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NEWS

OPINION

Local artist crafts COVID-19 sculpture

Sexism in the States

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March 18, 2021 | Vol. 95, No. 20

@MurrayStateNews

SPORTS

FEATURES

Racers ranked in the FCS for the first time since 2011

Oakley Dining Room adapts to pandemic life

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Gage Johnson/The News Local law enforcement arrived to the 1500 block of Chestnut Street on March 16 after reports of shots fired.

Apparent murder-suicide nearby rattles campus Gage Johnson Editor-in-Chief gjohnson17@murraystate.edu At first glance, it appears the house in the 1500 block of Chestnut Street that was the scene of an early morning apparent murder-suicide on Tuesday, March 16, is part of the Murray State campus.

Howe ver, t h e si n g l e -fa mil y home, even though just feet away from Elizabeth Residential College, is a privately-owned residence.

Police officers responded to a shots fired call at the home just af ter 7:30 a.m. Upon arrival, officers found three people with gunshot wounds.

Police said 31-year-old Anthony Amoroso shot his gir lfriend, 46-year-old Katherine Bryan and a child before turning the gun on himself.

The Calloway County Coroner pronounced Amoroso dead on the scene. Bryan and the child were both taken to Murray-Calloway County Hospital and later airlifted to a hospital outside of the region. Bryan later died as a result of her injuries, according to a press release from the Murray Police Department. No additional information on the child’s condition was released.

W hile officers were securing the scene, many students were already heading to class when

the Racer Alert was sent out to all facult y, staff and students.

The alert stated an incident had been repor ted near c am pus and those in the residential colleges should shelter in place. Ever yone was also asked to avoid the walking bridge and general area in the midd le of campus near Chestnut S treet.

Prior to the Racer Alert, Sarah L evanti, a sophomore majoring in pre-physical therapy, was heading to her desk job at Hester Residential College when she noticed something strange outside her dorm.

“I couldn’t see very well, but I saw someone running and then I was like ‘well I have to go to

work, ’” L e vanti said. “ That was at 7:40. They didn’t send out the shelter in place mandate until 7:47. So I left Elizabeth and there were two pol i c e o f fi c e r s , on e w h o w a s i n b e t w e e n L i z z o a n d C l a r k by a cop car and one was running across the bridge and all I could hear was ‘get bac k in your dorms, clear the area.’

They just kept repeating that to all the students, because there were people tr ying to go to c lass. I got to Hester and I was at the desk when they final l y sent out that mandate. ”

see SHOOTING, page 3

Wellness Center takes small step toward normalcy of the vaccine, combined with the careful nature of the state and university administrations, has convinced him and his staff that campus wellThe Murray State Wellness Cen- ness and intramurals can continue ter recently updated its availability in to take a small step back to normal. light of Kentucky’s new 60 percent ca- This opportunity spurred Rawe and pacity limit for indoor public spaces. his staff to open a new three-onMaximum capacity for students to three basketball league on March 29, workout in the free weights area in- along with wiffle ball and kickball.

“The vaccine coming out has creased from 12 to 20. Director of Campus and Wellness Travis Rawe played a large role,” Rawe said. “But said he hopes the update will help elim- the University as a whole is begininate long lines and free up more space ning to roll back some of the limfor students to safely get their exercise. itations COVID has placed on the Rawe said that while the COVID-19 University’s programs and facilities.” pandemic is still prevalent in most aspects of everyday life, the emergence see page 2 Simon Elfrink Sports Editor selfrink@murraystate.edu

WELLNESS,

Olivia Underwood/The News Maximum capacity in the free weights area increased from 12 to 20.

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News

March 18, 2021

Local artist crafts COVID-19 sculpture

saw the efforts of the healthcare workers and the deaths resulting from COVID-19, he said he wondered if anyone had sculpted an arA local artist designed a sculp- tistic interpretation of the pandemic.

“The efforts of the healthcare workture to honor the efforts of healthers, doctors and the medical scicare workers and those who have d i e d b e c a u s e o f COV I D - 1 9 . entific community have put their George Bandarra, owner of Bandi’s heart and soul to try to conquer this Iron Hammer, designed the sculp- thing,” Bandarra said. “This kinda ture, which has been displayed both depicts partially being conquered.”

In Bandarra’s opinion, not enough at the Primary Care Medical Center people are following the CDC guideand the CFSB Center for community members to see as they receive their lines. When he went to a public event COVID-19 vaccine. The sculpture has on March 8, he said out of about 200 been on display for about a month. people there, he saw three people Bandarra began his thought pro- with a mask. After four of his friends cess for the COVID-19 sculpture passed from the virus, Bandarra said in April of 2020. He said his inspi- he expected more people to have worn ration came from workers in the a mask and be safer even with the healthcare industry, especially those event being outdoors and in open air.

