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April 1, 2021 | Vol. 95, No. 22

@MurrayStateNews

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

FEATURES

Traditional Homecoming returns for fall 2021

Gov. Beshear veto Senate Bill 48

Baum kicks four field goals to keep Racers undefeated

Students react to non-instructional days

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Exclusive update

Friend says Townsend knew Sotomayor prior to murder Cady Stribling News Editor cstribling@murraystate.edu Sarah Townsend’s best friend sat down with The News for an inter view in which he revealed that she knew her alleged killer, Julius S otomayor pr ior to her disappearance on March 25.

Townsend’s body was found in a ditch near the Cherry Corner area in Calloway County on Friday morning, March 26. Preliminary autopsy results showed she died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Julius Sotomayor, 22, of Dexter, Kentucky, was arrested on Saturday, March 27, and charged with murder, tampering with evidence and theft by unlawful taking (auto). Sotomayor is currently being held in the Calloway County Jail on a $1 million bond.

The news of Townsend’s death rattled the campus community, as it came just a few weeks after a murder-suicide at a private property near Elizabeth Residential College. Local law enforcement officers would not confirm the relationship between Townsend and Sotomayor, but her best friend, Al Lloyd, senior advertising major said it was not a random murder.

L loyd said the night before Townsend’s body was found he had planned to cook dinner at her apartment but decided against it because he had a lot of homework. “ I was suspicious the night before because she did ask me to come over to her apartment, but I rejected because I had so muc h home work to do and I didn’t get that homework done till 4 or 5 that Friday morning,” Lloyd said. “ When she stopped talking to me last around midnight, that’s when I looked at the Snap Map and noticed she was in a ver y, ver y weird location.”

Lloyd said the location was a weird spot for her to be in, but he brushed it off as Townsend hanging out with a friend. Regardless, Lloyd messaged Townsend and asked how her organic chemistry homework was going, but d i d n’t g e t a re s p o n s e. A b o u t an hour later at 1 a.m., Lloyd looked at her Snap Map again and it showed the same location, so he sent her another message but still did not get a reply.

“I just brushed it off and remembered it as a yellow flag and I’ ll come back to it tomorrow,”

Photo courtesy of Al Lloyd Al Lloyd, senior advertising major, was best friends with Sarah Townsend, 21. A GoFundMe can be found on the Murray State News’ website.

Lloyd said. “And that Friday, I just went through the whole day of thinking everything was fine.

I didn’t think anything of her at all, nothing bad. I was even wearing her shoes that I still got right now because I was supposed to return them to her.”

Lloyd said he had a normal Friday and even talked to a study abroad ambassador because he and Townsend were thinking of places to study abroad together.

It was around 6 or 7 p.m. when a resident adviser asked Lloyd if he’d seen Townsend since she hadn’t shown for her desk shift at College Courts. Once Lloyd heard this, he said he checked Snap Maps and no longer saw her whereabouts but decided to screenshot the weird location to send to her mother.

Townsend ’s mother later put out a missing person alert on Facebook. Lloyd said he thought the situation was ser ious bec ause S ar ah ne ver went anywhere without telling her mother.

A s h o r t t i m e l a t e r, a c o worker showed L loyd a ne ws

Julius Sotomayor was arrested for murder, tampering with evidence and theft after the body of Murray State senior Sarah Townsend was found in a ditch near the Cherry Corner area.

Sotomayor is currently in the Calloway County Jail on a $1 million bond.

article about a body being found in the Cherr y Corner area.

“She told me details of the article then came and showed me the article,” Lloyd said. “I saw S arah’s crocs and that ’s when I cr ied and c al led that number to give [police] the details.

Her crocs were one of her most d i s t i n c t i v e f e a t u re s e v e r b e cause she was a crocs person.”

Lloyd said he then went to the Murray State police station and talked with Kentucky State Police to give the information he knew. Although police presented the case to him as a missing person, Lloyd said he had suspicions that police were inquiring

see TOWNSEND Page 3

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News

April 1, 2021

Kalea Anderson/TheNews The University has plans for a traditional Homecoming next fall like the 2019 Homecoming pictured above where students are tailgating at the football game.

Traditional Homecoming returns for fall 2021 Gage Johnson Editor-in-Chief gjohnson@murraystate.edu W hile a number of Murray State traditions have been affected by COVID-19, Homecoming will go on as typically scheduled in the fall during the 2021-22 Murray State football season.

The event has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday, October 30, against Tennessee State University.

Director of Alumni Relations Carrie McGinnis said each year they have to take into account the Racers’ football schedule along with scheduling Family Weekend in order to pick the correct date.

After considering all the options, it was decided upon to keep the event as traditional as possible by having it in October.

“An October Homecoming is tradition at Murray State,” McGinnis said. “Our campus is beautiful in the fall, and the weather is typically more suitable for outdoor events.

Homecoming has been held in

November a couple of times since its beginnings in the late 1930s, but the crisp fall air of October is optimal and provides a gorgeous backdrop for our alumni returning home to the finest place we know.”

Many details still need to be finalized before the fall, but the hope is to have the event like the University would every year as restrictions slowly become lifted and cases in the community have lowered gradually..

“We are still very early in the planning stages, but we are actively preparing for Homecoming 2021 to be in-person and as traditional as possible, while still in compliance with all Racer Safe and Healthy guidelines in place at that time,” McGinnis said. “We have several alumni groups making plans to celebrate reunions during Homecoming that were postponed last year due to the pandemic. We are sensing a tremendous amount of excitement from those already making plans to par ticipate.”

At the moment, they are preparing for some

virtual components of Homecoming in 2021, but are hoping to keep it as traditional as possible.

Homecoming was held virtually in 2020 because of the pandemic and McGinnis said they had an abundance of participation in multiple events last year.

“We had tremendous alumni participation in our virtual “Healthy at Homecoming” events last year, and it opened the celebration up to Racers all over the world who typically cannot make the trip back to campus,” McGinnis said.

“Events like the Virtual 5K and Esports Tournament, for example, could provide a niche for a population of alumni worldwide who have not had the opportunity to engage with us during Homecomings of the past. COVID forced us to be flexible and creative, and we can take what we learned to offer experiences that are even more accessible for alumni moving forward.”

The plan is to have in-person attendance for typical events like Tent City, the Homecoming Parade and

the football game itself including crowning the Homecoming King and Queen at halftime, but those decisions will have to be made closer to the occasion. “ We are actively planning for a traditional in-person Homecoming,” McGinnis said. “Specific details regarding capacity requirements for both small and large events will be determined in the months ahead based on state and federal guidelines and in collaboration with local health officials.”

As the University plans to bring fellow Racers from all over the countr y, McGinnis said those i n t h e c o m mu n i t y a n d t h o s e that wish to attend should tr y to get vaccinated, that way ever yone can come together for one of Murray State’s traditions.

“I encourage our students, alumni and broader Murray S t at e commu ni t y t o ge t vac cinated as soon as possible so that we can again safely enjoy the Racer traditions we cherish together,” McGinnis said.

Speech and Debate Union win three tournaments Emery Wainscott Contributing Writer ewainscott@murraystate.edu The Speech and Debate Union (SDU) won three of three tournaments this semester during Director of Forensics Lou Tillson’s first year as coach.

The SDU competed in the 2021 academic year against teams from across the country. Last semester, the team had planned to compete in four tournaments but two were canceled because of COVID-19.

Tillson said the team suffered a negative impact last spring when the University switched to remote learning. The switch caused the team’s final tournament of the year, the Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament, to be canceled.

This year, the team won multiple awards at the virtually-held Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament. Both Duo Interpretation teams placed in the top 20.

Senior psychology major Ashlen Grubbs placed seventh in poetry and twelfth in program oral interpretation, as well as advanced to the toptwelve semifinals in those categories.

Garrett Kieser and Victoria Lindsey placed in the top 30 in parliamentary debate and Student Head Debate Coach Josh Sanders placed in the top 30 for the Varsity International Public Debate Association.

All three of the tournaments this season have been conducted virtually. Tillson said some tournaments have been synchronous, whereas others have been a mix of both synchronous and asynchronous.

“The online tournaments have run similar to a giant Zoom meeting with breakout meeting rooms for individual teams and for each round of each event,” Tillson said. “There are typically 2-5 initial rounds with the highest scoring competitors advancing to multiple elimination rounds.”

