The Towerlight (November 14, 2017)

Towson’s campus and community news source

TheTowerlight.com

November 14, 2017

2017-2018

SPORTS PREVIEW Photo by Brendan Felch, Photo Illustration by Victoria Nicholson/ The Towerlight

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November 14, 2017

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We appreciate your patience and look forward to welcoming you back on January 27, 2018 at 9:00 a.m.

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November 14, 2017

Editor-in-Chief Marcus Dieterle Senior Editor Jordan Cope Assoc. News Editor Bailey Hendricks Arts & Life Editor McKenna Graham Asst. Arts & Life Editor Kerry Ingram Sports Editor Karuga Koinange Asst. Sports Editors Michael Mills Billy Owens Senior Staff Writer Sarah Rowan Staff Writers Desmond Boyle

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Lauren Cosca Amanda Carroll Jill Gattens Jessica Ricks Kevin McGuire Keri Luise Rohan Mattu Sophia Bates Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editor Mark Dragon

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Joseph Noyes Brittany Whitham David Fisher Brendan Felch

Art Director Jordan Stephenson Webmaster Circulation Staff Shawn Halerz

FALL PANEL

GROUP PROJECT DO’S & DONT’S

1 p.m., Cook Library, Room 513.

Joseph Hockey Simon Enagonio

General Manager Mike Raymond

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As sustainability peer-educators, Eco-Reps’ mission is to enthusiastically educate the TU community about sustainable practices. Interested in joining? Come to this info session to learn more.

Towson University’s Public Relations Student Society of America (TU PRSSA) is hosting a Fall Panel with four panelists from the following fields: PR, Advertising and Marketing.

5 p.m., Van Bokkelen Hall, Room 204.

Staff Photographers Jordan Cope

Proofreaders Kayla Baines

ECO-REPS INFO SESSION

2 p.m., Administration Building, Room 201.

Mary-Ellen Davis Michael Mills

Sarah Van Wie Muhammad Waheed

WEEKLY

14-18 CALENDAR.

Jesse L. Baird Natalie Bland

Senior Staff Photographer Alex Best

NOVEMBER

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Group projects seem to be common in college. Figure out the best approach to them so that you stay calm, divide the work evenly, and do the best.

ANNUAL VETERANS FILM SERIES

7 p.m., Van Bokkelen Hall, Room 204.

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TU FOOTBALL VS. RHODE ISLAND

It’s your last chance to catch the Tigers in action as they battle the Rhode Island Rams on senior day.

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Opinion

November 14, 2017

A winning night for Democrats in elections RYAN KIRBY Columnist

It's hard to believe we've already passed the one year anniversary of the 2016 election, especially since it never seems to end, but that's beside the point. On Tuesday, Nov. 7, Americans went to the polls for the first regularly scheduled election of the Trump era, and I would be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity to analyze what those results mean. Democrats were swept into office across the country, from Washington to Virginia.

There were major implications for every election, and I encourage you to look at the results, but with a limited number of words at my disposal I will focus primarily on Virginia.

The Virginia governor's race, and the election as a whole, was very important because it was partially a referendum on President Donald Trump.

Most of the polling for the governor's race between Democrat Ralph Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie showed a tight race. The polling average showed a three point lead for Northam, but this was worrying given the political environment. Clinton had won Virginia by five points in 2016, and the sitting president is a Republican with approval ratings in the mid30s. For Democrats, a three point lead was not comforting, especially after 2016.

Northam ended up winning by almost nine percent, a resounding victory. Gillespie fully embraced Trump era politics by trying to divide Virginians, and pry on their fears of gang violence and immigration.

Virginians chose not to fall into this trap and rejected Trump politics.

The Virginia House of Delegates was where I paid the most attention, and where I believe the most analysis should be done. Going into the

election, Democrats held only 34 of the 100 seats. Every pundit expected Democrats to make gains, but none expected them to pick up more than seven or eight. Democrats picked up at least 15 seats! The new balance is 49D-48R with three races still too close to call. It is likely that the House of Delegates will be split 50-50, which blew everyone's expectations out of the water, considering the uphill battle of incumbency and gerrymandering that Democrats faced.

There were many amazing stories out of those elections, but my personal favorite was Danica R o e m .

R o e m became the first o p e n l y t ra n s ge n d e r delegate elected to the Virginia state legislature when she defeated the 13-term Republican Bob Marshall. Marshall was the self-declared "chief homophobe" and intentionally degraded Roem by refusing to debate her and intentionally calling her "him." The highlight to me is how she handled her identity. She didn't make it central to her campaign, even though the media tried to. She ran a campaign based on fixing issues for her constituents, such as schools, jobs and traffic. Roem handedly beat Marshall because she ran on the issues and that's what matters.

So why do the Virginia election results matter? The results in the Virginia House of Delegates are the closest comparison to the 2018 midterms. With Trump's approval rating hovering in the mid-30s, Democrats needed to capitalize on the frustration Americans have with the administration. By presenting solutions that would actually help Americans, rather than cutting taxes for the wealthy or taking people's healthcare away, Democrats have a promising future ahead of them in 2018 and 2020.

Sexual allegations continue Roy Moore the latest of those accused of sexual assualt

CONNOR McNAIRN Columnist

Last week, my column analyzed Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s legislation pertaining to sexual harassment processes in the U.S. Congress.

Gillibrand put forward courageous legislation that targeted the monotonous processes that currently complicate victims’ ability to pursue their attackers. Simply, the bill proposed

by Gillibrand is designed to help those in Congress gain better access to sexual harassment resources.