“People are really getting touched who have died because of the virus. by it because more people have died “It wasn’t the most difficult by any means, but just the concept, from the coronavirus than the wars and the meaning of it, and the tim- put together,” said Bandarra. “I don’t know anybody I’ve talked to that hasn’t had somebody that they’ve “The efforts of the known, maybe distantly, but that healthcare workers, hasn’t passed away from coronavirus.” doctors and the However, in Kentucky, the state is still in the process of vaccinatmedical scientific ing people. According to the Kencommunity have put tucky Cabinet for Health and Famtheir heart and soul ily Services, the total number of to try to conquer this unique persons vaccinated in the thing. This kinda state as of press time was 891,665. depicts partially Bob Hughes, chief medical officer, being conquered.” said the most interesting aspect of the sculpture was the crack in the virus.

Hughes said the choice to show the - George Bandarra, virus losing was obviously purposeful. owner of Bandi’s Iron “I had not seen anything like it and Hammer what struggled me the most about it, to be honest with you, was this and what’s so important about it is ing of it,” Bandarra said. “This thing that it’s losing,” Hughes said. “That’s that we’re going through has affect- what I like about it. If it was intact ed every single person. You know, it would’ve been totally different.”

According to George Bandarra’s the wars and all that did affect people, but not as much individually.” website, he has over 40 years of forgThe sculpture is partially modeled ing metal experience and has received after the structure of the virus that seven international awards for his causes COVID-19. In his sculpture, works. He has also had five articles the eye is looking up at the virus and published regarding his work, and has tentacles as it grips the world. Some of served on the editorial advisory comthe sculpture is built out of scrap piec- mittee for the “Fabricator” magazine.

Some of his other artworks are loes, such as the bottom of a lampshade or pieces of an old welding machine. cated in Murray near Squire Road There are also lights flickering in- and Kirksey Road. In his art business, side, indicating the location of the Bandarra has trained three employnucleus and its loss of power. The sy- ees, and one has created an eight-foot ringe held in the hand is hitting the tall eagle made out of stainless steel.

He has various other sculptures nucleus of the virus, symbolizing the COVID-19 vaccine. Bandarra said the around Murray, including the triantentacles in his sculpture are loosening gle-shaped sculpture sitting in front its grip as the syringe hits the nucle- of the Collins Center for Industry and us of the virus, causing it to weaken. Technology a tMurray State. Learn At first, he thought COVID-19 more about the artist, his background was like a severe flu. But when he and sculptures at theironhammer.com.

Emery Wainscott Contributing Writer ewainscott@murraystate.edu

WELLNESS From Page 1 Despite Rawe and Murray State’s excitement to take back some semblance of normalcy, Rawe himself was hesitant to assure students that contact sports like soccer and flag football will return. “ We didn’t want to take those chances so all the sports we’ve been offering up until now have been low impact, non-contact sports, singles and doubles events, team sports where you’re not coming into contact with opposing players.”

Rawe said the choice for threeon-three basketball was because a pair of small teams is much easier to monitor for safe and healthy protocols, especially mask compliance. Rawe was optimistic about g o i n g f o r w a rd s i n c e t h e c o m pliance to mask restr ictions so f a r h a s b e e n ac c e p t a b l e ac ro s s the board for intramural sports.

“We’ve been really lucky and students have been great this semester with the intramural sports we’ve offered already in continuing to wear

that mask,” Rawe said. “I think because students have been so willing to wear the mask and not really fighting it this semester with all the programs we’ve offered, I think that’s what kind of paved the way for us to be able to offer this threeon-three now instead of waiting.”

As manageable as three-onthree basketball is to Rawe and his staff, the likelihood of getting the hoops installed back in the Wellness Center for pick-up ball is not something Rawe sees happening as soon as many students would like.

Rawe said, “In intramurals we know that there’s only going to be the teams that are scheduled to play at that time coming at that time, to where pick-up you may have 30 or 40 people show up and want to play pick-up basketball, that goes against all the policies we have in play.” Rawe shares the hopes and eagerness of the students who want to get back on every field and every court on campus. Rawe was adamant that he wants those things as bad as anyone else, but it ’s simply too soon to say for sure. Still, with the way things are going with the vaccine

Cady Stribling/The News George Bandarra created a sculpture of the virus that causes COVID-19. Bandarra, on the left, talks about the sculpture with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bob Hughes, to the right.

Olivia Underwood/The News Pick-up basketball is still unavailable at the Wellness Center.

and compliance to the Racer Safe and Healthy Guidelines, Rawe is confident in the university administration’s ability to keep hope a l i v e f o r t h e s p r i n g s e m e s t e r.

“I think ever ybody ’s hope is as more people take the vaccine,

people just have to be careful,” Rawe said. “As more people get the vaccine and have the availability to take the vaccine and get it... we’ ll start to see things loosened up and restrictions slightly pulled back as we’ve seen in other states.”

