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November 8, 2018 | Vol. 93, No. 11

Did teachers

‘Remember in November’?

Education was one of the hot-button issues in the midterm elections Elizabeth Erwin News Editor eerwin1@murraystate.edu

Ciara Benham Contributing Writer cbenham@murraystate.edu

Eight months after the controversial pension bill was passed in Frankfort, educators repeatedly promised to “Remember in November!” But did they?

On Nov. 6, at least 36 current or former teachers were on the ballot for the Kentucky General Assembly.

The rise in educators running for office came in response to the controversial pension bill, Senate Bill 151. The passing of SB 151 resulted in several teacher walkouts across the state in April.

Opponents of the bill argued that it violated the inviolable contract whereby state workers are guaranteed the benefits that they were promised when hired. In late April, Attorney General Andy Beshear filed a lawsuit against the bill.

Since then, the bill has been stuck in a legal back-andforth battle. Now, the bill awaits a final decision by the Kentucky Supreme Court.

In the 2018 midterm election, at least 36 current or former teachers were on the Kentucky ballot, hoping to make a difference when it came to pension reform.

However, as the polls closed the majority of the candidates lost with only nine winners emerging.

Joe Baust, former Murray State professor and director for the center of environmental education, spoke about his views on teacher pensions and how they affect current and future educators.

“Beginning teachers now are going to have to do a 401K which is not like the kind of pension that other teachers have,” Baust said. “The problem with that is if you’re going to be a teacher, why would you come to Kentucky to teach?”

The pension problem extends beyond a teachers’ first years of work. Due to the inviolable contract, state workers are also ineligible for social see page 3A security benefits.

KEA,

Brock Kirk and Colton Colglazier/The News

NEWS:

SPORTS:

FEATURES:

Blankenship ousted by Foust

Ticket punched: Soccer wins second-straight OVC title

‘It’s a thrill to watch people purchase your artwork’

What will James Comer do for us?

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OPINION:

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NEWS NEWS THE MUR R AY STATE

November 8, 2018

Blankenship ousted by Foust

Commonwealth’s Attorney changes hands amid high profile cases Ashley Traylor Editor-in-Chief atraylor@murraystate.edu

Dennis Foust unseated Mark Blankenship for District 42 Commonwealth’s Attorney, with 59.19 percent of the total vote.

District 42 includes Calloway County and Marshall County.

Blankenship had the majority of the votes in Calloway County- 5,814 compared to Foust’s 4,492- but Foust defeated Blankenship with Marshall County’s vote.

In Marshall County, Foust received about 5,500 more votes than Blankenship. The votes totaled 9,080 for Foust and 3,545 for Blankenship

in that county.

Blankenship had two high profile criminal trials on his hands: the Pascasio Pacheco murder trial, which could be the first death penalty case in Calloway County in 100 years and the Marshall County High School shooting case, for which the next pretrial conference is scheduled for March 2019.

Pacheco is accused of killing his aunt and uncle and setting their Calloway County house on fire, which eventually killed two children in 2015.

The trial is expected to begin in early 2019.

T h e Jan. 23 shooting at Marshall

County High School killed two 15-year-old students, Preston Cope and Baily Holt, and injured more than a dozen others.

Foust said he plans to immediately immerse himself into the Marshall County case, and he has been monitoring the case since the beginning.

“As for further plans or strategies in the case, it would neither be ethical nor would it be prudent to discuss any plans or strategies for the case,” Foust said. “However, I do know the direction in which I will take the case.”

Blankenship said before the election, he assigned the trial responsibilities to two of his

assistants, in the event he was no re-elected.

He said this was done so that the case would not be continued and could proceed regardless of the election outcome.

However, he said a new Commonwealth’s Attorney could employ new staff, meaning the case would be continued.

As for the Marshall case, Blankenship was hoping to set the trial date during the pretrial conference in March. By this date, he said evidence supporting charges or evidence in police custody that helps the defense should be completed and any pretrial motions will be heard.

Photo courtesy of Calloway County Jail

Case 1: Pascasio Pacheco murder case.

Photo courtesy of Dave Thompson, The Paducah Sun

Case 2: Gabriel Parker, accused Marshall County High School shooter.

Colton Colglazier/The News

News

November 8, 2018

Page 3a

KEA

From Page 1 Gina Crider, a public school teacher, voiced her concerns about the continuous pension and social security crisis facing teachers. Crider used to work in the private sector and willingly took a pay cut to pursue public teaching.

“I think the social security issue is the main point and it keeps going unreported,” Crider said, “I’m going to keep saying this

I know it has pushed several educators out of the state that I’ve known personally and if something doesn’t change, it will only continue.

-Freshman elementary

education major, Katie Warkentine

Courtesy of Creative Commons

What did I vote for?

Controversial Constitutional Amendment explained

Daniella Tebib Staff writer dtebib@murraystate.edu

The polls are in and Marsy’s Law passed with approximately 63% of the votes, but it still needs approval from the Kentucky Supreme Court.

On Nov. 6, voters considered a constitutional amendment on their ballots.

