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@MurrayStateNews Sept. 23, 2021 | Vol. 96, No. 5

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NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

LIFESTYLE

Pride Center revamps fall semester activities

Anxiety over climate change grows

Regents College celebrates World Rhino Day

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page 4

Football loses second straight game page 5

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Campus construction updates aged buildings Screenshot from murraystate.edu mobile display

University website receives redesign Erinn F inley Contributing Writer efinley1@murraystate.edu

A i m i n g t o b o o s t m o b i l e u sers and aid recr uitment Murray State plans to relaunch its website later this fall.

Charley Allen-Dunn, web and digital ad manager for branding, marketing and communication, is the lead on this project. D unn said the website has not been redesigned since 2015.

The old website was responsive, b u t n o t ve r y m o b i l e - f r i e n d l y.

She said the new website is being built with mobile devices in mind first, which should create a more mobile-friendly website.

The new website is also being designed to help with recruitment.

“Murray State University’s website is a crucial marketing tool,” D unn said. “ The new design must promote the competitive advantages of the University, be true to the University ’s mission and maintain brand integrit y.”

see WEBSITE, page 3

J ill Smith/ T he N ews Construction in Lovett A uditorium is part of a $ 1 2 .3 million campus improvement plan.

Plans target four campus buildings

million is part of a campus improvement plan and bond insurance.

Touney said these funds and f u n d s d e s i g n a t e d s p e c i fi c a l ly to look at deferred mainteJ ill S mith nance needs, are being used for Contributing Writer improvements and renovations. j smith1 9 4 @murraystate.edu Renovations in Lovett AuditoM a j o r re n o v a t i on s a re u n - rium began in the spring of 2021.

Dean of The College of Humanities d e r w a y o n M u r r a y S t a t e ’s c a m p u s a f t e r t h e B o a r d o f and Fine Arts David Balthrop said R e g e n t s a p p r o v e d a $ 1 2 . 3 the Lovett Auditorium renovations million budget for constr uc- are being done at different phases.

“Phase one was to remove the tion improvements on June 4.

These renovations are in Lovett air conditioning units that are on Auditorium, Wilson Hall, Wells the stage and install a new HVAC H a l l a n d the Curr is Cent er. underneath the stage and the old Shawn Touney, executive di- art sculpture area,” Balthrop said.

J a s o n Yo u n g b l o o d , d i r e c rector of marketing and comm u n i c a t i o n , s a i d t h i s $ 1 2 . 3 tor of facilities management,

said they hope phase one of the Lovett renovations will be completed sometime in October.

Balthrop said one of the biggest issues with Lovett was the way the HVAC units were filtering air.

“Previously all the air units were handling air from the top down,” Balthrop said. “Now the new unit brings in the air from the bottom up.”

Balthrop said phase two will include visible changes while phase one was mostly mechanical.

“Phase two is going to include things like stage curtains, draperies in the actual auditorium and new windows,” Balthrop said. “It’s more of the things people will notice when they walk into the building.”

see CAMPUS, page 2

Panelists discuss journalism, democracy relationship R aleig h H ig h tow er Contributing Writer rhightower@murraystate.edu

In an effort to promote informed democratic participation, several Murray State faculty members participated in a virtual discussion panel on Sept. 14, titled “Democracy and the Informed Citizen.”

The panel, which was sponsored by the Kentucky Humanities Council, examined the essential role journalism and the humanities play in creating informed citizens.

The Kentucky Humanities Society, in partnership with Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Federation of State Humanities Councils,

is hosting a series of discussions throughout the state focusing on the intersection of journalism and politics.

Three of Murray State’s faculty members were involved in the discussion: Drew Seib of the political science and sociology department was featured as a panelist, Research and Instruction Librarian and Associate Professor Dana Thompson moderated and Melony Shemberger of the journalism and mass communications department co-organized the event.

The special guest panelist was Tony Messenger, a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch.” Messenger received the Pulitzer Prize for his commentary work on debtor’s prisons in Missouri.

Screen capture of the Panel’s introduction slide T he full panel video is available at kyhumanities.org.

Messenger has worked with news- L a m p e , s t a t i o n m a n a g e r o f papers in Colorado, Arizona, Ne- WKMS and chair of the Kenbraska, South Dakota and Missouri. tuc ky P ublic R adio S tations.

Other panelists included Jennifer Brown, founder of the “The see DEMOCRACY, page 3 Hoptown Chronicle,” and Chad

NEWS

2

Sept. 23, 2021

LGBT Office revamps fall semester activities A v aC h u p p e Contributing Writer achup p e@murraystate.edu

T h i s s e m e s t e r, t h e L G B T Programming Office revamped c a m p u s ac t i v i t i e s C e n t e r f o r LGBTQ+ students. The Center, located at 243 Blackburn Science Building and open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is “a change which is meant to signify our focus on belonging, community and engagement,” according to a newsletter released in the beginning of the Fall Semester by the LGBT Programming Office.