Because of the changes this year, Tillson said not only do students have to worry about the tournament, but they also have to worry about technology issues as well as social distancing and masks.

“Trying to speak clearly and engagingly is particularly challenging when half of your face is covered and your voice is muffled, or your partner can’t even be in the same room with you,” Tillson said.

“The rewards, on the other hand, are that we’ve gotten to compete at tournaments we wouldn’t have been able to physically attend.”

T h e t e a m c om p e t e d i n d e bate-only tournaments, including some which featured individual events, such as public address, limited preparation and interpretation. Other tournaments the team has competed in include the

Kentucky Forensics Association State Tournament, The Big Apple Debate Tournament in New York, Climb the Mountain Debate Tournament in California and BBQ Capital of the World in Kentucky.

Despite the virtual aspect, Tillson said she feels proud of the team’s response to challenges this year.

“They have met every challenge with a can-do attitude,” Tillson said. “They’ve handled wins with humility and losses with dignity. I am blown away by their talent and ability to manage all of the challenges thrown at them. It has been my honor to work with them this year.”

Tillson began her professiona l c a re e r a s a d i re c t o r o f f o re n s i c s 3 0 ye a r s a go i n We s t V irginia, her home state. S he said the SDU is beneficial for students, both on their resume and in developing and refi n i n g c om mu n i c a t i on s k i l l s . “ In my opinion, there is no better extra-curricular act i v i t y f o r a ny s t u d e n t , ” T i l l son said. “ The communication skills developed are beneficial n o t o n l y i n c o l l e g e, b u t a l s o throughout the rest of their professional and personal life.”

T i l l s on , w h o h a s t a u g h t 2 9 y e a r s a s a p r o f e s s o r, o v e r sees the Murray State Speech and Debate Union. Tillson was hired af ter Cr y stal Coel,

the former director of for e n s i c s , r e t i r e d l a s t s u m m e r.

“Although no one will ever ‘replace’ my former colleague, Dr. Crystal Coel, I was hired to take over as DoF when she retired last summer., Tillson said.“My department chair, Dr. R. Michael Bokeno, dean, Dr. David Eaton, and provost, Tim Todd, were instrumental in helping me transition seamlessly into this role.”

Tillson works very closely on SDU with her graduate assistant, Deshawn Robinson, and students on the team, including Sanders, President Chris Stewart, First Vice President Rachel Fischer, Second Vice President Brennan Hughes and Secretary Victoria Lindsey.

Michael Bokeno, department chair of Organizational Communication and Leadership, said Tillson has maintained the tradition of the SDU winning regional and national notoriety.

“The team is well coached and competitive, having won 3/3 of the past events; what they do turns regional and national attention to Murray State and the Department of Organizational Communication and Leadership,” Bokeno said. “It is my pleasure to continue to support them.”

Tillson said anyone interested in competing with the team can contact her at ltillson@murraystate.edu.

April 1, 2021

TOWNSEND Page 1

about a homicide case because many of the questions seemed to encompass more of a homicide case rather than missing persons.

“I was still having hope,” Lloyd said. “I didn’t find out she for sure died until later on this night when I was talking to the RA and her biological mom called and told me. It was just one of those things I was tr ying to have hope the whole time that she was still alive.”

L l o y d s a i d To w n s e n d m e t S otomayor a few months ago through a mutual fr iend and they began hanging out and playing video games together.

Townsend knew about his criminal record and was even tr ying to help him, Lloyd said, and they had become good friends.

“She was doing so much to make sure he was trying to have a better life because he was fresh out of prison,” Lloyd said. “She was trying to make sure he was doing better and included him into her friend group like she did with me when I first came here.”

The last time Lloyd saw Townsend alive was on Thursday, March 25, outside of Winslow Dining Hall where she and Sotomayor were walking past later in the afternoon. Lloyd said they had a conversation about Lloyd going to work to which Townsend told him goodbye and to have a good day. They messaged each other until later that night when she stopped responding.

Lloyd said Sotomayor had invited S arah to go to Georgia with him about a week before she died, and Lloyd had talked her out of it. Aside from this, Lloyd himself has wondered what the connection to Georgia is.

“I hate knowing that he’s the one who did it because of how much time she stayed at his house, she was his best friend,” Lloyd said. “She used to pick him up and drop him off at work at 4 a.m. when he had a job. I just… that betrayal is the part that hurts.”

Lloyd met Townsend in Aug. 2018 online and they had talked everyday since. Townsend was the reason Lloyd came to Murray State, and when they met, Lloyd said Townsend was very shy.

“It took her a while for her to come out of her shell and be the butterfly that she is now, but she al way s thanked me for doing that,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd said after he got To w n s e n d o u t o f h e r s h e l l , she was a fierce friend who even personally helped his mother through a divorce.

“Sarah was one of those people that would help you no matter what you was going through,” Lloyd said. “She was that friend, she was that person, as well as always making sure she got done with her home work and getting ever ything she needed to get done, done. She was an embodiment of pure love and energy for any and all of her friends.

S h e w a s a re m a r k a b l e s o u l . ” Many of Townsend’s favorite memories came from taking pictures and hammocking at Land Between the Lakes, as well as being a camp counselor at Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center.

Lloyd said Townsend convinced him and her other fr iends to join as camp counselors alongside her this upcoming summer.

“She really enjoyed me cooking her grilled cheeses,” Lloyd said. “ That was her thing. She al ways used to say it was the s i m p l e t h i n g s t h a t m ad e h e r happy. It was gr il led c heeses

News and forehead kisses ...those were her favorite things.”

Lloyd said one of his favorite memor ies with Townsend was when he gifted her with a stuffed octopus that she c arried ever ywhere, as well as the dark sense of humor they shared.

Townsend was also known for her love of all animals. She frequented the ‘cat colony’ in Oakley Applied Science, and Lloyd said one of her goals after fini s h i n g ve t e r i n a r y s c h o o l w a s to have an army of black cats.

L l o y d a l s o s a i d To w n s e n d wanted to go to Virgini a Te c h U n i v e r s i t y a n d b e come a large animal vet.

“She was an embodiment of pure love and energy for any and all of her friends,” Lloyd said.

Townsend ’s cousin, Frankie Brown, said his favorite memor y with Townsend was when he picked her up for a Saturday night showing at the Sunchase Cinema in Farmville, Virginia.

“I’ll never forget because when I picked her up, her little brothe r S a m s a i d , “m a k e s u re yo u have her back at a decent hour,’” Brown said. “Of course she was like ‘be quiet Sam,’ but we had a blast that night. [I] wish we c o u l d h a ve d on e t h a t m o re. ” Brown said he wants everyone to know that To w n s e n d e x e m p l i f i e d w h a t it meant to be a good human.

“She was selfless,” Brown said.

“She was positive. She was genuine. And that ’s rare today but my favorite attribute is that she has never met a stranger. Reg a rd l e s s , w h e t h e r o r n o t s h e k n e w yo u , s h e w o u l d a l w a y s speak and be encouraging and to me that is what made her special. Still doesn’t feel real.”

Murray State Police Chief Jeff Gentry said the department offers a variety of resources to help students be as safe as possible. On top of providing safety programs, Gentr y encourages students to get the LiveSafe app. The LiveSafe app is free and includes features to leave tips through a chat, photo, video and audio options.

“Another very popular feature of LiveSafe is GoSafe,” Gentry said. “ This part of the app lets students request a safety escort from our Racer Patrol or lets students ask a friend to watch them walk from one location to another on a map of campus. Parents can also download the app for free and their students can request that they be watched by their parents while walking on campus. The location is not limited to campus, so if their student is driving home for a holiday or the weekend, parents can watch them as they drive to know that they are safe.”

In addition, the University has 38 emergenc y phones around campus, many of which are the blue light style and are illuminated at night, Gentry said. Over the last few years, the University has undergone a project to replace campus lighting to enhance safety and energy efficiency and many lights have been replaced in the last few months.

“Safety on campus is a partn e r s h i p. We c a n p r o v i d e a safe environment, but individu a l s mu s t b e re s p on s i b l e f o r their own safety and the safety of those around them. If you see something suspicious, let us know immediately. Don’t wait, you’re not “bothering” us at all.

You’re helping us to do our jobs.”

A G o Fu n d M e a c c o u n t h a s been set up to cover Townsend’s funeral cost. Visit this story on thenews.org for a link to t h e G o Fu n d M e p a g e , w h i c h has raised nearly $8,200.

