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Feb. 4, 2021 | Vol. 95, No. 15

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Panel discusses COVID-19 vaccine Cady Stribling News Writer cstribling1@murraystate.edu Gage Johnson Editor-in-Chief gjohnson17@murraystate.edu On Tuesday, Feb. 2, President Bob Jackson and a panel of distinguished medical, governmental and historical officials talked to the Murray State community about the latest COVID-19 updates and the vaccine at the f i r s t v i r t u a l To w n & G o w n President ’s Breakfast of 2021.

Panelists included Chief Medical Officer Bob Hughes, CEO of Murray Calloway Count y Hospital Jerr y Penner, Executive Advisor at the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family S er vices Mark Carter, Mayor Bob Rogers and histor y professor James Humphries.

In the forum, Carter said as of Monday, Feb. 1, a total of 362,271 people have been vaccinated in Kentucky with 86 percent of the first doses received administered. Carter said they were approac hing Go v. Andy B e s h e a r ’s g o a l o f h a v i n g 9 0 percent of the doses received i n t o a r m s w i t h i n s e ve n d ay s .

Carter said patience is key since the biggest issue Kentucky currently faces is access to the vaccination. Kentucky other wise has the healthcare system and distribution network in place to get the vaccine out.

There are currently two vaccines, the Pfizer and Moderna, both of which require two doses and involve complex ordering and transporting aspects, according to Beshear’s COVID-19 plan.

Carter said the Pfizer product, a two-dose vaccine given three weeks apart, requires special refrigeration in an

News Opinion Sports Features

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President Jackson wins national Pike award

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ultra-cold storage at negative 60 to negative 80 degrees Celsius. Typicall y, onl y hospitals have this type of equipment, so the Pfizer vaccine is primarily being distributed to hospitals. “ W hen we get the vaccine in from the feds, we get about 25,000 doses,” Carter said. “ W hen we ship it, because of the nature of the container and the need to keep it that cold, it ’s shipped in lots of 975 doses. This makes it hard when you have to distribute it around. It has to go to large distribution sites.”

Penner said in the forum both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have 95 percent efficacy against the virus. There are also two additional vaccines “on the horizon,” Penner said. One is the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a single dose that is still in test trials and is about 72 percent effective in the United States. Penner said the other is the Novavax, which is roughly 90 percent effective and currently in phase three of trials.

During the forum, Carter said Kentucky is expected to potentially receive over 60,000 doses by next week. Hypothetically, if the state receives 56,000 doses each week, Carter said it would take 16 months to vaccinate the entire state. The problem, then, comes back to access to the vaccine.

“As Bob (Hughes) indicated, when we get the vaccine, we’re going to put it in some arms,” Penner said. “I think we have some great plans to be able to do that. I know people ask questions about will we have the vaccine here and be able to get that.

You know the real challenge… is trying to figure out when you have 1,100 people asking to be a vaccine site, where does it go?

Where do we bring that into? So there are some tremendous challenges the state is dealing with

COVID-19 Vaccines

right now, and they’re trying to roll it out as quickly as they can.”

Kentucky is distributing the COVID-19 vaccine in phases, focusing on getting the vaccine to the most vulnerable members of society as quickly as poss i b l e, a c c o rd i n g t o B e s h e a r ’s vaccine distribution plan.

Carter said distribution becomes a challenge in Kentucky because of the variation in size and population of counties, especially when the lowest population sits around 2,100 and the highest is 760,000.

Allocation of vaccines could also change within a 24 hour period.

Penner said at Murray Calloway County Hospital the vaccines have been rolled out pretty quickly with many of the healthcare workers already getting their second doses.

Several questions were raised as to why Murray State was not included with the K-12 personnel in the 1B group to receive the vaccine. Jackson said postsecondar y institutions such as Murray State have never been inc luded in the K-12 categor y, w h i c h t h e U n i ve r s i t y h ad been tr ansparent in relay ing.

Jackson said the Murray State community is included in group 1C under essential workers.

“This is not unique to Murray State,” Jackson said. “ This was just a decision to get the frontline folks handled first, get our schools open, our K-12 schools open and really address those items as quic kl y as possible. ” Car ter said people c an stil l contract and test positive for COVID-19 even after receiving the vaccine but are not likely to experience severe symptoms. This also means people can still spread the disease to someone who hasn’t been vaccinated, Car ter said.

see

Men’s Basketball tops SEMO

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VACCINE, page 4

Kentucky author’s poetry is brought to life in art exhibit

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News

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1:37 A.M. 16th Street

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11:31 A.M. On Campus

12:53 A.M. College Courts

Photo courtesy of Murray State President Bob Jackson was named a distinguished alumnus of Pi Kappa Alpha.

To inquire about future advertising opportunities, either print or digitally, you can contact her at (270) 809-4478, or msunewsads@gmail.com.

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Meet our new Ad Sales Manager Breanna Kinder! She is a senior from Benton, Kentucky, majoring in advertising with a marketing minor and is also a member of the Murray State Ads Club.

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Assault was reported after unwanted physical contact occured between two people. There were no visible injuries. The subject was arrested.

8:08 P.M. White College

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President Bob Jackson became the first member of Murray State’s Epsilon Lambda Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha to receive the fraternit y ’s highest honor.

Jackson was named a distinguished alumnus and inducted into the Order of West Range, a lifetime achievement a w a rd t h a t i s g i v e n t o a l u m ni for service to society and accomplishments in their careers, according to a press release.

“I am honored and grateful for this recognition,” Jackson said. “I am being recognized as part of an outstanding group and there are many others who are very deser ving of this honor, but I am ver y appreciative of this award.

Pi Kappa Alpha has been an impor tant par t of my life and it helped to shape my undergraduate education at Murray State

Universit y, develop leadership skills and make lifelong friends, and most importantly, allowed m e t o m e e t m y w i f e, K a re n . ” Before serving as president and interim president, Jackson was a Kentucky state senator from 1997 to 2004. D uring this time, he served on a number of committees from economic development to education and capital projects.