March 18, 2021

News

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SHOOTING From Page 1 M a s o n Va n d i v e r, a s o p h o more from Madisonville, Kentucky, was on his way to class and thought nothing of the situ a t i on u n t i l h e s a w mu l t i p l e law enforcement officers with weapons drawn as he continued on his way to Mason Hall.

“I was walking from my dorm over at Clark, and as I was coming this way I was passing Lizzo and I saw an officer holding a rifle and he walked around that side of the building (Elizabeth College),” Vandiver said. “At first I knew we do emergency testing for our systems, so I thought ‘oh we’re just doing a drill,’ but as I came close to the bridge I could see all the police officer cars and everyone had their weapons out.”

At that moment, Vandiver knew it was something much more serious, but what happened next sent him and students in the surrounding area into sheer reaction as they looked for safety immediately.

“As I’m passing about [the] Curris Center, I just hear a bang and I hear somebody yell ‘take cover’ so that’s when we all kind of ran and got into the c lose s t b u i l d i n g, ” Va n d i v e r s a i d .

Vandiver said he and the other students in the mall area took cover inside Mason Hall until an all clear Racer Alert was sent out. More information would follow at 9:17 a.m. when President Bob Jackson sent an email to the campus community.

“Earlier this morning, the Murray State Police Department and Murray City Police responded to a shooting incident at a property adjacent to campus and a shelter in

Gage Johnson/The News Chestnut Street near the walking bridge on Murray State’s campus was closed while officers processed the scene.

place message was sent immediately thereafter,” Jackson said in the email. “The shooter is no longer a threat to the campus community. Multiple victims have been transported to the local hospital.

At this time, we do not believe that the individuals were students or had any affiliation with Murray

State University. There is no threat to the Murray State campus.”

A GoFundMe account has been set up to cove r B r y a n’s f u n e r a l c o s t s .

“Katie was taken from all of us too soon,” it said on the GoFundMe page. “She was a victim of violence. She was the most

caring person ever. She would give you her last dollar and do without herself. Now it is time to say goodbye and her surviving family needs your help. Please see our goal. Thank you so much” T h e l i n k t o t h e G o Fu n d Me page can be found a t w w w. t h e n e w s . o r g.

JavaTalk BARISTA SPOTLIGHT: LAINEY

Lainey is a barista here at Future Grounds! She studied Marketing at Murray State. She is from La Grange, KY, and she wants to become a Real Estate Agent! Her favorite drink at Future Grounds is a 16oz London Fog with Soy Milk and Extra Honey. Her single hobby is sleeping. That’s Lainey!

Opinion

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March 18, 2021

Sexism in the States

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

The month of March is nationally recognized as Women’s History Month. While many take this time to appreciate the women in their lives and learn about other powerful women, some people can’t help but wonder why women are constantly discriminated against. In one form or another, everyone came from an egg that came from a female individual, and if not someone who identifies as female, someone with a uterus. Why do we discriminate against the people who give us life, and where did this discrimination start?

The one thing people across the world have craved is power.

The craving for power has existed since the beginning of human civilization, and it’s no different in modern times. One big reason

why women are discriminated against is because people, especially men, crave power. What’s one way to get power? Eliminate the competition. If men convince everyone that women are “lesser” individuals, they eliminate the competition for power, allowing them to hold higher positions. That’s exactly what men have been doing since the beginning of human civilization.

They make it seem that women are weak and sensitive, when it’s exactly the opposite. While some women might play into that stereotype, there’s a vast majority of women who prove themselves to be stronger than men say. One example is Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. In a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, she discussed the racism she dealt with both from the British media and from within the royal family. It takes a lot of guts to

CHEERS....

RS

ple societies. America itself is still misogynistic. Take a look at what a woman has to do to get a hysterectomy: she needs permission from her husband and needs to have more than one child.

Why is that? Why does a woman need permission from someone else to have a procedure done to her own body? It’s all about the power men have over women.

While America has made great strides in the battle against sexism, many don’t think there will ever be a time when we are all treated equally.

There will always be those who wish to make women seem lesser than they truly are. We can only hope to continue to do our part in helping each other grow and understand that we all have our own strengths and weaknesses that have nothing to do with our sex. Only we can make the world a better place.

JEERS....

CHEERS

JEE

To all the flowers in bloom!

Daffodils and Dandelions and Violets, oh my!

stand up to the royal family, and she has proved time and time again that she deserves more respect than her male counterparts.

Another reason why people see women in a lesser light may also be because of culture. People are raised certain ways in different areas, and some areas may treat women differently. Lots of areas across the world think that women should be treated as “lesser” individuals. Despite there being extreme sexism in other places, that doesn’t mean we haven’t picked up some of those stereotypes in our own communities.

Most boys have heard the phrase, “You ____ like a girl!” This insinuates that girls have lesser skills than boys, and ingrains in our mind that women are the lesser beings. Stereotypes like that formed in early civilizations, and continue to form as misogyny is the foundation of multi-

&

To allergy season... while the flowers may be beautiful, my snot filled nose is not.

