s not me, I just want them to be able to know that they had a voice and a person that represented them.”

Graphic by Austin Gordon/The News

Enrollment drops again Lindsey Coleman Staff writer lcoleman7@murraystate.edu

This semester marks the second year of decline in spring enrollment at Murray State, dropping 5 percent since last year.

Despite the decline in enrollment, transfer applications and acceptances are up.

“This is encouraging for the Fall 2017 freshmen and transfer classes and hitting our enrollment targets,” said Fred Dietz, associate vice president of enrollment management. “Last year we were up in freshmen applications as well, and we were able to hit our freshmen enrollment target.”

The freshman retention rate rose from 72 to 74 per-

100 days of

TRUMP Collin Morris

Assistant Sports Editor cmorris29@murraystate.edu

Seven weeks into the reign of the new supermajority, President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have fulfilled their recurring campaign goal of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. The GOP’s newly-revealed health care bill, titled the “American Health Care Act,” will retain aspects of former President Barack Obama’s signature achievement including protection of patients with pre-existing conditions and allowing individuals under the age of 26 to remain on their parents’ insurance plan.

According to The New York Times, the proposal will greatly

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The costs abroad cent last year.

Though lower enrollment affects the university in many ways, Dietz said the loss of tuition revenue is the hardest hit area. Steps are being taken to increase enrollment and capitalize on increased retention in the coming years.

GRADUATE ENROLLMENT

Robert Pervine, associate provost for graduate education and research, said overall graduate enrollment dropped 17 percent over the past five years.

Of the 189 fewer students

see ENROLLMENT, page 2

Week 7, Day 49

Repeal, replace limit the tax credit allocated to adults on the lower end of the economic spectrum and cut funding to federal Medicaid programs.

Simultaneously, the piece of legislation being referred to as “Trumpcare” and “Republicare” will provide new subsidies for upper-middle class and rich individuals. It also removes a tax implemented by the Affordable Care Act on the incomes of insurance executives.

On Monday, four Republican senators from various states wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell voicing their concerns with the bill’s intent to reverse Medicaid expansion, which they deem valuable to their respective states. The GOP can afford only two opposing Republicans.

www.TheNews.org

Trump took to Twitter Tuesday afternoon to praise the American Health Care Act. “Our wonderful new Healthcare Bill is now out for review and negotiation. ObamaCare is a complete and total disaster – is imploding fast!” Trump wrote.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who is also a physician, has been a vocal opponent of the bill for weeks, calling it “Obamacare lite.”

Less than 24 hours prior, on Monday, Trump also signed a second executive order on travel, reinstituting the ban on immigrant and refugee admittance into the U.S. The revised order eliminates Iraq from the order, leaving Iran, Somalia,

see TRUMP, page 2

@TheMurrayStateNews

Rising tuition and limited resources create hurdles for international Racers

Lindsey Coleman Staff writer

lcoleman7@murraystate.edu

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the 2014 school year, the average cost of undergraduate tuition, fees, room and board in America was estimated at $16,188 for public institutions.

Top Ten Online Colleges estimates that tuition rates and fees are generally cheaper around the world than in America. The average semester cost is $11,865 in Japan, $5,077 in Mexico and $5,288 in Great Britain.

For full-time Murray State students, tuition runs anywhere from $4,200 to $11,340, depending on the student’s residency status. International students at Murray State pay the out of state tuition rate: $11,340 per semester.

Don Robertson, vice president for Student Affairs, and Bill McKibben, director for International Enrollment and Retention, explained the lengths the university goes to in order to make the more than 500 international students’ experiences on campus affordable.

“We work very hard, as we do with all students, to keep it as affordable as we can because we know the value of having internationals on this campus,” Robertson said. “It makes us more of a global campus. It’s important for our American students to

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have that exposure.”

He said Murray State recognizes a substantial cost is involved when coming to America. For visa purposes, international students must show a financial guarantee that they can pay for one year tuition before coming to America.

Robertson said the university tries to hire international students on campus to help offset costs. These jobs are typically at Winslow Dining Hall, the Curris Center and the Wellness Center.

McKibben said they try to make sure international students are well aware of the costs before they arrive.

Although international students don’t qualify for federal financial aid, they do qualify for some scholarships through the university.

The Global Outreach Scholarship is one opportunity for international students: full-time undergraduate students receive a $2,500 waiver applied to their tuition cost each semester, and graduate students receive a $3,000 waiver per semester.

“That’s very helpful for the international students, but that price hasn’t increased,” McKibben said. “As tuition has increased, it really hasn’t had much of an impact.”

Another scholarship opportunity, the International Leadership Scholarship, is only awarded to five students per

year, selected based on their grades, community service and leadership qualities. The scholarship awards in-state tuition rates for the recipients.

To study in the U.S., international students must obtain a student visa, which according to the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs, costs $160 to apply for, and depending on the country, there may be other fees involved.

Howard Li, exchange student from Taiwan, said this semester he is taking ESL along with his other university classes, which has significantly increased the cost of his tuition. His trip to America alone cost roughly $1,500 round-trip.

In Taiwan, he said a semester would have cost around $1,500 USD. Now, he’s paying $11,340

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@MurrayStateNews

see COST, page 2

CORRECTION On Thursday, March 2, The Murray State News named a football player who had seizures due to the ‘rolling’ punishment in the story, “Racer refuses to roll.” While the student did have seizures, they were not caused by the rolling punishment.

The News regrets the error.

COST From Page 1 USD for tuition this semester at Murray State.

In addition, extra residential costs and meal plan expenses are added. Li lives in the newly renovated Richmond Residen-

COMBS From Page 1 did not take a hard hit from the cuts.

He also created the Racers in Action program, which helped students to send 241 letters to 47 legislators concerning higher education.

Combs organized the Rally for Education. He confirmed political speakers and invited public and private universities to the Capitol to prioritize higher education.

“That was a really unique opportunity and really unique experience,” he said. “It was a very stressful one, but I think it was a very successful one as well.”

He spent time restructuring the internal organization by updating the constitution, student senate formats, office hours, committee meetings and created an online agenda

The News

News

Page 2 tial College on campus.

“I think it’s too much,” Li said. “I can understand that the tuition is expensive, but the residence cost is hilarious.”

Despite financial expenses, Li said his time at Murray State has been worth it to him.

“If I stayed home, there would have been a lot of things I couldn’t have experi-

enced,” Li said.

Abraham Akabekwa, freshman from Nigeria, said he plans to earn a bachelor’s degree at Murray State and eventually go back to Nigeria to work in a hospital, but paying around $13,000 per semester for housing, his meal plan and fees is taking a toll on him.

“It’s a really hard situation,” Akabekwa said. “To me the

to cut down on printing costs.

Under Combs leadership, the SGA website was modernized, two new security poles were installed on the south end of campus and a computer bank and meal bank program were created, among other things.

“I really hope a lot of that work I put in on the internal part of SGA, our next group will continue to work with that and strengthen it even further,” Combs said.

Combs said serving as SGA president has been a humbling experience and has bettered him as a person. He said this position has made him value empowering others.

“If there’s something that they’re passionate about, then empowering them to pursue that and not trying to be that guy who gets all the glory and praise,” Combs said. “That might’ve been exciting at some point, but I really just enjoy seeing a win for students.”

March 9, 2017

economy is dead in Nigeria.”

He said the exchange rate in Nigeria makes paying for college even harder – $1 in the U.S. is equal to 317 naira in Nigeria.

“I’m kind of disappointed, because I have this American dream,” he said.

But that dream is fading for him as he feels the weight of paying for college, Akabekwa said.

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TRUMP From Page 1 Sudan, Libya, Syria and Yemen the affected states. It also removes previously specified preferences given to refugees of a minority religion in their respected states – which were in all cases majority Muslim.

On March 2, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that newly-confirmed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had

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two conversations, including one in private, with the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak, as well as other interactions with Russian officials at the Republican National Convention.

These revelations contradict Sessions’ previous statements, as he testified under oath during his confirmation that he “did not have communications with the Russians.”

Since the knowledge of the communications was made public, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Senate Minority Leader Chuck

Schumer, among other Democratic officials, have called for Sessions’ resignation.

The attorney general opted to recuse himself late last week, separating himself from investigations into the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia.

Sessions has since claimed he had conversations with Kislyak as a senator but not as a member of Trump’s campaign, despite Kislyak being one of the same officials involved in the scandal surrounding former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Trump strayed from the issue, moving onto accusations against Obama. Trump took to Twitter Saturday night, claiming the former president had wiretapped Trump Tower while still in office.

Trump’s tweet came shortly after Breitbart News released an article making the unsubstantiated claims.

His following tweets referred to the alleged spying as “McCarthyism,” compared the claims to “Nixon/Watergate” and referred to Obama as a “Bad (or sick) guy!”

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17 on-campus thefts this semester Ashley Traylor Staff writer

atraylor@murraystate.edu

Chief of police, James Herring, said theft is the number one crime at Murray State, followed by criminal mischief and drug offenses.

Since Jan. 1, 17 thefts under $500 have been reported, and two thefts over $500 have been reported.

Herring said theft is a common crime at universities because there is a large concentration of people in a small area, making college campuses vulnerable.

Similarly, 18 thefts were reported at Western Kentucky University since January.

Herring said theft on Murray State’s campus occurs the most on Thursdays and

ENROLLMENT From Page 1 in graduate programs this spring, 126 were international students. He said the decline is a trend being seen across the country.