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Photo Courtesy of Frankie Brown Sarah Townsend is with her Murray State acceptance letter.

Photo Courtesy of Al Lloyd Lloyd gifted Sarah Townsend with a stuffed octupus, which Lloyd said she took everywhere.

JavaTalk BARISTA SPOTLIGHT: EMMA

Emma is a Freshman at Murray State University. She has not decided on a major yet, but hey, who had a major their Freshman year? Emma is from Goshen, KY and has no idea what she wants to do when she leaves college...but she has an idea of what her favorite drink is at Future Grounds: the classic Caramel Apple Cider. She enjoys reading, watching Netflix, and drawing. That’s Emma!

Opinion

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April 1, 2021

KPA: Gov. Beshear veto Senate Bill 48 From the Kentucky Press Association

The Kentucky Press Association strongly urges the Governor to veto the SB 48, a bill recently passed by the Kentucky General Assembly.

The bill amends the Open Records Act in unprecedented—and unnecessary—ways that will deprive the public of access to information that has long been available to it and is likely to have negative consequences for a wide range of basic commercial and governmental business across Kentucky.

SB 48 goes well beyond protecting certain information from disclosure under the Open Records Act, and for the first time requires government agencies to proactively redact records in their possession upon request from a law enforcement officer, judicial officer, or their family members. These unprecedented preemptive redaction requirements will permanently bar the public from examining even the most benign public records related to some of Kentucky’s most powerful public officials and their family members.

The law is incredibly broad in its scope. Section 3 of the bill covers current and former judges, police officers, prosecutors, public defenders, and their “immediate” family members, a term defined by the law to mean any person related by blood or marriage to, or living with,

the protected individual. The bill allows any person to request that a public agency not post, publish, or disseminate certain information about them to anyone, including (but not limited to) their birthdate, marriage records, address, property tax or ownership records, and vehicle registration. The law does not require the individual to demonstrate their entitlement to its protections, and once requested the protections remain in place in perpetuity. (In contrast, Section 2 of the bill creates a much narrower exception to the ORA that does require verification and automatically expires every three years unless renewed).

This law was rushed through the General Assembly on the final days of the session with no public disclosure of its contents until after it was adopted by the House of Representatives. Not surprisingly, given this secretive process, the bill is internally inconsistent and threatens to disrupt basic commercial and governmental functions in ways that the General Assembly likely never considered. For example: County clerks and other state and local agencies will be required to redact any information concerning a protected individuals’ property ownership and tax information, seriously impeding the ability of

CHEERS....

banks, mortgage brokers, and realtors to conduct routine transactions concerning residential property; Public agencies would be unable to publish notices of judgments or liens concerning any protected individuals’ property, including advertising judicial sales and making other public notices as required by law; Public officials would not be able to identify individuals that owe past due property taxes by name and address, as they currently do; Public Officials will not be able to identify individuals that owe past due child support name and address, as they currently do.

The Kentucky Registry of Election Finance will no longer be able to list the addresses of protected contributors, as it currently does; and The Secretary of State will not be allowed to disclose the address of certain candidates who run for office, meaning the public will not be able to know if they meet the job’s residency requirements.

These examples are just some of SB 48’s most obvious shortcomings. It is impossible to know the full impact of this bill until after important public records start disappearing—or appearing only in heavily redacted form—and essential business throughout the Commonwealth is disrupted. In

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CHEERS

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to vaccinations on campus!

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many instances, it is not clear how a public agency could implement the law just for those covered individuals who seek its protection.

Thus, it is entirely possible that SB 48 will result in making this information secret for all people, and not just those protected by the bill.

SB 48 is particularly unacceptable because it is unnecessary. The Open Records Act already requires redaction of information if disclosure “would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”

This is a standard that has been interpreted by the courts and in practice to limit disclosure of social security numbers, personal telephone numbers and other personal identifying information. SB 48 needlessly requires the redaction of this information before it is even requested under the Open Records Act. In sum, SB 48 introduces ambiguity and uncertainty into the law without corresponding practical benefits. The bill is excessively broad and impossible to administer.

It will result in the disruption of essential business throughout the Commonwealth and harm Kentuckian’s ability to monitor what its government is doing in their name. KPA is firm in its opposition to this unnecessary bill and urges Governor Beshear to veto SB 48.

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to this weather. Mother Nature needs to make up her mind!

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April 1, 2021

Sports

5

‘5 and 0 sounds pretty dang good’ Baum kicks four field goals to keep Racers undefeated Jakob Milani Staff Writer jmilani@murraystate.edu A 28-0 run in the second half sealed the deal as the Murray State football team defeated the Eastern Illinois Panthers 41-27.

After going down 27-13 in the third quarter, the Racers scored 28 unanswered points to get their fourth comeback win of the season.

The Panthers received the football to start the game and instantly made a statement when freshman quarterback Otto Kuhns completed a 35-yard pass to graduate wide receiver Robbie Lofton, who went down at the Murray State 35-yard line. The Racers’ defense got the stop though, forcing the turnover on downs and taking over from their own 33-yard line. The Panthers made another big play on their next drive, but sophomore linebacker Alec Long got an 11yard sack on fourth down to force another turnover on downs. The Racers started their next drive on Eastern Illinois’s 45-yard line and started to make their way down the field. After freshman running back Demonta Witherspoon took a run 10 yards to the 18-yard line, he took back-to-back rushes to get in for the touchdown, giving the Racers a 7-0 lead to end the first quarter.

“I got a lot of people behind me,” Witherspoon said. “All the running backs, the tight end group.

Everybody’s got each other, we all have each other’s back. We encourage each other to go harder every day. The guys up front, they got my back every game. They got my back and they know I got theirs.”

After a punt by the Racers early in the second quarter, the Panthers were in great field position. Kuhns completed a 13-yard pass to freshman wide receiver Matt Judd to move the Panthers up to the Murray State 26-yard line. Two plays later, Kuhns found Lofton in the endzone for the touchdown bringing the game to a 7-7 tie. The Racers answered on the next drive after long rushes from Witherspoon and junior quarterback Preston Rice set up a 45-yard field goal from graduate kicker Aaron Baum to give the Racers a 10-7 lead. The Panthers weren’t done, as Kuhns rushed for 16 yards on the first play of the next drive. Kuhns ran for another 22 yards a few plays later and set up a 34-yard field goal from freshman kicker William Orth. At halftime, the game was tied at 10-10.

Trouble struck for the Racers early in the third quarter when Rice threw an interception to graduate defensive back Mark Williams, who took it all the way for a touchdown, making the score 17-10 in favor of the Panthers.

The Racers answered on the next drive when a 23-yard pass completion to sophomore wide receiver Jacob Bell set up a 58-yard field goal for Baum, tying the second longest field goal in program history. The field goal made the score 17-13, but the Panthers changed that the very next drive. After a false start on the Panthers, freshman running back Jordan Smith ran the ball 80 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the drive, giving the Panthers a 24-13 lead.

Freshman running back Mark Thompson fumbled the reception on the following kickoff, allowing the Panthers to recover and take over at the Racers’ 13-yard line. The Racers’ defense stopped the Panthers from getting a touchdown

Photo courtesy of Dave Winder/Racer Athletics Senior kicker/punter Aaron Baum kicked a 58-yard field goal against EIU, tying the program’s second-longest field goal kick.

Photo courtesy of Dave Winder/Racer Athletics Redshirt senior Malik Honeycutt runs the ball up the field against EIU.

and instead forced a field goal from Orth to make the score 27-13. The Racers started the comeback on their next drive as Rice hit senior wide receiver Dequan Dallas for a 15-yard touchdown reception to make it 27-20. On their next drive, Rice found graduate wide receiver Malik Honeycutt for a 38-yard gain, placing the Racers at the Panthers’ two-yard line.

The next play, Rice took it for the touchdown, making the score 2727 at the end of the third quarter.

The Racers started the fourth quarter with another field goal from Baum to make the score 30-27, marking Baum’s third field goal of the day.

Baum was a perfect 4-4 on field goals on the day, including the 58yard field goal in the third quarter.

He said coming back to win these types of games is unbelievable.

“It feels like we’re never out of it,” Baum said. “No matter what happens or how we’re behind, we keep coming back and winning games. This team is resilient. It’s gonna pay off a lot moving forward and deeper into the season, playing some good teams. The locker room is great and electric right now.”