H e h a s a l s o wo rk e d i n c o rporate finance and as a senior executive in investment banking, investment manage ment and municipal finance, according to the press release.

Jackson joins 151 distinguished alumni of Pi Kappa Alpha to have received this award.

Other notables inc lude Countr y music singer Tim McGraw, president of the New Or leans Saints Dennis Lauscha and Senator Strom Thurmond, according to the Pi Kappa Alpha website.

The international fraternity was founded in 1868 at the University of Virginia.

Harassing communications was reported after an individual received unwanted messages through social media. The investigation is still open.

9:30 P.M. Hester College

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Levi Brandenburg Contributing Writer lbrandenburg@murraystate.edu

The Murray State Police Department assisted the Murray Police Department on a traffic stop. Two subjects were arrested by the Murray PD for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

9:23 P.M. Winslow Dining Hall

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President Jackson wins national Pike award

Feb. 4, 2021

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10:37 A.M. Stewart Stadium

Theft was reported after money was stolen from a residential college room. The investigation is still open.

The Murray State Police Department assisted the Murray Police Department with an arrest involving a person operating a vehicle under the influence.

An individual was reported for being in possession of marijuana. The subject was referred for Administrative Action.

An individual was reported for being in possession of marijuana. The subject was referred for Administrative Action.

Harassment was reported after unwanted physical contact and unwanted contact through messages occured. This investigation is still open.

Theft was reported after clothing were Coltonitems Colglazier/The News taken. The investigation is still open.

Police Beat is compiled with material from the Murray State Crime and Fire Log. Not all dispatched calls are listed.

Colton Colglazier/The News

Feb. 4, 2021

News

Students give grant to Murray Art Guild

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Ben Overby Staff Writer boverby@murraystate.edu

The Murray State nonprofit leadership studies program presented the 2020 Giving Back Endowment Grant Award to the Murray Art Guild Community Art Center.

According to a press release sent by the University, the Murray Art Guild received the $3,000 grant for its success in youth development over a long period of time in the Murray community. The award was presented on Nov. 10 by nonprofit leadership studies students.

Debi Henr y Danielson, ex ecutive director of the Murray Art Guild, said the grant money will directl y suppor t their youth development programming.

“Murray Art Guild is thrilled to receive the Giving Back Endowment Award,” Danielson said in the press release. “It has been a pleasure to work with Murray State students in the nonprofit leadership studies program throughout the grant process, and this year we are especially honored.”

According to the press release, Murray State students operated this grant-making process through the Student Engagement Initiative, which provides an opportunity to learn directly about giving, philanthropy and grant making.

Students conducted a community needs assessment and decided youth development would be the focus of this year’s grant award.

The students collaborated with the local Community United Benevolent Society leadership and invited local organizations to apply for the grant.

Photo courtesy of Debi Henry Danielson Students from the NLS program gave the 2020 Giving Back Endowment Grant Award to the MAG.

The criteria for this year’s grant included aspects like the scope and scale of the organization’s youth programming, as well as the experience and qualifications of their staff.

According to the press release, the Giving Back Endowment is devoted to furthering the appreciation and application of the principles of caring, altruism, generosity and public service. Danielson said most grants that the Murray Art Guild receives are directly related to the field of art, so receiving one for altruism was particularly meaningful.

The nonprofit leadership studi e s p ro g r a m i s p a r t o f M u r ray State’s department of organizational communication and

leadership. Visiting Distinguished Professor of Nonprofit Leadership Robert Long said the program’s assistance for non-profit organizations benefits both parties.

“It is a two-way street between supporting the development of nonprofit capacity while giving students real-world experiences in the core content of courses, something that is done in all [nonprofit leadership studies] courses,” Long said.

Long said the funds for the annual grant have been increasing over time.

“The Giving Back Endowment was created out of about eight years of student philanthropy activities in NLS courses, starting

in 2008,” Long said. “It is an annual award activity in the course and it was a grant of $3,000 this year. It will likely grow over time since the endowment corpus is n ow a p p ro ac h i n g $ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 . ” Since its creation by Patricia and Bob Long in 2008, the Giving Back program have distributed more than $100,000 to commu n i t y - b a s e d o r g a n i z a t i o n s .

“The arts play a vital role in culture and community, and we are proud to be a part of the Murray and Murray State University community,” Danielson said in the press release. “ We are grateful to the students and faculty that made this possible.”

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News

Feb. 4, 2021

Screenshot of the virtual forum/Cady Stribling/TheNews On Tuesday, Feb. 2, a panel of distinguished medical, governmental and historical officials talked to the Murray State community about the latest COVID-19 updates and the vaccine.

VACCINES From Page 1 “ We need to keep doing these things of social distancing, taking care of our personal hygiene, wearing masks and getting vacci nated, ” C a r t e r sa i d . “Al l of that needs to stay in place until we get to a point where we believe we have sufficient herd immunity, and that ’s what ’s going to make opening up the commonwealth’s schools, its businesses and getting our economy back to where it needs to be.”

Carter said he’s quoting local experts when saying the most important thing about the vaccine is that it prevents serious illness and death. With respect to these two issues, Carter said the vaccine is incredibly effective.

Hughes described his own exper ience receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and testing positive for the virus not long af ter. In his case, Hughes consulted with a friend and colleague in the healthcare profession and was told to w a i t t h re e m on t h s t o re c e i ve the second dose of the vaccine.

Hughes said if someone were to contract the vir us af ter receiving the vaccine to consult their individual physician..

Hughes said there are encouraging studies showing an increased herd immunity c ausing lower c ase and death numbers. Carter said experts have var ying opinions on herd immunity but estimate that at least 70 to 80 percent of Americans need to be vaccinated to ac hie ve herd immunit y. In Kentucky, Carter said approximately 2 to 2.4 million people need to be vaccinated, which accounts for children under 16 and folks w h o w o n’t t a k e t h e v a c c i n e .