“As to why our domestic enrollment is down, part of it is competition from schools that have lower tuition rates than we do,” Pervine said.

“Part of it is the economy.”

Pervine said he has noticed students are joining the workforce sooner, which contributes to declining postsecondary education enrollment numbers.

This is the first year sig-

Fridays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. He said theft occurs on the weekdays because that is when the most people are on campus.

Herring said often students are securing their property for the first time, but protecting property from theft is developed over time.

“That means that college students are more likely to leave items unsecured and available for theft,” Herring said. “Criminals know that.”

Theft has two categories: under $500 and over $500.

The value of the items is provided by the owner when the items are reported stolen.

Herring said items under $500 often include bicycles, phones and parking permits.

Herring said consequences are based on the value of the

stolen item. Kentucky’s law assigns different penalties to each value range.

Herring said although crime is a common issue, theft at Murray State decreased 31 percent from 2015 to 2016. In 2015, 89 thefts were reported, and in 2016, 61 were reported.

He said officers are using the website Raids, a community crime map, to target areas and times when theft occurs the most.

To protect belongings and reduce the risk of theft, Herring said students should not leave their laptops unattended in the library, cars unlocked or cell phones on the sidelines while playing sports. He said students should use a high quality lock on their bicycles, as well.

nificant drops occurred, although Pervine said graduate enrollment started trending down about two years ago.

The Education Advisory Board, a higher education consulting firm, is working with enrollment at Murray State. Dietz said the board will analyze the transfer operation and make recommendations regarding recruitment and admissions.

Accelerated programs are being considered, plus Pervine said more courses will be offered online in the future.

a painful drop.

“It is a large enough drop that we miss those students and would like to have them back,” Duncan said.

Dietz said fewer international exchange students came to Murray State in the past year, attributed in part to the Brazilian and Saudi Arabian governments reducing sponsorship for students studying in the United States.

“A lot of the drop is truly out of our control,” Duncan said. “It lies in the other countries not sending as many students to the United States.”

There are some exceptions though. Duncan said so many international students enrolled in STEM programs at Murray State that the univer-

INTERNATIONAL ENROLLMENT

When considering the decline in international enrollment, Renae Duncan, associate provost for undergraduate education, said it is

According to the 514.030 statute, theft is a Class A misdemeanor unless:

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(Class D felony)

5. The value of the property is more than $10,000 and less than $1 million. (Class C felony) 6. The value of the property is more than $1 million and less than $10 million. (Class B felony) 7. The value of the property is more than $10 million. (Class B felony)

sity couldn’t accommodate all of them, resulting in some international students being turned down.

“We just simply couldn’t fit that many students and do a good job,” Duncan said. “Our number one job is to provide a good education.”

Duncan said a team of international recruiters from the Institute of International Studies meet with ambassadors from different countries in Washington D.C. and attend international conferences to discuss exchange programs on behalf of the university.

“Even though our numbers are down, we do a fantastic job, and that’s because it’s so important to us,” Duncan said.

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The Murray State News

The News

News

March 9, 2017

Rosemary Market opens next to The Burrito Shack

News Editor: Abby Siegel Assistant Editor: Alicia Steele Phone: 270-809-4468 Twitter: MurrayStateNews

POLICE BEAT MARCH 1 10:15 a.m.

Murray State Parking Services reported damage to vehicles in the 100 Block of College Courts. Officers and the owners were notified and the damage was determined to be caused by severe weather.

3:28 p.m.

The Murray State Police Department received a fire alarm activation at Franklin Residential College from the alarm center computer. Officers, Facilities Management and the state Fire Marshall were notified. The alarm activation was because of improper conduct of a resident and a fire report was taken.

MARCH 2 5:31 a.m.

The Murray State Police Department received a fire alarm activation at Crisp Soccer Complex from the alarm center computer. Officer and the Central Heating and Cooling Plant were notified and the cause was a mechanical malfunction.

A caller reported a motor vehicle collision with injuries. Officers and Student Affairs were notified and a collision report was taken.

Contributing writer peffinger@murraystate.edu

Rosemary Market had their opening March 4 on 15th Street across from Murray State’s campus.

Tammy Gingles, owner, and her husband bought the building and failed to rent it out, so she decided turn it into her own home goods store.

Rosemary Market is named after members of Gingles’ family.

Gingles said that there was a concern about lack of parking for the establishment, but she believes that if you put items in a store that women want, they will find a way to get there.

“It’s been fun, and I think it’s probably just a God thing,” Gingles said.

Gingles and her family have been in Murray for 35 years, and she said they have supported local busi-

Sabra Jackson

MARCH 3

Contributing writer sjackson30@murraystate.edu

8:53 a.m.

The Murray State Police Department conducted testing of the emergency notification systems for the statewide tornado drill. Testing was completed at 9:10 a.m.

While most homes have a switch to control the air conditioning and heating unit, Murray State works on an entirely different system which makes the buildings hot and difficult for students to focus in during class.

According to a Twitter poll conducted by The Murray State News that received 112 votes, 92 percent of students said the hot classrooms affect their ability to focus in class.

Eight percent said the temperature of the classroom did not affect their focus.

“Around two weeks ago, all the doors were open to the engineering building because it was so humid in the classrooms,” said Nick Martens, freshman from Niles, Illinois.

Martens said he is in Blackburn Science Building often and the humidity causes him to get tired, making it difficult to focus.

Marc Polizzi, assistant professor of political science, said his office in Faculty Hall is usually 60 degrees in the summer and in the winter is around 86 degrees. He usually has up to three fans on, keeping the room 76-78 degrees to make the room bearable.

“They came in one day and said all of our exhaust ports were closed,” Polizzi said. “Essentially, the heat was just trapped here.”

Sometimes, faculty members are able to leave early and work from home because the heat makes it too difficult to prepare for lessons, Polizzi said.

Polizzi said it can get uncomfortable to teach and the heat makes

9:43 a.m.

An officer conducted a traffic stop at 14th and Olive streets. A citation was issued for failure of owner to maintain required insurance and no/expired registration plate.

MARCH 4 12:29 p.m.

The Murray Police Department reported information in reference to a reckless driver on North 16th Street.

Officers were notified.

4:43 p.m.

A caller reported a parking complaint at Hester Residential College. Officers and the owner were notified and the vehicle was moved.

MARCH 5 11:42 a.m.

The Murray State Police Department received an attempt to locate in reference to a runaway juvenile in Murray.

Officers were notified.

9:16 p.m.

A caller reported a vehicle with the lights left on in the residential college parking lot. Racer Patrol and the owner were notified.

MARCH 6 7:27 p.m.

The Murray Police Department reported a medical emergency at the CFSB Center. Murray Ambulance Service was notified and the person refused transport. A medical report was taken.

nesses in the past.

Her son also owns a local business – Burrito Shack – located right next door.

Gingles’ family has helped her in opening the store. Her daughters have assisted with picking out the items and going to a market with her in Atlanta.

The style of the home goods offered in the store is a combination of Gingles’ and her daughters’ styles. It has many neutral items, along with Gingles’ style of a splash of color.

“I’m just going to fill it with stuff that I love and look at it all day,” Gingles said.

Along with the items they bought at the market in Atlanta, they hope to add furniture items from a local craftsman.

The store will be open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but store hours may be extended Kelli O’Toole/The News their in the future.

Rosemary Market opened for business across the street from campus on March 4.

him feel dehydrated. The earliest he has let out is 15 minutes, but there are some professors who have let their classes out even earlier.

“We wish it was as easy as flipping a switch, but it’s really a two to three day process to convert over from one to the other,” said Rick Grogan, director of building and grounds maintenance.

David Burdette, chief facilities manager, said the university is using boilers for heat and chillers for air conditioning and it takes up to three days to make the switch from one to the other.

From October or November through March, the university is at the mercy of two boilers to heat 90 percent of the academic buildings.

As far as residential colleges go, the residence director can control his or her own system in each building.

The director and resident advisers are in close correspondence with Bobby Daniels, operations supervisor, when it comes to switching the operation over to the boiler or chiller.

The boiler uses natural gas, which heats the circulating water.

The steam from the water heats the buildings.

In January, a manhole was blocked off in front of Waterfield Library. Burdette said a steam line had broken. It took three days to cool the boiler enough to send someone into the manhole to fix the line.

“We had to shut it off on Friday to allow time for it to cool by Monday where we could get into a manhole and actually do the work,” Burdette said.

The reason some of the classrooms get warm in particular be-

Graduating Students

7:28 p.m.

The Murray State Police Department received a fire alarm activation on the alarm center computer. Officers, the on-call residence director, state Fire Marshall and the Central Heating and Cooling Plant were notified. Activation was caused by burned food.

Commencement information meetings are next week.

MARCH 7 10:44 a.m.

A caller reported an off-campus sexual assault. Officers and The Murray Police Department were notified.

LEARN ABOUT • Commencement Changes • Ceremony Participation • Reserving Guest Tickets • Important Deadlines

9:06 p.m.

Murray Police Department reported a person with a possible weapon in Winslow Dining Hall. Officers were notified and made contact with the person. No weapon was located. It was determined a weapon was never present and the person did not intend to cause any harm. An information report was taken.

0 0 0

Alicia Steele, Assistant News Editor, compiles Police Beat with materials provided by Public Safety and Emergency Management.

Not all dispatched calls are listed.

Paige Effinger

Temperatures in the classroom affecting students’ ability to focus during lectures

7:14 p.m.