I n t e r i m c o o rd i n a t o r o f t h e LGBT Programming Office, Abigail Cox, said the easing of COVID-19 restrictions has translated to more in-person opportunities for students. “ The office is back open, and we have regular visitors in the Center each day,” Cox said. “You can come in and eat lunch, color, hang out between classes, that kind of thing. We’re primarily back to in-person ser vices and not really limited in terms of the things we’re tr ying to do.”

Another of the LGBT Prog r a m m i n g O f f i c e ’s n e w i n i tiatives is the Pride List, a v i r t u a l p u b l i c a t i o n t o b e re leased annuall y on Oct. 1 for

“students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, community members, and family membe rs to s h ow t heir pr ide and allyship,” according to the onlin e f or m . S o far, 332 signa tures have been submitted to promote a welcoming campus.

In addition to providing a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ students, the Pride Center has complimentary pride flags, pronoun buttons and other offerings for students to take. Cox said the Center offers a variety of activities to facilitate student connections.

“It’s set up in such a way to allow them [students] to come in and just hang out,” Cox said. “We’re also trying to do activities and things that will bring people into the Center… like an art or craft that they can come in and do whenever it’s convenient for them.”

Cox said that student input will help determine the Center’s future activities.

“We have sent out an interest form to kind of get an idea of what types of activities students are looking for to connect on,” Cox said. “We’re trying to get a sense of whether they’re looking for social opportunities, like we had an ice cream social people came to, or if they’re looking for support group opportunities, which is something that we’re working on with the Counseling Center.”

The Pride Center hosted a free fall-inspired breakfast on Wednesday,

D ionte B erry / T he N ews T he LG B T P rogramming Office is located in 2 4 3 B lackburn.

Sept. 22. On Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, the Center will provide a gender-affirming clothing swap from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Blackburn 249. Clothing donations for the event will be accepted starting Oct. 4 any time the Pride Center is open.

Cox said she wanted students to know that the Center is available to them, whether they are seeking assistance or want to make friends.

“We want to make sure that we’re not only providing the support that students need who have maybe something that they’re dealing with, but also just supporting that sense of community and opportunity to connect with others,” Cox said. “The

CAMPUS, from page 1

M ary H uffman/ T he N ews Wilson and Wells H all are both going to have their windows replaced.

D ionte B erry/ T he N ews he Curris Center will be undergoing renovations, after serving M urray S tate for 4 0 years.

In addition to the funding approved by the Board of Regents, the Office of Development coordinated the “Show Us How You Lovett” campaign to raise additional money for the renovations.

This campaign encourages alumni to purchase “naming rights” to the new seats in the Trustee’s Hall.

Balthrop said these seats are b e i n g m a n u f ac t u re d i n d i v i d ually and will reflect the emblem from the original chairs.

“President Jackson wanted to retain that [emblem] for the new seating, so all the seats were taken out and all those end-caps were taken off,” Balthrop said. “Those end-caps are going to be used on the new seating that goes in.”

Touney said the Trustee’s Hall is named in honor of the current Board of Trustees after receiving a generous donati on.

“The Board voted to accept a gift of $500,000 from the Murray State University Foundation, Inc. for funding assistance with Lovett Auditorium,” Touney said.

Balthrop said there is no opening date as of now, but he could see the space opening up in the spring. He said it all depends on materials and funding.

“That’s totally going to depend on things we have no control over,” Balthrop said. Nobody has control over when we get the windows, how long it will take to manufacture and get the drapes here.”

Windows in Wilson Hall and Wells Hall are set to be replaced sometime later this semester.

Youngblood said the windows are original to the buildings and are causing problems with retaining heat and air.

“They are all single-pane glass, very energy inefficient,” Youngblood said.

“Obviously sunlight comes through and fades and heats the building up.”

Youngblood said the University hopes replacing the windows will save money in the long run.

“There was an energy analysis done early on to try to get us a number that says this is how much we expect to save by changing these windows and what would our return on that investment be,” Youngblood said. “It wasn’t a significant amount, just because the buildings are so old themselves you can

Center is open, everyone’s welcome to come through and hang out and see what it’s about, and anyone who has any interest is always welcome to contact me or come into the Center.”

Anyone who wishes to sign the Pride List can do so at murraystate.edu/lgbt under the “Sign the Pride List” tab.

To learn more about the Pride Center or to provide student input, contact Abigail Cox via email at msu. pridecenter@murraystate.edu or by phone at (270) 809-5040. Students may also drop by the Pride Center in person at 243 B l a c k burn Science Building on weekd a y s f r o m 1 0 a . m . t o 4 p. m .

put the best window in, but the rest of the wall might not be energy efficient.”

To c e l e b r a t e i t s 4 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y, t h e C u r r i s C e n ter is getting a major remodel.

Youngblood said ideas for improving the Curris Center started several years ago and it is time for the building to have a refresh.

“We want to make it more vibrant and student friendly, more inviting for our incoming students and parents that come to campus,” Youngblood said. “That’s where their Murray State experience starts; at the Curris Center.”