Of ten asked about the various side effects someone might e x p e r i e n c e a f t e r t h e v a c c i n e, Penner said at Murray Calloway County Hospital there was one person he knew of who had nausea, vomiting and other flulike symptoms for 12-36 hours.

Otherwise, it is possible people c o u l d e x p e r i e n c e a s o re a r m , a l ow - g r ad e f e ve r a n d c h i l l s .

Hughes said he is often asked many questions surrounding the vaccine changing the body’s ability to fight off other viruses or infections. He said it does not alter this ability nor does it c hange one ’s DNA str ucture.

“The vaccine itself does not get in the nucleus of the cell, which is what determines what the cell is,” Hughes said in the forum. “It only affects the ribosome function part of the cell, which makes the proteins. It makes a spike look-alike that your own cells are creating so that when the virus comes in the body it ’s sort of tricking it. The antibodies attack that virus thinking it’s that spike protein that your body did.”

Vaccine technology is 100 or more years old in the United States, Hughes said. When taking a typical vaccine, Hughes said people are always asked if they are allergic to eggs because they incubate it in what is essentially the yolk of a chicken. The COVID-19 vaccine, however, is different bec a us e it ’s made in a c hemistry lab with mRNA, making it a completely different technology.

“When it becomes available, I can only ask you to help us help you, and that’s by taking the vaccine,” Penner said. “It’s the most important thing we can do as we move for ward in the fight against this particular virus.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, and, you know, it ’s going to start with that vaccine.”

Read more about Kentucky’s vaccination distribution plan, vaccination phases, vaccine monitoring statics and other frequently asked questions at kycovid19.ky.gov.

Find your specific vaccination phase, vaccine sites near your location and sign up for notifications about the vaccine once you are eligible at vaccine.ky.gov.

As of press time on Wednesday, Feb. 3, there have been 14 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3,229 with 3,036 recovered, 140 isolated at home, seven hospitalized and 46 deaths.

Hughes said there has been a decline in numbers lately because of the end of the “holiday surge,” not because the vaccine. It will take more time for the vaccine to cause a decline in case numbers.

Hospitals al l across the region, however, have still faced major challenges. For example, Hughes said there are 87 patients in the hospital with four or five rooms available, and housing people becomes difficult if there’s a large admission day.

“Now this has been the norm for us in the last 60 days, and not just here but across the entire region,” Hughes said in the forum. “I meet with nine CEOs of the hospitals all the way down to Princeton on a weekly basis, and

we talk about our situations. At one point, unbeknownst to the community, there were four ICU beds out of the four major hospitals in the area, including the two Paducah hospitals, the Mayfield hospital and Murray-Calloway.”

Penner said the significant spike in Murray’s COVID-19 case numbers happened after September.

Typically, Penner said the hospital emergency department admits about 12 to 13 percent of patients, but over the last four months it has skyrocketed to over 20 percent. The increase in patients has caused a major strain on staff, Penner said. They have transferred patients to Bowling Green and Evansville, which was unheard of prior to the pandemic.

O n M u r r a y S t a t e ’s c a m pus, there have been eight confirmed cases for faculty and staff and 15 confirmed cases among s t u d e n t s f ro m J a n u a r y 3 1 t o Wednesday, Feb. 3. The total number of total confirmed cases on campus since Jan. 4 is 53. “ The Murray S tate community did better than the [Murr ay ] c om mu n i t y a s a w h o l e, ” Hughes said. “And that ’s not a knoc k at the communit y as a whole, it ’s just that the students did such a good job. And the faculty, the staff, with education, constant reminders and some enforcement. It ’s amazing how well the campus did.”

Stay with The News for further COVID-19 updates.

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Opinion

Feb. 4, 2021

5

COVID-19 Vaccines The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board Gabe Steffen Opinion Editor gsteffen@murraystate.edu

COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out at a smooth rate, with a total of 413,300 Kentuckians having been vaccinated to date. This may seem like a big number, but there are a total of 4.4 million people living in Kentucky, which means we still have a long way to go. While the vaccines seem to be rolling out smoothly, one question remains: how many people are actually planning on getting the vaccine?

There are many concerns about the vaccine and its effects, and while it may have been developed rather quickly, studies show that there are no major side effects to the majority of the population, and those who do develop side effects find them miniscule at best. The majority of the population will be getting the COVID vaccine and the vast majority of them will treat it like a flu shot.

They know that they won’t be 100 percent protected from the virus, but are doing what they can to protect themselves and those around them. In fact, some lowrisk people feel it is their duty to get the vaccine so that they can not only protect themselves, but protect those high-risk individuals around them, which is why most aren’t worried about the risk.

Some people are upset at those who are choosing to not get the

Cade Utterback/The News

vaccine at all. They believe those who don’t get it because of what could potentially be in it are ridiculous, as they don’t think about what’s in a Big Mac or in the Tylenol they take three or four of at a time. If they aren’t afraid of what’s in those, then why should they be afraid of what’s in the vaccine? Most people have had family or friends who have got-

ten the vaccine already, and they have shown little to no side effects from the injection. If you’re not afraid of downing a can of cola, then why should you be scared of an injection that could potentially save billions of lives?

The fact is, most people are getting the injection and are not afraid of the side effects that may occur. Despite this,

there will still always be people who will refuse the injection for one reason or another, and most find those claims baseless and empty. The best thing that the majority can do is get the vaccine to protect themselves and those around them and allow those who choose to not get the vaccine to live their lives in ignorance.

Got opinions?

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Editorial Board

Contact Gabe Steffen at gsteffen@murraystate.edu

Gage Johnson Cady Stribling

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Opinion

6

Feb. 4, 2021

Gabe’s Take: Politics and Equality Gabe Steffen Opinion Editor gsteffen@murraystate.edu

On Tuesday, Feb. 2, Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was confirmed by the Senate to serve as Secretary of the Department of Transportation.