The Racers weren’t done as on their next drive, Rice found junior wide receiver LaMartez Brooks down the field for a 22-yard gain, setting up yet another field goal for Baum to make the score 33-

27. Sophomore cornerback Marcis Floyd intercepted a deep pass from Kuhns on the Panthers’ next drive.

Floyd took the ball back to the Panthers’ 43-yard line. Though the Racers didn’t score on that drive, they were given good field position on their next drive when Honeycutt took a punt return from the Racers’ 46-yard line to the Panthers’ sixyard line. Two plays later, Witherspoon rushed for the touchdown.

The Racers then ran a trick play to get the two-point conversion, making the score 41-27. The Panthers had little time left to score, and on their next drive Kuhns threw another interception, this time to junior defensive back Jared McCray.

This sealed the deal and the Racers walked away victorious, defeating the Panthers by a score of 41-27.

Kuhns was 10-26 passing in the game for the Panthers with 141 passing yards, one passing touchdown, two interceptions and 64 rushing yards. Lofton had 58 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Smith had 142 rushing yards on 13 rushing attempts and one rushing touchdown.

For the Racers, Rice was 10-23 passing with 192 passing yards, one passing touchdown, one interception, 51 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Brooks had 88 receiving yards from 11 receptions. Long had a team-high eight tackles with one tackle-for-

loss, one sack and a pass breakup.

Floyd finished the game with six tackles, a forced fumble, two pass breakups and an interception. He said after the game that he’s been working hard every week to help the team get to where they are now.

“I’ve just been trusting the process, trusting the coaches, trusting what they’ve been doing knowing that it’s for the greater good of the team,” Floyd said. “I’ve just been doing my job and making plays.”

Head Coach Dean Hood is now 5-0 in his first season as the Racers’ head coach. He said Eastern Illinois was just what they thought they would be coming into the game.

“They are an improving team,” Hood said. “They were what we thought they were: a team on the upswing. We knew we were in for a fight from the get-go.”

When the Racers were down 27-13 in the third quarter,Hood told the team what they’ve been saying all season.

“There’s gonna be a lot of swings in the game and a lot of momentum changes,” Hood said. “You’ve gotta be a great encouragement to your teammates…If the offense does bad, the defensive guys are quick to say ‘Don’t worry, we’re gonna get the ball back for you.’ Those guys are quick to have each other’s back.”

The Racers improve to 5-0 on the season. Next up is an away game at Austin Peay State University on Saturday, April 3 at 2 p.m.

6

Sports

April 1, 2021

Softball takes series win over Tennessee State

Jakob Milani Staff Writer jmilani@murraystate.edu

Softball starts 11- 3 in conference play

A 16-inning game highlighted the weekend as the Murray State softball team won its series against the Tennessee State University Tigers two games to one.

The teams played a total of 30 innings over the weekend, with the Racers leading in 12 innings and the Tigers leading in two. The remaining 16 innings were tied between the two teams.

Game One Graduate right-hander Taylor Makowsky got the start on the mound for the Racers in game one.

After a strikeout to start the game, the Tigers hit back-to-back singles on Makowsky. However, she was able to shut down the next two batters, leaving the Tigers scoreless after the top of the first inning.

The Racers immediately got to work in the bottom of the first inning, scoring two runs off singles from sophomore shortstop Sierra Gilmore and junior second baseman Lindsey Carroll. After the first inning, the Racers led the Tigers 2-0.

The Tigers struck back in the top of the second inning when sophomore designated hitter Ivory Jones hit a homerun on the first pitch of the inning. Though the Tigers had one more hit in the inning, Makowsky managed to get out of the inning by giving up just one run, making the score 2-1 in favor of the Racers.

The score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the fourth inning when senior right fielder Logan Braundmeier scored on an error committed by the Tigers, giving the Racers a 3-1 lead.

Sophomore right-hander Jenna Veber came in to pitch in the fifth inning after Makowsky walked back-to-back batters. Veber struck out five batters in the last three innings and did not allow a hit from the Tigers. Her closing performance gave the

Photo courtesy of Piper Cassetto Sophomore right-hander Jenna Veber delivers a pitch against Tennessee State.

Racers a 3-1 win, marking Ma- giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead. kowsky’s fourth win of the year The Racers didn’t go down and Veber’s fourth save of the year. without a fight as they scored a run of their own in the bottom Game Two of the 14th inning. Junior catcher Allie Kennedy hit a sacrifice Game two was a 16-inning mar- fly to right field, giving graduathon dominated by great pitching ate Lexi Jones time to score from from both teams. Junior right- third base, tying the game at 1-1. hander Hannah James was the The game went on with neither starting pitcher for the Racers in team scoring in the 15th inning. game two, and did not allow a hit The Tigers changed that in the 16th until the third inning. Afterwards, inning when they scored again. the Tigers only had two other hits Freshman third baseman Anayah against James, one in the fifth in- Baker-Rowell tripled to right cenning and another in the eighth. ter which brought home graduate The Tigers started freshman first baseman Renae Spears to give right-hander Francys King, who the Tigers a 2-1 lead. King held the went the distance in the game. King Racers scoreless in the bottom of gave up a hit in the first, second, the 16th, leading to a 2-1 victory in and fifth innings but managed to favor of the Tigers. The loss marked hold the Racers scoreless through- Veber’s seventh loss of the season. out the regulation seven innings.

Both teams remained at a 0-0 Game Three tie heading into double digit innings. Veber came in to pitch for Game three was the decider in James in the eleventh inning and the series as both teams were tied was tasked with holding the Tigers at one game a piece. James started scoreless for as long as possible. on the mound for the Racers and However, the Tigers were the made it to just the second inning first to strike in the 14th in- before giving up a run. Sophomore ning when freshman pinch run- center fielder Marissa Mauroschadt ner M’Lei Woodard scored on tripled to left field, bringing in a fielding error by the Racers, freshman shortstop Peyton Foint-

no to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

The Racers came back in the bottom of the third with three runs of their own, first with a single from Braundmeier to bring home freshman catcher Taylor Jackson which tied the game at 1-1. Afterwards, a single from Gilmore brought home Braundmeier and sophomore left fielder Chloe Jacque to give the Racers a 3-1 lead.

Veber took over for James in the third inning and pitched well until the fourth inning. The Tigers answered the Racers’ scoring with a homerun from Jones to make the score 3-2. After the homerun, Veber was able to shut down the Tigers’ offense for the rest of the game, securing the series for the Racers.

The Racers defeated the Tigers in game three by a score of 3-2, marking Veber’s fifth win ofthe season.

Across 30 innings played over the weekend, the Racers had 24 hits and three walks, scoring a total of seven runs across the three games. The Tigers had 18 hits and one walk, scoring a total of five runs all weekend.

The Racers improve to 14-15 on the season and 11-3 in the conference. The Racers will play Middle Tennessee State University at 4 p.m. at home on Tuesday, March 30.

Volleyball finishes season with a pair of losses at SEMO Rachel Essner Staff Writer ressner1@murraystate.edu The Murray State volleyball team traveled to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on Sunday, March 28, and Monday, March 29, to take on Southeast Missouri State University, where the Racers dropped the two-game series against the Redhawks 3-0 both games. The Racers dropped their record to 5-11 overall to end the season.

Game One The Redhawks swept the Racers in game one, winning 25-19, 25-23 and 25-16. This was the first time freshman outside hitter Taylor Beasley had the opportunity to play against her sister, SEMO’s sophomore outside hitter Zoey Beasley in a collegiate match.

Freshman opposite hitter Jayla Holcombe led the Racers’ offense with eight kills followed by redshirt junior middle blocker Kolby McClelland with six and freshman outside hitter Morgan Price with four.

Three Racers had double-digit digs with junior libero Becca Fernandez leading with 16, senior setter Callie Anderton next with 14 and McClelland with 12. Anderton also tallied 19 assists for the Racers.

The opening set was a game of back-and-forth. With the teams tied at six, SEMO used an 8-2 run to pull ahead 14-8. However, the Racers fought back with blocks from Price and Beasley to tie the score at

Photo courtesy of Racer Athletics The Racers finished their season 5-11 overall after a pair of road losses to SEMO.

16. With a 9-3 run, the Redhawks were able to take the set at 25-19.

The Racers opened the second set using a run to lead 5-1. The Redhawks fought back with a 6-1 run to take the 7-6 advantage. The teams went back and forth until the Redhawks used another 6-1 run to pull ahead 19-14. With kills from McClelland, Beasley, Holcombe and Price, the Racers were able to come within one point of the Redhawks at 23-24, but a kill from SEMO closed out the set 25-23.