MOTORIST ASSISTS RACER ASSISTS ARRESTS

Page 3

CURRIS CENTER THEATRE Monday, March 13 Tuesday, March 14

10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

For more information, visit murraystate.edu/commencement Graphic by Austin Gordon/The News

Chalice Keith/The News

Temperatures in some classrooms on campus near 80 degrees during class times. cause the variable air volumizers are not allowing for sufficient air flow. Because the weather has been incredibly unsteady, facilities management is having a difficult time regulating the airflow.

The classrooms can also be warmer or cooler depending on where they are in the building.

Grogan said if the classroom is on the south side, it will usually

be warmer than the rooms on the north side of the building because of where they are in location to the sun.

Facilities Management staff typically switch over to the chiller when it is 80 degrees for three days straight, depending on the time of the year. They usually avoid the switch during finals week and other busy times.

Director of Career Services takes office Staff Report Matt Purdy began his new role as director of career services on March 1.

Before coming to Murray State, Purdy worked for Southern Illinois University Carbondale for 10 years. He said while he loved where he was, he looks Purdy forward to the challenges this new position brings and being part of the team.

“I’ve always noticed Murray State,” Purdy said. “I’ve always heard really good things about it.”

He said he will be using what he has learned at Southern Illinois to improve Career Services and better serve students.

He said he has spent the first few days on the job “feeling out”

his responsibilities, which include the day-to-day operations and strategic direction of Career Services. He said he has also been looking at what physical resources are available.

“It’s been very encouraging,” he said.

In the past few months, Purdy said he has met several Murray State students and their families, which has allowed him to gain a better understanding about the area and the university.

“Everybody here is nice – the people I meet in the grocery store, the faculty, the staff, the administration, the students.” Purdy said. “It’s a special place.”

As for future plans regarding Career Services, Purdy said he isn’t ready to talk about specifics; however, he knows the overall theme will be service.

“To my knowledge, nobody is required to use Career Services, so we have to be good to those who do,” Purdy said.

The News

Page 4

March 9, 2017

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

Opinion Our View

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

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

Sarah Combs Sports Editor • 270-809-4481 scombs@murraystate.edu

Kelsey Watznauer Chief Copy Editor • 270-809-5876 kwatznauer@murraystate.edu

Austin Gordon Online Editor/Advertising Production • 270-809-5877 agordon4@murraystate.edu

Nahiomy Gallardo Advertising Sales Manager • 270-809-4478 msunewsads@gmail.com

McKenna Dosier Photography Editor • 270-809-5878 mdosier@murraystate.edu

Allison Laski Chief Videographer alaski@murraystate.edu

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

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

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

A day with issues?

On March 8, protesters gathered in Washington D.C. to celebrate International Women’s Day and observe a “Day Without a Woman.”

Many of the march participants also took part in the Women’s March on Washington Jan. 21.

Like the Women’s March, the event was supposed to bring awareness about gender inequality issues and support women who are marginalized or facing systematic inequalities. But could the event have unintentionally highlighted and possibly benefited other systematic problems?

Women were encouraged to take the day off work, whether the labor was paid or unpaid, as a “demonstration of economic solidarity” and to “[recognize]the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socio-economic system,” according to the event’s website.

Participants were also encouraged to avoid shopping for the day (unless the business is small and women or minority-owned) and to wear red to show support.

The event prompts an important question: doesn’t the march increase visibility for primarily white, wealthy and privileged women rather than, say, a poor trans woman of color who arguably faces much more discrimination in the workplace?

On the event’s website, the question is raised: “What about women who cannot afford to take the day off work or those who

fear they will be fired?”

In other words, how is a woman who is unable to afford not working supposed to participate in the event?

The answer is a bit of a let-

down: the women who are able to – the women who are privileged enough to take a trip to Washington – will march for them. “We strike for you,” the website reads.

It seems the march, unfortunately, was preaching to the choir more than it was reaching those who need saving.

While thousands of women marched, there were thousands of other women who could not

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leave their children and jobs, did not own a red shirt and had to buy groceries that day to feed themselves and their children.

Those women might have also been surrounded by male work-

harsh truths to those who needed to hear it.

But when the efforts primarily benefit groups who are suffering the least, what is tangibly accomplished?

While systematic changes often require much time and grand gestures, we cannot pretend praising privilege and continuing to allow the marginalized to stay in isolation makes measurable change. Perhaps the most significant suggestion the organizers offer is also the most challenging one: demand your employer review policies that affect women and minorities. Is there gender or race discrimination taking place in the workplace? These concepts do not have to be vague and abstract; any employer should be able to distribute concrete numbers and facts concerning employee treatment and benefits.

Big issues require big action, but sometimes those actions must take place on a personal level before widespread effects can take place. Talk to your employer, your coworkers or Graphic courtesy of www.womensmarch.com employees – find out specifically what problems must ers who, if they were aware of be resolved. And if you know a the march, scoffed at its requirewoman who doesn’t have the ments. Those women are who support or resources to permust be heard, and it’s those men form acts of protest, lend her a who must be educated. But will hand. Assist her with child care, the news cameras reach them? buy her groceries, cook a meal Our skepticism is not to say the effort isn’t important or the or help her find employment or intention of the organizers isn’t education opportunities. Gender good-natured. Resistance is reinequality is a real issue, but we sistance, and the march is a call must take responsibility first by caring for each other. to action that hopefully exposed

Making Headway

No one is alone Dylan Doyle Contributing writer ddoyle2@murraystate.edu To all of you late-teens-early20-something readers out there: are you desperately trying to prove (to yourself, your parents) that you are a real adult?

Are you terrified to reach out and ask for help? Would seeking assistance make you feel weak or incapable? Do you suffer from a myopic worldview that tricks you into thinking no one could ever understand what it feels like to be you?

I have some news for you – you aren’t special, and that’s a good thing.

At any given time, there are thousands of people who like the same TV shows as you., millions of people with the same religious views, sexual orientation or favorite animal and billions of people with same skin tone or eye color.

Of course, no one on the planet

has the exact combination of traits as you, but none of your individual traits are unique in the purest sense of the word. Again, that’s a good thing. It is what allows us to form communities, and communities are the reason we humans hold dominion over this world.

Our species does not have the sharpest claws, the biggest muscles or strongest jaws; a huge percentage of animals on this planet could overpower us outright. Humanity won the battle for ecological supremacy because we realized we are stronger together.

There is a huge emphasis on “standing out from the crowd” placed on adolescents and young adults. The truth is, there is no such thing – the very act of standing out from the crowd puts you in a new crowd, and those new people are more like you.

Join a sports team, a book club – even a weekly Super Smash Bros. gathering. Locate places

where people like yourself go to meet. You could be much more successful academically if you do.

This is especially important for young people of marginalized identities, and Murray State has plenty of groups specially tailored for those identities. The Muslim Student Organization, LGBTQ+ Alliance and the Black Student Council are only three examples. Get out there and find your people. You will need them.

There is a certain mythology around the concept of a Real American Young Adult. This superhuman student carries the weight of the world on their shoulders unflinchingly; they have a 4.0 GPA and a buzzing social life, they sleep enough and work out every day and always eat healthy. They never need tutoring, counseling or a doctor’s visit.

Stop trying to be this person.

They do not exist. Lone wolves often eat carrion or tiny rabbits

while the pack takes down a delicious deer. Find your pack.

Here is the thing no one tells you when you get to college: real adults ask for help, and they take advantage of the resources offered to them. If you have been sick for three weeks, go to Health Services. If you are struggling in a class, even if you have been an A student your entire life, take advantage of the free tutoring on campus. If you need someone to talk to, go to Counseling Services (trust me, I know how hard that last one can be).

There is never any shame in asking for help. You aren’t admitting weakness – you are just being a human being. If our ancestors never asked for help we would still be scratching out cave murals and eating rats for dinner.

There are entire communities of people out there who feel the same way you do, and asking for their support is not a weakness, it is your greatest strength.

You are not alone. No one is.

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

March 9, 2017

Page 5

The Fine Print

Some Things Considered

The speed of dark Robert Valentine Contributing writer rvalentine@murraystate.edu Let us put all pretense aside.

This is an official rant.

Mankind has been able to communicate since the “dawn of time,” which we may assume came right after the “night of time.” However you measure it, it’s been a while.

Over time, we have learned to develop languages, then writing and then machines to help us reproduce and transmit the words that represent our thoughts. We have some documents dating back millennia. The mechanisms of communication just keep getting better and better.

We can now stand in the middle of the Gobi Desert and make a simple phone call to a friend who may be standing dead center in the Mojave Desert. Isn’t that amazing? The first astronauts who go to Mars will probably be able to call home on a regular basis, although the time delay

might make friendly banter difficult.

Sadly, while the mechanisms of communication have developed, humans have not. One supposes that we, as a species, are less hairy, walk slightly more erect and have a tendency to refrain from eating everything we see that isn’t flying, chasing us or in the firm grasp of someone who has a bigger club. Other than that, we seem to have the same basic machinery for being a human.

As a result, we often need time to think before acting or speaking.

The fact that we often fail to take such time doesn’t deny the fact that we need it. Our brains can consider multiple points of view if given enough time. We can examine historical records and, with our imaginations, project ourselves years into the future – given enough time to engage all of the little grey cells.

Despite the fact that we all know this, we act increasingly as if these things are not true. Have

you ever received an email from someone announcing a meeting scheduled for five minutes from now? What were they thinking?

