The Towerlight (April 10, 2018)

Towson’s campus and community news source

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April 10, 2018

How trigger warnings could affect academic freedom and student learning, pg.7

Photo by Marcus Dieterle, Photo Illustration by Victoria Nicholson/The Towerlight

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April 10, 2018

Editor-in-Chief Marcus Dieterle Senior Editor Jordan Cope News Editor Bailey Hendricks Asst. News Editor Mary-Ellen Davis Assoc. Arts & Life Editor Kerry Ingram Asst. Arts & Life Editor McKenna Graham Sports Editor Karuga Koinange Asst. Sports Editor Billy Owens

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In celebration of National Library Week, Voices Slam Poetry Team will be performing published poetry, as well as works of their own in the library lobby.

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Opinion

April 10, 2018

uninterrupted

Gun debate skips GOP’s war on environment other ethnicities RYAN KIRBY Columnist

Today, environmental protections have largely been associated with the Democratic party, but it didn't always used to be this way. Protecting the environment used to be a bipartisan concern, and Republican presidents had actually made significant milestones in environmental protection. Republican President Theodore Roosevelt was able to protect approximately 230 million acres of public land during his presidency.

President Richard Nixon created the EPA in 1970 and passed some of its founding laws, such as the Clean Water Act in 1972. The Republican party began to make a noticeable shift when Ronald Reagan won the presidency in 1980.

Reagan appointed anti-environmentalists to the EPA and Department of the Interior with the goal of slashing regulations, their budgets and their staff.

Their battle was short-lived with resistance from the Democrat-controlled Congress who put their decisions in full view of the public to show the consequences and the corruption of their actions.

When the GOP took back Congress in 1994, they again tried to deregulate and weaken environmental regulations, but this time President Bill Clinton's veto stood in their way. The GOP was successful in other ways though. They began to frame the debate around the role government should play in protecting the environment and making attempts to cast doubt on climate science.

With complete control of the feder-

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al government, the Republican party continues its attacks on America's environment. President Trump placed Scott Pruitt, former Attorney General for Oklahoma who spent his tenure suing the EPA for its regulations on pollution, to run the EPA. Scott Pruitt is a dream come true for oil, gas and coal companies. During his time as EPA Administrator, he has continued to deny climate change, rollback and eliminate dozens of environmental protections, and supported the Trump administration's proposed budget that would cut the agency by about a quarter.

Pruitt has lifted a ban on a pesticide linked to fetal brain and nervous damage. Oil and gas companies no longer have to report their methane emissions. He is allowing new leases for coal mines on public land. Coal companies are now allowed to dump mining debris into local rivers and contaminate the water supply. Federal agencies are no longer required to consider the effects of greenhouse gases or the impact on the environment for their future projects.

The U.S. is no longer making payments to the U.N. Green Climate Fund to help developing countries create sustainable economies. These are just some of the dozens of regulations that the Trump administration has eliminated or rolled back. These are all policies designed to protect the environment and the citizens who live in it, but the Republican party is too addicted to oil money to

care about the effects these policies have on Americans.

And let us not forget, as per the usual with the Trump administration officials, there are also a wide variety of corruption and ethics violations that Pruitt is accused of while serving as EPA Administrator. Pruitt and his daughter have been staying at an oil lobbyist's home for just $50 a day, not exactly the going rate in Washington, D.C., before having to be kicked out for overstaying his welcome. He also hired former oil and chemical lobbyists and then gave each of them over $50,000 worth of raises using an obscure rule over even the White House's objections. Pruitt has also demanded 24/7 security, far more than any of his predecessors, which has cost American taxpayers over $3 million and he flies first class on taxpayer-funded trips.

The Republican party has abandoned the principles of its predecessors and for the past four decades it has embarked on a mission to protect the interests of corporations over people.

The decisions made by the current Republican party stand only to hurt America's future and wage an active war on our planet's climate. The Republican party is holding the United States, and the world, hostage by allowing policies that do irreparable harm to our environment.

Because of the Republican party, the U.S. is literally the only country to not be a part of the Paris Climate agreement, of which even Syria, China, and even North Korea are members.

"The nation behaves well if it treats its natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value."

Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

The nation behaves well if it treats its natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value.

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THEODORE ROOSEVELT Former U.S. President

KYNDALL CUNNINGHAM “ Columnist

Police violence is gun violence” has been the rallying cry of African Americans who have felt ignored in the national discussion around gun reform since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, almost two months ago.

As Parkland students obtain access to televised town halls, listening sessions at the White House and interviews on cable news networks, not to mention vocal and financial support from celebrities and major corporations, black activists struggle to weave themselves into a larger, more welcomed conversation on the value of human life. But with racial inequality at the root of police brutality and higher crime rates in urban dwellings, should black people have to align themselves with their white peers to be heard?

The answer is no.

For weeks, my side of Twitter has been comparing the acclamation of Never Again that arose out of the MSD shooting with the frequent dismissal and denunciation of the Black Lives Matter movement in the mass media.

The Parkland students have been an effective force in demanding concrete changes in gun laws, such as universal background checks and raising the age requirement to purchase a gun.

However, much of their success is accredited to the fact that our country actively listens to white people and that, while mass shootings make up a small number of gun deaths in America, everyone feels at risk.

Black activists know this selective concern all too well. The first Women’s March in 2017 drew record numbers with millions of protesters coming to Washington, D.C., from across state lines and overseas the day after President Trump was inaugurated. While the march was founded and organized by an ethnically diverse group of women who pushed for intersectionality as the main objective, the demonstration ultimately provided a comfortable space for white liberals who finally got a glimpse of fascism when Trump stepped into office to express their frustrations. For black communities, who protest similarly

in their neighborhoods and are met with a militarized police force — and I’m not talking about uprisings — this unanimous support from white allies is unheard of.

During this year’s march, many activists of color including LGBTQIA+ and disabled people felt their voices were drowned in a sea of ill-fitting “pussy” hats and cheeky signs .

For instance, women of color, trans women and immigrant women in Philadelphia were put at risk when local organizers announced they would be collaborating with the police to set up checkpoints and random searches.

Like so, black students fighting gun violence were merely spotlighted at the March For Our Lives on March 24 in Washington, D.C., despite black students and activists traveling from Chicago and Baltimore in part because the movement is led by mostly white students.

Black Stoneman Douglas students, including Tyah-Amoy Roberts and Mei-Ling Ho-Shing, recently spoke to a South Florida news station about the exclusion they’ve experienced in the Never Again MSD movement and called out the increased police presence at their school, which puts them at risk of being unfairly targeted. Another student named Carlitos Rodriguez, who is Latino, started #StoriesUntold last week to highlight the viewpoints of students of color.

People of color at Stoneman Douglas have obviously been working hard to insert themselves in this conversation.

But how much progress can be made if their viewpoints are minimized to supplementary opinions? This isn’t to say the founding activists of Never Again MSD should stop advocating for what they built and hand over their jobs to black people, but rather that white people have to show up for people of color when they demand it and not when they’re being led by their white peers.

I believe that placing police brutality and unarmed police shootings under the umbrella of gun violence underserves the complexity of an issue that’s deeply rooted in racism. Eric Garner and Freddie Gray weren’t victims of gun violence.

- To read the rest of this column online, visit thetowerlight.com.

Opinion

April 10, 2018

Facebook faces U.S. Congress

Users exposed to Russian propaganda sources

CONNOR McNAIRN Columnist

For individuals with Facebook profiles, the app likely serves as a virtual connector to family, friends and events that take place in their respective communities.

But given the alarming user security revelations that have dominated the news cycle in the past several weeks, Facebook is now widely perceived as an insecure data repository that is readily mineable for political advantage. On Tuesday and Wednesday of the upcoming week, the U.S. Congress hopes to unearth a few answers from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding recent security lapses.