Youngblood said a lot of improvements have been made outside of the Curris Center, including parking and the Racer One monument, but the University is working to improve the common spaces inside the student center. These plans include new flooring, wall finishes, acoustical treatments and furniture.

Youngblood said there is a need for more meeting spaces in the Curris Center for organizations.

“There are four hotel rooms in the back hallway [on the third floor] that most people don’t even know exist,” Youngblood said.

“Those rooms have been under-utilized, and we are talking about gutting those out and making those into larger meeting spaces.”

Youngblood said there are plans to improve the Center for Student Involvement and find a space in the Curris Center for e-Sports.

“We’ve made some changes where we have moved the main function of the post office out of the Curris Center but all the P.O boxes are still there,” Youngblood said. “Their use could be changed a little bit to where they can be virtual mailboxes, like the Amazon lockers.”

E-Sports manager, Jacob Mitchell, said he is looking forward to having a space for the organization inside.

“We are kind of hidden away in the IT building, so if recruitment is taking tours around the Curris Center...and if we are in the old post office area, it would get so much interest and support,” Mitchell said.

Youngblood said they anticipate this renovation to take at least 12 months with a start date during the Spring 2022 semester.

NEWS

Sept. 23, 2021

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Screen cap ture from murraystate.edu web disp lay T he domain name for murraystate.edu will remain the same.

all repor ted a lack of organiz ation and outdated content.

The website will improve reDunn said as part of the new cr uitment by ranking Murray project, they will be auditing all State webpages higher in brows- of the website’s pages and reer searches. D unn said 55% of moving outdated or irrelevant Murray State’s website traffic content. They have over 5,000 curren tl y c om e s from orga n- pages on the site to sort through ic searches, which means the in addition to all the PDF files Murray State website shows up on the ser ver. The y wil l also in search results. By placing the b e t r a i n i n g c o n t e n t m a n a g website in more searches, the ers on how to manage and restaff hopes to increase the num- v i e w c on t e n t m o re re g u l a r l y. ber of people that see the website through organic search.

Our last redesign D unn said they are also tr ylaunched in 2015, what ing to ensure the language was cutting edge then on the website matches Muris not good enough ray State’s environment which now. means making the website more — Charley Allen-Dunn, Web and friendly and conversational.

Digital Ad Manager D unn said the ne w website will also meet American with Disabilities Act standards, Dunn said going forward staff which sets legal guidelines for will be auditing content at least web content accessibility that once a year to remove unused higher educ ation institutions content. They also will be incorhave to follow. The goal is to porating the importance of keepmake website content and infor- ing content updated in their conmation accessible to every user. tent management system training. “ We w a n t t o m a k e s u r e D unn said the ne w website t h a t w e a r e d o i n g e v e r y - wil l be c leaner and integr ate t h i n g p o s s i b l e t o b e c om p l i- Murray State’s colors more. The a n t b e c a u s e o f t h e l e g a l i s - top navigation is also being desues, but also because it ’s the s i g n e d t o t a k e u p l e s s s p ac e. right thing to do,” D unn said. Dunn said they have more tools D u n n s a i d i n t h e b e g i n - to manage content and allow ning stages of the project, they for better integration of phos u r v e y e d u s e r s o f t h e w e b - t o s , v i d e o s a n d t e s t i m on i a l s . site. Although people vie wed Murray State staff worked t h e w e b s i t e f a v o r a b l y, t h e y w i t h B e ac on Te c h n o l o g i e s , a

WEBSITE, from page 1

higher education digital marketing firm, on the website.

Dunn said during the first phase of the project, Beacon Tec h nologies developed a strategic plan based on user feedback and quantitative data. Dunn worked with Emily W hite, Murray State’s former design specialist, on how they wanted the content to look while Beacon Technologies staff did the actual coding.

“O ur staff, myself and Emily White, provided a lot of the inspiration for the look of the new site while Beacon made sure all code adhered to best practices and web accessibility guidelines,” Dunn said.

This website relaunch will affect almost everyone on campus.

A couple of students offered their opinions on the upcoming changes.

Leah Harley, a senior psychology student, said she thinks the current website is easy to navigate on her computer and that the website is aesthetically pleasing. She also said it would be nice t o have easier acces s t o the website on mobile devices.

“I know I’m a college student and everything, but even I’m not on my laptop 24/7,” Harley said.

“S o pulling something up on my phone would be a lot easier.”

Harley said the mobile friendly website will be especially nice during meetings where she isn’t using her laptop, but still needs to use the website to look up information.

Hannah Dubois, a junior professional writing student, said she thinks it’s exciting that Murray State is updating their website. She said the mobile friendly website will definitely be useful for when parents need to make p a rk i n g re s e r v a t i on s a n d f o r people who want to find news.

“One thing I wish Murray would do is update their myGate site, particularly because as students we navigate that site more often than we do the website,” Dubois said. “And given all the resources that Murray has in the graphic design department and particularly seniors looking for senior projects and opportunities, I don’t know why they wouldn’t use those to update the myGate site. But I’m excited that they’re at least starting with the main site.”

