M
90 years
THE MUR R AY STATE
NEWS
of excellence
November 16, 2017 | Vol. 92, No. 12
University address warns of tough times Sabra Jackson Staff writer
sjackson30@murraystate.edu
Ashley Traylor
Y R D
News Editor
atraylor@murraystate.edu
Nick Bohannon/The News
Sigma Phi Epsilon’s headquarters announced Nov. 8 that alcohol will be banned from their 215 chapter homes by 2020. Murray State’s SigEp chapter has already adopted this policy.
Fraternity implements substance-free policy Destinee Marking Staff writer
dmarking@murraystate.edu
Sigma Phi Epsilon will become the first fraternity on Murray State’s campus to ban alcohol. The organization’s national headquarters announced on Nov. 8 that alcohol will be completely banned from chapter homes by 2020. “Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) national fraternity announced that it has adopted a substance-free policy for all Fraternity facilities throughout its network of 215 chapters at colleges and universities in the United States,” the announcement read. Caleb Coomes, Murray State’s SigEp president, said this resolution was voted on by the undergraduate members and passed in August. Prior to the Substance-free Facilities policy, Coomes said Murray State SigEp members already follow strict rules. “In somewhere like Murray, where most all of the fraternity
houses are off campus, all the rules of the state and the city are followed first,” Coomes said. “Then if nationally, they restrict anything further, we follow that.” Coomes said this means that starting in August, anything involving alcohol, such as parties, cannot be held on the fraternity’s property; these events will have to be held elsewhere. He said they will however, still be able to hold social events. This announcement was not in direct response to the recent incident at Florida State University that left a fraternity pledge dead, but Coomes said occurrences like this prove the need to take action. “We decided that it’s time for a change,” Coomes said. “We’re not the first, but we want to help lead that change and show there’s a better way of how we can do things.” As of Nov. 6, all Greek life at Florida State was suspended indefinitely. Coomes said he and others want to avoid such restrictions at Murray State. He said Greek life is more
than the negative things that are reported; members get philanthropy and networking experience. Kim Newbern, coordinator of Greek life and student leadership programs, said this policy will help Murray State’s Greek life community promote moreso what it already does. “Our Greek life Community promotes an atmosphere where chapters and individuals can excel in leadership, scholarship, service and philanthropy and personal growth,” Newbern said. She said chapter advisers and consultants will be responsible for enforcing this new policy. “They work very close with their chapters to make sure they adhere to policies,” Newbern said. “In the case of SigEp, the National Fraternity will provide training for chapters and alumni volunteers who need help implementing this policy.” As this policy is intended to create safer environments and attract
prospective members to SigEp, Newbern said this policy should not negatively affect future SigEp recruitment. “SigEp’s nationally reported data shows that chapters that have some sort of substance-free policy actually have higher GPAs, higher recruitment/membership and fewer insurance claims,” Newbern said. “This policy is meant to create a new pool of potential members who are attracted to SigEp’s values.” Coomes said the new policy may make SigEp uninteresting to students who are looking to join Greek life for the party scene, but these are not the ideal recruits. “These changes will just be a different way of going about our social events and not negatively affecting us socially, but only promoting and creating an environment of learning, leadership and development to which every Greek organization should strive to create themselves,” Coomes said.