The constitutional amendment stated, “Are you in favor of providing constitutional rights to victims of crime, including the right to be treated fairly, with dignity and respect, and the right to be informed and to have a voice in the judicial process,” according to the general election

Nov. 6 ballot.

Marsy’s Law was first enacted in California after Marsalee “Marsy” Nicholas was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, according to the Marsy’s Law for All LLC organization. Henry Nicholas, Marsy’s brother, encountered the suspect a week later without notice that he had been released.

In 2009, Henry founded Marsy’s Law for All LLC in hopes of amending other states’ constitutions that don’t offer protections to crime victims.

Some of the specific rights for crime victims that the amendment includes are the right to be heard at proceedings, to be notified about the release or

escape of the accused and to be considered when decisions about bail or release are made, according to the Marsy’s Law for All LLC organization.

However, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky opposes this amendment because they believe it is unnecessary as Kentucky’s State Constitution already protects the rights of crime victims.

“We oppose Marsy’s Law because it unnecessarily complicates the criminal justice process, threatens to increase prison populations, interferes with due process and clogs our justice system,” according to the ACLU of Kentucky.

Versions of Marsy’s Law have been passed previously in several other states including California, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois and Ohio. Six states including Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Nevada voted to pass it, according to the poll results from the midterm midterm election on Nov. 6.

It was also passed in Montana; however, it was overturned in 2017 because it was declared unconstitutional.

The fate of Marsy’s Law in Kentucky now lies in the hands of the Kentucky Supreme Court’s decision of whether or not it is constitutional.

”

until somebody listens, there are federal laws in place that keep any teachers, from getting our spouses social security.”

Crider earned social security from her 15 years working in the private sector, but it is no longer available to her because she became a teacher.

“If you untangle this pension system and make that into a 401K, you still have these federal laws in place that are punishing a group of people,” Crider said. “Can you think of a job where when you sign

your contract you are actually giving up benefits? That’s essentially what teachers in Kentucky are doing.”

The Kentucky Supreme Court began hearings on the pension bill on Sept.

20. It was widely anticipated that a final ruling would be made by the end of October; however, the decision was pushed back.

Current educators aren’t the only ones voicing their concerns about the pension problem. Some students enrolled in one of Murray State’s largest majors, education, have their own fears about pursuing teaching careers in Kentucky.

Katie Warkentine, freshman elementary education major, is one of those students.

“As someone who is pursuing a degree, it is definitely discouraging seeing everything that has happened with the pension plan in Kentucky and how our government has chosen to respond,” Warkentine said.

She said the state of the pension bill is a threat to the future numbers of Kentucky teachers.

“I know it has pushed several educators out of the state that I’ve known personally and if something doesn’t change, it will only continue,” Warkentine said.

Freshman Nick Fuson said he plans to continue as a music education major despite the uncertainty of the state pension system.

“Entering into an already low-paying field that is now under threat of further economic damage is nothing less than terrifying,” Fuson said. “I will still pursue this position because of my love for teaching, but things are scarier now than they have ever been.”

Courtesy of the Kentucky Education Association Facebook page

This is the response from the KEA regarding the Tuesday, Nov. 6 election results.

News November 8, 2018 Two vote difference in city council race

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Faculty and staff run in elections Breanna Harris

Contributing writer bharris17@murraystate.edu

Seven Murray State faculty members were on the Nov. 6 ballot, and four of these faculty members were elected to office.

Board of Education Shawn Smee, director of recruitment, was elected to Murray’s Independent School District Board of Education with 21.75 percent of the votes.

After the election, Smee took to Instagram and Twitter to share his gratitude.

“Thank you to all of you who voted today!” Smee wrote. “Excited and honored to help support these kiddos and so many more through the MISD school board. Thank you for your support!”

With 20.73 percent of votes, Miranda Terry, director of Applied Health Sciences and the Public and Community Health Program, was also elected to the Board.

“I am going to continue to do my job and focus on the students by just listening to the parents, teachers and administrators,” Terry said. “Being a sounding board and coming up with the best solutions is one of the things that I believe brings strength to my position at Murray state.”

Martin Milkman, professor of economics, ran for a seat on the Board, but fell short of his goal.

Murray City Council Two of Murray State’s professors ran for seats on Murray’s City Council and failed to secure them.

Barbara Cobb, professor of English and coordinator of the liberal arts major, has been teaching at Murray State for 16 years and throughout her time at the University, she has has served as director of Shakespeare in the Schools

Partner Initiative, tailoring the liberal arts major, and academic advising.

“I hope that students will consider internships with the city government,” Cobb said. “Students can gain valuable work experience and could benefit from the innovation and research that students bring to internships.”

Jessica Evans, assistant director of assessment, was also one of the candidates not elected to the council.

She has been at Murray State since 2010, and served the University as an administrative assistant in the department of Applied Health Sciences and as lecturer in the College of Business, before moving into the assistant assessment director role.

“It is important to any member of the City Council to consider that without the students, the city of Murray would not thrive in the way that it has,” Evans said.

James Turner Staff writer jturner34@murraystate.edu

Miranda Terry

Jessica Evans

Jodi Hanneman

The packed race for Murray City Council was closer than ever with five newly elected and seven returning council members.