In 2014, as it prepared for the upcoming presidential election, Cambridge Analytica, a Londonbased voter-profiling firm, earned substantial investments from key Republican donors. With the help of scientists and academics, the firm gathered information of millions of unknowing Facebook users. The data harvested by the firm was subsequently used to aid then-candidate Trump’s presidential campaign.

Until recently, Zuckerberg has

said little of the data breach, but as his congressional questioning draws near, the CEO and his staff have refocused their energies on transparency and public perception. Facebook has known about Cambridge’s data collection methods since 2015, but Zuckerberg has yet to identify which individual profiles have been impacted by the breach.

This past week, Zuckerberg held a press call to elaborate on what happened to users’ information and how the platform would further ensure security in future.

According to Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg, on Monday, April 9, users will have the opportunity to see whether they were directly impacted by the Cambridge data mining and will receive instructions on how to further protect their privacy. In other words, a whopping two years later, users will finally be notified if their data was, without permission, mined for Republican political gain.

Zuckerberg admitted on Wednesday that potentially 87 million users were affected – the number originally stood at 50 million.

The context of the data breach is especially dramatic, as in late 2017,

the public learned that 29 million Americans were exposed to sources of Russian propaganda aiming to degrade the Clinton campaign.

In the age of virtual information sharing and social media presence, major media platforms face growing questions pertaining to individual security and democratic participation. Zuckerberg will likely be the most recognizable CEO to address these challenges before Congress and the nation.

On Tuesday, April 10, Zuckerberg will testify before the Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees, and on Wednesday, he will appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. While the questioning will surely prove lengthy and monotonous, senators and representatives will have the opportunity to aggressively grill underwhelming security processes that have both impacted American election results and compromised the privacy of American social media users.

Zuckerberg faces a unique problem, as his brand is the largest and most prosperous of its kind. But with such large virtual presence comes enhanced responsibility with regard to user security. Regardless of Zuckerberg’s proclamations in the upcoming hearings, Americans must be increasingly conscious of their Internet presence and carefully scrutinize the origins of their political education.

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To finishing the semester strong Don’t let your foot off the gas, but take some time for yourself JORDAN COPE

end of this long tunnel, and don’t forget to take some time for yourself to escape from the grind.

Whether your escape is going to the gym, being with Here we are, your friends or readeveryone. Just ing a good book, take 35 days until Just know that there an hour or two each the last day of is light at the end day to do something classes. of this very long you enjoy. Trust me, For many of tunnel, and don’t you will feel refreshed. us, it has been All too often we get a long semester. forget to take some caught up in the litBetween work, time for yourself to tle things, like school, our social lives escape the grind. and don’t focus on the and classes, we big picture. all are running If I eased just one out of fuel.

JORDAN COPE worried mind with this But we have Senior Editor very brief column, I all come too far accomplished my goal. to take our foot Here’s to finishing a great semester off of the gas pedal now. We’ve made out strong, everybody. I will be it through midterms, big presentacheering for you all as we cross the tions and everything else that comes finish line. with the stress of a college semester.

Sending everyone my very best.

Just know that there is light at the Senior Editor @jordancope26

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK

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Zuckerberg faces a unique problem, as his brand is the largest and most prosperous of its kind.

But with such a large virtual presence comes enhanced responsibility with regard to user security.

CONNOR McNAIRN Columnist

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Photo by Victoria Nicholson/ The Towerlight Art Director Victoria Nicholson experienced Orthodox Easter last Sunday with fellow Towson students, Brooke and Christina Foundas. The egg symbolizes the stages of the rising of Christ.

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April 10, 2018

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News

April 10, 2018

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Trigger warnings could help those with PTSD MARCUS DIETERLE Editor-in-Chief @marcusdieterle

Benz Armstrong had her last PTSD episode about five years ago during her sophomore year of college when a student in her class stabbed a sharpened pencil into a pair of birthday balloons.

“It made bursting noises and I literally dropped to the floor,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong, who is now the Director of the Military and Veteran’s Center at Towson University, said the sound of the balloons popping triggered her PTSD and brought her back mentally to her time serving in active duty.

The University Senate is debating whether to implement mandatory trigger warnings, which proponents say would better prepare people with PTSD to discuss or experience triggering material.

Student Government Association President James Mileo introduced a motion to the University Senate on Feb. 19. The proposal called on Towson to require professors to notify their students about sensitive material in their course syllabi, or at least 48 hours prior to when that material would be covered.

The proposal specifies that trigger warnings should be included for content dealing with graphic depictions or extensive discussions of war, abuse, self-harming behavior, eating-disordered behavior, body shaming, hate speech, strong abusive language, and flashing visuals for people with photosensitive conditions.

Opponents to the measure argue that requiring professors to use trigger warnings could hinder academic freedom. Proponents assert that the proposal does not prohibit professors from covering potentially triggering material, but only mandates that professors make students aware of such material so students may prepare themselves to experience or discuss it.

As a veteran and someone who experiences PTSD, Armstrong thinks trigger warnings should be mandatory at Towson.

Armstrong said professors’ use of trigger warnings would actively demonstrate that they want to create a safe and supportive learning environment, and would prompt students to be more confident in advocating for their needs.

“Our business is higher education, that she shows in her class, that is and we need to help educate students more obviously graphic. on a way to find their voices,” she “Something that’s really unusually said. “That is to see the support of bloody or graphically violent, I actuour staff and faculty to be knowlally think it’s a very good idea for edgeable enough to create this safe professors to give students a warning environment and safe space while we about that,” she said. do have them.”

But Brand said overall, professors Timothy Chandler, Provost and can’t know everything that could Vice President of Academic Affairs, trigger a student. said that although he understands According to Brand, a survivor the spirit in which the trigger warnof a car accident might be triggered ing motion was proposed, the manby the squeal of tires. A survivor of datory aspect causes concern about assault might be triggered by the academic freedom and freedom of smell of liquor that reminds them of speech. their assaulter who was drinking.

“I certainly don’t want to make Brand, who is also a therapist, it likely that said one of her traumatic expepatients was trigriences that gered by the color have deeply red because her You [as a student] influenced the abusive mother student’s life used to wear red should have the are then reenfrequently. freedom to grow, acted in ways “I think we and faculty should that are going should all treat to cause them each other conscihave the freedom to further trauentiously and with help you grow. ma,” Chandler as much empathy said. “On the as possible,” she other hand, I said. “But there feel that instituare times when tions of higher people won’t know learning have TIMOTHY CHANDLER what will trigger Provost and Vice President of somebody else…. an obligation Academic Affairs to be uncomI would hate to fortable…. If make professors everything was comfortable and easy, feel like they had failed and they’re we’re not making any progress.” at fault if they didn’t realize that Towson University President [material or a discussion] would be Kim Schatzel said that if the triggering to a student.”

University Senate passes the trigRather than Towson University ger warnings proposal, she will instituting mandatory trigger defer to Chandler on whether to warnings, Chandler said he would sign or veto the legislation. like to see students and professors While the proposal does not prowork together to deal with difficult hibit professors from covering mateand uncomfortable conversations rial, Chandler maintains that trigger and situations. warnings could have a chilling effect “You [as a student] should have on necessary conversations. the freedom to grow, and faculty “Faculty are experts in certain should have the freedom to help you fields and if you say to them ‘can grow,” Chandler said. you share that expertise?’ and that’s Beyond trigger warnings, Brand said their job, and then you limit it by the University should educate students saying ‘but you can’t talk about this about how to deal with triggering situand you can’t talk about this,’ I think ations by using two main techniques: we’re not doing students a real jusgrounding and containment. tice on that,” he said.