D unn said redesigns are inevitable. Changes in technolog y and best practices require updates to provide users with their expected experience.

“O ur last redesign launched in 2015, what was cutting edge then is not good e n o u g h n o w, ” D u n n s a i d .

D unn said a lot of work has already been done for the website update, but there is stil l more to do. There is not a specific launch date yet for the new site. Dunn said she believes it will be before winter break though..

The website domain name w i l l re m a i n mu r r ay s t a t e. e d u .

DEMOCRACY, from page 1 The panel’s discussion focused on the intersection of transparency and news literacy on voting and democratic processes. One of the first topics the panel discussed was the influence of trust and transparency in media on processes such as voting.

“At those newspapers in particular, voters got almost all their information from their local newspaper,” Messenger said. “ What worries me about our current environment is that there are many attempts to damage the mainstream media as a sort of political strategy.”

The panelists also discussed how Facebook has become a new environment for politics and political action.

“Some candidates have highly developed Facebook groups that go beyond their campaign,” said Brown. “They have become places where candidates establish themselves as someone who does good in the community.”

Social media was a topic that came up several times throughout the panel’s discussion. The panelists urged people to carefully consider where they get their news and the intent publishers have.

Seib described Twitter and Facebook as “pseudo-media,” and Brown

Screen cap ture for the Panel’ s discussion om Sep t. 1 4 T o view the panel visit the K entucky H umanities Council at kyhumanities.org.

warned that journalists have to go through a process of verification that people who post information to social media do not.

Messenger said journalists today have less freedom now than the y had in the past. He believes journalists have the power to say “no” and keep bad information from being published.

N o w, h o w e v e r, M e s s e n g e r said the pressure put on journalists to be objective to both sides of the political spectr um has eliminated some of the power journalists once had to control misinformation.

Misinformation and the role it plays in politics and our daily lives, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, was another topic integral to the panel’s discussion.

Lampe said one reason why information surrounding COVID-19 has become widely questioned is because trust has begun to deteriorate in institutions that were once widel y tr usted, such as the CD C. In the closing moments of t he discussion, eac h pane l i st shared their tips for combating misinformation and becoming a more inf or med citiz en.

M e s s e n ge r u r ge d t h a t p e ople check multiple sources for their information; S eib urged that people carefully check who and where their information comes from; Lampe warned that social media often sensationalizes the truth; and Thompson warned that images c an of ten be manipulated.

The full panel discussion i s a v a i l a b l e on t h e K e n t u c k y H u m a n i t i e s C o u n c i l ’s w e b site under the “programs” tab o r a t h t t p s : / / w w w. k y h u m a n i t i e s . o r g / p ro g r a m s / d e m o c r ac y-and-the-informed-citiz en.

OPINION

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Sept. 23, 2021

Our View Anxiety over climate change grows, governments refuse to act

C

limate change was an “inconvenient truth” 15 years ago. It’s still inconvenient.

Politicians fail to give it the attention it deserves; thus, failing our generation.

In a 2021 survey of 10,000 people from 10 countries, the University of Bath found that the majority of those surveyed were deeply worried about the future and felt as though governments were not doing enough to address climate change.We on the Editorial Board share the same feelings.

A majority of governments around the world are failing younger generations.

Even if governments were to make a 180° shift and give it their all to end climate change, what has already been done will have horrible consequences. Damage is already seen with extreme weather, heat waves and 19 named storms so far this year.

But, that change most likely won’t happen at the snap of a finger. Governments are busy chasing dollars, and this can most specifically be said about the capitalist-rooted American government. With the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s obvious that there is a higher value for the economy and the circulation of dollars over the lives of citizens.

In an ideal world, national governments would come together and work to reverse and slow the damage they are doing

Cade U tterback/ T he N ews

to the Earth, but our society is not ideal.

The issue of climate change is another of many that are class issues, such as COVID-19 and natural disasters. Upper-class people are able to escape climate change, with enough money to relocate they won’t be displaced in the way that lower-class citizens will. It’s easier for the government to skirt around issues if those who are mostly affected aren’t socially powerful, upper-class or white.

If the government did not

choose to avoid the issue, there are a handful of climate change solutions for them to choose from: renewable power generation, lessening reliance on plastics and alternative fuels for transportation are just a few ideas that have already been proposed.

It’s not as if there aren’t any solutions, it’s just that governments are actively choosing to not invest money into these projects. Instead the government allows septic pools of misinformation to exist when lead scien-

tists give public updates of the Earth’s poor status.

This trend can be extended to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Politicians did not take science seriously and, according to the CDC, around 670,000 people have lost their lives because of COVID-19.

If governments continue to treat climate change as a minor issue, more people will lose their lives and become c limate refugees to something that could have been prevented.

THE

Murray State

NEWS Editorial Board

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Emery Wainscott Lifestyle Editor ewainscott@murraystate.edu

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Kate Manley Ad Sales Manager kmanley2@murraystate.edu

Joey Reynolds Chief Videographer jreynolds38@murraystate.edu

Jakob Milani Sports Editor jmilani@murraystate.ediu

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

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Contributions to The News are the opinion of the author and not that of The Murray State News. The News is a designated public forum.

Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The paper offers a hands-on learning environment for students interested in journalism. The campus press should be free from censorship and advance approval of copy and its editors should develop their editorial and news policies.

2609 University Station Murray State University Murray, Kentucky 42071-3301 TheNews.org

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

The News is an independent weekly student-run newspaper published at Murray State. The content does not reflect the opinions of the Murray State journalism and mass communication department.

SPORTS

Sept. 23, 2021

5

Photo courtesy of D av e W inder/ Racer A thletics ophomore running back Demonta Witherspoon was responsible for the Racers only touchdown in their loss to B owling G reen on S ept. 1 8 .

Football loses second straight road game J ak ob Milani S ports Editor j milani@murraystate.edu

For the second straight week, the Murray State football team lost a game in which they were tied at halftime, losing to Bowling Green State University by a score of 27-10.

The Racers went into halftime tied with the Falcons 10-10 but the Racers weren’t able to get the offense going in the second half, resulting in 17 unanswered points from the Falcons.

The Racers received to start the game and on just the first drive junior quarterback Preston Rice targeted freshman wide receiver Deshaun Britten on a pass, but the Falcons tipped the ball up and picked it off. Bowling Green started with the ball on Murray State’s 29-yard line and quickly made their way down the field. On second and goal, freshman running back Jaison Patterson rushed into the endzone for the two yard touchdown and gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead with 11:47 left in the first quarter.

After the touchdown, the two teams traded punts. The Racers then punted again on their next drive, despite senior running back Rodney Castille picking up 27 rushing yards on the drive.

The Falcons started their next drive on their own five yard line and quickly went to work as senior quarterback Matt McDonald took a second down rush for 10 yards to get the first down. Later on third and 15, McDonald found an open receiver open for a 17-yard gain and another first down. The next play, freshman running back Taron Keith took off for a 16-yard rush, moving the Falcons up to their own 43-yard line.

The drive continued into the second quarter and the Falcons kept moving with a 19-yard pass from McDonald to junior wide receiver Austin Osborne. The Racers defense held strong deep in their own territory, though, as the Falcons were forced to settle for a field goal and took a 10-0 lead with 12:03 left in the half.

The Racers were able to get the ball moving on their next drive. A pass

interference call on the Falcons moved the ball up to the Murray State 40-yard line and gave the Racers some momentum. After pushing the ball up to the Bowling Green 42-yard line, Rice found junior wide receiver LaMartez Brooks downfield for a 23-yard completion that put the Racers in the red-zone. The Racers slowly made their way up the remaining field until they reached the six yard line, when Witherspoon took off for a touchdown rush that made the score 10-7 with 6:55 left in the half.

McDonald started the Falcons’ next drive with a 13-yard pass to Patterson to get the ball moving. The Racers were able to stop the momentum two plays later when sophomore cornerback Devontae McKee picked McDonald’s pass off and gave the Racers another chance to go down and score.

The Racers next drive started with Rice getting sacked for 10 yards, but the Falcons suffered a holding call on the play to keep the ball at the Murray State 45 yard line. Three plays later, Rice made some ground with a rush for nine yards to push the Racers across midfield and get a first down. The Racers weren’t able to pick up any more ground and had to settle for a 47-yard field goal from junior kicker Aaron Baum, his first field goal of the season. Baum’s field goal tied the game at 10-10, where the score remained heading into halftime.

The Falcons started with the ball in the second half, and McDonald quickly got the ball rolling with a 10yard pass to junior tight end Christian Sims. Three plays later, McDonald found Sims again for a 26-yard gain that moved the ball up to the Murray State 30-yard line. The next play, freshman wide receiver Jhaylin Embry took a handoff for 16 yards, moving the ball up the Murray State 14 yard line. After moving the ball up to the one yard line, McDonald finished off the drive with a touchdown rush to give the Falcons a 17-10 lead.

The Racers suffered a three-andout on their following drive and were forced to punt. Though they were able to force a punt from the Falcons on the next drive, the Racers had to punt

again after three unsuccessful plays.

The Falcons started their next drive on their own 22 yard line and got started with an 11-yard pass from McDonald, then followed it up with a nine-yard pass, moving the ball up to their 42 yard line.

Two plays later on second and five, McDonald found Osborne for a 33 -ard pass that moved the Falcons all the way up to the Murray State 16 yard line. The Falcons pushed to get in the endzone, but the Racers defense held on and forced a 36-yard field goal to make it a 20-10 game heading into the fourth quarter.

The Racers started the fourth quarter by picking up a first down, their first first down in three drives.

The momentum wasn’t swinging in the Racers’ direction though as they were forced to punt just four plays later. This allowed another scoring drive from the Falcons, which included a 20-yard rush from freshman running back Nick Mosely and a touchdown pass from McDonald to Keith to make the score 27-10 with 7:05 left in the game.