During the primary, there were an unprecedented 34 candidates running for Murray City Council. When voters turned out on Nov. 6, 23 candidates were left on the ballot, and voters were tasked with selecting 12 of them.

The 12th position was decided by a mere two votes. Terry Strieter won with 1,495 votes over Donnie Winchester’s 1,493.

Among the winners, newly and re-elected city council members voiced their continued opposition to the payroll tax.

Tuesday was Election Day nationwide, and Calloway County saw its own political shifts throughout that evening.

Monty McCuiston is one of the newly-elected Murray City Council members. He has stated a

primary issue for Murray State students is the payroll tax.

“I was not in favor of the payroll tax when it passed, and I am still not a fan of it,” McCuiston said.

He said at this point, he does not believe that it can be repealed, but that it can be revamped to help who it hurts the most. One of his first goals, if elected, was to work toward a committee to hear the needs and requests of students and try to find solutions to issues. He said the committee will consist of at least six council members, the SGA president and the Staff Regent to hear these needs.

“Our community revolves around MSU,” McCuiston said. “If the city, the county, Murray State and the Chamber of Commerce could work closely with each other, and keep our common goal at heart, the betterment of our community, we can accomplish anything.”

Linda Cherry was re-elected to the City Council and was one of the six to vote against the payroll tax.

Cherry said she would love to see it put on the ballot in the

form of a referendum so that the people who live and work in the city can decide its fate.

“It is a crippling thing to our citizens,” Cherry said. “If there is any way we can get it on the ballot, I would definitely be in favor of that.”

Danny O. Hudspeth, who has served on the city council for 28 years, was also re-elected. He echoed similar sentiments to McCuiston concerning the payroll tax.

“I knew this tax or some other had to happen at some point in our city’s future,” Hudspeth said. “I do not think it was the right time.

I thought it was too much, and that the needs were overstated. I would like to see it reduced or make the first $10K to $20K exempt.”

The five newly-elected council members are: Rose Ross Elder, Monty McCuiston, Alice J. Rouse, Patricia W. Seiber and Terry Strieter.

The seven re-elected council members are: Jeremy Bell, Wesley Bolin, Linda Cherry, Danny O. Hudspeth, Dan M. Miller, John Mark Roberts and Burton Young.

Hazel City Council Although not in Murray, Jodi Hanneman, administrative assistant for the department of Applied Health Science, has landed a seat on Hazel’s City Council.

FALL IS HERE

Martin Milkman

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Congress Democrat, Paul Walker, associate professor of English, campaigned for First Congressional District to have a voice on Capitol Hill, but he succumbed to Republican James Comer.

In Calloway County, Comer received more than half of the votes, 61.91% compared to Walker’s 38.09% of total votes in the precincts.

Walker said he plans to run for office again in the future. He said issues he would like to see Comer address are rising student debt, health care and improving western Kentucky’s infrastructure.

Photos courtesy of Jodi Hanneman and www.murraystate.edu

Paul Walker

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November 8, 2018

NEWS SPORTS THE MUR R AY STATE

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Ticket punched: Soccer wins second-straight OVC title Adam Redfern Staff writer aredfern@murraystate.edu

Back-to-back champs First-year Head Coach Matt Lodge led the Racer women’s soccer team to their second-straight OVC tournament championship, defeating tournament-host UT Martin 2-1.

“I’m so proud of this group; we have had so much adversity this season,” Lodge said. “They don’t believe in excuses.

They make my job so much easier when they work as hard as they do.”

The OVC championship game began with the Skyhawks getting good looks on goal early in the first half. However, it seemed that for every good look UT Martin worked for, Murray State senior goalkeeper Alex Steigerwald would make a better save.

The Racers were unable to get going offensively in the first half.

The team could hardly

possess the ball for a couple seconds before a Skyhawk challenged the ball.

It seemed the Skyhawks’ pressure would be too much for Murray State to handle.

The Racers in the midfield struggled early on and were stripped of possession often.

Despite the effort from UT Martin, the Racers kept the Skyhawks off the scoreboard and headed into the half tied 0-0.

Two minutes into the second half, sophomore Rebecca Kubin received a ball at midfield from the backline, and then dribbled past four Skyhawks to slot the ball in the left corner, which gave the Racers the first lead of the game at 1-0.

Kubin helped the Racers apply some pressure on the Skyhawks when eight minutes later, she would dribble past a couple more defenders and drop the ball off to junior forward Miyah Watford. Watford passed the ball back to Kubin, but her shot rocked the

Photo courtesy of Racer Athletics

Murray State’s women’s soccer team celebrates its third OVC tournament championship in four years after beating UT Martin 2-1.

post. Watford found the rebound at her feet and doubled the Racers’ lead to 2-0.

UT Martin would strike back in the 62nd minute of the game when senior defender Kaci Mitchell made a tough shot from 25 yards out to make the score 2-1.

Senior defender Karsyn Hasch left the field with an apparent leg injury in the 63rd minute. Junior forward Elizabeth Tilton would sub on for Hasch, and Watford joined the backline for the first time this year.

Murray State adopted a defensive approach to the game. The team sat back and helped their backline defend against the attack of UT Martin.