Individuals who use grounding are Psychology professor Bethany advised to focus on things around Brand said she warns students about them that they can see, touch, material in her classes that she hear, smell and taste. Those senthinks could potentially trigger somesory details help them regain their one, but that she disagrees with the awareness of where they are rather idea of mandating trigger warnings. than the traumatic event that the Brand said there is certain materitrigger caused them to re-experience, al, like a documentary about women according to Brand. who were sexually abused as children “With PTSD, if a person [such as

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Marcus Dieterle/ The Towerlight

The University Senate is debating a trigger warning mandate.

The senate meets in room 4310 of the Liberal Arts building. a survivor of assault] is badly triggered, they can start flipping back to where they were assaulted,” she said. “What you want to help them do is learn how to get grounded in present reality.”

According to Brand, containment is when a person uses imagery to metaphorically put away memories related to their trauma.

Brand uses the examples of somebody imagining themselves downloading their traumatic memories to a hard drive and turning off the computer, or putting the memories into a bank fault and locking it.

“It’s all imagery, but the idea is to help them gain a sense of control over what was uncontrollable,” she said.

Although Armstrong supports the trigger warnings mandate, she also believes that the conversation cannot stop there. “[Faculty] need to be very wellversed on what PTSD is and what are some of the signs and symptoms of a trigger before it happens,” she said.

“The last thing we want to do is have a student who is not aware [of their surroundings], because once PTSD kicks in, you really don’t become aware of what you’re doing.”

Armstrong said that survivors of trauma shouldn’t feel ashamed, but she acknowledged that students may feel embarrassed if they are triggered during class.

“Now the student is going to lose their confidence and they’re going to feel very embarrassed,” she said.

“Sometimes when a student like that feels embarrassed … that could shed a very negative light and that

student might not come back. We don’t want that.”

Brand said that especially when trauma is caused by one person against another, the survivor may feel dehumanized and ashamed. But Brand said that survivors should never feel ashamed of their trauma, and there is always hope that they will heal. “[Shame is] one of the hardest parts to help them heal,” she said.

“To realize that it’s not their fault, they’re not a horrible person, it’s not their body’s fault. These are things they need to learn in a very deep way so they can actually have healthy relationships.”

Armstrong said that if a student becomes triggered during class, the professor should excuse the student to the hallway, calm them down, and give them the option to take a break or be excused for the remainder of class.

She also said faculty should offer alternative lessons if a student knows they will be triggered by the assigned material.

While healing from trauma is a difficult and ongoing process, Brand emphasized that there is a light in the darkness.

“There’s hope that they can heal from that and eventually it won’t haunt them as badly as it does now,” Brand said. “They might find that in some ways, it has informed how they live in a good way. It doesn’t all have to be about loss and feeling bad about themselves…. I’ve seen amazing healing and growth in people who have been terribly mistreated. Help and healing is possible.”

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News

April 10, 2018

Young activist urges change Human trafficking Environmental conference looks for greener earth survivor enlightens ALBERT IVORY Staff Writer @Intellectu_Al

Courtesy of the Office of Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility

17-year-old environmental activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez spoke at Towson on April 3 to kick off the Office of Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility’s ninth annual environmental conference.

SOPHIA BATES

Sierra said.

As Martinez pursued activism, he learned more about the people being impacted by environmental issues.

“After natural disasters were hitAt just 17 years old, hip-hop artting my home, I did a lot of work and ist and indigenous environmental outreach,” Martinez said. “I went activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez wants on to educating and talking about everyone to play a part in protecting these issues, speaking at colleges and the earth. speaking at the United Nations. What “When I was a little kid, my dad I began to see would tell me more and more that as human of is the actual beings, we have When I was a little faces of people a responsibilbeing affected by ity to protect kid, my dad would this crisis.” our planet,” tell me that as Martinez Martinez said. human beings, we was also invit“Protect our ed to represent water, protect have a responsibilcivil society and our air, our land, ity to protect our address the genand our culture planet. eral assembly in the way that of the United our ancestors Nations, which have. This legaencouraged more cy that we leave XIUHTEZCATL MARTINEZ research on the behind is such Hip-hop artist, indigenous person, an important and environmental activist impact of environmental issues part of the way on humans. we live our lives Martinez advised audience memand the way we live our life.” bers at Towson to be more cognizant The Office of Civic Engagement of the effect they have on others. and Social Responsibility kicked “Overall, I think the biggest thing off Towson University’s ninth annual is to recognize the power of your environmental conference by hosting actions,” he said. “Be aware of how Martinez on April 3. you live your life. You have to take Assistant Director for Civic the responsibility as a human to Engagement Luis Sierra explained recognize ‘my actions affect the world the significance behind Martinez’s around me.” work and why he was the optimal Martinez also highlighted his jourchoice for this event. ney in music, even dropping a verse in “Xiuhtezcatl is the embodiment the middle of his speech. of the theme of the conference, of “Diversify the tactics, I play this developing leaders, inspiring action for the masses. I do it for the love of and building a greener future,” Staff Writer @sbrookebates

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the ‘gram and I do it for the passion,” he said.

Martinez addressed the lawsuit that he and 20 other young activists are leading against on the federal government, in which they claim the government has failed citizens’ constitutional rights to a stable climate and future.

“In December, the Trump administration took over the lawsuit and filed a legal precedent to get this lawsuit dismissed,” Martinez said. “We went to court again in December, and we heard two weeks ago that we were actually going to trial this summer.”

Freshman Mikayla McCall noted the importance of Martinez’s testimonies for raising awareness about the issue of environmental protection.

“I feel like the importance of an event like this is that it’s bringing awareness to issues on our globe that many college students are unaware of, or are uneducated in,” McCall said.

Sophomore Kristen DeLosh hopes Martinez’s speech will spur more people to seek out information about environmental issues.

“I think it’s really important, especially because a lot of people aren’t really aware of these issues, and this will actually bring their attention to these problems,” DeLosh said.

Sierra said he hopes attendees will be inspired by Martinez’s speech to find ways to make their own positive mark on the world.

“It was an amazing and a powerful way to start this conference,” Sierra said. “I hope that anybody in this room can embody his theme.

Everybody has a role to play into making this world a better place.”

Shamere McKenzie was trafficked for 18 months before she escaped her abuser. McKenzie, who is now the CEO of the Sun Gate Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating human trafficking and providing educational opportunities to survivors, shared her experience with overcoming sex-trafficking as a part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month at Potomac Lounge April 3.

McKenzie said victims of trafficking are often dehumanized, but that her experiences as a survivor of sex-trafficking don’t make her any less of a human being who deserves respect.

“We live in a society that no longer places value on human life and because we don’t place value on human life, there are people who exploit that,” McKenzie said.

Before she was trafficked, McKenzie was a college student struggling to pay her tuition.

After a charismatic man complimented her and they struck up a conversation about her passions, the man offered to let her live in his basement to alleviate some of her expenses. McKenzie moved into the man’s house, then took a job at a strip club at the man’s suggestion. The job became overwhelming when she and the man got into an argument over giving a customer oral sex, then it got physical when he put his hand around her neck and threatened to kill her.

“My whole life flashed before me,” she said.

The abuse McKenzie endured went on for 18 months, and her trafficker abused other victims. McKenzie

escaped after the man threatened to kill her with an unloaded gun, and she sought help when she encountered a random bystander.

McKenzie pulled from those experiences to earn a full scholarship to Loyola University where she got a degree in criminology and criminal justice.

Human trafficking is defined as the exploitation of a human being for someone else’s profit.

According to McKenzie, human trafficking can include things like forced labor and sexual acts, and traffickers can be anybody from law enforcement officials to school teachers to pastors to coaches. McKenzie also noted the difference between human trafficking and human smuggling, in which human smuggling is transportation-based while human trafficking is exploitation-based.