While this may seem like a small thing to some people, this is a huge milestone for the LGBTQ+ community. Buttigieg has now made history as the first openly gay man to win Senate confirmation to run a cabinet department. Being the secretary of a cabinet department is huge, and it definitely made the LGBTQ+ community especially excited.

Now knowing that a gay man holds such a high position of power, this opens the door for other people of the community to make more of these strides in LGBTQ+ history. Buttigieg’s new victory reminds me a lot of my personal hero, Harvey Milk, who was one of the first openly gay elected officials in the history of our country.

Milk, after moving to San Francisco, California, in the early 1970s, made great strides establishing himself as a political figure and activist for the gay community. Eventually, with Milk’s hard work and perseverance, he managed to secure a seat on the city’s Board of Supervisors, which he then used to help pass a gay rights ordinance which

Cade Utterback/The News

prohibited anti-gay discrimination in housing and employment.

This ordinance is still described as one of the nation’s strongest gay-rights measures to date.

Before Milk could help more in the community, he was assassinated in 1978, ending his political career forever.

He still managed to get one grand gesture of social justice under his belt, and while his life may have been ended suddenly, his legacy lives on in the lives of modern gay political figures, like Buttigieg.

Without Milk’s influence, Buttigieg may never have de-

Jeers to ... Starbucks Starbucks is closed again because of COVID-19... so we hear.

Not the one on campus... but it still stinks.

We need our coffee fix!

CHEERS & JEERS Cheers to ... Soccer The soccer team was picked #1 again (as they should be) in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll.

Way to go Racers!!

cided to become a politician in the first place, let alone be granted the ability to be in such a high position of power.

Whenever great milestones like this are accomplished for the LGBTQ+ community, Milk’s words ring through my mind: “Hope will never be silent.”

Cheers to ...February February is Black History Month. Shout out to all the notable black figures who helped build America. Be sure to check out the Black History Month calendar of events on page 11.

Jeers to ... the Cold

Have you seen the tempera-

tures for next week? It is going to be COLD, COLD, COLD! Seriously, get your heavy coats, gloves, beanies and long johns ready. It isn’t even going to make it to freezing. Oh, and don’t forget to put that mask on!

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

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The Murray State News Brooklyn Burnett The News

Sports

Feb. 4, 2021

7

Photo courtesy of Dave Winder/Racer Athletics Junior forward KJ Williams plays post defense in the lane.

Men’s basketball tops SEMO

Williams earns another double-double in win over Redhawks Redhawks from deep, shooting Gage Johnson 55% from three while continuing Editor-in-Chief gjohnson17@murraystate.edu to control the glass (32-26) and winning the turnover battle (8Murray State bounced back 13). This helped Murray State after a tough loss to Belmont, walk away with its first road win grabbing its second road win of of the week 77-60 over SEMO. Williams continued to have a the season at 77-60 over SEMO. Sophomore guard DaQuan dominating performance, setting Smith got the Racers go- his career-high in points for the ing early, scoring the team’s second time in two weeks, scorfirst six points with 3-4 com- ing 26 points on 10-16 shooting ing from the charity stripe. and a career-high 5-7 from three, Sophomore guard Chico Car- to go along with 11 rebounds another double-double. ter Jr. and junior forward KJ for Williams has been on a torWilliams got involved shortly after, as the trio combined for rid run as of late, winning OVC all of the Racers’ points, giving Player of the Week and grabthem a 16-12 lead over the Red- bing double-double after douhawks with 11:12 left to play. ble-double. Smith said the reSmith and Williams continued cent outburst is all because of to show their offensive prowess his effort outside of the games.

“Credit to his work ethic,” throughout the half, combining for 18 of Murray State’s 36 points. Smith said. “I mean he works a The Racers went into the locker lot. We believe in him a lot as you room up 12 on the Redhawks. see. We want him taking those Offensive rebounding and shots and he’s making them at a three-point shooting were high percentage, so it’s a credit to huge factors for the Racers, him doing great, working everygoing 6-11 from beyond the day getting better. I like to see it.”

Williams’ rebounding and arc while also grabbing six offensive rebounds that led to post presence have been evi11 second-chance points. dent for the Racers, but Head Murray State carried this of- Coach Matt McMahon said fensive momentum into the sec- when Williams is hitting threes ond half, going on a 10-0 run to at the rate he has been recently, take a 46-24 lead. From there on, it opens up a lot of opportunithe Racers never looked back. ties for the Racers offensively.

“I think it’s really important, They continued to spray the

especially in today’s style of basketball,” McMahon said. “It’s hard just to play the game today with two big bruisers out there who can’t pass or shoot from the perimeter. The spacing opens up for us and it allows us to spread the floor out and create some easier scoring opportunities. Late in the shot clock it’s been really effective for us too over this stretch with his ability to pick and pop.

Smith also finished with a career-high in points as well with 16 on 5-8 shooting with 3-6 coming beyond the arc.

McMahon has talked all season long about continuing to improve game-by-game and Smith said his focus has been improving as a leader while also working on his game.

“Honestly I’ve been working on being a leader on this team,” Smith said. “I feel like I can be that on this team and just knocking down threes, being aggressive and playing great defense, that’s what I’ve been working on all season.”

McMahon was happy to see Smith find the bottom of the net consistently from deep against the Redhawks, knowing that he’s starting to piece all of his game together.

“He’s been so good for us at the defensive end of the floor,” McMahon said. “He’s really

helped steady our offense from an assist to turnover standpoint, but he hasn’t shot the ball as well as he’s capable of, so I was thrilled for him to see him step up with 16 big points tonight, three assists, just one turnover and I thought he was terrific at the defensive end of the floor.”

Defensively, Murray State was able to run SEMO off the threepoint line, as McMahon said the game plan was to be disciplined, not let them get to the charity stripe at will and heavily contest their shots from deep.