Last year, I received an email – and a text – reminding me that nominations for an organizational election were due in 30 minutes.

I found no previous notice of the deadline, but that didn’t matter; even if it was a thoughtful reminder, how could I get permission from the nominee and prepare a letter of nomination – and send it – in 30 minutes? I’ve sent messages like that, too.

We are becoming accustomed to messages that move at the speed of light and to senders of messages who seem to believe that we have nothing to do but sit quietly waiting for them to tell us what to do. No planning, no consideration – just plenty of expectation that things will happen.

Well, people don’t move at the speed of light. Sometimes, I think we move at the speed of dark – some unmeasurable movement

Deserve versus desire

By Hallie Beard, Opinion Editor of time that allows whole ideas to form, to be tested and to emerge as coherent thoughts. It might take five seconds; it might take five decades. Humans, it appears, are unpredictable when it comes to productivity.

This much we know: good work, like good thinking, takes time. It may require research and it may require more than one attempt to express what we want to say. Schedules may have to be changed, and commitments may have to be kept – two very different things that require forethought and planning and an appreciation of consequences.

Above all, humans are not units of production. They are organisms of great complexity; they are spirits of considerable depth and meaning; they are whole sets of ideas and aspirations always moving forward.

Those noble creations are certainly not sitting in a corner awaiting your tardy little email.

Or mine.

CHEERS & JEERS Jeers to ... Ghosting

Cheers to ... The Presidential Lecture

Ah, isn’t modern dating lovely?

First comes Netflix and chill, then comes cryptic texting, then comes ghosting that person if you don’t want to date – or, rather, chill?

Talk? Float unassumingly like a specter? – anymore. Convenient!

This year, the topic of the Presidential Lecture is a big one: “We have a dream, but are we living it?”

Notable alumni and distinguished guests will address the topic of diversity at Murray State and if we’re living out Martin Luther King Jr.’s dreams. You won’t want to miss it.

Cheers to ... New business

Jeers to ... Smokers

Rose + Mary just opened next to The Burrito Shack, and we’re excited to scope out the new wonderland of home furnishings! The new business might provide just what Murray homes need: new, stylish and contemporary decor from a small, cozy seller.

This is a friendly reminder that our campus is a non-smoking, non-tobacco one. Yep, this means you actually shouldn’t stand outside of Wilson Hall or the Business Building blowing your lung-blackening smoke into the faces of innocent bystanders. Stop it!

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

Cartoon

by Selena McPherson

On the Presidential Lecture topic (“We have a dream, but are we living it?”) and Murray State as a “Marketplace of Ideas”

Got opinions?

When I have nothing else to do, I think about the meaning of words and how we use them as modern speakers.

While I could go on a rant about the meaning of the word “literally” in comparison to its contemporary usage, I won’t, because I literally use that word every day. I know it’s incorrect, and I don’t care. Gotta stick with the times, right?

For the past few months, I’ve been working pretty hard to get my ducks in a row for what this year will bring: graduation, new jobs, the potential of moving, graduate school – it’s frightening stuff, and extremely time-consuming.

Naturally, it’s easy to let all the work that’s gone into those prospects dramatically skew my attitude. If I face the slightest rejection, I suddenly question all life choices. If a friend has success, I’m automatically comparing myself to them, wondering what I could have done to have that, too.

The word I’ve been mulling over?

Deserve.

“I deserve this, don’t I?” I’ll ask my friends or mom, already convinced that my resumé or work should be strong enough to win someone over.

Or, more commonly, I’m getting a Dairy Queen blizzard with a friend after a rough day, claiming, “It’s OK – we deserve it.”

These claims got me thinking, though.

What does it really mean to deserve something? How can we know when we’ve honestly done the work to be worthy of getting the prize we’re after?

Here’s where the dictionary came in, because who doesn’t love studying etymology on the weekends?

The word deserve came into our vocabulary through Middle English, where it came from the French deservir and, ultimately, the Latin deservire.

I took Latin in high school and am not ashamed to say I was a Latin nerd. It’s a beautiful language, and most of the beauty, in my opinion, comes from the way in which we translate it. In Latin, there’s always a way to translate literally, boiling down to the closest meaning of the word possible. It’s very pleasing, and it makes language seem more like a puzzle than some vague, intangible tool we throw around helplessly.

The Latin deservire literally means “to serve completely” or “to serve well.” Servire is the infinitive meaning “to serve,” and the prefix de- means “completely” in this case.

Alternatively – and what I’m about to say is unfounded, purely based upon my thoughts about translation – I think the prefix de- could also work in a more traditional sense here, meaning “out of.”

Then, the word might have a translation closer to “out of serving” or “because of service.”

Maybe this doesn’t seem interesting at all, but consider those meanings and how they apply to our usage of the word deserve.

When you’ve had a bad day and claim to deserve an ice cream cone, are you following the literal meaning of the word? Have you completed service that would grant you the luxury of a sugary concoction?

Sometimes, sure. But most times?

Probably not. In cases where the “deserving” comes out of poor circumstances, perceived bad luck or a foul attitude, we’re actually using the wrong word completely. If no service was completed, there is no “deserve” – there is only desire.

“Class was hard today, so I deserve this treat.” No, not quite – try, “Class was hard today, and because of how that made me feel, I desire to comfort myself with this treat.” A bit wordy, but that’s it.

Now, I’m not out to keep you from “Treat Yo Self” days. Those happen pretty much daily for me, and I realize their importance.

We should, though, check ourselves when we’re angry about getting or not getting something we believe we “deserve.”

We should ask ourselves, “Do I deserve this, or simply want this? Have I served anyone – helped anyone other than myself or contributed goodness – in trying to get this thing?”

Perhaps “earn” should swap with “deserve” for a while. You’d never claim to have earned something without doing the work (well, you might, but that’s problematic).

There are plenty of times when we both desire and deserve something, and that’s great. But it’s important to realize when we’re justified in the language we use and when we’re simply speaking untruths. hbeard2@murraystate.edu

See page 4 for details

WRITE TO US!

The Murray State News 111 Wilson Hall Murray, Ky 42071

The News

Page 6

March 9, 2017

Sports

Sports Editor: Sarah Combs Assistant Sports Editor: Collin Morris Phone: 270-809-4481 Twitter: MSUSportsNews

Shooting from experience Blake Sandlin Staff writer

bsandlin1@murraystate.edu

The country’s top-ranked rifle teams will travel to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend to compete in the 2017 National Collegiate Men’s and Women’s Rifle Championships.

This year’s roster is no stranger to the big stage. Four of their shooters will be returning to the NCAA Rifle Championships for the second-straight year. Last season, the Racers claimed a third-place finish, shooting 4,690 in the two-day competition where West Virginia came away with the title for the fourth-straight year.

Murray State will send its veteran thirdranked squad to Ohio State to compete against the University of Kentucky, U.S. Air Force Academy, Ohio State, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Nebraska Lincoln, West Virginia and Texas Christian.

The field of teams was selected based on their three highest performances at three separate locations. The average of those scores was then added to their performance in their NCAA qualifiers, which account for 25 percent of a team’s aggregate score.

Murray State’s championship selection marks the 31st time the Racers have been chosen to participate at rifle’s biggest competition.

This selection ties them with UAF for the second-most selections of all time, a record that is significant to Head Coach Alan Lollar.

“I think it speaks to a tradition of excellence for Murray State rifle,” Lollar said. “Many great shooters and coaches have come before us. We are really honored to be a part of the tradition.”

The Racers’ only losses during the regular season came against Texas Christian and West Virginia, the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams, respectively. They will once again face off against these teams and five others that round out the top eight in the Collegiate Rifle

Chalice Keith/The News

Murray State will travel to the NCAA Rifle Championship for the 31st time, a tie for the most ever with U.S. Air Force Academy.

Coaches Association Top 20.

Lollar said the field for this year’s NCAA Rifle Championships is among the best the collegiate championships has ever seen, but he’s not counting his team out.

“This is without a doubt the most talented field ever assembled for the NCAA Rifle Championships; scores are higher than ever before,” Lollar said. “I think we have an excellent chance to compete at the level the way we train. Beyond that, we can’t do anything about how anyone else shoots. We do our best and see how it stacks up at the end of the day.”

Murray State has recorded several high scores of their own throughout the year. The team broke an NCAA smallbore record earlier in the season with a score of 2,353. The Racers’ shooters have pulled their weight throughout the season to keep their team in championship position, as seven of their shooters are in the top 35 of aggregate scores in the NCAA. Because of this, Lollar says he trusts his team to compete to the best of their ability against the talented championship field.

“I have complete confidence in this team,” Lollar said. “They are preparing to compete at their best. They will give their best effort. I cannot ask for more than that. We judge ourselves on how close we come to competing the way we train. If we train the process and follow our match plan and execute our shots, we will be fine. We have to focus on what we can control.”

Each school will be sending five shooters to the event, where a total of 48 student-athletes will compete for NCAA rifle’s highest honor.

Eight individual shooters have also been chosen from schools around the nation based on their scores in their respective NCAA qualifiers to compete at the championship.

The Racers will have the opportunity to improve on their third-place finish when they hit the range on Friday, March 10 to shoot smallbore in a two-day tournament held at French Field House in Columbus, Ohio.

Softball finds ‘ways to win’ Quinnen Taylor Staff writer

qtaylor1@murraystate.edu

The Murray State softball team came away with a 4-0 record after finishing out its series of road games at the Coach B Classic in Carbondale, Illinois.