McKenzie discussed the culture of human trafficking, including the language, code of conduct, and the consequences for disobedience. She explained that “romeo pimps” initiate romance with their victims then abuse them, “gorilla pimps” are the most violent and abuse their victims for every single thing they do, “booster pimps” use drugs to control their victims, and “sneaker pimps” don’t have a car.

Continuing to talk about the different language of human trafficking, McKenzie explained, “lot lizard” is a person who gets exploited at a truck stop. She said truckers will note a person who’s wearing red, black and white, and tell fellow truckers that there is a “lot lizard: red, black, and white” and so those truckers can proposition the person for sex.

- To read the rest of this article online, visit thetowerlight.com.

Courtesy of Womack Army Medical Center

CEO of the Sun Gate Foundation and sexual violence survivor Shamere McKenzie spoke at TU for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

News

April 10, 2018

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TU debates drugs, taxes, guns

Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians rumble YouTube shooter calls site a “dictatorship” Menifee, California

Photo by Anthony Petro/ The Towerlight

Towson’s College Republicans, Libertarians and Democrats debated about issues regarding drugs, taxes and guns Thursday during their annual “Rumble@TU” event in the West Village ballrooms.

ANTHONY PETRO Staff Writer

Towson University’s College Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians debated drug, tax and gun policies on April 5 for their annual "Rumble at TU" debate in West Village.

This was the first year that the College Libertarians were featured in the debates, and the first year the debate allowed audience members to submit questions for the section about guns.

Towerlight Editor-in-Chief Marcus Dieterle and political science professor Jim Roberts moderated the debate.

Club presidents Ryan Kirby, Matthew Schwartzman and Ethan Meyers -- who are the presidents of TU’s College Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians, respectively -- participated in the debates, along with members of each of their clubs.

For the first section, the participants debated questions related to the drug policy.

“Every individual has the opportunity to choose what is best for them, but the safety of others is important,” Libertarian Michael Carney said. “By criminalizing drugs, the only people we hurt are those in trouble already.”

Schwartzman said marijuana should be reclassified from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule 3 drug. This would mean marijuana would remain illegal for recreational use but would become legal for medicinal use.

Democrat Jonathan Townes argued that the government should move away from punishing drug abusers, and instead move toward providing rehabilitation services.

“The War on Drugs is a failure of government policy,” Democrat Jonathan Townes said. “We need to change the focus from criminal charges to mental health issues.”

Schwartzman agreed in part, calling former President Richard Nixon’s War on Drugs a “racist act.”

Townes called out the Republican party for backtracking on the War on Drugs, referring to President Donald Trump’s current efforts to push harder to criminalize drug abusers.

Carney and the Libertarians said the government should not be alienating people who are addicted to drugs.

Townes agreed, reiterating that more focus should be given to mental health issues.

The Republicans agreed as well, but Schwartzman continued to push for reclassification of marijuana.

“We need to keep marijuana illegal for recreational use to have a safer society,” he said. “If dispensaries continue, businesses will push pot to kids like they do with alcohol and caffeine or like they did with cigarettes.”

Following a short intermission, the groups retook the stage and tackled taxes. The Democrats spoke first, addressing the flow of tax money into military spending as opposed to foreign aid.

“Too much money is going into the military and not enough is going toward foreign aid,” Kirby said.

“Foreign aid programs help those in need and help the US build positive relationships abroad.”

The Republicans rebutted, saying the United States’ military is the nation’s greatest foreign aid. Yet Libertarian Nate DeGuzman said the U.S. military

has overstepped its boundaries.

“We use our military power irresponsibly,” DeGuzman said. “World War II was the last time we properly declared war, yet we’ve been in wars ever since and we shouldn’t be.”

Kirby said the money the U.S. invests into foreign aid could help avoid wars, but DeGuzman argued that foreign aid money should stay home.

“We need aid here before we help others overseas,” DeGuzman said.

“Detroit and Flint are good examples.

Let’s fix ourselves first.”

After the moderators gathered questions about guns that audience members had submitted electronically, the debaters tackled gun issues in America.

“One of the worst things is the death of children,” Kirby said. “Our country is in love with guns. There are more guns than people.”

The Republicans advocated for arming teachers.

“Teachers who want to, and feel comfortable carrying a weapon, should be allowed to,” Republican Emma Middleton said. “If a shooter walks into a room knowing it is a gun-free zone, the students are all sitting ducks.

Allow the teachers the ability to protect the students.”

Kirby said arming teachers is “ludicrous” and said parents feel less safe knowing their child’s teacher has a weapon on them.

“It is hard to expect the teacher to shoot the right person in the event a shooter comes in,” Kirby said.

“Consequently, it's also hard to expect the cops not to shoot the teacher who is wielding a gun.”

- To read the rest of this article, visit thetowerlight.com.

YouTuber Nasim Aghdam opened fire on YouTube’s headquarters April 3, injuring three people before killing herself. Before the shooting, Aghdam, a known vegan activist, had taken to protesting against the video site, calling it a “dictatorship” and accusing it of suppressing her channel. Aghdam appeared to have been referring to “demonetization,” which is a process where YouTube flags certain videos as ineligible to receive advertising money. Aghdam, angry with the drop in her viewership, had disappeared from home a few days prior to the shooting. Her family reported her missing March 31, but when police found her they did not see her as a threat.

Asylum seekers and refugees face increased challenges Lawyers say that the interview process for immigrants seeking asylum in the United States has gotten significantly longer and harder. Though there have been no formal changes in interview policy or practice, the interviews for asylum have become filled with lengthy and personal questions. However, the informal changes do come after a change in the asylum process as a whole. Whereas asylum seekers were previously interviewed on a ‘first come, first served basis,’ now those who applied most recently have their interviews scheduled first. Immigration lawyers are also claiming that officers are losing clients’ paperwork that shows that the client would be in danger if they returned to their home country.

Texas sends National Guard troops to border Texas Texas sent 250 National Guard troops to the Mexican border Friday, making it the first state to take action on President Donald Trump’s calls for a military presence along the border. The National Guard plans to send surveillance vehicles, as well as various aircraft,in addition to personal. The efforts come on the tail end of directions from Trump to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense to send troops to the border in order to keep out undocumented immigrants.

-- Stories compiled by Mary-Ellen Davis. Stories from The Daily Beast.

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Arts & Life

Holocaust Remembrance Series: Music and art at TU honor lives lost KERRY INGRAM Associate Arts & Life Editor @Glaminista08

Ahead of National Holocaust Remembrance Day, Towson University’s departments of music and art and design are holding a series of programs spread awareness to the victims of the genocide.

The series, which kicked off Sunday with a guest artist recital, is meant to remember the millions of Jewish people and other minorities who the Nazis murdered during World War II. The Holocaust, which occurred from 1933 to 1945, was the mass murder of millions of Jews and other civilians leading up to, and during, World War II. The murders, which were ordered by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime and Joseph Stalin’s soviet army, occurred not only on German soil, but also in countries like Poland and Lithuania.

According to wartime reports and postwar demographic studies held at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, up to six million Jews died during the holocaust, as well as roughly 250,000 people with disabilities, and thousands of homosexuals.

These deaths occurred due in large part to the idea of there being what Hitler referred to as an “inferior race.” At that time in history, Jewish individuals were looked at as being inferior to the German race; one difference in a defining and harmless trait led to the mass murder of many.

In today’s current political and social climate, there are still groups

of people who are ostracized and looked at as being “less-than.” This year alone, U.S. political appointees reversed several regulations put in place to protect LGBTQ individuals; 170 people of color have been shot and killed by the U.S. police force, according to the Washington Post; and women still earn only about 77 cents to a man’s dollar despite working that same jobs.