“I think in their wins they’re averaging somewhere around 32 free throw attempts a game and scoring almost 20 points from the free-throw line,” McMahon said. “We wanted to be really disciplined defensively. I thought we were able to do so in the first half, we forced a lot of contested threes. We held them to 1-12 from behind the arc in the first half and 24 points [total] and you’re always going to have a chance to win when you do that.”

Coming off the win, Murray State now has a couple of days to rest before finishing out a three-game week.

The Racers’ second matchup of the week will be in Morehead, Kentucky, when they take on Morehead State on Thursday, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m.

Students jump into intramurals despite COVID-19 Jakob Milani Staff Writer jmilani@murraystate.edu Intramural sports are back in action for the spring semester at Murray State, including six team sports and many different one-day tournaments.

All sports for the semester will require masks, and special measures will be taken for each sport in order for everyone to play safely.

Team sports for the semester include dodgeball, pickleball, volleyball, cornhole, kickball and wiffleball. All team sports will be three-week long seasons plus playoffs. One-day tournaments include darts, Texas hold ‘em, badminton, a 3-point contest, billiards, a penalty kick shootout, disc golf, ping pong, tennis, a swim meet, spikeball and a golf scramble.

Travis Rawe, director of Campus Recreation and Wellness, discussed everything

COVID-19-related about the intramural league at Murray State and what that means for the games.

“In compliance with state and University guidelines, masks will be required for everyone during IM sports events, including participants, staff and spectators,” Rawe said. “We have also modified our sport offerings, as we did in the fall semester, to offer sports that can be safely played while effectively wearing a mask. Essentially, we have had to eliminate offering contact sports due to unavoidable close contact and high probability that masks would be pulled off or fall off during competition.”

Rawe also talked about the atmosphere now that there is a vaccine for COVID-19, saying everyone is “hopeful and optimistic.”

“With the vaccine becoming available, we have hope of returning to a normal intramural sports schedule in the future,” Rawe said. “However, everyone still has a social respon-

Photo courtesy of Travis Rawe Students play intramural pickleball in the Wellness Center.

sibility to continue to make smart decisions to combat the spread of COVID-19, even as the vaccine is being distributed across the country.”

Finally, Rawe touched on the Wellness Center and all of the policies involved there.

“The current Kentucky state mandate for fitness centers requires everyone to properly (over nose and mouth) wear a mask at all times while in the facility (even while working out), with the exception

of the pool and showers,” Rawe said. “Signage has been placed all around the facility as a reminder. If patrons fail to abide by this policy, they will be asked to leave the facility. Repeat offenders may have their membership suspended.”

Registration for dodgeball and pickleball have passed, but Registration for cornhole and volleyball end on Feb. 24 at midnight, while kickball and wiffleball registration starts on Mar. 1 and ends on Mar. 24.

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Feb. 4, 2021

Photo courtesy of Dave Winder/Racer Athletics

Freshman forward Katelyn Young shoots a layup against Jacksonville State.

Freshman brings post presence to Racers Young clear candidate for OVC Freshman of the Year Jakob Milani Staff Writer jmilani@murraystate.edu Freshman forward Katelyn Young has burst onto the scene as a legitimate OVC Freshman of the Year candidate, becoming the post presence Murray State women’s basketball has lacked in recent years.

For those watching the Racers’ first game of the season against now-ranked No. 15 University of Kentucky, there was an unfamiliar face on the floor.

This 6’1” forward was in the starting lineup leading the charge for Murray State. That forward from Oakwood, Illinois, was none other than Young.

While the Racers might’ve fallen short to one of the best teams in the country, Young nabbed the first double-double of her career at 14 points and 14 rebounds in her first career game.

That day in Lexington, Kentucky,

served as a breakthrough for Young, who is now a dominant force for the Racers game in and game out.

Before coming to Murray State, Young attended Oakwood High School in Oakwood, Illinois. She was an AP Class 2A All-State selection during all four years of high school.

Young was also a four-time Illinois Coaches Association All-State selection and was named to three different all-area/conference teams in 2020. She finished her high school career with 2,361 points and averaged 22.7 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game her senior year.

She is averaging 13.2 ppg and 9.5 rpg on the season, which puts her at second and first on the team, respectively.

Young has won a total of five OVC Freshman of the Week awards so far this season and looks to add more with just three weeks remaining in the schedule.

Young has talked throughout the

season about her role on the team and her game plan for each game. After her performance against Mississippi Valley State, a game in which she scored 20 points and shot 6-6 from the free throw line, she discussed the ways she liked to score in the game.

“I just like trying to be our big up inside, make my moves in there,” Young said. “But I had most of my shots from the outside, which I like being versatile. I like being able to score outside or stay down.”

Head Coach Rechelle Turner has given Young high praise all season, especially when it comes to her ability to rebound and score.

Turner said during the recruiting process that Young could be a program-changing player and she believes that’s been the case.

“Because we have Katelyn on the inside, when we establish her early it forces us to score from the outside,”

Turner said.“When we can make shots after we’ve established her early, that makes us a whole different offensive team. Katelyn’s a green light shooter every single week from 15 to 17 feet.”

Young has already set some impressive career highs in her freshman season, including 27 points against Indiana State on a career best 1114 shooting. Her highest number of rebounds in a game is now 16, which she has tallied twice already this season, once against Belmont and once against Jacksonville State.

Young has also shot well from the field, making an impressive 49.7% of her shots from the field on the year.

The ceiling is high for Young in her college career. With just a few weeks remaining until the OVC Tournament, Young hopes to get another Freshman of the Week award, something that seems very possible with the season she has had so far.

Six Racers place first at Thundering Herd Invitational Andrea Jameson Contributing Writer ajameson1@murraystate.edu On Saturday, Jan. 30, the Murray State track and field team competed in the Thundering Herd Invitational hosted by Marshall University.

Six Racers placed first in the competition while eight others posted personal bests during the event.

Murray State featured several freshmen showing their mettle at the collegiate level. Freshman Teliyah James finished in first place in both the 60m and 200m dash. Junior Brooke Misukonis tied for fourth with freshman Ella Siebenberger with a height of 3.45m in the pole vault.