Head Coach Kara Amundson said she valued her team’s toughness throughout the tournament.

“We found ways to come out and win,” Amundson said.

“It wasn’t always pretty, but three of the games were onerun games that we held on to or fought back in – so just kind of teaching resilience. Finding ways to win is kind of a big deal at this time of year.”

With the four victories, Murray State boosted its overall record to 15-4.

GAME ONE

During the first matchup, the Racers defeated Northern Illinois 7-3.

During the first inning, the Huskies jumped out to a 1-0 lead after sophomore infielder Sam Schmidt allowed sophomore outfielder Jessica Rio to score.

The Racers responded with

seven RBIs in the second.

Freshman outfielder Kristen Bialek started off with a single, leading to senior infielder Taylor Odom to tie it 1-1.

Junior infielder Erika Downey and sophomore infielder Brenna Finck scored senior catcher Jocelynn Rodgers and senior outfielder Cayla Levins on defensive errors, making it 3-1.

Murray State then scored three-straight runs after senior infielder Jessica Twaddle tripled to score Finck, Downey and Bialek, bringing the score to 6-1.

Northern Illinois scored two runs in the sixth inning for a final score of 7-3.

GAME TWO

Murray State competed against Western Illinois in the second contest, which resulted in a 4-3 Racer victory.

The Leathernecks led with a 1-0 advantage in the first inning after a single by senior utility player Holly Hoelting scored junior outfielder Rachel Beatty.

The Racers followed up in the second with a home run by senior infielder Maggie Glass, scoring Odom for a 2-1 lead.

Western Illinois responded

with two runs in the fifth. Junior infielder Kelsey Marlow grounded out to third base, scoring senior infielder Nina Maggio, and Hoelting batted a solo home run for a 3-2 advantage.

However, Murray State answered to go up 4-3 with a home run by Levins to score Glass.

GAME THREE

During the third game, the Racers defeated University of Illinois Chicago with a 1-0 score.

The game remained scoreless until the fifth inning when Finck advanced to second on a passed ball to score Bialek for a 1-0 advantage.

GAME FOUR

Murray State closed out the last match against the host of the invitational, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, with a final of 8-7.

The Racers led off with eight runs in the first. Odom knocked a home run to score freshman outfielder Ranburger and Finck to make it 3-0.

Downey received a walk to allow for sophomore catcher Madison Culver to score for a 4-0 advantage. Murray State

extended the lead to 6-0 after Finck singled to allow Bialek and Levins to head to home.

The Racers finished off the first to make it 8-0 after Ranburger reached on an error to allow for unearned runs from Finck and Downey.

Southern Illinois cut the deficit to 8-2 after senior pitcher Shaye Harre singled to score sophomore outfielder Eyrika Brandenburg and senior outfielder Merri Anne Patterson singled to score freshman outfielder Susie Baranski to end the first.

In the third inning, freshman catcher Katelyn Massa singled to score junior catcher Sydney Jones and Patterson to reduce the Racer lead to 8-4.

During fifth inning, Harre hit a home run to score Baranski for a score of 8-6.

Brandenburg doubled in the sixth, allowing for freshman infielder Maddy Vermejan to head to home, making it 8-7.

The game ended when Vermejan lined out to the infield to give the Racers its fourth victory in the Coach B Classic.

Murray State will compete in the Racer Classic from March 0-12 at Racer Field.

Schibol shakes the cutting curse Blake Sandlin Staff writer

bsandlin1@murraystate.edu

Senior tennis player Alina Schibol will be wrapping up her final season with the Racers this year, but her road to Murray State was different Schibol from most.

Schibol, originally from Hamburg, Germany, first got her collegiate start in 2013 at Robert Morris, but the school announced later that year they would be cutting seven of their athletic programs

in order to allocate additional funding to their remaining Division I teams.

The university’s decision to abandon its athletes so late in the year left Schibol scrambling.

“It’s really frustrating and you feel lost because you don’t know what you’re going to do,” Schibol said. “You don’t know where you’re going to be next year. ” Despite the late notice, Schibol found a new home at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne for the 2014 women’s tennis season.

Midway through the season, IPFU announced they too would be discontinuing their men’s and women’s tennis programs.

“When our team was told we were going to get cut, I was like

how is it possible that this happens to you twice,” Schibol said.

After seeing two programs cut in the matter of two years, Schibol started to think maybe an athletic career just wasn’t in the cards.

“I mean sometimes you start doubting yourself after you get cut for the second time,” Schibol said. “You start thinking, ‘Is it meant to be?’ I just wasn’t ready to quit yet.”

Schibol again went through the process of searching for another university right for her and it was during that period she came in contact with her current coach, Jorge Caetano.

Following Schibol’s initial contact with Caetano, she visited Murray State and made the decision to transfer. After completing her first season as a

Racer, Murray State announced in May 2016 they would be cutting their men’s tennis program because of state budget cuts.

The news had Schibol thinking that the women’s team was next.

“I started thinking maybe there’s a curse on me or something,” Schibol said. “Everytime I go to a school they cut something.”

Schibol is in the midst of her final season of play for the Racers and is holding firm to the belief that everything happens for a reason.

“I am definitely very happy,” Schibol said. “I’m really happy I actually ended up here. I wouldn’t have thought that, I just thought that it was just another school, but I’m actually really happy here.”

Jenny Rohl/The News

Dunker entertains the crowd at the OVC Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dunker on duty Bryan Edwards Staff writer

bedwards16@murraystate.edu

Although the Racers fell just short in the OVC Tournament, fans can cheer for another winner for the Racers.

Murray State’s mascot, Dunker, was announced the winner of the 2017 OVC Mascot Challenge. Dunker received more than 1,000 votes from the fans, and his win marks his fourth win since the contest was established.

Every year since 2012, Delta Dental of Tennessee has partnered with the OVC to put on the OVC Mascot Challenge.

The challenge allows fans, students, faculty and alumni to vote for their favorite mascot during the OVC Tournament.

The winner of the competition receives $1,000 to the school’s general scholarship fund and also earns bragging rights as the favorite mascot in the OVC. Director of marketing and promotions Amy Wyatt said she is ecstatic about the win and believes Murray State has the best fans in the OVC. “We’re extremely happy to have won this honor four of the past five years,” Wyatt said. “Thanks to Racer Nation for getting out and voting this year. Dunker plays such a crucial part in creating such a vibrant atmosphere in the CFSB Center every time the Racers

take the floor.”

Dunker has won the contest every year other than 2014, when SIUE’s Eddie the Cougar was named the winner of the contest.

Dunker is a scholarship position that runs through the entire year. Dunker attends all home football and basketball games. He will also make appearances at various games of the other athletic teams during their seasons.

Dunker is also required to appear at local elementary schools so the younger students can form a connection with Murray State.

“He’s a piece of pride for our university and represents us very well,” Wyatt said.

“He’s the best way to reach a younger audience and is kind of a face of the athletic department.”

Dunker has been seen outside of the athletic department lately, making an appearance in the Racers’ bid to bring weatherman Al Roker to Murray State to give a weather forecast live from the Shoe Tree in the Quad. The event is in response to Al Roker’s Rokerthon 3 contest.

Dunker will be appearing all over campus throughout the school year and will return next season in the CFSB Center and Roy Stewart Stadium in his bid to defend his crown as the 2017 OVC Mascot of the Year and win for the fifth time in six years.

The News

Sports

March 9, 2017

Page 7

Racers tournament run cut short

Photos by Jenny Rohl/The News

Bryan Edwards Staff writer

bedwards16@murraystate.edu

Belmont and UT Martin entered this year’s OVC Tournament as the top two seeds and favorites to punch their tickets to the NCAA Tournament.

However, it was Jacksonville State that defeated both Belmont and UTM to claim their first OVC Championship and their first berth in the NCAA Tournament in program history.

JSU was predicted to finish 12th in the OVC at the beginning of the season and are now the team representing the OVC in the tournament.

The No. 4 Gamecocks earned a bye in the first round of the OVC Tournament for their play during the regular season. From there, they defeated No. 5 Southeast Missouri State, No. 1 Belmont and No. 2 UTM to claim the title.

The Skyhawks reached the OVC Championship for the second-straight year after defeating No. 7 Murray State 73-67 in their first contest of the tournament but fell to the Gamecocks 66-55 in the finals.

The Racers had their Cinderella run crushed by the Skyhawks in the semifinals. Following 78 points from junior guard Jonathan Stark in the first two games, including a career-high, 41point effort in their double overtime victory over Tennessee Tech, Stark was held to 11 points in their defeat to UTM. The loss for the Racers led to a 16-17 finish, marking their first losing season since their 13-15 record during the 1986-87 season.

Jacksonville State junior forward Malcolm Drumwright was named OVC Tournament MVP and honored on the All-Tournament Team. Drumwright averaged 16.3 points per game during their tournament run, including his 21point performance in the Gamecocks quarterfinal matchup against Belmont.

Joining Drumwright on the All-Tournament Team was UTM junior guard Matthew Butler, SEMO freshman forward Denzel Mahoney, JSU senior guard Greg Tucker, and MSU’s Stark.

The Gamecocks will learn who they will play in their first ever NCAA Tournament game on Sunday, Mar. 12.

Lollar skips cookie cut wind up Kelly Diesel

Contributing writer kdiesel@murraystate.edu

Photos courtesy of Dave Winder

His senior year of high school, John Lollar struck out90 batters in 62 total innings.