Gage Johnson/The News The strategy would Women’s soccer celebrates its NCAA pairing with Vanderbilt on Monday. pay off in the end, when

the Racers ultimately won the game 2-1.

To end ones conference career at the highest point is a luxury rarely afforded to college athletes. However, the senior class of midfielder Caroline Ashton, forward Katie Brooks, forward Cori Cain, defender Lauren Nosal and goalkeeper Alex Steigerwald went from losing their first home game in their collegiate careers, to handing UT Martin its first OVC loss of the season and winning back-to-back OVC championships.

“Just experiencing [Sunday] after Friday is huge,” Steigerwald said.

“This is nothing I would have ever imagined in my time here. I think that the work that was put Friday and yester-

day at practice was huge.

It is a great feeling to have.”

The Racers will make their fourth NCAA tournament appearance in history of the program.

Racers draw Vandy On Monday, Nov. 6, the NCAA held a live stream to announce where each team would land on the NCAA tournament bracket.

Murray State women’s soccer team held a public watch party for the announcement. The team huddles around the screen anxiously waiting for its name to be called. The SEC regular season champs, Vanderbilt University, were called and the NCAA announced the two would be paired in

Nashville, Tennessee, for the showdown.

In four trips to the NCAA tournament in program history, the Racers have been paired with an SEC team threestraight times.

Vanderbilt had the best regular season record in the SEC, only losing one game to Ole Miss 0-1. The Racers faced off against Ole Miss earlier in their regular season, losing to the Rebels 1-3.

Vanderbilt is entering the NCAA tournament on a two-game losing streak, with its last loss coming in the first round of the SEC tournament.

The Racers are on a two-game win streak after losing on senior night. They’ll square off against Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10, in Nashville.

Sports

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Softball concludes fall slate Maggiann Ackerman Staff writer mackerman@murraystate.edu

Racer softball’s fall season came to a close in October, and Murray State Head Coach Kara Amundson came away with several valuable takeaways about her team.

“I think we started off really well in terms of offensive stuff specifically,” Amundson said. “One of the cool things about our team this year is we have a lot of depth, offensively and defensively.”

At the beginning of fall play, Racer softball faced off against John A. Logan Community College. Murray State power hitters sophomore infielder Sierra Gilmore and senior infielder Lexi Jones scored three runs combined, and the Racers were able to end the day with two victories under their belt 9-5 and 10-5.

“Sierra has a lot of upside for our team, she’s a work horse and has done a great job playing whatever position we have put her in,” Amundson said.

“Lexi has really settled in this fall. She’s swinging at good pitches, seeing the ball well and has built a lot of confidence.”

Noticing offense was a

strong suit on the team, Amundson placed an increased emphasis on the team’s defense.

“I wanted to nail down what we want our defensive lineup to look like a little bit and we started to swift through that so we could build the relationship and chemistry on the field,” Amundson said.

Murray State then traveled to play in the Saluki Round Robin where they faced Saint Louis University and Southern Illinois University.

In the 7-0 victory over Saint Louis, a deep presence in the pitchers’ circle from Gilmore, senior Amber Van Duyse, sophomore Olivia Suski and junior Ellison Barrett provided big hits once again, helped the Racers seal the deal.

“We want to establish a pitch by committee,” Amundson said. “If we see someone is throwing the ball great but starts to slip up, we want to put someone new in there to pick the momentum back up.”

In the game against Southern Illinois University, Murray State fell to SIU 13-2 after an explosive 11-run inning in the third by the Salukis.

“We kind of fell off a little offensively towards the end,” Amundson said.

Photo courtesy of Racer Athletics

Senior infielder Lillie Goetz swings at a pitch during the Racers’ fall season.

“But we saw some really good stuff from our pitchers, we have a lot of depth and we are staying consistent.”

In the games against Shawnee Community College, the Racers commanded both games, winning 23-1 and 10-0.

“We try to play Division I schools as much as we can during the fall because that’s the kind of competition we’ll see during the regular season. It gives us a better look at how we stack up,” Amundson said. “That game was not a realistic look on the season.”

Murray State concluded its fall schedule with a double-header against Lipscomb University.

The Racers lost the first game 10-1, but turned around and tied the second game at a score of 2-2.

Murray State senior infielder Madison Culver stood out at the plate by hitting two singles and an RBI, and freshman utility player Lindsey Carroll contributing with a solo home run. Olivia Suski showcased her pitching abilities to end the day with eight strikeouts.

This accomplishment is partly due to her team buying into Amundson’s unique team motto: “Be a Shark.”

“The team has jumped on board with the attitude we wanted them to adopt,” Amundson said.

“They even have started to say, ‘If you aren’t going to be a shark, then stop being a guppy.’ So they’ve been really owning the mentality in all aspects.”

With the regular season ahead, Amundson said she’s looking forward to what is to come.

“I’m interested to see how some of the younger kids start to develop and what roles they will start to play as we move forward,” Amundson said.

“The first couple months are whirlwind but now they’re starting to settle in. I’m excited to see what happens now they will be adjusted.”

November 8, 2018

THE MURRAY STATE NEWS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Steigerwald held Eastern Illinois scoreless in the Racers’ 1-0 semi-final win last Friday, Nov. 2. She followed that performance by making three pivotal saves against UT Martin in the OVC Championship to help Murray State claim a 2-1 win and its third OVC title in four years.