JEERS

Got opinions?

We want to hear from you!

Editorial Board

Contact Gabe Steffen at gsteffen@murraystate.edu

Gage Johnson Cady Stribling

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March 18, 2021

Sports

5

Photo courtesy of Dave Winder/Racer Athletics Redshirt junior inside linebacker Eric Samuta protects the ball during an interception run against Tennessee Tech.

Football beats Tennessee Tech to continue perfect start Racers ranked in the FCS for the first time since 2011 Simon Elfrink Sports Editor selfrink@murraystate.edu The Racers’ hot start to the unprecedented 2021 season continued in a 36-31 win over Tennessee Tech University on Sunday, March 14.

Murray State Head Coach Dean Hood said the win was a big one for the Racers.

“Just really, really blessed to get a win,” Hood said. “Tennessee Tech is a really tough group of guys. Very fundamentally sound, and this is a tough place to play. I’ve had some bad memories here as the head coach at EKU and just like that where it’s back and forth, come back and all of a sudden it gets away from you.”

The Golden Eagles kicked off to the Racers to start the game. After a fruitless drive for each team, the Racers received possession to try and be the first team on the board.

Murray State started their second drive with just over ten minutes left in the first quarter. However, the Racers were unable to convert more than a single yard and punted on a three-and-out to give the Golden Eagles their second opportunity to score. The Golden Eagles capitalized on Murray State’s slow offense, getting a first down on the first pass attempt of the drive.

However, the Murray State defense turned things around with an interception by redshirt junior inside linebacker Eric Samuta, who ran the ball all the way down the field for a touchdown, which the Racers converted into a 7-0 lead.

Tennessee Tech looked to equalize the scoreboard before going into the second quarter, scratching their way to Murray State’s 19-yard line with just under a minute left on the clock. In the opening minutes of the second quarter, Tennessee Tech battled to the four-yard line for fourth and goal and elected to kick a field goal, cutting the lead to 7-3.

Murray State’s redshirt junior quarterback Preston Rice ran the offense through redshirt junior wide receiver LaMartez Brooks.

Thanks to some key passing from Rice and running from Brooks, the Racers slid through another pair of first downs. The Racers fought their way inside the five-yard line, and a handoff to freshman running back Demonta Witherspoon gave the Racers’ line a chance to power into the endzone for another touchdown. The conversion flew through the verticals, making the score 14-3 in favor of the Racers.

The Golden Eagles came back swinging on their next drive, making headway in a hurry. Tennessee Tech also benefited from a 15-yard penalty, following a late hit by Murray State’s defense. Just two plays into the drive, the Golden Eagles found themselves at the 20-yard line. An unsportsmanlike conduct call gave Tennessee Tech yet another opportunity, putting them at the 10-yard line. The Golden Eagles’ offense took advantage of the back-to-back penalties, rushing a touchdown. The conversion closed the gap to 14-10.

A pair of fruitless drives later, the Racers were facing their last probable drive of the half. With 1:09 on the clock in the second quarter, the Racers found themselves at third and three on the Eagle’s 36-yard line. The Racers snuck it across the line, but were still 32 yards away from a touchdown with under a minute left. However, Rice found senior running back Rodney Castille for 14 yards. Rice and the Racers passed their way inside the five-yard line, eventually finding themselves third and goal on the one-yard line with 15 seconds left.

On a handoff to Witherspoon, it looked like the Golden Eagles’ defense did its job keeping the rush out of the endzone by a matter of inches.

However, upon closer inspection, the referees reviewed and

overturned the play, ruling it a touchdown for the Racers. With the extra point conversion, the Racers went into the locker room at halftime leading 21-10.

The Golden Eagles started with possession in the second half, but didn’t get far before the Racers’ offense got a chance to add to Murray State’s lead. The Racers did so with a 55-yard field goal from redshirt senior kicker Aaron Baum.

The Racers’ defense tipped the scale even further with an interception by redshirt junior cornerback Quinaz Turner, who ran 82 yards to go coast-to-coast and score the Racers’ 30th point, making the score 3010. The Racers did not get the extra point, so the score remained 30-10 with 4:30 left in the third quarter.

The Golden Eagles found some life on their next drive, throwing a touchdown for junior running back Kurt Taylor Jr. The extra point made the score 30-17. The Golden Eagles’ defense went on to force a threeand-out, giving them an opportunity to score once again with time running out in the third quarter.

With under a minute left in the quarter, Brad Clarl ran a long route to catch a pass inside Murray State’s 10 yard-line. By the time the Golden Eagles carried the possession into the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, the ball was drawn at second and goal. Sophomore quarterback Willie Miller ran the three yards necessary to rush another touchdown. The extra point was good, cutting the lead to 30-24.