The teams opened set three with the score tied 7-7. However, a 9-2 run put the Redhawks ahead 16-9. The teams traded points, but the Racers were not able to catch up with the Redhawks, who closed out the set 25-16.

“Southeast had a very good, big block and our girls just did not adjust to it very well,” said Head Coach David Schwepker. “We struggled getting past the block and getting kills on our own.”

Game Two The Redhawks swept the Racers in game two of the series, winning 25-22, 25-19 and 25-18 on Monday, March 29. The game concluded the season for the Racers as the Redhawks moved on to the OVC semifinal game.

Anderton ended her last game with the Racers with 16 assists, nine digs and two kills. McClelland led the Racers with eight kills, seven digs and two blocks while junior outside hitter Emily Matson contributed five kills and freshman middle blocker Darci Metzger added four kills.

Fernandez collected 18 digs in the last game of the season and led the OVC defensively with 324 total digs on the season. Sophomore outside hitter Alysha Smith tallied a career-high 14 digs.

Battling back and forth, the teams tied the first set 11-11 with two blocks from Beasley and Price, two kills from Matson and kills from Beasley, Metzger

and McClelland. The Redhawks pulled away 14-11, and the Racers were not able to get within two points, leading SEMO to close out the set 25-22.

The Redhawks jumped ahead in set two, taking a 15-8 lead. The Racers attempted to fight back with a 5-2 run but still trailed 17-13.

With the Racers behind 23-19, the Redhawks rattled off back-toback kills to close out the set 25-19.

The Racers scored the first four points of the third set, but the Redhawks battled back immediately, scoring the next five. With the score tied 5-5, the teams traded points until the Redhawks used an 8-1 run to pull ahead 19-13. The Redhawks scored five times in a row to give them set point at 24-16. The Racers were able to score two points before the Redhawks’ Beasley tallied a kill to close out the set 25-18.

“We have a lot of talented freshmen without a lot of experience,” Schwepker said. “There will be changes made next fall with position changes so we can have a successful season.”

Anderton closed out her Racer career with 1,850 total assists. Senior middle blocker Katirah Johnson was out this season because of an injury, but she finished her career with 383 kills and 154 blocks.

“We just want to thank Callie and Katirah for all their services and dedication to the program,” Schwepker said. “Now we just have to teach these younger players what it takes to win.”

The Racers finished their season 5-11 overall while the Redhawks advanced to the OVC semifinal game.

April 1, 2021

Features

Freshmen Emily Twellman, Taylor Groves and Sophomore Alexa Wesley took time to go outdoors and do schoolwork.

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Jillian Rush/The News

Students react to non-instructional days Ciara Fuson Staff Writer cbenham@murraystate.edu As part of a non-traditional semester, Murray State included two “non-instructional” days to replace Spring Break. After having both non-instructional days on Wednesday, Feb. 24, and Tuesday, March 30, students are voicing their opinions.

In the fall of 2020, Murray State a nnounced t hat Spr ing Brea k would be omitted in the following spring semester in accordance with COVID-19 regulations. Instead of the full week off in March, students would have a “non-instructional study day” on Feb. 24 and March 30.

According to a Campus News email from Provost Tim Todd, “This day is designed to serve as a break.”

Despite the sentiment, some st udents did not v iew the

day as a brea k , as ma ny used t he day to catch up on work .

Senior Katie Zheng from Madisonville, Kentucky, is one of the students that did not get to take the days off.

Zheng spent the days completing papers, catching up on assignments and practicing for her trumpet lessons.

“While we don’t learn any new materials, we are still expected to apply our studies in other ways that still affect our grades,” Zheng said.

Some st udents d id use t heir non-i nst r uc t iona l d ay s to relax by taking a break from their st udies. Junior William Longworth IV from Murray said he sp ent t he d ay s “goof i ng of f.”

However, even students who took the days off expressed concerns about the non-instructional days in general.

“The non-instructional days are definitely not an adequate replacement for Spring Break, especially

since they’re placed in the middle of the week,” Longworth said.

The placement of the non-instructional days are a shared complaint amongst many students.

While this placement was likely meant to discourage students from traveling amidst the pandemic, students do not feel like having mid-week breaks is beneficial.

“A better alternative would’ve been to group the days together on maybe a Thursday and Friday,” Zheng said.

“This would allow for a long weekend instead of two random days in the middle of the school week and resuming the next day normally.”

Overall, students feel they are hitting the point in the semester where they feel burnt out. These feelings of exhaustion and lack of motivation are common for college students, but the non-traditional semester has only intensified these feelings.

“I w ish the universit y unders to o d t h at on l i ne c l a s s e s a re n ’ t f u n ,” L o n g w o r t h s a i d .

Despite the universit y framing non-instructional days as a “ break,” st udents stil l feel like they are under a lot of pressure. “ T he universit y e x pects st udents to be able to perform at the highest level not given the circumstances of a global pandemic, an extended semester schedule and the technical diff iculties of remote learning,” Zheng said.

“Realistically, this is only setting up a small percentage of students to succeed: those who have access to adequate internet services, [a] support system, good mental and physical health and all of [the] basic human necessities.”

Across the board, it seems although class was cancelled nobody really got a break from school.

Zoom panel discusses women in healthcare Mason Galemore Contributing Writer mgalemore@murraystate.edu Hea lt hca re prov iders have a lway s show n t heir compassion and commitment towards their patients, especially during the COV ID-19 pandemic . D u r i n g Wom e n’s H i s tor y Month, Murray State has paid t r ibute to women i n nu r si n g.

On Thursday, March 25, the School of Nursing and Hea lth Professions held a virtual event over Zoom to talk about women in healthcare. The event’s speakers were alumni as well as staff members and students from the School of Nursing and Health.

T h e e v e nt w a s m o d e r a ted by Bachelors of Science in Nu rsing Prog ram Director Da na To dd a nd t he D ea n of the School of Nursing Dina By e r s . By e r s e x pl a i n e d s om e of t he c ha l lenges women face in the world of hea lthca re.

“Some documented challenge s t h at w om e n i n h e a lt hc a r e face inc lude st ressf u l work ing e nv i r on me nt s , w ork-l i fe b a lance, and physically demanding job ex pectations,” Byers sa id.

“Providing safe, quality healthcare to patients and their fami l ies dema nds t hat hea lt hca re professionals be able to make decisions rapidly and be physically present to support their needs.”

T he s p e a k e r s w e r e Mu rray State a lumn i Ma r y Ja mes, Master’s of Science in Nursing, Lakeshia Yarbrough, MSN, registered nurse, and A mber DuVent re e , M SN. Eac h s p e a k er told their stories and gave insight to what it is like to be a nurse.

Ja me s s p ok e f i r s t , a nd s a id she g a ined con f idence du r ing nursing school because her mentors pushed her to do her j o b e v e n w h e n s h e w a s n e rvous. She a lso had to lea r n to n av i g ate t he tou gh a nd c omp et it ive world of nu r si ng.

A s a woman in hea lt hca re during a time when sexism in the workplace was common, James faced scrutiny from her bosses.

She st r uggled to get past t hat scrutiny and continued to work.

Ja me s sa id t hose yea r s were t o u g h a n d s h e w a s e m o t i o na l ly e x h au ste d . Howe v er, she p e r s i s t e d , a n d a f t e r y e a r s of hard work she was able to gain t h e r e s p e c t of h e r s up e r ior s .

Mason Galemore/The News Dina Byers facilitated the panel discussing the challenges women face in healthcare.

A lumna of the School of Nu rsing a nd Hea lt h La kesh ia Ya r b r o u g h , B S N , R N , a l s o s p o k e a t t h e e v e n t . Ya r brough explained why she wanted to become a nurse.

“During my undergradu ate c a re er, I w a s i ns pi re d by my profe s sor s’ e x p ertise to the point it made m e w a n t t o l e a r n , ” Ya r brough sa id. “ It inspired m e to f u r t h e r my c a r e e r.”

Ya r a br o u g h s a id b e c au s e of the encouragement and k nowled ge her profe s sor s prov ided , she event ua l ly wa nts to bec o m e a p r of e s s o r of nu r s i n g.