Murray State’s senior pitcher, John Lollar, has a unique style to his pitching delivery that people around the OVC have noticed, but no one has tried to change.

Lollar began playing baseball as a kid in the backyard, hitting wiffle balls off a tee while his dog retrieved his hits.

“I’ve played baseball for as long as I can remember,” Lollar said. “I remember growing up hitting in the backyard with my dog and working on pitching with my dad. It’s just the game I’ve always loved.”

Lollar’s leg kick while he is delivering his pitch is what makes his pitching style so unique. He starts his delivery and raises his leg so high that his cleat actually makes it above the 6-foot-1inch senior’s head.

“I started my pitching style probably around 11 or so,” Lollar said. “During that time there was a lot of pitching coaches that tried to mold me into a certain style, but my dad just kept telling me to do whatever is natural to me.”

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Lollar said he was influenced by other pitchers who have played the game that may have led him to his unique style.

“Bob Gibson, the reason I wear number 45, and I remember Nolan Ryan had pretty high leg kicks,” Lollar said. “I just thought, man, he (Ryan) throws pretty hard, and I want to try and throw really hard, so I just started doing it, and it continued to get higher and higher, and now, it is what it is.”

Lollar’s coaches along the way from his high school career to his current college career haven’t tried to break his habit.

Murray State’s head coach, Kevin Moulder, said he is more concerned about his mechanics than his delivery.

“He has kind of a throwback delivery,” said Moulder. “I don’t believe in cookie cutting anyone, especially pitchers. It works for John, and it might get him some attention, but as long as he continues to be successful then that’s all that matters.”

The hometown pitcher had a lot of success in his career at Murray High School. Lollar was a four-year letterwinner, was selected as the Region Player of the Year with a record of 10-0

and an ERA of 0.58 and struck out 90 batters in 62 innings pitched.

In his first collegiate appearance at Murray State, Lollar threw two shutout innings. Lollar made 21 appearances his freshman year and finished with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 4.44 with two saves.

Coming into his senior year, Lollar has pitched seven innings, giving up six runs on 10 hits and striking out 12 of the 31 batters faced. Lollar said he expects to compete in the OVC Tournament, but he also thinks of it as an expectation rather than a team goal.

“The tournament is number one, but with the team we have now, it shouldn’t really be a goal per se,” Lollar said. “We should feel like we’ll be there no matter what, and we feel like we have a team that can win the OVC Tournament and hopefully make some noise in the Regional.”

Lollar hopes to continue his baseball career after college, and he is open to any possibilities that come his way.

“My plan is to keep playing until they tell me to stop,” Lollar said. “I love this game, and I’ve always envisioned it being a part of my life for a long time, so we’ll see what happens.”

The News

Sports

Page 8

March 9, 2017

Softball prepares for 2017 Racer Classic Quinnen Taylor Staff writer

qtaylor1@murraystate.edu

After contending in the Coach B Classic in Carbondale, Illinois, the Murray State softball team will compete at home in the Racer Classic from March 10-12 at Racer Field.

Head Coach Kara Amundson said her team is proud to be hosting its first-ever tournament.

“I’m super excited for it,” Amundson said. “We’ve got some good teams coming in.

It’s already something that we have planned for future years as well the same weekend.

We’re really excited to host. I think we’re continuing to amp up our facilities and it’s a place that I think we’re proud to be able to host.”

The Racers are set to compete against the Saint Louis Billikens and the Austin Peay Governors on March 10.

Murray State will then contend with Saint Louis and the

Northern Illinois Huskies on March 11 and close the tournament with another matchup against Northern Illinois on March 12.

The Racers currently hold a 1-1 all-time series record against Saint Louis.

The Billikens are coming off a lossless performance in the We Back Pat Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri, in which they defeated UM Kansas City, Missouri State and Southeast Missouri State twice.

Junior infielder Alyssa Tarquinio leads Saint Louis with a batting average of .484 after her 31 times at bat. Senior outfielder Mackenzie Peter is second on the team, batting at .455. As a team, the Billikens average .316 at bat and hold opponents to .223.

The Racers’ second game is against an Ohio Valley Conference opponent, Austin Peay.

Murray State comes into the match leading the all-time series 16-5.

The Governors enter the

Racer Classic having just finished the Red and Blue Classic in Oxford, Mississippi, with a 2-3 record.

Austin Peay is led by sophomore utility player Carly Mattson and her .436 batting average. Sophomore infielder Danielle Liermann bats at an average of .422 after her 45 times at bat.

The last two contests will be against the Huskies, a team the Racers have already faced this season.

After their last meeting, the Racers defeated the Huskies 7-3.

Northern Illinois enters the Racer Classic with a team batting average at .256. Senior infielder Kayti Grable averages .419 at bat while sophomore outfielder Jessica Rio holds .364 at bat.

The Huskies are pitching at a 1.73 ERA as a team. Sophomore pitcher Alex Frenz leads the team in ERA at 1.64 to make for a 5-1 record, while junior pitcher Tara Thacker is second at 1.66 along with a 1-4 record.

McKenna Dosier/The News

Murray State softball players huddle around Head Coach Kara Amundson.

Track and field moves to indoor season Quinnen Taylor Staff writer

qtaylor1@murraystate.edu

The Murray State women’s track and field team ended its indoor season after a sixth place finish in the OVC I n d o o r Championships at Swieton Charleston, Illinois.

Head Coach Jenny Swieton said she’s satisfied with the indoor season and had positive feelings about the direction of the team.

“I’m really happy with how it went,” Swieton said. “I think we’re in just as good if not a better place as we were the years that we did really well outdoor. We have some other people that we didn’t race indoor that we get to throw in the mix outdoor which is re-

ally nice. I’m excited moving forward.”

The Racers started their indoor season competing in the Vanderbilt Open on Dec. 3 in Nashville, Tennessee. During the meet, Murray State compiled 16 top-10 finishes.

The next meet for Murray State was the Commodore Invitational in Nashville, Tennessee, where they faced an early-season challenge.

The Racers placed in the top 20 in 12 events. Sophomore sprinter Tamdra Lawrence placed ninth in the 200-meter run with a time of 24.32 seconds.

Murray State then competed in the Gladstein Invitational in Bloomington, Illinois. During the meet, the Racers racked up 13 top-5 finishes.

Senior middle-distance runner Tia Weston had a first place finish in the 600-meter run with a 1 minute, 35 second performance.

Lawrence placed second in the 60-meter dash with a time

of 7.60 seconds. Sophomore sprinter Jabreuna Brimlett earned third in the 60-meter hurdles and clocked in at 8.65 seconds.

After the Gladstein Invitational, the Racers participated in the Marshall Invitational in Huntington, West Virginia, where they set 11 personal marks.

Murray State then competed in the SIU Indoor Invitational in Carbondale, Illinois where they placed second out of 13 teams in the meet.

At the invitational, the Racers finished behind the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Salukis, accumulating 86.6 team points while SIU compiled 140.

Brimlett and junior sprinter Taylor McCammon finished first and third respectively in the 60-meter hurdles with times of 8.62 seconds and 8.88 seconds.

Freshman sprinter Norma Abdur-Rafia earned second in the 200-meter dash, clocking

in at 24.62 seconds. Lawrence earned fourth with a 25.03 second performance.

Brimlett won the long jump with a 5.66-meter leap.

The last indoor meet before the OVC Indoor Championships took place at the Chipotle Marshall Invitational in Huntington, West Virginia.

In the 200-meter dash, Lawrence and Abdur-Rafia took first and second with times of 24.34 seconds each.

Brimlett finished in first in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking in at 8.60 seconds.

In the OVC Indoor Championships, Murray State came away in sixth place.

Lawrence and Abdur-Rafia accumulated the most points for the Racers, combining for four top-5 finishes.

Lawrence completed the 60-meter with a dash of 7.50 seconds, which is second alltime at Murray State.

The Racers first outdoor meet, the Joe Walker Invitational, runs from March 24-25 at Oxford, Mississippi.

Stanley Cup Playoffs approaching Bryan Edwards Staff writer

bedwards16@murraystate.edu

With the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs coming up in April, teams are making their final efforts to qualify for the playoffs to have an attempt at winning the Stanley Cup. The Stanley Cup Champion is determined by a 16-team, best-of-seven playoff format.

The winner of the tournament is named the best of the best.

The NHL playoff setup is very different from other leagues, like the NBA or NFL, but helps teams in stacked divisions get into the playoffs if they can’t finish at the top.

The NHL uses the top three teams from each of the four different divisions and wildcard slots from each conference to determine the 16-team playoffs.

The wild-card slots are determined by which teams outside the top three in their respective divisions has the most points, with two teams from each conference being selected for the playoffs.

Unlike past years, this season looks to have some of the most competitive hockey teams to date.

Powerhouses like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals are contenders for the title year in and year out.

However, this year there are even more teams added to that mix.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, who have only made the NHL playoffs twice in their 16-year history, are only three wins away from matching their franchise high of 43 that they achieved in the 2013-14 season.

In the Western Conference,

U.S. 641 N. Murray 270-753-9622

Minnesota Wild are sitting in the lead for the Central Division, which analysts claim to be the toughest division in hockey. The team has also been up and coming for the last few years. With 19 games remaining, the Wild sit at 4215-6, which rounds up to 90 total points and only 10 points shy of their franchise record.