Tennessee Tech’s red-hot offense looked to tie things up, or even take the lead in the fourth. Their drive ended in a fumble, turning the ball over to the Racers over 90 yards from their endzone. On the third down of the Racers’ unexpected drive, the Racers punted. Freshman defensive back Jyron Gilmore caught and returned the ball all the way back to Tennes-

see Tech’s endzone for a 39-yard return to tie the game at 30. Tennessee Tech came all the way from behind with a 21-point run, taking a 31-30 lead in the fourth quarter.

The Racers were able to strike back on their next run, getting back on top with a touchdown pass to Brooks, who made a leaping catch to haul it in for another six points in the Racers’ scoring column, giving the Racers a 36-31 lead.

The score remained there until the end of the game, letting Murray State walk away with a 3-0 start to the 2021 season.

Brooks spoke postgame about the struggle throughout the game and what it was like to battle back after Tennessee Tech’s 21-point run.

“We kept our focus throughout the whole game,” Brooks said. “We just made sure that everybody had each other’s backs, so if we did have a penalty or something like that we could just make sure everybody was together and we executed at the end.”

Hood agreed with his player and said the ability to battle back after adversity is what makes this team special.

“That’s a thing we’ve done a really good job of here in these last two football games, is handle these ups and downs,” Hood said. “The first thing is you’ve got to have buy in.You can do whatever you want to do as a coach or say whatever you want to say as a coach and it can be really really good stuff, but it really doesn’t matter unless you’ve got buy in by your players and that’s where we’ve been fortunate and blessed because our guys have bought in to what we’re doing.”

For the first time since 2011, the Racers are ranked in the FCS. Their flawless start earned the Racers a No. 24 spot in the FCS. Murray State will look to extend the electric start with a home game against Tennessee State University at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 21.

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Sports

6

March 18, 2021

Photo courtesy of Justine Ertl/Racer Athletics Junior right-hander Hannah James pitched five innings against EKU in the first game of the series, striking out eight batters and allowing the Colonols to score only two runs.

Racers go 2-1 against EKU, start OVC 4-2 Simon Elfrink Sports Editor selfrink@murraystate.edu The Murray State softball team won its second series in a row, taking two of the three games against Eastern Kentucky University on the weekend of Saturday, March 13, and Sunday, March 14.

“It was kind of crazy doing our own field and stuff,” said Head Coach Kara Amundson. “Having the home crowd, and it was a packed stadium like we want to have.”

Game One The Racers came out strong in the first game, winning on a 10-2 mercy rule in the fifth inning. The Racers’ bats were in full swing as early as the first inning, after a sacrifice ground ball to second base from sophomore infielder Lily Fischer and a single off the bat of senior infielder Sierra Gilmore made the score 2-0.

The Racers struck again in the on a two-RBI single through the left side of the infield from senior outfielder/utility player Logan Bruandmeier. Fischer delivered again later on in the inning with a runner on third base, driving her home with a fly ball to right field

for her second RBI of the game.

Gilmore kept the ball rolling in the bottom of the fourth inning when she doubled to left-center field to drive in a pair of runs. The final blow of the game came in the bottom of the fifth, when Braundmeier hit an RBI single and later came all the way around the bases when junior Jordan Childress hit a ball to deep right field that was booted by the right fielder. When the throw came in for a play at the plate, EKU’s catcher mishandled the ball, giving Braundmeier an easy path to the plate and paving the way for a 10-2 victory for the Racers.

EKU’s hitting struggled all game, only managing to get a three in the hits column. Junior righthander Hannah James threw all five innings against EKU, striking out eight batters in the process.

Game Two The Racers picked up right where they left off on Sunday, March 14, for the second game of the series.

The Racers dominated at the plate in the first inning, loading the bases with a pair of singles and a hit-by-pitch for Gilmore, who delivered with a two-RBI single to center field. Junior utility player

Lindsey Carroll followed up with a single to left field, giving the Racers another run. Redshirt senior Lexi Jones capped off the inning with a pair of RBIs on a single through the right side of the infield.

The Colonels didn’t get anything on the Racers’ starting pitcher, redshirt senior right-hander Taylor Makowsky, until the third inning, when they snuck one across the plate on an error to make the score 5-1.

The Colonels put something together in the top of the fifth with an RBI double by freshman outfielder Jaelyn Sanders, which was followed by an RBI single up the middle by redshirt junior outfielder Sammi Miller.

The Racers answered the Colonels in the form of a two-run homer by Fischer. “[Fischer’s] playing maturely,” Amundson said. “She’s staying within herself, she’s not making the game too big. It’s been really cool to see her grow and she’s just kind of settled into her swing. She’s really confident in her swing right now and she’s just having fun out there.”

EKU couldn’t answer Fischer’s homer, and the score remained 7-3 for the Racers when the final out of the game was recorded. “[We] had the bats alive again, really good pitching in the circle from

Taylor and Jenna,” Amundson said.

“EKU’s been [on] top of the conference this year, have had some really good wins, really competitive wins, so coming out and taking the first two was a big deal for us.”