Sexual orientation, race, and gender are all personal traits that don’t equate to a person’s overall value or worthiness, much like being Jewish. Despite this, discrimination and hatred are still real obstacles thrown in the way of those who are different than the mass majority surrounding them.

With occurrences like the Holocaust, being caused by such hatred and haunting the world’s past, many fear that history will repeat itself.

Charles Borowsky, president of the International Institute for Regional Studies and president of Intermuse Performing Arts Bureau, hopes to use music as a way to keep such tragedies from ever happening again.

“We don’t have to look very hard to find acts of inhumanity in this day and age…. [This concert], performed by these dedicated and acclaimed musicians, has been intended not only as a memorial for the victims of the Holocaust and Gulag, but also to serve as a catalyst for evoking, nurturing, and promoting mutual respect, tolerance, and cooperation,” Borowsky said.

The concert, which was held at the Recital Hall in the Center for the Arts on Sunday afternoon, was made up of a collection of songs by

Photo by Kerry Ingram/ The Towerlight

Sydney Bennett (left), a cello performance major at TU, practices several pieces while having one-on-one coaching with Traubas (right.)

Jewish and Lithuanian composers, and was meant to express the journey of people through hard times.

Borowsky’s wife, TU faculty member and cellist Cecylia Barczyk, and their children -- known as The American Virtuosi -- performed pieces alongside famed Lithuanian violinist Borisas Traubas to showcase how music can be used to bring people together while telling stories of sorrow, hope and forgiveness.

The idea of storytelling through Courtesy of Amber Wilson music was especially important for The American Virtuosi and Traubas prepare for Sunday’s concert.

Traubas, who came from Lithuania to share his musical knowledge with Towson. Borowsky served as a prevalent attitude…. It's all too a translator for Traubas, who does convenient to be detached and fornot speak English. the unique opportunity of working get about others, not only far away, “Music is my life,” Traubas said. with Traubas. but even close by us.”

“I’ve played so many years. It’s the way “It was very enlightening,” Bennett Borowsky said that the people of expressing what you can’t express said. “It was great to get a second who experienced the Holocaust are in many other set of ears to listen not all that different than the peoways that to me. It was very ple who live today.

I love. You encouraging…. I felt “Remembering this dark point don’t have to very comfortable. I in history allows us not only to say any words certainly learned a commemorate the victims and the to express lot and it was just lasting effect it has had on their your emoa really good overall families to this date, but to guard tions. Music experience to have.” against the beginnings of such is for a lack A l t h o u g h movements within our own sociof words and Sunday’s concert ety,” he said. “The in-depth study can go above was the main focus of history from a variety of perspecand beyond.” of Towson’s series, tives, and discussion among people Traubas, the remembrance is one of the healthiest investments whose pardays at TU are also we can make.” ents were surset to include a Barcyzk shared how this awarevivors of the poster exhibition ness can be made effortlessly Holocaust, and a film showing. through the use of music and art. began his The poster exhi“The idea that music allows for the musical jourbition, entitled expression of another dimension of Borisas Traubas Lithuanian violinist “Design Advocacy: ney when he our lives and personalities and a force was seven Genocide and to both commemorate and celebrate, years old. His Injustice,” runs has been explored time and again in parents wanted to provide their chilthrough Saturday, May 12, and history,” she said. “One of my own dren with an education that could includes designs made by Towson personal favorite quotes is by Victor lead to a good source for living; clasgraphic design students that highlight Hugo: ‘Music expresses that which sical musicians were well-paid during violations of social justice. cannot be put into words and that Traubas’ youth, and so his parents “Gitel,” the film being shown on which cannot remain silent.’” sent him and his siblings to music April 12, explores how the Holocaust Sunday’s concert at TU precedes school. He has been gracing audiences affects survivors and the importance the concerts that Traubas and The with his violinist charm ever since. of recognizing their truths.

American Virtuosi will be holdTraubas said the purpose of According to Borowsky, a large ing during their U.S. Tour, titled music is simply to “overcome evil by goal of this event series is to bring “Never Forget.” The tour, which doing good.” more awareness and conversations will run through April 22, consists Upon arriving at Towson’s camto the topic of atrocities faced of performances in Washington pus, Traubas spent an afternoon during War World II. D.C., Pennsylvania, New York, New holding a masterclass for TU’s “There are many people unaware Hampshire and Vermont. music students prior to his concert of the evils committed by both the Before his departure from performance. The intimate practice Nazis and Communists,” Borowsky Towson for future performances, session was held Thursday, with said. “I would argue that many have Traubas had one lasting notion to a trio and solo cellist performing not learned the lesson from the share with anyone willing to listen. in order to gain feedback from the cries of millions of victims. Maybe “It’s like the U.S. money – ‘unitmusician, as other music students because we're living in a day and ed we stand, in God we trust,’” observed in the audience. Sydney age in which, thanks to a relatively Traubas said. “We need to try to Bennett, a graduate student majorlong period of safety and security, live that saying. It should not just be on paper; it should be in life.” ing in cello performance, enjoyed ‘it can't happen to me’ seems to be

“

It’s like the U.S.money - “united we stand, in God we trust”... It should not just be on paper; it should be in life.

Arts & Life

April 10, 2018

Throwback with classical theatre TU students put new spin on “Othello”

Courtesy of Kanji Takeno

Shakespeare’s “Othello” is showing at Towson’s Studio Theatre, located in the Center for the Arts, April 4 through April 14. Tickets are available online, as well as at the CFA box office, starting at $8 for students.

ANNIE MORENO Contributing Writer

The department of theatre arts premiered its rendition of Shakespeare’s “Othello” this weekend. The show will run April 5 through April 14 in the Center for the Arts’ Studio Theatre.

This performance, directed by BFA in acting coordinator Peter Wray, stars Isaiah Harvey as Iago, Tyrel Brown as Othello, Alessandra Mejia as Desmonda, Tim Neil as Cassio, and Autumn Koehnlein as Emilia. The performance also features a number of other supporting characters, and costumes that gave off a gender-fluid vibe. Both male and female characters wore blouses and pants in a vibrant pastel color theme that blended together on stage. Many of the roles were also gender bendable, as in most Shakespeare performances.

“We were looking for an opportunity for undergraduate actors in the BFA program to hone their skill sets from what they’re learning in the classroom,” Wray said. “Both in terms of approach to material, especially in Shakespeare, and how to approach language that is different than contemporary language; how to analyze it, break it down, and make it behavioral enough so that contemporary

audience would understand what’s going on in the world of the play.”

“Othello” is a very dramatic tragedy, yet charming at times, and this cast added a touch of comedy to the production. The performance entailed the themes of reputation, passion, love, trust and betrayal, but mostly focused on the theme of jealousy, a relatable topic that made for an engaging production.

In the first act, Iago says “O beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on,” which ultimately sets the audience up for all that is about to happen.

What he means, in more modern language, is “I hope you get jealous and kill your wife, because that would fulfill my needs.”

“One of the major themes of the play is jealousy,” Wray said. “And we know that Othello is jealous, because that’s what Iago does. He makes him jealous, and Othello does tragic things. Every character in this play, like all of us, has different levels of jealousy. We are envious of someone who has something we want, and we are jealous of someone that does something we wish we could do.”

Wray had the cast keep the theme of jealousy in mind when forming their characters, and expressed his pride in how the show developed through the students’ exploration.

“It’s wonderful to see them grow and unlock their code of Shakespeare’s text…. As a company, they grew together as an ensemble, which was really fun to watch,” Wray said.

For some of the actors, the connection between themselves and the character became almost natural, despite the actual differences in personality.