Alex Steigerwald Senior Goalkeeper

Rosalyn Churchman/The News

Football eyeing bounceback win against SEMO Keith Jaco Staff writer rjaco@murraystate.edu

The Murray State football team will look to bounce back this weekend, as it aims to hand Southeast Missouri State its second OVC loss of the season.

The Racers are coming off a disappointing loss to Tennessee Tech by a score of 27-24. Penalties and poor execution halted the Racers chance of a late game comeback. Murray State was flagged for 12 penalties, resulting in 70 lost yards.

Murray State will need a win on Saturday, Nov. 10 and a Jacksonville State loss to keep its OVC Championship hopes alive.

Head Coach Mitch Stewart is prepared for the challenge and aware of the threat that SEMO poses to his team.

“This is what gets me up in the morning,” Stewart said. “I have to figure out

ways to get that edge and that twinkle back in our guys. My charge for this football team will be getting back to our previous brand of football.”

Senior quarterback Drew Anderson was the exception to a poorly played game from Murray State last Saturday, Nov. 3.

Anderson threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns on 34-41 passing, ran for 37 yards on eight carries, but two costly interceptions prevented the Racers from topping the Golden Eagles.

The Racers struggled to move the ball on the ground for the second consecutive week in their loss to Tennessee Tech.

Sophomore running backs D.J. Penick and Rodney Castille each split time with the ball on Saturday, yet both failed to net more than 30 yards on the day.

SEMO is coming off a commanding win at home over Tennessee State 38-21.

The Redhawks are sporting the best offense in the OVC with help from their junior quarterback Daniel Santacaterina. Santacaterina has thrown for an OVCleading 2231 yards on 159262 passing attempts with 23 touchdowns and just six picks on the season.

The Murray State defense will be tasked with stopping a SEMO team that ranks first in scoring offense in the OVC. Although preparation for this SEMO team is key, Stewart is fixated on controlling what he can control.

“I think you can’t focus on them, but instead focus on us,” Stewart said. “We have to go back to doing the things that got us to this point. We have to prepare the same way we have all season. It’s the little things.”

Murray State will host SEMO at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10 at Roy Stewart Stadium.

November 8, 2018

Sports

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Rosalyn Churchman/The News

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NEWS FEATURES THE MUR R AY STATE

November 8, 2018

‘It’s a thrill to watch people purchase your artwork’ Annual Holiday Art Auction funds scholarships Bridgette McAuliffe Staff writer bmcauliffe@murraystate.edu

Murray State students and community members are parting with works of art to further art education at the University.

The annual Holiday Art Auction begins at 5:30 p.m., with registeration at 4:30 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 9; it allows students and community members to donate pieces of art that will be sold to fund Murray State art scholarships.

Kaitlyn Steward, senior from Uniontown, Kentucky, donated a still life piece to the auction. She has donated before and loves the excitement of seeing other people bid on her work.

“It’s a privilege and thrill to watch people purchase your artwork and it’s a great opportunity for students to socialize and view their peers’ work,” Steward said.

Entitled “A Study of Lemons on Blue,” Steward’s piece was originally a study of color and lighting as she learned how to better render objects realistically.

“I view this piece as a precursor to my current work,” Steward said. “It piqued my intrigue with the possibilities of color and physical applications of paint.”

The auction provides many Murray

State art students with scholarships to pursue their craft through undergraduate and graduate study. Those who donate works are eligible to receive scholarships funded by the event.

“I see the art auction as a way to give back to the department that has given me everything,” Steward said.

“This department has helped me find myself both artistically and personally, provided me with many role models, and offered me a safe and thoughtful learning environment. The least I can do is donate a painting.”

Carly Dothsuk, senior from Cadiz, Kentucky, hopes to use the opportunities she has been afforded through the department to pursue a career in art education.

“This is an event that takes the entire department to organize and put together and it’s super beneficial,” Dothsuk said.

“I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Dothsuk is donating what she calls a “self-portrait of sorts.”

“The figure is segmented by expressive mark-making and color while still allowing you to see parts of the figure peering out at the viewer,” Dothsuk said.

Students like Dothsuk receive scholarships funded by auction proceeds

to pursue their craft in one of Murray State’s many art studios.

Danielle Muzina, assistant professor of art and design, teaches painting to students in the art department.

“The purpose of the event is to bring the art community together at Murray State to do something that raises money for scholarships for art students,” Muzina said. “Any student who donates to the art auction becomes eligible for scholarships.”

Muzina got her start as an artist making collages with her grandfather, an artist who immigrated to the United States with her family from Croatia.

“When I was little I was raised by my grandparents and whenever my grandfather would come home for lunch we would draw together,” Muzina said.

One of her grandfather’s clients, a worker at Sherwin-Williams, would bring her paint swatches that they used to make collages and games.

“I always loved making things and it was one of my earliest joys,” Muzina said. “I have always been an artist.”

The art pieces made by Murray State students, faculty and community members can be viewed in the Clara M. Eagle Gallery on the sixth floor of Price Doyle Fine Arts Building.