Game Three

The bats cooled off for both teams in the final game of the series. EKU struck first, putting a run in the first inning and another pair in the second. The Racers responded in the bottom of the second inning with their only run of the game when freshman designated player Kamryn Carcich poked a single through the right side to score Carroll from third. EKU tacked another run on the top of the seventh when redshirt freshman utility player Vianna Barron singled to right field to bring another runner across home plate.

The score remained 4-1 until the end of the game, allowing EKU to salvage a game on the road against the Racers, who began conference play 4-2. After their recent push in the OVC, Murray State’s overall record has improved to 7-13.

The Racers will look to continue their recent play with another home game against Memphis on Tuesday, March 16, at 3 p.m. at Racer Field.

Tennis wins two against Lipscomb and WKU had a close match with scores of 7-6.

Head Coach Jorge Ceatano said he was proud of the doubles match but said he knew Lipscomb was a The Murray State women’s tennis tough opponent to beat. Caetano team competed against Lipscomb said that the team showed a lot of University on Saturday, March 13, and grit and power through the tourWestern Kentucky University on Sun- nament with an overall team effort. day, March 14.The team took home the Western Kentucky University match with a 4-3 win in both games.

Andrea Jameson Contributing Writer ajameson1@murraystate.edu

Lipscomb University The Racers earned all four points of the first match in singles play. Senior Sara Loncarevic, freshman Sarah Bureau and Anja Loncarevic won their matches in straight sets. Freshman Gabrielle Geolier took her opponent three sets but secured the fourth point for the Racers.

Featured players in the doubles match include Sara Loncarevic and sophomore Marit Kreugel, who were unable to close the first round of the match with a score of 6-6 against Lipscomb.

Bureau and senior Anja Loncarevic finished one round with scores of 6-4, while Geolier and Stasya Sharapova

The match against WKU on Sunday, March 14, highlighted players who are unable to finish their doubles match. Bureau and Anja Loncarevic fell 4-3 in the first match while Sara Loncarevic and Kreugal were unable to gain a point with a score of 6-0.

Geolier and Sharapova did their best to gain the point in the first match with an ending score of 6-2.

“For some reason our energy was low and we let WKU dominate us from the beginning and I felt like we did not fight back,” said Caetano.

The singles matches went differently for the Racers. Geolier, Anja Loncarevic, Kreugel and Sara Loncarevic kept their opponents on the court with scores

Photo courtesy Dan Hasko/Racer Athletics Senior Anja Loncarevic returns the ball in a match over the weekend.

being 6-2-6, 6-5-6, 6-5-5 and 2-6-6.

“Anja was playing some of the best tennis I have ever seen her play,” Caetano said. “She had a little setback in the second set, but came back with the right mindset in the third, playing with a lot of confidence and being clutch when the match was up for grabs.”

Caetano said the team fought

for every point during the singles matches and he feels proud of the win, especially since WKU was such a big rival for Murray State.

Murray State will host the next tournament at the Bennie Purcell Tennis Courts on Saturday, March 20, at noon with a match against Belmont University.

March 18, 2021

Features

On Monday, March 15, students in meal planning started prepping for their meal on Wednesday.

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Dionte Berry/The News

Oakley Dining Room adapts to pandemic life

Dionte Berry Features Editor dberry11@murraystate.edu

After COVID-19 robbed the Oakley Dining Room of a semester of opening, it is reopening with new regulations, a diverse selection of meals and students ready to get real world experience.

The dining room has an annual opening ever y spring semester, but in 2020 the hopes of opening were dashed by the pandemic and the shutdown of Murray State.

Howe ver, u nder t he leadership of instructor and director of the didactic program in dietetics Josie Bryant, the Oakley Dining Room is resuming ser vices, and students have opportunities to actively practice meal planning.

Last year, students had one practice meal and started preparing for the opening of the Oakley Dining Room after spring break, but students weren’t able to f inish their mea l ma nagement project because of the COVID-19 shutdown.

“Meal management, also known as NTN 422, is the capstone course in the nutrition program, so all seniors take this course in the spring and it involves a lot of the components they have learned from the beginning of our program,” Bryant said. “It combines basic nutrition food labels, quantity food production, food science, leadership and management.”

St udents come up w ith their ow n mea l plan and the entire class comes together to execute each project one at a time while the Oakley Dining Room is open.

Un l i k e i n p a s t y e a r s , s t udents in t he cou rse have had to adapt their operations to f it COV ID-19 safet y reg ulations.

Those who’ve purchased meals in the past have been able to enjoy them in the dining room; however, now the dining room only operates as a pick up and many meals are also being delivered on campus.

“Delivery and pick up are the new things for 2021. In times past we have had diners come into the Oakley Dining Room and have been able to seat 40 people, but because of the pandemic we had to change the way we serve people in our communit y this year,” Br yant said.

Students in the course have also had to go through a certification process in order to be Servsafe managers which means they are certified in food safety, handling and preparation.