The presentation ende d w it h e a c h s p e a k e r e xpla in ing what nu rsing st udents shou ld do to prepa re for t he world of hea lt hca re.

“Self care is important,” Yarbrough said. “Nurses have to t a k e c a re of t hems elv e s so they can take care of their pat ients. Nu rses a lso need to check their family matters a nd p e r s on a l l i fe a nd not le t it i nter fere w it h t hei r work .”

James a lso gave adv ice at the end of the presentation. James said that nursing students should give back whenever they can and shou ld ser ve on mission t r ips.

“Go to third world countries, it g ives you a whole ne w perspective,” James said. “It makes you use your education and you have to be creative in those k i nd s of pl a c e s . do w h at y ou love. If you love nursing, working with patients, or if you love doing what you do, you w i l l never work a day in your life.”

Features

8

April 1, 2021

Sam Stewart and Dionte Berry/The News Wrather Museum opened up on March 27 with new exhibits.

Wrather reopens with traveling Smithsonian exhibit

Dionte Berry Features Editor dberry11@murraystate.edu

The Wrather Museum is opening back up after its COVID-19 closure with the traveling Smithsonian exhibit: “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America.” Along with the Smithsonian exhibit, Wrather Museum also hosts a WKMS exhibit, which shares the history of the radio station, and the Murray Room, which displays pieces of Murray’s past and details Murray State’s history.

With the rest of the University, Wrather closed down in March 2020 because of COVID-19 and reopened on Ma rch 27, 2021.

Leading the exhibit curation is Archives Museum Director Jeff McLaughlin. During the closure, he and his team have been planning for exhibits and long term installations.

“In a way, the closure has been good for us, because it has allowed us to plan behind closed doors without having the public coming in,” McLaughlin said.

50 Years of WKMS

Starting the exhibit tour is the WKMS room. Last year, McLaughlin’s students set up the exhibit about WKMS for their 50th anniversary.

The WK MS room was originally supposed to take up a couple of rooms, but space was needed for the Smithsonian exhibit.

However, McLaughlin did not want to take the WKMS exhibit down, so they made space for it.

“The exhibit was supposed to open the week we shut down,” McLaughlin said. “We did this work and nobody ever saw it and it would have broken my heart if we took it down and nobody was able to see it.”

The WKMS room features historic photos of bands that have played at WKMS, old posters, vinyls and information about the

people who have played a pivotal role in making WKMS what it is today.

With some of the exhibits not being able to fit in the space provided, the rest of the pieces and research that students curated can be found on the Wrather Museum website at https://libguides.murraystate. edu/ under the digital exhibits tab.

“The display exists, but not how we intended it to, but now it lives forever on the internet,” McLaughlin said.

Poster Gallery Students at the middle and high schools around Murray State were asked to create a digital design for a poster about a social, political or environmental issue that matters to them.

The Gallery is a local element that serves to compliment topics such as voting and democracy that is being discussed in the Smithsonian exhibit.

In the center of the Poster Gallery there are tabletop games sent from the Smithsonian that can be used to sta r t conversation.

“The idea with these games is to stimulate conversations about American democracy and culture,” McLaughlin said. “Guests are encouraged to figure out the names provided who had the biggest impacts on American culture.”

This section serves as a local complement to the Smithsonian exhibit, and it is targeted toward children. It brings up the conversation of democracy in America and how it is perceived on a local level.

There are many figures highlighted in the second floor hallway, such as former Kentucky governor Ned Breathitt, who passed the first civil rights act in a southern state.

Beyond politicians, there are activists from Murray who are highlighted for their impacts. Ora K. Mason and T.R.M. Howard are among a few that were recognized for their work towards the inclusivity of women and people of color in politics.

Voices and Votes: Democracy in America

Once guests get a taste of Murray State’s past, they can go on to see the traveling Smithsonian exhibit, “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America.”

“At the Smithsonian, they take an exhibit that is on permanent display in one of their facilities in the Capitol and then they make a traveling exhibit,” McLaughlin said. “The exhibit came in around 16 big bins, and it took me and my team around four hours to build it.”

The exhibit includes pivotal figures and events in the fight for the rights of those disenfranchised to get the right to vote.

“The American identity has been wrapped up in the idea of freedom and democracy and it is something Americans take great pride in, but the reality is that democracy and many rights did not translate into action for many years,” McLaughlin said. “This all about the people who fought to be a part of democracy.”

The exhibit gives a timeline of Voices and Votes/ the fight for the vote from the inCivil Rights Act Hallway ception of the Declaration of Independence to the Voting Rights Act

The exhibit continues to the of 1965 and into the modern day. second f loor, where guests can see the fight for votes on a local scale.

Murray Room

“We wanted to use this space to tell some stories about people from F r o m t h e h a l l w a y, g u e s t s around Murray who were instrumental ca n go into t he Mu r ray State in expanding the vote and getting more R o o m a n d g e t a g l i m p s e people voting rights,” McLaughlin said. i n t o M u r r a y S t a t e ’ s p a s t .

“The room used to be a bunch of stuff with no story connecting it all explaining why it was all there,” McLaughlin said. “To do some storytelling, we subtracted around three quarters of the physical artifacts here in order to make it more cohesive.”

Wr a t h e r i s t h e o l d e s t p e rm a nent bu i ld i n g on c a mp u s , and was not always a museum. “ Mu r ray State began as a one-building college in this location in 1924, so this is where you wou ld have found c lassrooms, the book store, the chapel, dining room and much more,” McLaughlin said. “This was basically ground zero for Murray State.”

Wrather was put on the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1975, and it was opened as a museum on Sept. 22, 1982.

Alongside his team, McLaughlin sees a lot of potential in the museum that Wrather can be.

“I have been putting a lot of energy into the long term transformation of Wrather, and I have staff members that know how a museum would look, and wonderful student workers who have been applying their talents,” McLaughlin said. “By the end of next year, I want to have permanent exhibits that really speak to people and give them a reason to come back.”

With the exhibit being i n-p e r s o n , C OV I D -19 s a f e t y had to be considered.

In order to rema in caut ious and fol low COV ID-19 g uidelines, groups of guests are staggered in 2 0 m inute inter va ls. “ We are grateful to be bringing this experience to Murray State,” McLaughlin said. “This exhibit is for everyone and all ages.”

“Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” will be on display until May 1, 2021. Guests can book tours of the exhibit at https://murraystate.libcal. com/appointments/voicesandvotes.

Best of

MURRAY 2021

Photo Courtesy of Brock Ki

A special publication of The Murray State News

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Best of Murray

The News April 2021

The News April 2021

Best of Murray

3

AND THE WINNERS ARE ...

Best coffee Future Grounds

Best place to bank CFSB

Best sporting event at Murray Basketball

Best nonprofit Murray Calloway County Humane Society

Best ice cream Dairy Queen

Best hotel for visitors to stay at Springhill Suites

Best Mexican food Los Portales

Best place to get a haircut Profiles Salon and Spa

Best place to take your family Land Between the Lakes

Best place to cure a hangover Cookout

Best place to get your car fixed Harlan Automotive

Best place to go for entertainment Corvette Lanes

Best Asian food Jasmine

Best book store Murray State University Book Store

Best gift shop Plantation Gifts

Best bar Tap 216

Best food delivery Murray Eats

Best florist Flowers By Whitney

Best liquor store Global Wine and Spirits

Best pizza place Matt B’s

Best bakery in Murray Dumplin’s

Best place to get breakfast Martha’s

Best boutique Ribbon Chix

Best burger Off the Hoof

Best clothing store Ribbon Chix

Best place to live off-campus Campus Evolution Villages

Best on-campus dining Chick Fil-A

Best consignment shop Goodwill

Best get-away spot Land Between the Lakes

Best steak The Alley Steakhouse

Best fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon

Best place to study Waterfield Library

Best BBQ The Keg

Best sorority Alpha Gamma Delta

Best beer on tap Tap 216

Best place to get a hot dog Chi-Town Dogs

Best place to get a donut Murray Donuts

Best campus napping spot Hammocks in the quad

Best on-campus event All-Campus Sing

Best fast food in Murray Cookout

Best beer on tap TAP 216

Best place to live on campus Franklin

Best grocery store Kroger’s

Best golf course Murray Country Club

Best place to workout Susan E. Bauernfiend Wellness Center

Best place to get a tattoo/piercing My Reality Tattoos and Body Piercing

Best place to grab a sandwich Dumplin’s

Best faculty member Bob Valentine

Best place to get a home-cooked meal Dumplin’s

Best taxi service Mama Nancy’s

Best staff member Shawn Smee

Best tanning salon Campus Tan

Best place to take a date Jamine

Best student organization Alpha Gamma Delta

Best place to worship St. Leo’s Catholic Church

Best place to get a late night snack Cookout

Best current Murray State athlete Malik Honeycutt

The Murray State News would like to congratulate all the winners and thank them for their service to the Murray community.