“I hope I’m nothing like Iago personally,” Harvey said. “But the thing I definitely like about playing him, is some of the lines he says are just downright disgusting, and I’m kind of worried with how much fun I’m having with this. The really intense moments, are the moments where Iago is manipulating Othello. That kind of emotional outburst is really cathartic in my character, and he goes through some emotional swings.”

Shakespeare’s “Othello” is like a breakup gone bad, but it all ends with murder. There are love triangles, lies, misunderstandings about cheating in relationships, dramatic fights, yet still a sense of playfulness, all leading up to the intense unfolding of events in Act 3.

The production team had a hefty job of cutting down the play from its original five acts into three, however, did so seamlessly. The show contains a variety of Italian and Turkish sounding music,

which added a lighthearted sense to a play that incorporates so many tragedies. “Othello” takes place in Venice and Turkey (hence the music choice), and involves a war in Cyprus against the Turks, which made the music an appropriate fit, really giving the room a renaissance-like feel.

“The party scene was really fun, especially watching Tim literally trip over himself consistently,” Harvey said. “It was really funny.

Just pretend-drinking on stage is not something I’ve done before.

So, it was a lot of fun doing the little party on stage.”

“I like, throughout the show, the moments of lightness people find,” Neil said. “In particular, when Hannah Faircloth, in the opening of Act 3, is mocking Iago and Rodrigo. They do a very good job of finding the moments of gravity, and bringing that different sort of energy to this sad piece.”

The set included a see-through backdrop made to look like trees with lighting, which added interest as to what was going on in the scenes.

“We got a very small budget to work with, and there’s a lot of duplicity throughout the play,” said Sam Brady, a senior theatre major and scenic designer for the production.

Brady said that the material for the see-through trees is fiberglass screens, like the material you put in your window frame.

“There are many instances within the play where people are hiding, people are sneaking around, and we audience members can see that someone is there, but in the scope of the play they are clearly hidden,” Brady said. “So that’s kind of what we were playing around with, and we knew they’d be beautiful to

13

project light onto.”

Brady also shared that designing the floor was the most challenging part, which was intricately painted and detailed, adding eye-catching colors to the whole show.

“It was a lot of stencil, it was a lot of manpower, and it just turned out really beautifully and it’s really the base of the whole show,” Brady said.

In this play, Shakespeare gives the character Emilia a great perspective on men, which is enlightening. There are also many moments where the audience can see the relationship between women, and how they act when men are not around. The actresses did a nice job of portraying friendship amongst women. “Othello” also shines a light on the degrading of and abuse of women, as Desmonda is repeatedly called a “whore” and abused by Othello, due to his jealousy.

Brown shared his true feelings of connection with Othello, despite Othello’s shortcomings.

“Othello and I, we’re both very passionate when it comes to things,” Brown said. “Like, when we think something, we go for it. And nothing’s gonna stop us from getting what we want. And it’s so cool to me, we’re just so driven by passion.”

For Wray, the level of development the students have undergone in the process of this play makes the show worthwhile. He praised the students for the amount of growth each person showed as performers, and as people. “[I enjoyed] seeing each of the actors, in their own way, approach their character,” Wray said. “[It’s nice to see them] grow in their understanding of how the character fit in the world of the play of ‘Othello.’”

Courtesy of Kanji Takeno

Tim Neil (left) stars as Cassio, a character who goes through much internal conflict, which Neil balances throughout the show.

14 April 10, 2018

Arts & Life

Sounds like bad news TIMOTHY COFFMAN Columnist

Thirty Seconds to Mars is one of the more interesting groups to come out of the early-2000s era of rock music. Most people associate this band with their frontman Jared Leto and his acting career, having starred in movies like “Suicide Squad” and “Dallas Buyers Club”. However, Leto has proved time and time again that he has one of the better voices in rock music today, with previous albums like “A Beautiful Lie” and “This is War” having an epic soundscape that one would typically find on a U2 or Pink Floyd record. Thirty Seconds to Mars’ previous albums also infuse a space-rock tinged flourish that give the songs an added grandeur.

The group has gone in a bit of a different direction with this next effort “America.” Leto and the band have decided to incorporate more contemporary pop production into their sound, and I can’t say that I had the best listening experience.

To be fair, there are songs like “Walk on Water” and “Live Like a Dream,” which I consider to be mandatory listening for any true fan of this group.

Leto’s trademark voice is still as ferocious as ever, which I imagine most fans will be happy about. However, there are more electronic elements that I can see becoming dated in a few years. Also, the collaborations with Halsey and A$AP Rocky left a lot to be desired. While I do enjoy elements of both songs, I feel that these two features were a tad misplaced.

This new sound is certainly a change of pace, but I don’t see it as particularly disheartening yet. While this album didn’t thrill me the same way albums like “This is War” did, that’s not to say that the group has lost its identity by any stretch.

There are many times on this album where the trademark Thirty Seconds to Mars sound still shines through.

The album just tends to be very lopsided, which is a bit of a step backwards but one I can see the band recovering from.

In general, I can probably say that this is one of the worst things that Thirty Seconds to Mars has put out.

For those who have seen Leto as an actor and want to see how he is as a musician, I would not start with this album necessarily. This is not a complete disappointment, but if you’re a fair-weather fan of this group, you may be better off skipping this one.

Always trust and care for your gut NOELLE HARADA Columnist

It’s the moment in class when everybody’s eyes begin to droop.

You are listening to PowerPoint slide number 103, and just as the professor pauses to let the class think, you feel the dreaded midclass gas. If you often feel gassy, bloated or generally run-down, you may want to consider the well-being of your gut. Your gut discomfort may be due, in part, to your diet, stress levels and lifestyle.

The health of your gut plays a key role in your overall health and well-being. The “gut,” digestive tract, or gastrointestinal (GI) tract is essentially a long tube that runs from your mouth to your anus. It helps break food into smaller molecules and nutrients that are carried throughout the body and used by cells for growth, energy and repair.

There is a complex system of bacteria and other microbes in the gut

called microbiota that aid in digestion and overall immune function.

This system is comprised of trillions of healthful and essential microbes called probiotics. You acquire these probiotics at birth, but factors such as diet, antibiotics and stress can affect the composition and diversity of these gut microbes. Having a diversity of probiotics in your gut can improve digestion and immune health.

If the composition of your gut probiotics is imbalanced, then you may experience unpleasant symptoms. According to studies done by the American Nutrition Association and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, millions of Americans are affected by digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, heartburn and indigestion. Although these problems could be caused by a number of factors, making healthy diet and lifestyle choices can improve your gut health and help keep your body

on track.

Some things that may negatively impact gut health include poor diet, alcohol, high fat intake and stress.

It can be relatively easy to alter the composition of gut bacteria and improve your health. Eating a diet rich in fiber is the first step to creating a healthier gut. Lack of dietary fiber can decrease the diversity of your gut microbiota. This is linked to many negative health effects like increased fat storage, higher rates of insulin resistance and increased cholesterol levels. Fiber is found in many plant foods like vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and legumes. Incorporating these foods into your meals and snacks is important for fiber and health.

Along with fiber, prebiotics and probiotics are important for gut health. Prebiotics are indigestible plant fibers that feed probiotics; these are key to a healthy gut.

Foods rich in prebiotics include bananas, onion, garlic, brussels sprouts, broccoli, whole grains and other foods. Probiotics are found in foods like yogurt, sauerkraut and miso. They are microorganisms that promote healthful colonies of microbiota and also counteract the development of harmful bacteria in the gut.

Along with fiber, prebiotics, and probiotics, it is also important to stay hydrated. One of the most important aspects of proper digestion is hydration. Be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep your GI tract functioning properly.