Sara Howell/The News

Roy Davis submitted “Chair for a Child” to be bid on during the live auction starting at 6:30 p.m.

Sara Howell/The News

Hannah Kesty submitted glazed ceramic bowls to be bid on during the silent auction from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Features

November 8, 2018

Page 9a

From the whiteboard to the journal editorial board Amy Turner Staff writer aturner32@murraystate.edu

After pursuing a lifetime of studying math, Kelly Pearson, professor of mathematics, has been invited to serve on the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Journal Editorial Board.

According to its website, the SIAM Journal on Matrix Analysis and Applications “contains research articles in matrix analysis and its applications and papers of interest to the numerical linear algebra community.

Applications include such areas as signal processing, systems and control theory, statistics, Markov chains, and mathematical biology. Also contains papers that are of a theoretical nature but have a pos-

sible impact on applications.”

The journal is considered a premier research journal by mathematical scholars. The position was not one that Pearson applied for but was one that she was invited to serve in for her mathematical achievements.

After moving from Oregon to Murray, Pearson became a professor of mathematics at the university where she has continued to study it for 19 years.

She got interested in mathematics because of the interesting teachers she had early on in her life.

“When I was about 14, I had an excellent high school teacher,” Pearson said. “He had worked with NASA and came back into the classroom.

I really liked him and

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how he presented the material and made it exciting.”

Pearson specifically studies tensor analysis.

“Something most students are familiar with are ranking algorithms like college football teams and how they rank them,” Pearson said. “A lot of that can be done with linear algebra. What I am looking at is not so much linear but multilinear, so maybe adding a degree of difficulty to that.”

Starting Jan. 1, Pearson will assume her role on the editorial board.

“I will be in charge of taking papers that people want to publish in this journal and sending them out to referees,” Pearson said. “And then if it is recommended for publication, I will work with the author to get it

into shape and publishing it.”

After being invited to serve on the board, Pearson said that she felt really nervous.

“I’ve never been on an editorial board before so it was really shocking to get an invitation from a top-notch journal.” Pearson said. “It wasn’t something I had applied for, and they said that they wanted me and it had already been approved at the highest level.”

Moving forward, Pearson is excited to see what people will do with matrix analysis and to help people improve their work.

“It is a pretty exciting area that I am in, it is very new and there is a lot of information coming out on it.” Pearson said.

TUESDAY, NOV. 13 COHFA | Psychology Showcase: Projects In-Process

9:00-11:00, Waterfield Library Gallery. Dr. P. Cushen & Dr. T. McCue

Brianna Jones; Camila Ferreira; Cassandra Gonzalez; Christopher Evan Hannan; Emily Smith; Kyler Joachim; Nicholas Best; Olivia Brice; Reilly Schaefer; Veronica Ruby; William Crabtree.

COHFA | Global Languages Senior Colloquium—Day One 3:40-6:00, Faculty Hall 208. Dr. Tanya Romero-Gonzalez.

Ari Tabscott; Rene Shamberger; Katie Weatherspoon; Audree Harper; Melanie Guardian.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 14

Amber M. Zysek; Elizabeth Conkwright.

Chloe Granberry; Garrett Tur; Victoria Walker; Elizabeth Tretter.

AJBCOB | Journalism and Media History Symposium 3:30-4:50, Waterfield Library Gallery. Dr. Melanie Shemberger.

Abdulla Almutairi; Mohammed Alsukhayri; Saeed Alqahtani; Shuai Guo; Yahya Alzahrany. ___________________________

murraystate.edu/ORCA

Cassidy Bess; Grace Thomasson; Hanna Irvin; Hannah Lamb; Hope Hansen; Isabel Heckman; Josie Rideout; Kaelyn Spowart; Marisa Belew; Rachel Booth.

COHFA | Global Languages Senior Colloquium—Day Two 3:40-6:00, Faculty Hall 208. Dr. Tanya Romero-Gonzalez.

Caleb Perkins; Emily Paper; Faith Haley; Madeline Leonard; Sara Gantz.

AJBCOB | Survey Creation - Approaches to Best Practices

FRIDAY, NOV. 16

Sarah Burden; Cory Sharber; Destinee Marking; Lauren Campbell; Logan McCuiston; Michelle Hawks; Paige Effinger; Robert Jaco; Sarah Burden.

COHFA | Literature Research Presentations

SNHP | Medical Ethics in the Media

9:30-10:20, Waterfield Library Gallery. Dr. Miranda Terry.

3:30-4:45, Waterfield Library Gallery. Dr. Stefan Linnhoff.

AJBCOB | Education News and Oral Histories Project Reveal

2:30-3:25, Waterfield Library Gallery. Dr. Gina Claywell

THURSDAY, NOV. 15

Christopher Jackson; Haylie Hobbs; Jenny Ma; Jon Hawkins; Katie Crowley; Lisa Holt; Nathan Adams; Rachel Barnett; Sarah Rao; Steven Hulsey; Tanner Braunschweig.

COHFA | The Art of Influence: Trends in Contemporary Creative Writing

2:00-2:25, Waterfield Library Gallery. Dr. Carrie Jerrell.