The Edmonton Oilers have been a rebuilding project for the past few years and look like they have found who they are. They are led by second year forward Connor McDavid, who at 20 years old has become the captain of the team and leads the NHL with 74 points. The Oilers sit in second place in their division and are a lock for the playoffs.

Division races are mostly finished, with the teams at the top of their divisions going into the final month of the sea-

son. The only race with playoff implications on the line is in the Central Division.

The Wild and Blackhawks are sitting atop the division nicely, but the race for third has been close throughout the year and looks to stay that way until the playoffs.

Currently, the Nashville Predators sit in third place with 73 points. There are two teams within 10 points of Nashville that could sneak up and steal the spot from them.

The St. Louis Blues sit with 69 points and are currently in the second wild-card slot for the playoffs, but the Winnipeg Jets are close behind them with 66 points.

The NHL playoffs are going to be competitive as always, but the division races are looking to be very close and competitive as the end of the season draws near.

McKenna Dosier/The News

In the 2015 season, the women’s team finished 11th of 16 teams in the UNF Collegiate.

Women’s golf finishes in 12th Kelly Diesel Contributing writer kdiesel@murraystate.edu

Murray State’s women’s golf team played their second match of the Spring season this last Monday and Tuesday.

The University of North Florida Milkman hosted the UNF Collegiate, in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Racers finished in 12th place out of the 16 teams that participated in the match.

Murray State was two strokes from a four-way tie for ninth place with Charleston Southern University, Virginia Tech University and the University of Delaware.

The University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Memphis shared a two-way tie for first place.

The Racers shot a 302 in the first round, a 306 in the second round and another 306 in the final round, tallying their final score to a 914. Murray State was tied for seventh place after the first round, tied for 10th in the second round and finished in 12th place after

their final round.

The Racers’ freshman from Sevilla, Spain, Lucila Puente Rodriguez, shot the team’s best score of the match with a final score of 225. Rodriguez shot a 75 in her first round, a 77 in her second and a 73 in her final round. Rodriguez tied for 17th place overall with Eastern Kentucky University’s Sam Sandland from Phoenix, Arizona.

Sophomore Linette Holmslykke from Vejle, Denmark, and Jane Watts, sophomore from Versailles, Kentucky, shot the second best scores for the Racers with final scores of 229. Holmslykke shot a 75 in her first round, a 72 in her second and an 82 in her final round. Watts shot a 72 in her first round, a 79 in her second and a 78 in her final round. Both Holmslykke and Watts tied for 33rd place overall in the match.

Old Dominion University’s Sana Tufail, sophomore from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, came in first place of the match with a final score of 213. Tufail shot a 70 in her first and second rounds, and a 73 in her final round.

Murray State’s next match will be on March 19-21 in Ocala, Florida, with Morehead State University hosting.

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March 9, 2017 Features Editor: Gisselle Hernandez Assistant Features Editor: Emily Williams Phone: 270-809-5871 Twitter: MSUNewsFeatures

Features #RelationshipGhouls A term coined by millennials, ghosting has become the new way to end relationships Nick Erickson Staff writer

nerickson@murraystate.edu

Todd Ghoster, 27

Graphic by Austin Gordon/The News

Times have undoubtedly changed in the world of dating. In years past, when a couple’s relationship was to come to an end, people would attempt to handle the situation directly. Shifting to present day, a new term has been coined to summarize how many relationships conclude: ghosting.

As the name suggests, ghosting is the act of disappearing from the radar of a partner, rather than a formal goodbye. In doing this, one partner cuts off all contact with the other and dismisses any attempts of them reaching back out.

This term, coined by millennials for millennials, holds a deeper context and stipulation about the current state of dating. Murray State students have shared their opinions, insights and past experiences on the matter.

Hannah Crawford, junior from Auburn, Kentucky, said she admits to ghosting others in the past.

“I was reconnecting with an ex a few years back, and she started acting psycho,” Crawford said. “Out of the blue, I stopped talking to her and blocked her on everything.”

Danielle White, sophomore from Elizabeth, Kentucky, said she has been ghosted in a previous relationship.

“This past summer, my now ex-boyfriend of a year and a half went off his rocker and broke up with me,” White said. “He randomly decided to move schools, dump me and has not talked to me once in the past eight months.”

Meredith Payne, freshman from Owensboro, Kentucky, said she has never been ghosted but believes it’s the wrong thing to do, “especially if you care about the other human being at all.”

“I don’t know why you would leave them without any explanation at all,” Payne said. “I think that’s pretty cowardly.”

When thinking about how “ghosting” plays out in this generation’s time, it’s important for one to look at

dating from the perspective of someone who was raised in a previous generation.

Teresa Porter, staff member at Murray State, believes that ghosting is a cruel thing to do to someone.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Porter said. “If that had happened to me when I was younger, I would most likely had cried [sic].”

Porter said things were different when she was younger and “ghosting” was not a prevalent problem.

“Compared to what we did back then, the young people of today do not take breaking up the same way as my generation,” she said.

On the subject of modern dating as a whole, Porter believes that people tend to be hasty and rush into things.

She advises students to slow down when it comes to dating.

“I see many students on campus getting married and starting families way too early,” Porter said. “I advocate dating but I would recommend not getting serious until you’ve had the chance to date more people.”

Danielle White

Hannah Crawford

sophomore from Elizabeth, Kentucky

junior from Auburn, Kentucky

“He randomly decided to... dump me and has not talked to me once in the past eight months.”

“...She started acting psycho. Out of the blue, I stopped talking to her.”

Teresa Porter

Meredith Payne

staff member at Starbooks

freshman from Owensboro, Kentucky

“If it had happened to me when I was younger, I would most likely had cried [sic].”

“I think that’s pretty cowardly.”

Photos by Jenny Rohl/The News

Murray State student plants seeds for a brighter future Sydni Anderson Staff writer

sanderson33@murraystate.edu

Amid their studies at Murray State, some students manage to go beyond their major and chase their dreams. More than 11 miles north of Murray, is a rural city called Hardin, Kentucky, home to junior and agribusiness major Ben Warren.

“My family has lived here for at least for four or five generations,” Warren said. “My grandparents started a farm in Hardin and they were hog farmers.”

Warren said after his father returned from playing college basketball at Vanderbilt, he joined the family trade. It

was only in the early ’90s the Warren family decided to stop.

Warren’s grandparents retired and his father started a Christian ministry. Despite his family’s removal from farming, Warren said he’s been doing it his whole life. He said he’s gained experience through working for a local farmer since he was 12 years old, and when he was 16, he decided to farm for himself.

“Dad let me start with a little bit of property that he had and eventually he let me do all of it,” Warren said.

Down the line he started leasing property from other people.

Warren said he now tends to 300 acres and currently farms corn and soybeans.

Sydni Anderson/The News

Student Ben Warren owns his own greenhouse where he grows tomatoes.

His new operation is a greenhouse for tomatoes. He said he saw a lot of potential in the greenhouse market because they extend growing time and can even lead to a year round season, since crops are able to stay warm.

Keith Harris, a self-employed

farmer and family friend of the Warrens, said his son and Warren grew up together. He vouched for the Murray State student and said he thinks Warren’s greenhouse is a great avenue to get started on.

“It’s encouraging to see a young man have a vision and

be acting on it,” Harris said.

“He’s taking a chance and following his dreams. It’s an admirable trait.”

Warren said he also sees potential in a collaboration between the greenhouse and a newer type of system.

“It’s a kind of new and upcoming thing, this hydroponics,” Warren said. “It’s just more production per plant.

Instead of me going out and putting more plants into a field, with this I can produce as much as that acre.”

Warren said he plans on selling produce locally and in Nashville, Tennessee, farmers’ markets, but played with the idea of working with local restaurants. Warren also has

a land management company called Warren Land Solutions.

Yet, among these achievements, he’s faced hardship.

“When I was a freshman my dad passed away,” Warren said. “That helped push me to do these things.”

Aaron Walker, a life coach and businessman in Nashville has known Warren for more than 16 years and has watched him grow up. Walker said Warren’s father was his best friend and a spiritual mentor. He forecast an awesome end to Warren’s project.

“Knowing him, the greenhouse will be done right,” Walker said. “Ben is a fine young man and if I had a son, I’d want it to be him.”

The News

Features

Page 10

March 9, 2017

A day in the life

Featuring a face many students know well, The Murray State News highlights a day in the life of Don Robertson Emily Williams

Assistant Features Editor ewilliams15@murraystate. edu

Contributed by office of Branding, Marketing and Communication

Emily Williams

Assistant Features Editor ewilliams15@murraystate.edu

I believe we live in a society and culture today which loves to a.) jump to conclusions and b.) maliciously judge a book by its cover. I’m sure you have experienced your fair share of both: being judged before actually being known, along with being guilty of judging another

Whether you are at a Racer basketball game, a student organization meeting, All Campus Sing, the Wellness Center, student recitals or you are just out and about in the Quad, you are likely to spot Don Robertson, vice president of Student Affairs, at almost every event Murray State has to offer.

On top of meeting the demands of a cram-packed schedule each week, usually beginning his day at 8 a.m. and sometimes working as late as 6 p.m. on certain nights, Robertson still finds the time to connect with students and invest in their well-being at Murray State.

Clinton Combs, president of the Student Government Association

(SGA), said you can bet, as long as there isn't an emergency or he isn't abroad, Dr. Robertson will attend the SGA meeting every Wednesday.

“He usually passes along information or asks us for feedback on items, but most importantly, he listens,” Combs said. “He listens to the students as we discuss issues on campus, and he always offers his support, when we take initiative to fix them.”