Despite the extra hoops to jump through, the course still retains its purpose of giving students a chance to put their knowledge to practice.

“The experience is that they create their own meal, which they have started planning this winter,” Bryant said.

The students started by picking a theme and recipes they’ ll want to make in order to personalize their food. They had to come up with recipes for an appetizer, entree, sides and two dessert options.

“After they develop their theme and pick recipes, students then ma ke a menu t hat creat ively describes the food and makes it an experience,” Br yant said.

With COVID-19 being a variable in their ser vice, there has

been an emphasis on packaging, which students also get to choose.

Along with exercising the aspects they have lea rned about meal management during many of the other classes, Bryant also wants students to see all of the small details that go into planning.

“The biggest takeaways from this project is that students get to see all of the details and how they matter so much when you are executing a project,” Br yant said.

“They also actually get to see the outcome of their mea ls, which they are evaluated for by customers.”

Among the students who have created a project is senior d ietetics major Ca rlota Sa las.

Salas prepared her meal to be served on Wednesday, March 17, and decided to pay homage to her culture and Venezuelan roots.

“The meal I am going to prepare is ‘A Trip to Venezuela.’ W hen choosing my theme, I considered three things: originality, difficulty level and nutritional value,” Salas said. “Originally I am from Caracas, Venezuela, so I drew inspiration from my native cuisine because it fulfills all of those requirements.”

The meal Salas prepared is significant to her not only because of its cultural meaning, but because it was further inspired by her youth and what she ateas a child. She has seen it as an honor to serve a piece of her culture to those at Murray State.

A f ter spend ing t he la st fe w months working on her project, Salas is excited to be executing her meal alongside her classmates.

“My classmates are also a great support system and I could not do it without them,” Salas said.

“We have helped each other every step of the way and it’s been really fun cooking alongside them.”

Salas imagined how her capstone course would be throughout her time at Murray State, and never expected anything like COVID-19. “Throughout my undergraduate, I got to see how the senior classes elaborate their meal projects and I started dreaming about mine, but with COVID-19, everything is different,” Salas said.

Seeing that last year’s projects were cancelled, Salas considered the possibility of her own capstone project being drastically changed or cancelled.

However, Salas is thankful that Bryant has found a way to restructure the class so they can still operate and abide by COVID-19 safety guidelines.

“Br yant overcame many challenges, like finding all the to-go containers and supplies, maintaining morale and creating an online paying system,” Salas said.

Bryant is proud of her students and their ability to adapt to a new format of service and operation.

“I am tremendously proud of our students for working so hard [and] being flexible and adaptable because doing some type of restaurant with new guidelines during a pandemic is no small feat,” Bryant said. “I hope they have fun with the project, because I know they have earned it.”

A full line up of meals and links to make reservations and pay can be found by searching “Oakley Dining Room” in the search bar at murraystate.edu.

Student prepares for Miss Kentucky USA Andrea Jameson Contributing Writer ajameson1@murraystate.edu

Photo courtesy of Courtney Rager Rager will be competing as Miss Murray USA in the Miss Kentucky USA pageant.

M i s s M u r r a y 2 0 21 C o u r tney Rager shares her pageant journey and what inspires her the most.

Sophomore Courtney Rager went from Miss Pre-teen Muhlenberg County to being fourth runner-up for Miss Kentucky Teen. Next, she is planning to compete in the Kentucky USA pageant with her current 2021 title as Miss Murray USA. Rager began her pageant career when she was just eight yearsold by participating in county fair pageants around Muhlenberg County. In her adolescent years, she fell in love with it, and she has competed in the county fair system since 2012.

“When I went to Muhlenberg County to compete in the Miss Pre-teen Pageant, I was the highest qualifier to compete in state when I won second runner-up at the Kentucky County Fair,” Rager said.

Rager attended the Miss Kentucky Outstanding Program for three years beginning in 2015 with higher expectations than a county fair. MKTO is a program that expects all attendees to

share a talent, interview, and stand-up panel with six judges for eight minutes.

With her winning title, Rager won the pre-teen, teen and Miss divisions. When she was 14-15 years old, she also competed in Miss Teen Jefferson County Fair.

When she turned 16, Rager was eligible to compete with the Miss America System that was associated with the Miss Metro Louisville Outstanding Teen.

Rager competed in the Miss Western KY Teen USA pageant for the first time in January 2019, placing in the top five.

By competing well and placing high in many pageants, Rager will be competing next in the Miss Kentucky USA pageant.

“I’ve been enjoying pageants all of my life being that it’s given me a lot of interview qualities, a lot of friends and a lot of really eye-opening experiences that I wouldn’t have been able to have had without being in pageants,” Rager said.

From the upcoming Kentucky USA pageant, Rager is excited about the opportunities that may come from it.

“I never would have dreamed that 8-year-old me would have ever gone for the first triple crown winner in my home county,” Rager said.