After punting the ball away on the following drive, the Racers held the Falcons to a punt which gave the Racers a chance to score with 3:18. The Racers started to make their way down the field when Rice found sophomore wide receiver Jacob Bell for a 16-yard reception.

Two plays later, Rice completed a 24-yard pass to senior wide receiver Malik Honeycutt to move the Racers up to the 50 yard line.

Rice then completed a 10-yard pass to freshman tight end Cole McDowell for another first down.

Following a pass interference penalty on the Falcons, the Racers had moved up to the Bowling Green 25 yard line. After three plays, the Racers found themselves at fourth-andone from the Falcons’ 16 yard line.

Rice dropped back to pass and threw to Honeycutt up the middle but the ball was dropped, meaning the end of the Racers night. The Falcons defeated the Racers by a score of 27-10.

After the game, senior linebacker Levi Metheny spoke about the Rac-

Football Stats

ers’ effort in the game, which was the second straight game against an FBS school. Metheny said there was a lot of confidence from the Racers going into the last two games.

“The first half, we came out and played well in both games,” Metheny said. “We just didn’t finish. We gotta look at the film this week, have the bye week next week and just get ready to play.”

Metheny also spoke on the defensive play by the Racers in the game. He said everyone played their role in the game, but just weren’t able to get the stops.

“I gotta give credit to the defensive line,” Metheny said. “They played really physical and we got past that line of scrimmage. Backs and safeties just have to play off them.

We work together well as a unit.”

Head Coach Dean Hood also spoke postgame about the team’s performance. He said it was similar to last week as the Racers played well in the first half but not so well after halftime.

“We didn’t do the fundamental things you have to do to win the game,” Hood said. “We gotta be able to run the ball and we weren’t able to do that. We gotta stop the run and we did in the first half but not in the second half. We gotta protect the ball and get turnovers and we got a pick in the first half and turned the ball over in the second half. That’s all I can really say about the game.”

Hood also said the players showed good effort despite facing a bigger school. He said even though the final score wasn’t what the team hoped for, the team didn’t back down.

“Even though the results weren’t what you wanted, I think our guys played with great effort,” Hood said.

“They ran to the battle line every time there was a challenge. I saw nobody backing down against Cincinnati, I saw nobody backing down tonight. There wasn’t any panic on the sideline when we went down 10-0.”

The Racers have a bye week next week, but return to action on Saturday, Oct. 2, when they take on Eastern Illinois at home for arents weekend. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 4 p.m.

10

Points:

27

201

Yards:

339

78

Tackles:

61

SPORTS

6

Sept. 23, 2021

Volleyball splits weekend with1-1 record R ach el Essner S taff Writer ressner1 @murraystate.edu The Murray State volleyball team split two games at the Dunn Hospitality Tournament in Edwardsville, Indiana, on Friday, Sept. 17 and Saturday, Sept.

18, bringing their record to 6-4.

Game One

The Racers swept the game against Cleveland State University to begin the twogame tournament on Friday.

With senior libero Becca Fernandez stepping up to serve first, the Racers jumped to an early 4-0 lead in the first set with a kill from junior outside hitter Alysha Smith. A kill from senior middle blocker Kolby McClelland and two kills from both sophomore outside hitter Morgan Price and freshman outside hitter Alexa Harris helped the Racers extend their lead to 14-6.

In an attempt to fight back, the Vikings scored four straight points, but still trailed the Racers 14-10. With a 5-0 run, Murray State took a nine point lead at 22-13. A block from freshman setter Bailey DeMier sealed the set for the Racers at 25-15.

Murray State took another early lead at 14-8 in the second set with kills from Harris, Price, freshman outside hitter Brooke Lynn Watts and sophomore middle blocker Darci Metzger. The teams traded points until the Racers took a 4-1 run to close the set out at 25-17.

The teams traded points in the beginning of the third set, but a 6-2 run gave the Racers an 19-13 lead with three kills from Watts. The Racers used a 6-2 run, ending with a kill from Price to take the set 25-16.

Harris and Watts led the offense with 12 kills apiece, followed by Price with a career-high of seven kills.

On the defensive side, Fernandez recorded 11 digs while Harris collected nine. DeMier tallied 28 assists and Price added two blocks.

Game Two

The Racers dropped the second game to Evansville University in three straight sets on Saturday.

The Aces used a 5-1 run to take an early 7-4 lead in the first set. After tying the score at seven, the Racers were never able to take the lead over the Aces. Evansville built their lead to 19-13 and with a 5-2 run, ultimately took the set at 25-17.

The second set was a battle between the teams, beginning with trading points until tying the score at 14. Murray State was able to reach game point at 24-22, but the Aces were able to take the lead at 25-24.

The teams continued fighting, going back-and-forth until Evansville scored back-to-back points to take the set 33-31.

Evansville took a quick 13-8 lead in the third set. The Racers were able to come within two points of the Aces at 14-12, but a 6-0 run put the

Photo courtesy of Racer A thletics S enior forward A bby J ones recorded one shot on goal and one assist in the Racers win over S outhern I llinois.