State opioid addiction on the rise
Destinee Marking
Staff writer
dmarking@murraystate.edu
Kentucky has fallen victim to the deadly opioid addiction epidemic, and college students are no exception to this nation-wide rampant. According to National Institute on Drug Abuse, opioids include prescription pain killers and illegal drugs like heroin and fentanyl. “These drugs are chemically related and interact with opioid receptors on nerve cells in the body and brain,” according to NIDA. “Opioid pain reliev-
ers are generally safe when taken for a short time and as prescribed by a doctor, but because they produce euphoria in addition to pain relief, they can be misused.” A survey conducted by Q Market Research of Minnesota in 2015, showed 16 percent of college-age youth reported using pain pills not prescribed to them. Of the respondents, 32.7 percent said this is because prescription pain killers are “easy” to obtain. Ben Chandler, president and CEO of Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, said it is evident Kentucky is in the epi-
center of this crisis. Kentucky had 1,400 overdose-related deaths in 2016, and Chandler believes this number is lower than the actual figure. “Most of us think that is a conservative figure,” Chandler said. “We think there are a lot of deaths that were due to opioid usage, but weren’t reported as opioid deaths in coroner reports because families didn’t want it reported.” Looking back on this problem, Chandler said it began in the 1990s. He said in the mid-90s, opium-based drugs started being prescribed to
patients to ease pain. Before then, these drugs were not prescribed unless patients were terminally ill. “Opioids are tremendous pain killers, but they are incredibly addictive,” Chandler said. “In fact, you can get addicted within three to five days.” Chandler said opioid dependency is one of the most difficult addictions to overcome. “The problem is most of the solutions people come up with have to do with treatment, and there are two problems connected with treatment,” Chandler said. “One is treat-
ment is not prevention. It’s after the fact, so it doesn’t do anything for preventing the use of opioids in the first place. The second thing is it’s tremendously expensive.” Prevention is a key to fighting the opioid epidemic. Both the Murray Police Department and the Calloway County Sheriff’s office offer a disposal program for prescription drugs. “The Sheriff’s Office handles the bulk of it with an actual secure drop off bin,” said Sergeant Brant Shutt with the
see DRUGS, page 2
SGA helps students who can’t afford laptop
Katlyn Mackie
Staff writer kmackie2@murraystate.edu
Financial issues are no longer keeping students from having technology thanks to a new laptop bank program recently implemented by the Student Government Association. Clint Combs, former SGA president, said financial problems are often the leading cause of students dropping out of college, even if it is not a substantial amount. “When we can institute pro-
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grams that take these distractions away from our students, it allows for them to better focus on their academics,” Combs said. “I am still incredibly proud of this program, and with it integrated into programs like Racers Helping Racers and the meal swipe bank, it provides a security net for all students who might find trying times in college.” Tori Wood, SGA president, said the laptops available in the program are older and do not receive use from the university.
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“We thought it was obviously a great way to help students that need a laptop but aren’t able to provide it themselves,” Wood said. Students can apply on SGA’s website under the Services and Programs tab or fill out a paper application in the Center for Student Involvement. Students are asked on the applications about their employment, financial aid and reason for needing a laptop. From there, an SGA com-
see LAPTOP, page 2
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President Bob Davies gave his State of the University Address Tuesday in Wrather Auditorium where he focused on funding issues plaguing postsecondary education in Kentucky. “In our own state, significant changes are not merely on the horizon, they are on our doorstep,” Davies said. Those changes, he said are performance funding where outcomes and measures of student attainment are prominent. Coupled with the pension crisis currently in the Commonwealth, the change in funding is creating higher levels of stress and uncertainty among those who work in higher education. “Additionally, based on the fiscal projections, the state is anticipating a significant budget reduction in the forthcoming legislative session,” Davis said. With the “new normal” universities are currently facing in higher education, Davis said it is more important than ever to establish priorities and actions for Murray State to focus on.
ENROLLMENT
Davies said the first priority and the most important was enrollment. “We cannot lose sight of the importance of increasing enrollment,” Davies said. “In these times when state appropriations are continually declining, we must drive our own revenues.” He focused on the university’s commitment to attracting, admitting and enrolling students, who have the highest possibility of being successful at Murray State in “our rigorous academic programs.” While the official enrollment numbers have not yet been released, Davies did allude to a decline in enrollment, especially among international students. It is not only an issue at Murray State but for schools all over the U.S. “In the past, we have relied on international student markets to boost enrollments, especially at the graduate level,” Davies said. “However, these once burgeoning markets are now bypassing the United States in large numbers.” He said it is important that the university continue to reinforce value and affordability when it comes to the tuition costs. Murray State is the third cheapest in the state when it comes to tuition and fees, lagging behind Kentucky State University and Morehead State University. “It is imperative that we enforce value and affordability,” Davies said. “This is why we must maintain a tuition model that continues to provide excellent value and return toward our students.”
RECRUITMENT
McKenna Dosier/The News
The application for a laptop can be found on SGA’s website under the Services and Programs tab.
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The freshmen class of 2017 was on target to be one of the largest the university has seen recently but only produced slightly less than 2016. The admissions team is implementing a “robust plan” that Davies said will streamline the admissions process. “So we are the first to con-
see UNIVERSITY, page 2
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