From the county fair system Rager is happy to be making it to a bigger stage, and possible opportunities that are coming along with it.

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Features

March 18, 2021

Graphic courtesy of Ann Matheny RacerWorks focuses on helping students with their college readiness skills.

RacerWorks offers students specialized workshops Ciara Fuson Staff Writer cbenham@murraystate.edu Beginning in March, the Center for Academic Success beg a n of f e r i n g R a c e rWo r k s , a series of workshops on skills revolving around college readiness.

RacerWorks is made to provide students with short sessions on academic topics that will help them become a more successful Racer.

RacerWorks was created by instr uctor and coordinator, Ann Matheny. After speaking with some of her students, Matheny found a need for certain topics to be reviewed.

“It’s easy for some of us to forget how to use ML A, or perhaps we may realize that Google Ca lendar is something we should utilize and we need help to get started,” Matheny said.

The workshops are designed with student success in mind. RacerWorks’ sessions cover student-suggested topics with a 15 person limit so the workshop instructor can help students with their individual needs.

“RacerWorks is helping st udents learn skills to become an e ven more successf u l R acer,” Matheny said. “Any program that has a goal of helping students become more successful is important.”

T he work shops t h is mont h, which are being held via Zoom, w il l cover a variet y of topics.

For the month of March, the following topics are being offered: “MLA Format Overview,” “Dealing with Math Anxiety,” “Tips for being Successful in a Math Class,” “Strengthening Your Concentration,” “Speak Up Speak Out,” “Tutoring Tips” and “Punctuation Made Easy.”

Students can sign up for workshops on the RacerWorks page of the Murray State website. After registering, the workshop leader will send a link to the Zoom meeting.

“Workshops are offered on various days and times to allow students the flexibility to attend more than one in any given month,” Matheny said.

“If students see a topic that interests them but cannot attend on the days and times listed they can contact me.”

RacerWorks is intended to help students excel in topics that interest and benefit them directly. Students can suggest topics for workshops on the suggestion form listed on the RacerWorks page of the Murray State website.

“Students need to know they have a large network of people on campus that are rooting for their success,” Matheny said. “These workshops are just one example of how we are willing to help them succeed during their time here at Murray State.”

Student brings ancient Scottish tradition to campus Mason Galemore Contributing Writer mgalemore@murraystate.edu Students at Murray State come from all over the world, and many of them have certain talents that define who they are and where they come from.

For freshman occupational safety and health major Ryan Potts, that talent is playing the bagpipes.

Potts is originally from Glasgow, Kentucky, and has played the instrument since he was a freshman in high school.

“Our high school mascot was the Scotties and the band had a tradition of wearing kilts and play ing the pipes,” Potts said.

Potts thought he would enjoy playing the bagpipes, so he joined his highschool’s bagpipes program. However, as he started to practice the instrument, he discovered it was difficult to play.

“The process was a difficult one in my experience, as the bagpipes are so ancient and vastly different from other musical instruments,” Potts said. “The hardest part was being able to get the breathing pattern down on the pipes, since I had to fill the bag up with air and also squeeze the bag to have the constant flow of air going through the instrument.”

As Potts continued to practice, he learned more tunes and was able to find enjoyment while playing the bagpipes. Potts has also learned a lot about patience and perseverance.

“There were many times that I wanted to quit when I first started playing,” Potts said. “But, I st uck w ith it and now it ’s one of my favor ite t h i n g s to do.”

According to Potts, the bagpipes taught him to be himself and to not care about what others thought of him. He said he had

to embrace the instrument even with its odd appearance and loud volume.

Potts started playing at home football games at his high school. Since then, he has continued to play for several occasions such as church programs, his own high school graduation and funerals. “ Ma ny p eople have told me that my performances felt really emotional to them and reminded them of a specific person, place or time in their lives,” Potts said.

Potts said a lot of people don’t get to hear bagpipes on a regu l a r b a s i s , a n d m a ny p e o pl e have praised him for his talent.

“Many people go out of their way to come up to me after I have played and tell me how interesting or cool they think it is to see someone playing such a unique instrument,” Potts said.

According to Potts, his home town of Glasgow, Kentucky, has a large Scottish heritage community, and many people who live there practice many Scottish traditions, including playing the bagpipes.

Despite being away from home, Potts still practices regularly. After high school, he received his own bagpipes from his parents as a graduation gift. Potts said he only practices outside rather than in his dorm room so he doesn’t disturb his hallmates.

“I started playing in the quad because I really like the area over there,” Potts said. “It ’s a place where I feel like I’m not being too loud and not disturbing anyone.”

Potts wants to join a bagpipes band in his near future. He said he just needs to move somewhere that has one.

“Hopefully I can continue to play the bagpipes throughout the rest of my life,” Potts said. “I really enjoy playing for events and just playing the instrument in general.”

Dionte Berry/The News Potts was playing his bagpipes in the Quad on March 8.