Racer Soccer dominates Southern Illinois

R ach el Essner S taff Writer ressner1 @murraystate.edu The Murray State soccer team improved their record to 5-3 as they returned to Cutchin Field on Sunday, Sept. 19, to compete against the Southern Illinois University Salukis.

The Racers were first on the board when freshman defender Morgan Bodker found the back of the net off a ball from senior forward Abby Jones in the 21st minute. The Salukis were quick to respond, tying the score at 1-1 in the 25th minute, and lasting the rest of the half.

Murray State dominated the second half, starting with a Bodker assist to graduate Rebecca Kubin in the sixth minute. The Racers secured the game in the 35th min-

ute with a goal from sophomore defender Riley Johnson assisted by Kubin, taking the 3-1 win.

Johnson scored her first career goal, while Bodker counted her second and Kubin recorded her 27th career goal. Meanwhile, Jones furthered her lead on Murray State’s All-Time Assists Leaderboard, counting her 25th career assist.

Junior goalkeeper Jenna Villacres tallied seven saves on the night.

The Racers outshot the Salukis 19-16 with 11 shots on goal from the Racers compared to eight from the Salukis.

“I want to credit SIU,” said Head Coach Matt Lodge said. “They came in and they made it very tough. I’m always happy to score three goals and get a win at home.”

The Racers will hit the field again on Sunday, Sept. 26, to take on the University of Cincinnati at 1 p.m.

Photo courtesy of J ustin E rtl/ Racer A thletics F reshman outside hitter A lex a H arris led the Racers with 2 8 kills for the Racers over the weekend.

Aces at 23-15. A kill and a block from the Aces sealed the set 25-17, and the match 3-0.

Harris led the Racers offense with a season-high of 16 kills, followed by Watts with 15 kills.

On the other side, Fernandez led the defense with 13 digs while sophomore defensive specialist Dahlia Miller counted 10 digs and DeMier tallied 32 assists.

Fernandez and Harris were both named to the All-Tournament team. In addition, Harris was named OVC Newcomer of the Week, her first OVC honor.

The Racers will hit their home court for the first time this season to open conference play in a two-game series against Eastern Illinois University on Friday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 25, at 2 p.m.

Weekend Stats

Points:

140

Kills:

83

Digs:

83

Blocks:

7

Sept. 23, 2021

LIFESTYLE

7

Regents College celebrates World Rhino Day Emery Wainscott Lifestyle Editor ewainscott@murraystate.edu

R

egents Residential College Council hosted “Regents for Rhinos” week to celebrate the 10th anniversary of World Rhino Day in its series of on-campus events.

The event kicked off with a tie-dye water balloon fight on Friday, Sept. 17. The weekend events included a one-mile campus walk with the Regents Residential College’s mascot, Reggie, on Saturday, Sept. 18 and a scavenger hunt on Sunday, Sept. 19.

A wooden rhino painting session started the week off on Monday, Sept. 20. The last outdoor event planned was dodgeball on Tuesday, Sept. 21. The event wrapped up with a gathering in Regents to celebrate World Rhino Day on Wednesday, Sept. 22.

The Rhino is Regents Residential College’s mascot. This mascot represents strength, determination and dignity, and the college colors of purple and grey symbolize royalty and grandeur, said College Head Regina Hudspeth.

“The crest includes two regal lions, symbolizing the dignity, force and majesty of Regents College as well as a chess horse atop the Murray State shield, symbolizing our involvement in University tradition,” Hudspeth said. “The college motto, ‘semper proficimus,’ means ‘we move ever forward.’ I think that statement implies that this is just the beginning, but the beginning that takes each resident toward that

path of success.”

Freshman music education major Mattie Austin organized the event with the help of junior economics major Gianna Mastromarco and others in RCC. Austin is currently Regents’ National Residence Hall Honorary’s representative. She is also the SGA representative for the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

While working on homework, Austin and Mastromarco saw a PowerPoint template for World Rhino Day. With their residential college in mind, the two set to work. The event took three days to plan, says Austin.

“We wanted to make this a great event, but great things of course take a little bit of money,” Austin said. “We applied for a slip fund through RCA. While we were waiting for a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on that money, our events were funded by myself, by Gianna and by William Gerton. We did not receive the full amount from RCA so Springer-Franklin generously offered the rest of our funding.”

Regents’ RCC sponsors the World Rhino Day program, a program for awareness of the different species of rhinos and the work being done for the critically endangered species. When Hudspeth brought this event up to the Regents’ RCC, Austin and Mastromarco immediately took interest.

“I think everyone was surprised to hear that there was a day set aside for drawing awareness to the extinction of our mascot,” Hudspeth said. “Although Rhi-

Photo courtesy of Regents Instagram Reggie the Rhino leads the mile walk at ‘Regents for Rhinos’ week.

nos is in the name, it stressed raising funds for endangered wildlife in general.”

This is Hudspeth’s second semester as college head. The previous college head of Regents, Mickey Miller, pitched her the idea of the position as a way of getting to know students as residents outside of the classroom, she says.