If you are experiencing digestive discomfort, one thing you should not do is a juice cleanse, colon cleanse, fruit detox or any similar fad diets. Cleanses and detoxes promise to clear out ‘toxins’ from your body, improve gut health, and make you healthier. However, these diets are not scientifically backed and may worsen your issues.

Most cleanse diets do not provide details about what “toxins” you are trying to rid yourself of.

The notion that intestinal waste is a ‘toxin’ that poisons the body is an enduring myth. The liver, lungs, and kidneys are specifically designed to get rid of any ‘toxins’ that exist in the body.

- To read the rest of this article online, visit thetowerlight.com.

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TIGERS IN RECOVERY

16 April 10, 2018

Sports

tribe trip up tigers bouncing back The Tigers fall to 7-22 this season and 4-5 in CAA play Towson defeats CAA foe Drexel JILL GATTENS Staff Writer

Towson dropped two of its three games to Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival William & Mary at Plumeri Park in Williamsburg, Virginia, this weekend.

On Sunday, the Tigers (7-22, 4-5 CAA) held the Tribe (13-20, 3-6 CAA) to three hits to secure a 6-1 victory.

Towson got on the board in the first inning when senior outfielder Colin Gimblet singled to score redshirt junior outfielder Mark Grunberg.

In the third inning, senior infielder Billy Lennox scored on a sacrifice

fly from Grunberg.

The Tribe scored their lone run of the game on a bases-loaded walk in the fourth inning.

The Tigers added another run in the fifth inning with a RBI single from junior infielder Richie Palacios.

In the ninth inning, the Tigers pushed across three more runs courtesy of Grunberg and Gimblet.

Senior pitcher Michael Adams (3-2) secured the win as he allowed one run on three hits, while striking out eight through seven plus innings.

Junior pitcher Dean Stramara recorded his first save of the season.

“We played well enough to win a couple of games,” Head Coach Matt Tyner said. “The hitting or the lack of hitting is contagious. It’s

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Due to predicted rain in the Williamsburg area, the teams played a doubleheader on Friday.

In game one of Friday’s doubleheader, the Tigers fell short of a comeback after scoring five runs in the ninth inning.

The Tribe got on the board in the second inning from a solo home run. They added four runs in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead.

Towson answered in the fourth inning when junior catcher Trey Martinez doubled to score sophomore infielder Noah Cabrera.

Redshirt freshman infielder Dirk Masters singled to score the second run of the inning.

- To read the rest of this article online, visit thetowerlight.com

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KARUGA KOINANGE Sports Editor

Towson men’s lacrosse rebounded from a three-game losing skid with a 17-9 win over Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival Drexel Friday night at Johnny Unitas Stadium.

The Dragons (4-6, 0-2 CAA) kept the game tight in the first three quarters, but the Tigers (4-6, 1-1 CAA) secured the win thanks to a scoring run in the fourth.

Freshman attacker Phil Wies got Towson off to a solid start with an early goal and assist. He helped the team jump out to a 3-0 lead. Drexel responded with a run of its own, knotting the score up 3-3 going into the second.

The Tigers regained momentum with another scoring run as junior attacker Brendan Sunday scored an unassisted goal to kick off the second. Junior midfielder Timmy Mohanan and redshirt sophomore midfielder Matt Sovero followed with goals of their own to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead midway through the period.

Drexel answered back with a

score, but Sovero punched in two more goals to give Towson a sizeable 8-4 advantage heading into the break.

Sovero continued his strong play in the third as he fed sophomore midfielder Jake McLean for a goal early in the stanza. Despite a strong offensive showing by the home team, the Dragons kept the game close as they scored twice to cut the deficit to three heading into the fourth.

Both teams exchanged goals in the early stages of the period, but Towson took over midway through the final quarter with a 6-0 run to seal the win. The team’s scoring run in the fourth doubled its offensive production in last week’s matchup against Hofstra.

Redshirt junior attacker Johnny Giuffreda and Sovero both recorded career-high days with five and three goals, respectively. Giuffreda scored four of his goals in the final quarter of play. Sunday also had a solid outing, tying his career-best with three goals.

Towson looks to keep its offensive production going as the team travels to Garber Field to take on the University of Massachusetts Saturday afternoon. Game time is slated for 1 p.m.

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April 10, 2018

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17

HELPER WANTED Close to TU. Lawn work, cleaning, odds & ends.

Flexible hours. Good wages. Start ASAP. Please call 410-321-0746.

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18 April 10, 2018

Sports

seniors ready for turning point Brendan Felch/ The Towerlight

Towson women’s tennis team poses with their rackets along with Head Coach Jamie Peterson. Peterson honored the team’s five seniors -- AJ Gomer, Nicole Shakhnazarova, Barbora Vasilkova, and co-captains Renate van Oorschodt and Lucy Williams -- before suffering a tight loss to George Washington Sunday afternoon at the Tiger Tennis Complex.

BILLY OWENS Assistant Sports Editor

Towson completed its fifth match in four days with a tough loss to George Washington on senior day at the Tiger Tennis Complex Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers had previously won three of their last four matches, defeating University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, and Coppin State Friday along with Johns Hopkins Thursday, but falling to No. 47 William & Mary Saturday.

Sunday, Towson could not overcome George Washington’s steady play, losing 6-1.

Prior to the match, Head Coach Jamie Peterson recognized the team’s five seniors — AJ Gomer, Nicole Shakhnazarova, Barbora Vasilkova, and co-captains Renate van Oorschodt and Lucy Williams — in a short on-court ceremony.

“The five seniors have been the

backbone of this team that has taken this program to heights it has never seen,” Peterson said. “All of the girls have had significant individual wins over major Division I teams and won clinching individual matches when the team match has been tied 3-3. I can't say enough about their accomplishments on and off the court, including their strong academic showing over all four years.”

The Tigers jumped out to an early lead by winning the opening doubles point, spearheaded by No. 3 Vasilkova and Lucy Gloninger beating Victoria Kogan and Kamilla Beisenova 6-2.

At No. 2 doubles, Gomer and van Oorschodt found themselves down 5-2 to Sara Grubac and Julia Herlogsson, but fought back to level the set at 6-6 and force a tiebreaker.

They would go on to win 7-6 (2), clinching what would be the Tigers’ only point of the day.

The Colonials prevented the doubles sweep, as Maria Siopacha and Melis Bayraktaroglu defeated No. 1’s

Jane Shusterman and Lucy Williams 7-5.

Towson kept it competitive in singles play, as they won a set or forced a tiebreaker in four of the six matches, but the team could not match the consistency of George Washington.

Siopacha defeated No. 1 Shakhnazarova 7-5, 7-6 (2), Bayraktaroglu beat No. 2 Williams 6-2, 6-0, and Grubac came back to defeat No. 3 Gomer 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, while Herlogsson outlasted No. 4 Vasilkova 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, Marie-Louise Decamps beat Gloninger 6-4, 6-2, and Beisenova closed out No. 6 Alexa Martinez 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.

“We had every opportunity to win the match, with winning the doubles point and lots of first sets,” Peterson said. “They’re very fit and make lots of balls. We couldn’t get over that edge, but it’ll prepare us for our future battles coming up.”

Saturday afternoon, Towson could not overcome No. 47 William & Mary, the CAA’s powerhouse team, and

lost 6-1 at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center in Williamsburg, Virginia.

No. 6 Gloninger pulled off an impressive 2-6, 6-0, 6-4 comeback win over Charlotte Madson to give the Tigers their only point of the match.

“We lost the doubles point and some quick first sets, but we came back and fought hard, which are the characteristics that we need to have even if we end up losing,” Peterson said. “Their coaches were highly complementary of our players.”

Friday afternoon, Towson earned two nearly perfect sweeps of in-state rivals University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Coppin State, winning 7-0 in both dual matches of the doubleheader at the Tiger Tennis Complex.