Mackenzie O’Donley/The News

Pearson teaches mathemathics in a variety of lower- and upper-level courses.

8:15-9:15, Waterfield Library Gallery. Dr. Melanie Shemberger.

COHFA | Psychology Showcase: Completed Projects 10:00-12:00, Waterfield Library Gallery. Dr. Marie Karlsson.

Aaron Beuoy; Bailey Dodd; Casey Brugh; Cassie Gonzalez; Jeremy Vargas; Jessica Hodges; Kevin Tunney; Lee Carpenter; Shania Cole.

Liberal Arts | Program Panel

1:30-2:30, Waterfield Library Gallery. Dr. Barbara Cobb.

Bailey Porter; Malcolm Jones.

Honors College | Senior Thesis Presentations 8:30-4:30, Waterfield Library Gallery.

Dr. Warren Edminster & Dr. Jeff Osborne

Anna Gorsick; George Bittel; Autumn Grace Anderson; Casey Johnson; Chloe Chaplin; Christopher Harton; Diana Schweitzer; Jacy Isaacs; Karson Johnson; MacKenzie Jones; Madison Hutto; Maegann L. Hardison; Mary Weatherspoon; Nadine Innes; Ryan Grace; Samantha Sims; Samuel White; Scott Simon; Sydney Rice; Sydney Wedbush; Wesley Stratton.

JDJCSET | Earth and Environmental Sciences Posters

1:00-3:00, Waterfield Library Classroom 210. Dr. Robin Q. Zhang.

Alex Cline; Alex Woolen; Amber Crawford; Brandon Rose; Harrison Kelly; Javus Yandal; Katherine Johnson; Kevin Takashita-Bynum; Lance Stewart; Marie White; Matthew Wittman; Monika Staszczak; Morgan Franklin; Palistha Shrestha; Patricia Harris; Steven Collett.

Features

Page 10a

November 8, 2018

Students find empowerment through ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Bridgette McAuliffe Staff writer bmcauliffe@murraystate.edu

Strutting on stage in corsets and fishnet tights, Murray State students said they have never felt more confident in their entire lives.

On Halloween night, the theatre club Sock and Buskin hosted their annual shadow performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The students re-created the entire movie, performing with accurate costuming and choreography in front of a screen that played the feature.

Hannah Crawford, senior from Auburn, Kentucky, was cast as Janet, the show’s leading female role. She saw the movie for the first time in 2012 and has since had a special connection to the film.

“I’ve watched it every single year,” Crawford said.

“My dog’s name is Rocky because he was born on Halloween. I just love the movie and was really excited to audition.”

She discovered the film in high school after being introduced to it by her boyfriend at the time and though she was hesitant at first, Crawford said she came to feel a sense of empowerment from the film.

“I think the overall theme is about sexuality and just really owning it,” Crawford said. “That’s what I love getting to do with Janet; absolutely owning my sexuality and having that confidence.”

This production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was Crawford’s on-stage debut.

“I’ve made a ton of friends; it’s been really fun and just a huge confidence booster,”

Crawford said.

Michael Moreno, sophomore from Louisville, Kentucky, portrayed Brad, Janet’s newlywed husband.

His favorite part of the show, he said, was getting to wear the corsets during the final number.

“That entire last scene in general always gets me excited,” Morena said. “I just get to be something I’m not; be somewhat sexy and very vulnerable and it’s just a lot of fun.”

From choreography to character interaction, the actors tried to stay as true to the film as possible. Though it is a very intense production, Crawford said the cast and crew did a great job making everyone feel comfortable.

“Michael and I didn’t have to do the kiss if we weren’t comfortable, but that’s what they do in the movie and what we both wanted to do,” Crawford said.

Getting to portray Janet allowed Crawford to live out one of her dreams and cross off a major point on her bucket list.

“I’m going to be very sad when this is all over, because I look forward to rehearsals so much and getting to do something I love with all of these cool new people,” Crawford said.

Katie Duggar, sophomore from Murray, was the assistant director for this year’s production.

“I love the dynamic of the audience and being with a group of people who are so passionate about the film,” Duggar said. “That’s the great thing about cult films; you can guarantee there is a wide audience of people that are die-hard fans for it, especially ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show.’”

Richard Thompson/The News

Kai Stewart, Alan M. M. McKee, Ania Diallo, Hannah Crawford and Michael Moreno performed as Magenta, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Columbia, Janet and Brad.

I think the overall theme is about sexuality and just really owning it...That’s what I love getting to do with Janet; absolutely owning my sexuality and having that confidence.

Senior, Hannah Crawford

Richard Thompson/The News

A first-time Rocky Horror Show goer was picked to participate in the costume contest.

Richard Thompson/The News

Students chosen from the audience had the chance to perform on stage.

M

November 8, 2018

NEWS OPINION THE MUR R AY STATE

Page 11a

Our View

Ashley Traylor

Editor-in-Chief • 270-809-6877 atraylor@murraystate.edu

What will James Comer do for us?