“Residential life is all about making those lifelong bonds of friendships and making lasting memories of their collegiate experience,” Hudspeth said.

“Maslow’s Hierarchy states that one element of survival is to find a place that fulfills our need to

belong and be a part of something.”

Austin got involved in residential life as soon as she could.

Austin said a week before classes started, she was emailing RCC President Michael Quilliam for a position on Regents’ RCC. “I would like to say thank you so much to everyone that has supported this event,” Austin said. “From the RCA to people who simply came to the events.

This was my first program and it means the world to me that I had so much love from campus.”

For those interested in other events at Regents, see their Instagram @regentsrhinoss.

Medical director addresses vaccine misinformation Mason Galemore Contributing Writer mgalemore@murraystate.edu

N

icholas O’Dell, the medical director at Murray-Calloway County Hospital, delivered a presentation addressing COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and the efficacy of the vaccine to Murray State nursing students on Sept. 3.

The presentation’s purpose was to teach the students to study the vaccine with objectivity. O’Dell said there is little room for argument when studying the facts of the vaccine.

“The presentation was to give an in-depth educational review of the mRNA vaccine technology,” O’Dell said. “This included its historical uses, development for use in the fight against COVID-19 and how the mechanism of action was similar and different from other vaccines that have been used throughout history.”

According to cdc.gov, mRNA instructs cells to produce certain proteins. Once the vaccine is injected into the arm muscles, the cells produce a protein piece and discard the instructions.

The immune system recognizes this protein as foreign and begins making antibodies to form an immune response.

O’Dell said people are mainly concerned with three aspects of the vaccine. One of those points is that the technology used to develop the vaccine is too new.

O’Dell’s presentation responded to that belief, saying the mRNA technology has been around since the 1960s.

Photo courtesy of Summer Cross Nicholas O’Dell, medical director, speaks to nursing students about vaccine misinformation.

The second aspect covered was side effects. According to a study conducted by the U.S. military, only 23 out of 2 million vaccinated males experienced side effects.

The last aspect addressed was the short time it took for the vaccine to be distributed. The Centers for Disease Control said the vaccine had to be tested for safety and efficacy.

To address this concern, O’Dell said many companies such as Pfizer-BioNTech decided to make the vaccine and test them at the same time.

If the vaccine failed the tests, the companies threw away the batches they made and took a financial loss. If they passed, the companies prepared the batches for distribution which explained why they were distributed rapidly.

O’Dell was able to have a more in-depth conversation about the vaccine because of the students’ existing knowledge of

medicine. He said it is easy to be fooled if someone does not know the small details about the vaccine.

Junior nursing major Taylor Gillett said she believes everyone should get vaccinated.

However, she does not want to force anyone to take it.

“I thought the presentation gave very grounding proof that the vaccine isn’t dangerous like everyone thinks it is,” Gillett said. “While the need to educate people about the vaccine is important, I would rather not push something on them that they do not want than risk losing their trust in the healthcare system.”

Sophomore nursing major Cade Alberson said he received the Moderna vaccination when it became available through Murray State.

“To those who are hesitant to take the vaccine, I would encourage them to weigh the risks of getting COVID against the potential side effects of the

vaccine,” Alberson said.

Alberson said the most memorable part of the presentation was when O’Dell addressed rumors about the vaccine. One rumor that interested Alberson was that the vaccine caused infertility in women. He said it opened his eyes as to what kind of misinformation was being spread.

“I’d like to see more research become easily accessible to the public,” Alberson said. “As healthcare professionals, we are taught where to find reputable information regarding new vaccines and emerging practices. If we achieve this, I believe we will see a reduction in overall illness and increase in patient satisfaction levels in the healthcare setting.”

O’Dell said treating COVID-19 patients and informing the public on the virus has been the largest responsibility in his career. He said even though the pandemic has been filled with struggles, he still has optimism.

“It has become harder to take care of patients and help them live healthier lives, which is what all of us got into this business to do,” O’Dell said. “But that won’t stop those of us on the front lines of this pandemic who continue to do our best for our patients day in and day out despite the naysayers and detractors.”

Students can schedule a COVID-19 vaccination at Health Services in Wells Hall.

More information about the vaccine can be found on the CDC’s website at cdc.gov/coronavirus.

8

LIFESTYLE

Racer Recap: Sept. 16-22

Photo courtesy of M urray State U niv ersity T he 2 0 2 1 H omecoming Court consists of Q ueens (f rom left to right) P aige Carter, M ollie B eck, Courtney Rager, K risten Lyons and Ellie M cG owan and K ings (f rom left to right) Z aid H aij a, Walter S teely, T y A llen, H ayden S mee and I an P uckett.

Rebeca M ertins Chiodoni/ T he N ews A t the P et T herapy event on T hursday, S ept. 1 6 , students destressed with the help of some therapy dogs brought by the H umane S ociety for Calloway County.

Rebeca M ertins Chiodoni/ T he N ews S tudents heard from both study abroad providers and teaching abroad faculty at the S tudy A broad F air on T hursday, S ept. 1 6 .

Sept. 23, 2021