But Robertson does much more than just attend weekly SGA meetings. He is heavily involved in the Chinese Student Association, Omicron Delta Kappa and Murray State Rotaract. In a typical week, Robertson said he tries to attend the Residential College Association meetings, and he periodically attends meetings with the Black Student Council, Interfraternity Council, the

International Student Organization and many others. He said he tries to attend as many student organization meetings as much as possible.

“One of the best qualities an administrator that works with students can have is the ability to step back and let the students have freedom to take ownership of their work but be available as a mentor along the way,” Combs said. “Dr R. has always been a supporter of my work on SGA, and always been a great mentor on issues, but never used that in a manner to push a personal agenda.”

Combs said Robertson’s greatest quality is his compassion and love for students.

“A lot of people don't know this, but whenever a student is injured and ends up at the hospital, Dr. R is there to check on them, no matter the time

of day,” Combs said. “This is especially nice for those students that live far from home, who are in a great time of need and might not have anyone.”

Daniela Callejas, senior from Sogamoso, Colombia, and vice president of Murray State’s Rotaract club, said she has known Robertson for three years now. She said with his help, they were able to reopen Murray State’s Rotaract Club and make it what it is today.

“He really supported and encouraged me throughout that process,” Callejas said. “I was always kind of afraid, just because he was so busy and I thought this might not be something that he cares about, but it was totally different. He was into it, super nice about it and excited just to work with the students.”

Read more at TheNews.org.

The Heart of the Matter

Don’t hate, appreciate before you know them entirely.

I have experienced the sting and frustration of the first scenario and been guilty of the second as well. In our defense, we are human and it’s our natural tendency to look at someone and immediately form an opinion about them based on what they’re wearing, the color of their skin, their mannerisms, etc. But why is it that so often we tend to highlight the nega-

“ ”

tive qualities of a person in our mind before we acknowledge the good? It’s an easy thing to do but think about the difference it would make in our lives and in the lives of others, if we decided we were going to eagerly

focus on the good aspects of a person rather than the bad.

Whether they want to admit it or not, even those people in our lives who seem impossible to get along with or who seem to make it their goal

Even those people in our lives who seem impossible to get along with...have a desire to be loved.

to frustrate or cut you down have a desire to be loved, just like we all do. From a distance, it’s easy to focus on ourselves, our insecurities, our problems and to judge others for theirs.

We fail to see the bigger picture when we have this mindset.

We fail to see the people walking in front of us to class, the people sitting across the room from us at Gigabytes, the people who we normally don’t see

at all, for who they truly are: someone with desires, insecurities and needs, just like us.

The people who have had the biggest impact on me in my own life are those people who saw my flaws, saw that I didn’t have it all together (because I definitely don’t) and who loved me through all of them anyway.

Read more at TheNews.org.

The News

Features

March 9, 2017

Page 11

‘Divide’ equates success Nick Erickson || Staff writer nerickson@murraystate.edu

There’s a lot to be impressed by with Suffolk singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran. Having self-released numerous albums and signing a record deal at age 19, his debut studio album “Plus” sold more than a million copies. Now with his newest record, “Divide” (stylized as ‘÷’), the chart-topping artist ventures into unconventional territory, usually in his favor.

Though an arguably odd way to kick off his first release in three years, Sheeran raps vigorously on “Eraser” over some powerful strums from his signature acoustic guitar. While out of place, Sheeran makes up for the wonky verses with an energetic chorus, utilizing his now-legendary silky voice. The orches-

tral stabs and faint keyboards are sure to resonate well with Backstreet Boys fans.

“Castle on the Hill,” one of the singles released before to the album’s official drop, has already gained exponential buzz, and for good reason. Sheeran sings beautifully of growing up and nostalgia on this track, where the vocal tonality of Mumford and Sons meets the bounce of an M83 track. Sheeran’s lyricism on this track feels genuine and serves as a reminder to listeners that he, too, is human.

“I’m on my way down, driving at 90 down those country lanes, singing to ‘Tiny Dancer,’” Sheeran sings.

The mellow “Perfect” flows softly, letting the atmosphere of a chill bass line and ‘50s-esque guitar work take form.

Sheeran sings to his lover, proclaiming her beauty in a fashion that feels less fabricated than one would expect. A lead into

a short acoustic solo and rich harmonies concludes the track flawlessly.

Sheeran reintroduces his rap flow on “Galway Girl” over a drum loop and some upbeat melodic textures. “Happier” ironically feels melancholic with its dark acoustic plucking and piano, all the while being a cheerful as ever. Piano continually takes full effect on “How Would You Feel,” giving the track an almost country aura to it, but still holding onto his distinguishable English accent. Sheeran’s piano and falsetto-range abilities steal the show on the emotional “Supermarket Flowers,” and where the delicacy of the keyboards fill the absence of guitar, it provides for a stand-out, intimate number.

Closer “Save Myself” is a piano-driven ballad. Stripped-down, listeners are left with merely Sheeran’s voice, piano and the faint bowing of a violin. Sheeran takes

the end of his third-studio album as a chance to remain vulnerable and open up to listeners about internal struggles he faces.

“Life can get you down so I just numb the way it feels. I drown it with a drink and out-of-date prescription pills,” he sings.

A raw end to a pop album is hard to come by, but Sheeran refuses to let fame get in the way of his artistry.

Regardless of musical bias, Sheeran is objectively one of the hardest working musicians in the current scene. “Divide” is ambitious, without ever getting too derailed from Sheeran’s classic charm.

Working, creating and touring diligently and though already a worldwide success, if “Divide” doesn’t send Sheeran to the very top, it will be a crime against music itself.

Rock Dog hits UNDER THE RADAR rock bottom Grant Dillard Contributing writer gdillard@murraystate.edu

Every once in a while a film comes to theaters that looks like it was meant to be Directto-DVD or Direct-to-Television, given its subpar animation and generic storytelling; a good example being last year’s “Norm of the North.” While “Rock Dog” doesn’t stoop quite as low as other films of its genre, it still manages to be a boring, predictable and overall forgettable waste of time.

The story focuses on Bodi, a dog who works at an outpost in a village of sheep, working to guard the citizens from wolves.

One day, after a radio falls from the sky and starts playing rock music, Bodi realizes he wants to be a rock star. This turns out to be a problem for his father, Khampa, who has banned all music from the village. This changes after Fleetwood Yak - no joke - that’s his name, convinces Khampa that Bodi should go out and follow his dreams. After Khampa agrees, Bodi then goes to the city in

hopes of becoming a great rock star.

The only good thing that “Rock Dog” has going for it is its animation, at least in terms of the settings. Whether it’s the snowy village or the big city, the scenery shown is animated quite nicely, and is very pleasing to the eye. Sadly, this is where the positives end and the film starts to fall apart.

To begin with, the film’s setting is inconsistent. It starts out with Fleetwood Yak giving a narration about how Khampa and the sheep first fended off the wolves, and it’s told like an ancient legend that’s often seen at the beginning of a martial arts film like “Kung Fu Panda” rather than a movie about a rockstar dog.

This is at odds with the setting later in the film, as the city Bodi travels to looks as though it is from the 21st century. On top of that, characters such as Bodi and Khampa are shown to have the ability to shoot out energy blasts from their hands, much like “DragonBall Z” characters.

It also doesn’t help that the no-music rule for the main plo-

tline is taken directly from “Footloose.” It seems as though the film doesn’t really know what kind of movie it wants to be, so instead resorts to taking plot points and elements from other, much better films.

Even with the unoriginal plot elements, the biggest flaw of “Rock Dog” is that it’s straight-up boring. The only slightly entertaining section of the film has to be the first act, mainly because of how strange and shockingly bonkers the setting is. Once Bodi gets to the city, however, the film grinds to a halt and becomes a chore to sit through. The characters aren’t interesting enough to get invested in, there aren’t any unexpected surprises or twists and even the rock music in the film isn’t catchy. Only the youngest of children will most likely find enjoyment, while adults will no doubt be checking their watches.

As a Nickelodeon original movie children could watch for free, “Rock Dog” might have been decent. But as a theatrically-released animated children’s film, it falls flat.

Photo courtesy of consequenceofsound.net

HEROES OF INDIE-FOLK MAKE A COMEBACK Yep, you read that right. After what has seemed like the longest six years of our lives (absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?), Fleet Foxes released ‘Third of May / Odaigahara’, a single that blows even the best of the band’s past discographies out of the water. In addition to the new single that is accompanied by a well-constructed lyric video compiled by Sean Pecknold and Adi Goodrich, the indie-folk heroes also announced they will be releasing their third album, to be titled “Crack-Up” on June 16 of this year. In a Facebook post announcing the album release, the band stated, “Never been this proud of an album.” If you are an indie-folk fan and this news does not make you cry tears of joy in a public place (which is definitely not an indication of being too invested), then you should be either entirely impressed or disgusted with yourself. The “CrackUp” track list will consist of 11 new songs that we fully expect to be overwhelmingly flawless and perfect at its very core. Talk about something to look forward to.

Under the Radar is written by Emily Williams, Assistant Features Editor

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

Photo courtesy of IMDb.com

SEE IT

“Kong: Skull Island”

Photo courtesy of noisy.vice.com

HEAR IT

“Voids”

By Minus the Bear

Photo courtesy of amazon.com

READ IT

“You Are Here”

By Jenny Lawson

Page 12

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March 9, 2017