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

Savanna Rininger

Production Manager • 270-809-5877 shatfield2@murraystate.edu

Elizabeth Erwin

News Editor • 270-809-4468 eerwin1@murraystate.edu

Destinee Marking

News Senior Writer• 270-809-5878 dmarking@murraystate.edu

Colton Colglazier

News Graphic Designer ccolglazier@murraystate.edu

Sara Howell

Features Editor • 270-809-5871 showell6@murraystate.edu

Savannah Jane Walton

Features and Opinion Graphic Designer swalton2@murraystate.edu

Blake Sandlin

Sports Editor • 270-809-4481 bsandlin1@murraystate.edu

Gage Johnson

Sports Senior Writer • 270-809-5878 gjohnson17@murraystate.edu

Rosalyn Churchman

Sports Graphic Designer rchurchman@murraystate.edu

Ginni Sisemore

Opinion Editor • 270-809-5873 vsisemore@murraystate.edu

David Wallace

Chief Copy Editor • 270-809-5876 dwallace15@murraystate.edu

After the election Tuesday, James Comer took the congressional spot for Kentucky’s first district.

How will Comer affect Murray State and the community?

Comer is very pro-agriculture, which is great for Murray State and Kentuckians in general.

According to his website, Comer wants to help farmers “operate, compete and succeed.” Murray State has a fairly large agricultural program, and with so many students going into that field, an advocate on the House Committee on Agriculture can’t be bad.

Health care is a divisive issue in Kentucky and beyond. Comer supports restoring competition in the marketplace and ending the “one-size-fits-all approach” to health care.

Too many Americans struggle to pay for health care. Many don’t have insurance at all. Bluecollar workers struggle to make ends meet in a country where “pulling yourself up by the bootstraps” is

Autumn Brown/The News

supposed to be the norm.

Regardless of what Comer does to solve the health care issue, if it doesn’t help the working class citizens of Kentucky, it’s not a good plan.

According to Comer’s website, he supports increasing defense funding, improving the VA and ensuring benefits for veterans.

Considering one-sixth of federal spending goes

to defense, according to the Congressional Budget Office website, it probably isn’t necessary to increase defense spending.

Comer is also an incumbent and the VA hasn’t been improved yet.

What will he do this term that he didn’t do last time?

Comer wants to “promote greater government transparency and accountability.” Corruption in the government and lack of

communication between constituents and their representatives need to be resolved. If he can pull this off, the U.S. would be much better off.

The second amendment is another contentious issue, and not even close friends agree on what should happen. Comer has promised to protect the second amendment and push for “common sense gun laws.” Shootings do happen in Kentucky, so while no one recomeends taking guns away, common sense gun laws sound like a great idea.

Murray is home to a lot of small businesses, so a representative who wants to help them is obviously preferable. Comer plams to reduce taxes, which many small business owners agree with.

Comer wants to invest in transportation infrastructure, which will boost the economy. What this means for Murray State students is a possible improvement of the local roads. They’re in awful

shape and there isn’t much funding to solve the issue.

Federal funding for schools is so important right now. Murray State receives essentially nothing next to other Kentucky universities and even less compared to schools across the nation.

When state funding is absent, it falls on the shoulders of the students to keep the school afloat.

Time will tell if Comer has any real plans to solve this issue. His website doesn’t mention education, and while he will work at the federal level and education is a state concern, he is the representative in Congress for this University and most of western Kentucky.

Students need a voice at the national level to fight for their education.

Even if Comer isn’t who you voted for, there are positives to be found.

And, of course, if you’re dissatisfied with any of the results from this election season, go vote in 2020.

Chandler Cochran

Ad Sales and Circulation Manager • 270-809-4478 ccochran3@murraystate.edu

Rhiannon Branch

Photography Editor • 270-809-5878 rbranch@murraystate.edu

Cheers to: Voter Turnout

Jeers to: Voter Turnout

For a midterm election, voter turnout was significantly higher than it has been in recent years, which means the government is more representative of what constituents want.

Plot twist: while turnout was markedly higher than it has been in the past, it’s still dismally low. A representative government requires the majority of the nation to vote.

Rebecca Mosella

Chief Videographer • 270-809-5878 rmosella@murraystate.edu

Savannah Jane Walton/The News

Ravi Shankar Shah

Online Editor • 270-809-5878 rshah2@murraystate.edu

Dr. Stephanie Anderson

Adviser • 270-809-3937 sanderson37@murraystate.edu

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

TheNews.org

The News welcomes commentaries and letters to the editor. Submissions should be 600 words or less, and contributors should include phone numbers for verification. Please include hometown, classification and title or relationship to the University. The News reserves the right to edit for style, length and content. No anonymous contributions will be accepted. All contributions should be turned in by noon on Monday of each week via email to atraylor@murraystate.edu.

Contributions to The News are the opinion of the author and not that of The Murray State News.

The News is a designated public forum. Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval.

The paper offers a hands-on learning environment for students interested in journalism. The campus press should be free from censorship and advance approval of copy and its editors should develop their editorial and news policies.

The News strives to be the University community’s source for information. Our goal is to present that information in a fair and unbiased manner and provide a free and open forum for expression and debate.

The News is prepared and edited by students and is an official publication of Murray State University. The first copy is free. Additional copies are available for 25 cents at 111 Wilson Hall.

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News

November 8, 2018