The Tigers gave up just 10 games to the Eagles through both singles and doubles, and only gave up three games to the Hawks.

“It’s always nice to have a bit of an easier match, where there’s not as much stress involved,” Peterson said.

“We’ve got to come out and represent, with good attitudes and energy; you’ve got to play the same way.”

Thursday evening, Towson vanquished Division III No. 18 Johns Hopkins 5-0 under the lights at the Tiger Tennis Complex.

The Tigers took two of three doubles flights to win the opening point of the match over the Blue Jays.

They would go on to win four of the six singles flights to clinch the dual match before the courts’ lights went out and play was halted.

“They’re the same kind of team [as George Washington] — they make you play a lot of balls,” Peterson said. “We didn’t give up a point, and only gave up one set.”

Towson looks ahead to the home stretch of their spring regular season this week, with their Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) seeding resting on the results of their next few matches.

The team will face Villanova Tuesday afternoon before hosting Delaware Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Sports

April 10, 2018

19

USTORE tu sprints to second TU finishes first in four events in weekend competition

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Carly Tellekamp Women’s Lacrosse

Junior attacker Carly Tellekamp registered four goals in Towson’s 20-5 win over Drexel Friday night at Vidas Field, helping her capture the 100th goal of her career. She also recorded two goals and one assist in the team’s impressive 16-7 win over conference foe Delaware.

Courtesy of Towson University Athletics

Distance runner Abby Gauthier runs in the steeplechase earlier this season. Gauthier finished fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in the Loyola-Johns Hopkins Invitational this weekend.

MUHAMMAD WAHEED Staff Writer

Towson placed second at the Loyola-Johns Hopkins Invitational by finishing first in four different events.

Junior Naja McAdam’s 5-5 leap won her the high jump.

“Naja’s been working hard all of her three years here,” Head Coach Mike Jackson said. “Just really glad to see some progress. It was her first individual victory in college and it matches probably her best performance in college. Just really proud of her and looking forward to it continuing to happen.”

Junior Rachel Laryea placed first in the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.63 seconds.

“She was the top seed going into the meet, so I just encouraged her to get the job done and to win and she did that, so also proud of her efforts,” Jackson said.

Sophomore Jamila Brown placed first in the 200 meter dash with a season-best time of 24.77 seconds.

Brown was one of five runners to place in the top six in that respec-

tive event.

“She didn’t compete very much indoors and she and I agreed that she needed to get a couple more races in, so she ran with her teammates in the 200 and they really pushed her and she was able to come out on top,” Jackson said.

Senior Megan Kelly placed second in the same event with a time of 24.89 seconds.

Laryea also had a good outing, coming in fourth place with a time of 25.81 seconds.

Sophomore Alexis Goodman placed fifth with a time of 25.99, and junior Druex Collins came in sixth place with a time of 26.29 seconds.

“I think we have a very talented team,” Jackson said. “I was surprised that there weren’t other teams in our heat or more people from other teams, but I thought we seeded our athletes fairly and they did a good job and really just represented Towson very well.”

Brown, Kelly, sophomore T’Reyah Johnson and senior Amanda Famularo placed first in in the 4X400-meter relays with a time of 3:48.42.

The 4X400-meter relay team of freshman Ivonna Hoskins, sophomore Toni James, junior Tiffany Woods and Collins came in second place with a 3:37.88 time.

“I just think they were competitive, focused on winning,” Jackson said. “Just saw some good things from a lot of people and I was very proud of how they represented themselves so I’m just focused on being competitive and playing to win usually gets the job done.”

Towson will host the TU Invite at Johnny Unitas Stadium on Saturday, April 14, with throwing events set to begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by running events at noon.

“We’re really excited about it,” Jackson said. “It’s a meet that our team always focuses on just because being able to have friends and family come and see them. We also have a ring ceremony on that Friday night which will commemorate our championship win from last year so it’s a great and exciting weekend.

Looks like the weather is going to be great as well so I just think they just have some great anticipation for the great things that are going to happen this weekend.”

Y P P A H ring

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20 April 10, 2018

Sports

Tigers win with second half surge Amanda Jean Thomas/ The Towerlight

Senior Emily Gillingham lines up a shot on CAA rival Delaware’s goal at Johnny Unitas Stadium Sunday afternoon. Gillingham went on to score three goals against the Blue Hens, which tied for first on the team with junior Natalie Sulmonte. The senior has now scored 114 goals over the course of her career at Towson through 68 games played.

KARUGA KOINANGE Sports Editor

Towson women’s lacrosse picked up a 16-7 win over Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) foe Delaware Sunday afternoon at Johnny Unitas Stadium.

The Blue Hens (5-8, 0-2 CAA) kept the game close in the first half, but the Tigers (10-2, 2-0 CAA) pulled away in the second half thanks to an offensive surge.

“It was a real back-and-forth affair in the first half, but we found our rhythm in the second half,” Head Coach Sonia LaMonica said.

“We started playing more to our game.”

Freshman attacker Kaitlin Thornton ripped in the first goal of the game just one minute into play. Sophomore attacker Coeli

Love recorded her first goal on the season just one minute later to give her team an early 2-0 lead.

Delaware got on the scoreboard a few minutes later, but Towson quickly responded with an unassisted goal by senior midfielder Kaitlyn Montalbano to go up 3-1.

It looked as though the Tigers were ready to go on one of their big scoring runs, but the Blue Hens kept things close.

Both teams exchanged goals midway through the period, but Towson finished the half on a high note as redshirt sophomore Maddie Dickman scored on a free position opportunity, and junior attacker Natalie Sulmonte punched in an unassisted goal to give the team a 7-4 advantage going into the break.

The visitors looked locked in to kick off the second half as Gosher recorded a goal and an assist early in the stanza to help her team

narrow the deficit to one, but Montalbano found the back of the cage on a quick dive to extend Towson’s lead again.

The Blue Hens looked to keep the game tight, but they committed several fouls midway through the period that gave the Tigers easy scoring chances.

Junior attacker Carly Tellekamp capitalized on back-to-back free position opportunities with two goals, and senior midfielder Emily Gillingham rocketed in a free position goal to give the Tigers an 11-6 bulge with just over 15 minutes left to play.

Delaware also struggled to get the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Kiley Keating.

She finished the game with 14 saves and helped hold the Blue Hens to just one free position goal on eight chances.

“Throughout the game there’s

plenty of possessions where the defense has to have my back and free positions are the time when I have to have theirs,” Keating said.

The home team piled it on from there as they outscored Delaware 5-1 in the final 14 minutes of the game and held on for the win.

Sulmonte and Gillingham both finished the game with hat tricks.

“Natalie is tenacious and tough to stop when she’s inside the hot zone,” LaMonica said. “And Gillingham has been a great finisher for us. She’s a great initiator [who] creates slides and finishes great shots.”

Towson cruised to a resounding 20-5 win over Drexel Friday night at Vidas Field in the team’s first CAA matchup of the season.

The Tigers accomplished multiple milestones on the day as the team tied the second-best start to a season in school history, and

Tellekamp registered her 100th career goal.

The road team got off to a strong start as sophomore midfielder Annie Sachs got the team on the scoreboard first just 16 seconds into play.

The visitors jumped out to a 6-1 midway through the first half, but the Dragons (3-8, 0-1 CAA) cut the deficit to three with two quick goals.

The Tigers regained control of the game with a 6-0 run to close out the period, taking a comfortable 12-3 lead going into halftime.

Drexel couldn’t stop the road team from pushing the pace, as Towson registered eight goals in the second half en route to a victory.

Towson looks to build on its five-game winning streak when the team travels to Rudd Field Saturday night to battle Elon. Game time is set for 6 p.m.