Freshman Jasmine Claunch came in second overall in the long jump with a distance of 5.10m and was overall first in the triple jump with a score of 11.55m.

Head Coach Adam Kiesler was pleased with the way his team competed in the event after getting the opportunity to knock the rust off early in the season.

“Overall, there is always room for improvement for the team,” Kiesler said. “Mentally and physically the team has been doing a good job in terms of performing what they show during practice.”

The Racers had the chance to enter another environment after 10 months of not regularly practicing and competing because of COVID-19. While four members

Photo courtesy of Racer Athletics Sophomore Jenna Pauly finished sixth in the pole vault competition at The Thundering Herd Invitational, hosted by Marshall University.

of the track team competed in a pentathlon at the Boo Rogers Combine Events Jan. 15, Saturday’s meet was the first time the majority of the team got the chance to compete.

“It was a good time for the team to get out and compete with everyone else,” Kiesler said.

Freshman Alexis Witherspoor placed in the 60m hurdles

for her first collegiate meet.

She placed with a final score of 8.36 in the 60-meter dash.

Sophomore Meghan Fletcher won her second high jump in a row with a height of 1.68m. Sophomore Lucia Herrero Yanez won first place in the 300m dash at 40.67.

Junior Rachel Hagens won the

long jump in her first meet of the year with a distance of 5.43m.

“The main goal of the year is to win the outdoor OVC title,” Kiesler said.

The track and field team will spend the coming weeks preparing to compete at Marshall University once again for the Marshall Invite on Saturday, Feb. 13.

Feb. 4, 2021

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Racers preseason favorites, Jones makes All-OVC Simon Elfrink Sports Editor selfrink@murraystate.edu The OVC released an official preseason poll on Tuesday, Feb. 2, ranking its 11 teams based on a point system.

For the fifth time in a row, Murray State women’s soccer was picked No. 1 overall in the conference with 181 points, a full nine points ahead of SEMO’s second-place ranking (172).

Additionally, five first-place votes were tallied in favor of the Racers by the coaches and OVC sports information directors.

Despite graduating some dominant starters in 2020, namely forward Miyah Watford, the Racers maintain their seat atop the conference by returning eight starters, like junior forward Abby Jones and senior midfielder Izzy Heckman, who both earned AllOVC selections last season.

Jones was also named to the OVC’s preseason Players to Watch list. Jones’s strong 2019 season featured 17 matches and 16 starts. Jones scored six goals in 2019, including a pair of game-winning goals. She also led the OVC with 11 assists, a Mur-

Photo courtesy of Racer Athletics Junior forward Abby Jones was selected to be on the OVC’s Playes to Watch list.

ray State single-season record.

Four of those assists came on Sept. 22, 2019, when the Racers played SIUE. That stellar game has her currently tied for the OVC record for assists in a game.

Heckman had herself an electrifying junior season, starting in all 19 matches for the Racers. She recorded her first career

goal in illustrious fashion, scoring the game-winner against Morehead State. Heckman was also named the OVC Defensive Player of the Week on two different occasions and logged 25 shots, 16 of which were on goal.

Behind the Racers of the list are SEMO, with seven firstplace votes and SIUE with six

first-place votes and an overall rating of 167. No other teams received a first-place vote other than UT Martin and Belmont, who tallied two apiece.

The Racers will look to prove the voting correct on March 2, when they will kick off the 2020-21 regular season by taking on Morehead State on the road.

Volleyball season quickly approaching

Simon Elfrink Sports Editor selfrink@murraystate.edu

The Murray State volleyball team will have its season opener against Tennessee State University on Sunday, Feb. 7, at 6 p.m. in the Racer Arena.

In the 2019 season, the Racers defeated the Tigers 3-0 (25-12, 25-9, 25-16), bringing them to a seven-game winning streak. The Racers are coming off of a 19-11 record from the 2019 season, while the Tigers finished their 2019 season with a 12-17 record.

Head Coach David Schwepker said he and his team are above all looking forward to the opportunity to finally compete after such a long offsea-

son.The Racers have not played since November of 2019 and they are ready to get back on the court, despite this not being their normal season for playing.

“I am feeling like we just want to play volleyball,” Schwepker said.

Schwepker went on to say since the team lost five key senior players, five new freshmen now have to step up to fill their shoes.

“All of the upperclassmen are doing a great job of teaching, mentoring and not intimidating the freshman,” Schwepker said.

“I think everybody wants everybody to succeed in our program.”

One of the things Schwepker and the Racers are most excited for is to have fans cheer them on, even in the unprecedented times imposed

Photo courtesy of Racer Athletics The Racers will begin the 2021 season by playing Tennessee State on Sunday, Feb. 7, at the Racer Arena.

by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I would really like to see Murray State fans come out and watch us play and cheer us on because it really does

help the girls when there’s a crowd there,” Schwepker said.

Mask up and head to the Racer Arena at 6 p.m. on Feb. 7 to cheer on the Racer volleyball team.

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Features

Feb. 4, 2021

Kentucky author’s poetry is brought to life in art exhibit Dionte Berry Features Editor dberry11@murraystate.edu Inspired by a collection of poems by Glor ia Wat k i ns , b etter known by her pen name “bell hooks,” “Visual Elegy” is an art exhibit composed of print pieces made by artists around the country. hooks’ collection of poems, “Appalachian Elegy” is the focus of the print exhibit. The exhibit is curated by Nicole Hand, professor of art in the department of art and design and assistant dean for the college of humanities and fine arts, with 27 female artists providing print pieces.

Alongside Hand was Carrie Jerrell, assistant professor of English and assistant to the dean of humanities and f ine arts. Jerrell helped Hand plan for the exhibit. “‘Visual Elegy’ is a curated exchange where I invited artists to participate who I knew were interested in feminism, literature and had knowledge of bell hooks,” Hand said. “They were asked to make prints that responded to the novel as a whole or an individual poem.”