Best of Murray

4

The News April 2021

BEST PLACE TO STUDY: Waterfield Library Dionte Berry Features Editor dberry11@murraystate.edu Waterfield Library was voted as the best place to study by Murray State students.

With its accommodating study settings, Waterfield has something for all students.

The library has three levels to suit students’ desired study conditions. The second floor is the main floor where students are able to talk and collaborate with one another as they do work, and there are computer labs and printers for students to use.

The top third f loor is the quiet zone. On this f loor, there is absolute silence for students to study along with individual, lockable study rooms.

On the bottom floor is the quiet studying zone where people can talk, but still must be quieter than on the main floor.

The bottom level will gain a make r s p a c e s o on , w h ic h w i l l h a v e a men it ie s l i k e 3D pr i nter s , l aser printers and other new tools.

Senior nursing major Ashley Orr spends a lot of time studying at Waterfield. Orr chooses Waterfield because of the variety of study spaces on each floor.

“I love that each floor offers something different for studying,” Orr said.

“If I need it to be quiet and really focus I will go upstairs, if I want to do something with my nursing cohorts I will go downstairs and if I am here by myself I will stay on the main f loor.”

Orr also likes Einstein Bros’ Bagels, and said it gives her an opportunity to stay and study longer instead of leaving and having to get food. Having food is important because Orr has spent upwards of five hours studying in the library in a day.

Junior music major Tyler Fitzgerald also spends a lot of time studying in Waterfield.

As a music major, most of Fitzgerald’s classes are in the Price Doyle Fine Arts building right across from Waterf ield, making Waterf ield a convenient stop for some st udy ing.

“If I have an hour break between classes I will do work here instead of driving back home,” Fitzgerald said. “I just feel more productive here. When I go home I tend to not get work done.”

The library has undergone some adjustments to make it sa fe and a l ign w ith COV ID-19 protocol.

Inter i m D ea n of Un iver sit y Libr a r ie s Cr is Ferg uson ha s

Jillian Rush/The News Waterfield Library has an outside area for students to study as well as many options inside.

overseen the change in regulations in order to give students a safe studying space.

“This academic year has been different because of the pandemic,” Ferguson said. “We have paid a lot of attention to social distancing, mask wearing and food eating, which we would normally allow in the library.”

A new element this year is the scanning of IDs in order to monitor building capacity.

Though Waterf ield is currently going through changes, it has been through bigger changes before: Waterf ield was not always a librar y.

“Waterfield was originally built as a student center until the Curris Center was built,” Ferguson said. “Once the Curris Center was built as the student center, that was when Waterfield was converted to a library.”

Pogue Library was the main campus library before Waterfield’s transition. After Waterfield was converted, Pogue became a secondary library, carrying only special collections of books.

Waterfield has grown to be the spot that many students turn to in order to focus on their studies and get work done.

The News April 2021

Best of Murray

BEST FACULTY MEMBER: Robert Valentine

Ben Overby Staff Writer boverby2@murraystate.edu T he s ele c t ion for Be st Fac u lt y Member is adver tising senior instructor Robert Valentine.

Valentine was born in New York City. After World War II, his family followed his father’s job opportunities to Pennsylvania, Illinois and Iowa, event ua l ly land ing in Kent uck y.

Va l e n t i n e a t t e n d e d t h e Un iversit y of Kentuck y and earned a bachelor’s deg ree in h istor y. He returned to earn a master’s in communication after militar y ser v ice i n t he R e p u bl ic of K or e a . Va lent ine sa id he was teac h ing basic public speaking and persuasion when Mur ray State announced a job op en i ng i n com mu n ic at ion.

Va l e n t i n e s a i d h i s l o n g c a reer at Murray State was not his original intention.

“I intended to spend a few years building my résumé and then move on, but the campus and the town grew on me,” Valentine said. “Curris was building an impressive organization and the opport unities and the associations were very exciting. Then I got the chance to be the debate coach, and that had always been a major interest for me.”

Valentine said he has always been interested in speech. He competed on his high school’s debate team and received a scholarship to the Universit y of Kentucky because of it.

He competed on UK’s debate team, and spent time as an assistant coach. “ I h a d a g r e a t t i m e w it h t h e competition, the people and t he c ha l lenge of u ndersta nding how to persuade w it h words a l o n e ,” Va l e n t i n e s a i d . “ Tr y ing to teach a thing helps you le a r n it , a nd b ei n g a n a s sis t a nt coach at UK prepa red me for t he Mu r r ay coac h i n g p osit ion .”

Murray State’s debate team won s e v e n OVC c h a mpion s h ip s a nd t wo n at ion a l t it le s w it h Va lentine as coach from 1976 to 1982.

Va l e n t i n e i s s e t t o r e t i r e o n Ju ly 1, 2 021. He sa id he does not y e t h av e a r e t i r ement pl a n . “ It ’s l i k e w a l k i n g i nto a v e r y da rk cave w it h no idea of what ’s in there,” Va lentine said. “I have had a regular speaking and performance schedule for over 25 years, but the pandemic has w iped that o f f t h e c a l e n d a r. S o , n o t e v e n my favor ite hobby may be t here when I leave f ul l-time teaching.”

Va lentine said there’s no doubt he’ l l miss the classroom. The only question is, how much?

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Photo courtesy of Murray State

“MSU has been part of who I am since the summer of 1974,” Valentine said. “Do the math: that ’s a long time. There’s no question I’ll miss the people — I’m in a terrif ic department in a vital college, and I have friends and colleagues all over ca mpus a nd in t he commu n it y.”

Valentine said he was amazed to be selected as Best Faculty Member.

He said there are so many influential and dedicated teachers that it seems impossible to single out just one.

“ We a l l d e l i v e r t h e i n f o r m ation and encourage the best f r o m s t u d e n t s ; s h o w t h e w a y, com mend t he ac h ie vement, correct the understanding, and d o i t a g a i n — t h e r e a r e l i t e ra l ly hund reds of teachers who d o t h a t o n t h i s c a m p u s ,” Va l e n t i n e s a i d . “ I t ’s w h a t m a k e s Mu r r a y t h e p l a c e it i s : p e o p l e , not bu i ld i n g s . I w i s h I w a s t he best, but I am cer ta in ly proud to h a v e b e e n one of t hem .”

BEST STAFF MEMBER: Shawn Smee

Simon Elfrink Sports Editor selfrink@murraystate.edu

The people of Murray elected Shawn Smee as Murray State’s Best Staff in the 2021 Best of Murray survey.

“It’s been neat to see so many positive changes on and around campus since my time as an undergrad,” Smee said.

“Murray is a very special place to me and my family and there are so many great things taking place on a daily basis.”

As Murray State’s Director of Recruitment, Smee has his hands full with coordinating his administration as they seek to help potential Racers decide whether or not Murray State is a good fit for them. Before becoming director in 2008, Smee developed his specialty in recruitment and admissions as an Admission

Counselor and Director of Summer Orientation. Smee got his Bachelor’s in Advertising from Murray State in 1998 before returning for his Master’s in Organizational Communication and Leadership in 2001. Smee later earned another degree at Murray State in 2017, this time a Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership Studies.

“I came to Murray State as a new student from Missouri and enjoyed my time here so much I decided to stay and work on campus right after graduation,” Smee said. “Each and every day through my position I get to tell my Murray State story and help recruit many generations of future Racers.”

While he enjoys most aspects of Murray State campus life, Smee’s favorite time of the year is the fall semester. “ Fr o m t h e m o v e -i n m a d n e s s to Homecoming, there is no better time to be a Racer,” Smee said.

Photo courtesy of Murray State

In his short biography on t h e u n i v e r s it y ’s w e b s it e , S m e e l e f t s o m e a d v i c e f o r i n d i v i d ua l s w h o a r e c o n s i d e r i n g M u rray State as the next step in t he i r e duc at ion or c a r e e r p at h .