Pla nn ing for “ Visua l Ele g y ” b e g a n i n 2 0 1 5. O r i g in a l l y it w a s to b e a n e x h ib it for Women’s History Month.

“We chose bell hooks because the Women’s History Month projects aimed to highlight the achievements of women in our region, as well as major historical figures whose contributions to the progress of women have been invaluable,” Jerrell said. hooks is a Kentucky native from Hopkinsville. Her writing tends to focus on race, feminism and social activism. However, though “Appalachian Elegy” may have some of hooks’ well known focuses within it, overall the novel describes

her Kentucky upbringing and explores the ideas of home and place.

“In the poems from ‘Appalachian Elegy,’ hooks both mourns and celebrates her Kentucky upbringing,” Jerrell said. “The poems are grounded in the landscape and people of the region, but they explore other themes including race relations, authority, injustice, family, memory and environmental destruction.”

Hooks’ work was suggested by Jerrell because it also has a significance to her own studies and that of Hand’s, like the theme of place.

“The themes of home and place have been topics that I explore in my own work,” Hand said. “I specifically look at how place and the spaces we live impact our choices.” hooks’ work was also seen as a desi red foc us of t he e x h ibit because of her Kentucky upbringing and background.

“Carrie and I have worked on a bunch of projects prior to this and so when we were talking about this project she suggested this book of poetry because it dealt with the idea of place which has been significant within both of our research,” Hand said.

Wit h t he ideas f rom hook s’ poetr y, ar tists from 21 different states sent Hand their printma k i n g pie c e s . Not on ly d id they send a piece for the exhibit but for their fellow artists as well.

“Each artist in the print exchange was asked to make a print, but then they had to make around 32 impressions of that print,” Hand said.

“All the artists mailed the prints to me and then I took one print from each artist and they were collected so that each artist received one print back from each person.”

Printmaking is Hand’s focus as an artist and professor, but it was also chosen for the purpose of being

Dionte Berry/The News “Visual Elegy” will be on display in the Eagle Upper Gallery until March 1.

exchanged. A painting exists as one, but a print can exist as multiple.

W hile Hand took on the ar t of t he e x h ibit, Jer rel l ca r r ied out some of t he l itera r y side.

“I selected the text from the novel, w rote display notes for t he e x h ibit and organiz ed

s om e p o e t r y r e a d i n g s to a ccompany exhibits,” Jerrell said.

“Visual Elegy” offers a wide array of interpretations of hooks’ work and will be on display in t h e E a g l e Up p e r G a l l e r y on t he sevent h f loor of t he F ine A r ts Bu i ld ing unt i l Ma rch 1.

Late professor leaves JMC department large donation Mason Galemore Contributing Writer mgalemore@murraystate.edu Late Mu r ray State professor Robert H. McGaughey, known b y m a ny a s “ D o c ,” lef t mor e than $103,000 to the University’s journalism and mass communications department in his will.

He commit ted the money to t h e D r. R o b e r t Ho w e “ D o c ” McGaughey I I I Fund for E xcellence as a quasi endowment.

Mc G au ghe y pa s s e d aw ay i n June 2019 at the age of 76. He retired from teaching at Murray State in 1997 but continued to teach pa r t-time unti l 2010.

He a lso cont inued to ser ve as a n adv iser to prospect ive st udents in the J MC depar tment.

Before becoming a professor at Murray State McGaughey s e r v e d i n t h e Un i t e d S t a t e s Army and then went on to obtain his doctoral degree at Ohio Un i v e r s it y i n A t h e n s , O h i o.

After McGaughey returned to Mur ray, he event ua l ly became chairman of the JMC department, a position he held for 23 years.

Bob Lochte, one of those who followed him as chairman, said McGaughey changed the landscape of Murray State’s JMC department.

“Back in the 1970s and ‘80s when Murray State was barely a university, Doc almost single-handedly created a nationally-accredited program in journalism and mass communications with four undergraduate majors, a master’s degree, award-winning campus media and nearly 400 students,” Lochte said.

J MC depa r t ment s en ior i ns t r u c to r R o b e r t Va l e nt i n e i s one of many staff members who taught a longside McGaughey.

Valentine said the JMC department is unlike many other departments because it has five majors and two master’s programs, putting it under constant pressure to keep technology updated.

“Because people expect to leave these programs and be immediately employable, there is a constant effort to stay abreast of the various professions and promote student internships,” Valentine said.

Murray State Executive Director of Development Tina Bernot said the money will be used

File photo Robert Valentine and Doc McGaughey at his induction into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame.

t o s u p p o r t t h e d e p a r t m e nt ’s prog ra ms a nd overa l l m ission i n accord a nce w it h Un iv er sity spending guidelines. The department requested $100,000 be used for the principle of the fund a nd t he rema i n i n g $3, 333.18 be used for c u r rent spend ing.

A long w it h ot her professor s i n t he J MC depa r t ment, Va lent ine w a s apprec iat ive of the donation Doc lef t behind.

“I thought the gift was the essence of who he was and, because of it, who he is,” Valentine said.

“Many of his friends and admirers have already joined his effort to support the work of the department and more will do so in the future. They will do it because it is a worthy effort, of course, but mostly they will do it because of Doc McGaughey. His gift, like the man, evokes the word: legendary.”

Features

Feb. 4, 2021

Dionte Berry/The News Playhouse in the Park is located at 701 Gil Hopson Drive.

Photo courtesy of Lisa Cope Photos from the Playhouse’s outdoor fall show, “Rainbow Fish.”

Playhouse in the Park adjusts to COVID-19 Mason Galemore Contributing Writer mgalemore@murraystate.edu M u r r a y ’s P l a y h o u s e i n t h e Pa rk ha s made adjust ments to how t hey operate a mid t he COV ID-19 pandemic, seeing a large transition to a virtual format.

“We were literally in tech week for ‘Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime’ when everything shut down,” said Playhouse in the Park Director Lisa Cope. “Like most places, we have looked for ways to do things virtually and were able to offer some summer camps that way. All board meetings have been virtual.”

As director of the Playhouse, Cope oversees the production of plays and workshops.

The Playhouse gave several outdoor shows in fall 2020 in order to maintain social distancing while performing. Cope said while the shows gave the theater financial support, they also gave a real boost to a community that is starving for creativity.

“It was a great way to just be back involved in the community and for people to have a chance to remember that we are still here,” Cope said. “Almost everyone who came to see the shows commented on how happy they were to be able to come see live entertainment and to feel safe doing it.”

Cope also shared the activities and workshops planned for the spring. Some are in person while some will only be available virtually. A list of these activities can be found on the Playhouse website.

One workshop will teach int ro to comedy sketch w r it ing t au ght b y t he P l ay ho u s e i ns t r u c tor Na nc y Fa s t . It w i l l b eg i n T hu r sd ay, Feb. 4 , a nd w il l be held ever y Thursd ay n i ght f rom 6:3 0 p.m . to 7:30 p.m for eight weeks. Adm is sion for t he c l a s s is $50 .

The Playhouse is also hosting the Jazzy Cats Theatre Class for ages six to 12. Cope said Jazzy Cats is based off of the animated movie “Aristocats.” All of the students will learn costume design, prop making, acting and singing.

The meetings for Jazzy Cats will be in person but with limited spots to maintain social distancing. The class will begin Feb. 22 and will end Feb. 27. They will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 6p.m.

Cope also expressed her joy of receiving support from the Murray community in such trying times.

“I have cried more happy tears than sad,” Cope said. “I am humbled and grateful for every single donat ion we receive. We have some patrons who literally send us $5 and say, ‘I wish I could do more, but I want you to know that I support you all.’

It ’s hard to beat that feeling.”

Those interested in supporting Playhouse in the Park can either donate or volunteer for upcoming events. There is more information on how community members can help on the theater’s website at www.playhousemurray.org and on their Facebook at Playhouse in the Park.

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Feb. 4, 2021

Former professor publishes book about grammar Andrea Jameson Contributing Writer ajameson@murraystate.edu R e t i r e d profe s s or Wi l l i a m H. Koenecke has become an established author and is on the road to complet ing his second novel. H is book s inc lude st udy t ips, g ra mma r help a nd impor tant w riting techniques.

Koenecke wrote his f irst book “ Wr i t e We l l R i g h t N o w : A Guidebook on Engl ish Gramm a r, P u nc t u at ion , a nd Wr iti n g ,” publ i she d i n Ju l y 2 017, about how to learn writing skills in a fast, wel l-orga n iz ed way.

He began writing his first book in 2000 while teaching at Murray State as a v isit ing professor in the College of Education.

Ko enec k e is c u r rent ly w r iting his second book ca l led, “ S t u d y S m a r t e r, N o t H a r d er : O ver 77 Way s to Improve Your Study Sk ills in Just Minutes A Day,” which will be publ i s e d w it h i n a f e w m o nt h s .

“One of the reasons for writing both books was to inspire students and others,” Koenecke said. “They c o u l d i mp r o v e t h e i r E n g l i s h and study skills without spending a la rge nu mber of hou rs.”

Wit h a n educat iona l past, Koenecke started teaching as a high school principal. Later, he went dow n the chain by being a midd le school pr incipa l and then led an elementar y school.

Koenecke had researched many books about grammar, punctuation and w riting sk il ls before writing his own. His inspiration came from his ow n past experiences with errors in grammar.

“I had struggled in elementary, middle, high school and during my early college years with gramma r, pu nc t u at ion a nd h av i n g the abilit y to express myself in

a logical and succinct manner,” Koenecke said. “I had a bad habit of not writing clearly with numerous errors in the text of the letter. I found several excellent books and articles and I decided to write a simple book that would be easy to understand and would provide help to those people who needed the help,” Koenecke said.

Along with inspiration from his past, his mother and mentors have been by his side throughout his writing career to keep him motivated to write both of his books. “ My mot he r h a d he r P h . D. and she gave me encouragement to w r ite my f i rst book ,” Koenec ke sa id. “One of my mentors, Dr. Kenneth Henson, has been helpf u l in g iv ing me advice. Ken has authored over f ift y books and hundreds of journa l ar ticles during his career.”

Koenecke has different adv ice chapters organized in his f irst book.

“One of t he c h apter s i n my book is on how to study smarter and is titled ‘Adv ice From Exper ts,’” Koenecke said. “ It ’s a cross-section of approximately f ifty students, teachers, authors, dentists, medical doctors, attorneys, a C.P.A. and others who have submit ted pract ica l t ips/ suggestions they actually used to study smarter and become successful in their chosen careers.”

C oncer ns were r a ised about g r a m mat ic a l er ror s for st ud e nt s a nd te a c he r s , w h ic h i s why Koenecke decided to write about topics that could be helpf ul to them in the f ut ure. “ I ’v e b e en w r it i n g t he t wo book s at about t he sa me t ime period,” Koenecke said. “I just f inished the English book f irst.

I wrote these t wo books to especially help students and others reach their ma ximum

Photo courtesy of William Koenecke Koenecke’s upcoming novel, “Study Smarter, Not Harder” will be published in March 2021.

potent ia l and be able to obtain good jobs in their career choices.”

With his second book soon to be published, he is thinking about writing a third book about school financing and school politics, along with other interesting topics about education and the school system.

“We are thinking about the different topics that we may address in the book. For sure we will discuss school finance, and I’ve had several new and remodeling school building projects,” Koenecke said.

Koenecke also shared his “Top Ten on How to Study Smarter” tips, which he shared on his website as well.

“Space out your time, practice, don’t just re-read books and notes, test yourself, mistakes are okay as long as you learn from them, mix-up your self-testing, use pictures, diagrams and graphs, make a plan and stick with it and lastly, dig deeper,” Koenecke said.

More information about Koenecke’s books can be found at his website writewellrightnow.org.