“Come and visit campus so you can get a glimpse of all the great things taking place,” according to the biography.

“From the new facilities to outstanding academic programs to a vibrant student life, there is something here for you.”

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Best of Murray

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The News April 2021

Best of Murray

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Gage Johnson/The News

BEST SPORTING EVENT: Basketball Rachel Essner Staff Writer ressner@murraystate.edu Murray State basketball was voted the best sport the campus has to offer according to the people of the Murray community.

The men’s basketball program was founded by Carlilse Cutchin in 1925 and is currently coached

by Head Coach Matt McMahon, who is in his sixth season.

The women’s program was founded in 1928. However, it was discontinued from 1932-1970 and then brought back in 1971. The women’s team is currently led

by Head Coach Rechelle Turner, who is in her fourth season.

McMahon has led the men’s basketball team since the 2015-16 season. Before being named head coach, McMahon served as an assistant coach from 2011-15. McMahon has become the third coach in Murray State history to lead the Racers to three consecutive 20-win seasons.

The Racer men finished the 202021 season with a 13-13 overall record and 10-10 in the OVC. The team broke the single-game scoring record in their season opener, scoring 173 points against Greenville College. The previous record was set in 1994 at 138 points against Campbellsville University.

Turner began coaching the women’s team in 2017. During her time with Murray State, Turner has led the women’s team to four OVC tournaments resulting in five OVC post-season awards.

The women finished the 2020-21 season with a 16-11 overall record and 12-8 in the OVC. Junior guard Macy Turley was a top player for the women’s team this season with 474 points in the season and 1.293 career points. Freshman forward Katelyn Young was also a big contributor to the women’s basketball team with 382 points in her first season with the Racers. Both Young and Turley received First Team All-OVC honors at the end of the season.

Basketball plays a big role in the Murray State community, bringing together many students and faculty to cheer on the Racers.

“I love cheering with my fellow students, yelling our heads off and sharing a common passion,” said senior Emily Weber. “There’s always been something special about our basketball team and I have always loved watching them.”

Weber has been attending Murray State basketball games since her freshman year in 2017. She said her favorite memory in Racer history is getting to watch the men compete in the 2019 OVC championship.

“I had so much pride for our team and that tournament really showed how strong the Murray State fan base is,” Weber said.

Freshman Kelley Newell has been attending the basketball games her entire life and has made many memories in her time as a Racer fan.

“My favorite memory is going to Hartford, Connecticut, and watching Ja Morant play and win against

Marquette in the NCAA tournament,” Newell said. “I also really enjoyed watching us beat Austin Peay by 30 points at home this season.”

Along with students, many Murray State professors enjoy watching the basketball games. Daniel Wann has been a professor in the psychology department at Murray State since 1991. Wann is also a big fan of the basketball team and has had season tickets since his first year at the school.

“This is a basketball town,” Wann said. “The men’s team has a long history of success, not just in the OVC but also against power five schools. Fans like that type of success and notoriety.”

While the men’s 2020-21 season did not end the way they wanted, McMahon is planning to reevaluate in the offseason and return to the program’s winning ways in the 2021-22 season.

Turner was pleased with what the women took away from the 2020-21 and is looking forward to improving in the next season.

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Best of Murray

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The News April 2021

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BEST ON-CAMPUS EVENT: All-Campus Sing

Gage Johnson Editor-in-Chief gjohnson17@murraystate.edu

Once every year, the quad at Murray State is flooded with vocal precision and choreographed skits in an event that has been a staple in the University community—that event is the All-Campus Sing.

This spring will mark the 62nd annual All-Campus Sing and students are ready to serenade students, faculty and staff once again.

COVID-19 deprived everyone of the bright and entertaining event in 2020, but with restrictions slowly lifting, the event is scheduled to take place in April with slight differences because of the pandemic.

While being traditionally held on the steps of Lovett Auditorium, the event will take place in the Performing Arts Hall with no audience.

Along with no audience, teams will have limited members this year as each organization will have a maximum of one solo, one duet and one trio perform.

While this isn’t exactly ideal, Emily Allen, a senior double major in mathematics and spanish and the ACS Chair,

along with other students are ready for the event after having a year off.

“Ever since I saw the event take place during my freshman year, I was amazed by all of the planning that happened so the event would be a success,” Allen said. “By that point, I was already a pledged member of SAI and was so excited to have a direct role in the success of the event. I also love how ACS directly helps our surrounding community by raising money and bringing musical instruments to schools in need. It’s a cause that I am so passionate about and I love how SAI is able to make such an impact with one event.”

Will Wofford, a senior majoring in engineering graphics and design, participated in ACS in 2019 and said that it was a great way to bond with friends on top of having fun competing.

“I was in Sigma Phi Epsilon at the time and not only did it look like fun to compete in a singing competition, but I thought it would also be a good chance to bond and hangout with the brothers of SigEp,” Wofford said. “We had practice twice a week, and never once did I dread ACS rehearsal. We would goof around and have fun, but we were also working

Photo courtesy Will Wofford Sigma Phi Epsilon posed for a picture after being named ACS Grand Champions in 2019.

hard because we wanted to win. I’ll never forget getting up in front of the huge crowd and the production cameras to sing the solo to ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire.’”

Allen looks back on winning their division with the Murray State Honors College during freshman year as a fond moment as to why she continues to be a part of ACS. As it is to all of those in the cam-

pus community, ACS is an amazing event that brings joy to all by bringing people together in the name of music.

“ACS is extremely special to me,” Allen said. “Every year, it brings so much of the campus together, allowing so many members of so many different organizations to have fun and raise money for a good cause.”

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BEST NONPROFIT: Murray Calloway County Humane Society

the Humane Society’s Pet Therapy program, where once a month employees take certified therapy animals into the community and University to offer some The Humane Society of Cal- of the joy that the animals can bring. loway County joined the Best of While COVID-19 has put a dampMurray 2021 list as the best non- er on this opportunity, the Humane profit organization in Murray. Society has much more to offer, such Executive Director Kathy Hodge as the Trap-Neuter-Return program, said she was honored to be selected this also known as the Feral Cat Program.

“We go out in the community and year and offered some insight on what there will be several wild cats [that] she and her administration does for the have congregated in some place local community. Hodge said that while where somebody’s seen them,” Hodge things have changed since 1975, a lot of said.

“We’ll trap them, spay or neuthe practical application and the goals ter them and return them to that loof the organization remain the same. cation so they don’t spray, they don’t “Our overall vision of what we want fight, they don’t do all those negative to do is to enhance the lives of the anthings that people are frustrated with imals in our community,” Hodge said. when they have wild cats around.”

“That takes on a lot of different forms.”

One of the most recent prominent Many of those forms show up as anservices the Humane Society offers is imals in the local animal shelter, which a microchip identification program. the Humane Society works with closely.

While it is only a few years old, Hodge Hodge explained many of the animals said it has made a huge difference. they take in are from the local shelter.

“We also do a lot of pet identification Once there, the Humane Society supwork, which is primarily just microchip plies the funding for any veterinariwork,” Hodge said.

“When I realized how an work the animals need before they it worked, it was just a no-brainer that’s are cleared for adoption or foster care. something we should be involved in.”

Among the Humane Society of CalHodge gave a lot of credit to the loway County’s most prominent roles is students of Murray State for the Huwith the students of Murray State. Many students in the past have benefited from mane Society’s recognition in the Simon Elfrink Sports Editor selfrink@murraystate.edu

2021 “Best of Murray” survey, saying the students’ willingness and outreach makes a massive difference on what she and her administration are able to do.

“I think the community as a whole is very welcoming of student interaction,” Hodge said. “We certainly are, from the standpoint of the animals. I really can’t fathom providing even a fraction of the services that we provide to the animals of this community without the Murray State student involvement.”

Hodge said a key goal for the Humane Society is to make adoption and care easy not only for the animals involved, but the new caretakers as well.

The Humane Society’s website has a tab geared specifically toward helping individuals interested in pet adoption navigate the database for animals that would fit well with their lifestyle.

“It’s an expensive proposition to have a pet,” Hodge said. “There’s a lot more to it than just feeding them, buying them toys, the fun part of it. There are these other things that have to happen, and if you do it right it can be expensive.”

Hodge and the Humane Society plan to continue to ensure a comfortable transition for both the animal and the new caretaker without making finances a factor in their decision.

Photos courtesy of Nancy Sidelinger Herring.

The News April 2021

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