With this in mind, this week allegations emerged about U.S. Senate hopeful Roy Moore.

According to multiple sources, Moore - an embattled Alabama Republican pursued relationships with underage girls when he was in his 30s. While most recognize that such relationships would be morally repugnant and obviously illegal, Washington has still found a way to debate this issue. But before diving into the politicization of sexual harassment charges, one must fully recognize the controversy that surrounds Moore in order to understand the gravity of this issue.

Moore served as a judge on the Alabama Supreme Court. Having been removed from the court twice, Moore has made his fair share of controversial remarks and decisions. For example, he suggested that the 9/11 attacks were a result of Americans distancing themselves from God. Equally as controversial, Moore believed that President Barack Obama was not born in America – a narrative

“

also advanced by current President Donald Trump. Moore even believed that Representative Keith Ellison should not be allowed to take the congressional oath because he is a Muslim. Moore’s bigoted jurisprudence and political ideology have been motivated by a dedication to “religion.” However, this week’s harassment allegations have the Christian candidate on his heels.

According to a Wa s h i n g to n Post report earlier this week, Moore was accused by several women of sexual harassment and assault, including one who claimed that Moore initiated sexual contact with her when she was just 14. While Moore denies the allegations – a rather unsurprising response – it is the reaction from media outlets and prominent Republicans that is more striking.

According to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, we should not allow a “mere allegation” to “destroy a person’s life.”

This is an incredible statement coming directly from the Trump administration. To describe these allegations as “mere,” and to be more concerned with Moore’s life than the woman whom he assaulted is preposterous.

But Sanders’s statements were not the only ones that were reprehensible.

The majority of notable Republicans responded to the allegations by saying that if they were true, Moore should step down from his campaign. But Sean Hannity, the controversial Fox

News talking head, made headlines last week when attempting to qualify Moore’s actions. Hannity, who repeatedly insisted that there was no way to prove the allegations, also noted that Moore’s relationships with the underage girls were “consensual.” There is something seriously wrong with this country’s political dialogue when major news networks undermine sexual assault investigations with claims of consent.

Moving forward, the candidate must absolutely step down. Because candidate Moore and his opponent, Doug Jones, have been officially registered for the election since October, a Moore withdraw would essentially seal a Democratic victory for the Alabama seat. Given this possible outcome, it is no surprise that Republicans are so unwilling to openly condemn Moore. Both the Republican party and the state of Alabama must decide that humanity is more important than political victory. Then again, the GOP is actively supporting a candidate who claimed that “the transgenders don’t have rights,” so don’t be too surprised if they don’t wholeheartedly disavow the alleged predator.

To describe these allegations as ‘mere,’ and to be more concerned with Moore’s life than the woman whom he assaulted is preposterous.

”

CONNOR McNAIRN Columnist

Opinion

November 14, 2017

Sit down, be thankful JORDAN COPE Senior Editor @jordancope26

What’s up, Towson? The hustle and bustle of college got the better of me last week, so I was unable to put my thoughts in a column. Not to worry, though. Next semester I only need 11 credits to graduate, so I should have a lot of downtime to write.

Here we are, just a little less than a week away from Thanksgiving break. While a plate full of great food and a day of watching football is on my mind, this year I will be focusing wholeheartedly on the true meaning of the holiday: being with loved ones.

Don’t get me wrong, seeing my family on Thanksgiving was and always has been my favorite part of the holiday; but this year, given all the craziness in the world, I am that much more excited to sit down with everyone that I love.

It’s incredibly sad to turn on the news and more often than not hear about mass shootings, natural disasters and the current political state of our country. It’s these factors that have made me think about going to the dark side of public relations before I even step foot out of college.

Believe it or not, I didn’t go down the journalism path to tell happy feel good stories. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I wanted my words to be the healing hand for people in their darkest moments, because believe it or not, our words can be highly influential.

I digress, during this holiday season, I urge all of you to hug your loved ones extra tight and to choose your words carefully. We never know when our time on earth will be up, and we don’t seem to understand the weight that our words carry.

Travel safe, everyone and have a wonderful holiday. I’ll see you all very soon!

Critical results of stereotyping Western societies’ laziness feeds into bad social norms

KAYLA " HUNT Columnist

Stereotyping is a normal cognitive process that is often automatic and that saves on the time and effort required to get a handle on people individually,” Wayne Weiten wrote in his textbook “Themes and Variations.”

How is it that Western societies are always deemed as individualistic, but most of our current social norms have only been constructed due to collectivism? Stereotypes seem to be

considered a "normal cognitive process" because they have been a social norm that have been set in stone for years.

Weiten explains that stereotyping occurs because it is easier to make generalized assumptions of o n e ' s character based on their gender, race or sexual orientation than it is to come to your own conclusion of an individual.

Stereotyping requires less ener-

gy. This is no surprise given that Western societies are also deemed to be lazy. Why must inhabitants of Western societies face discrimination from social factors due to others’ laziness?

This is unjust. Stereotyping can result in critical consequences because of someone's laziness.

Many people face gender stereotyping when it comes to securing a job because of people's laziness.

How is it that people can be overqualified for a position, but not get hired because their name is spelled a certain way or because of the color of their skin?

People should not have to face discrimination because others will not take the time to perceive an individual based on their character and personality alone.

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News

November 14, 2017

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Class organizes social protest Towson to streamline Protesters urge Towson to divest from prison labor core curriculum Changes to make it easier to complete “Perspectives” cores MARY-ELLEN DAVIS Staff Writer

Anthony Petro/ The Towerlight

On Nov. 7, students of a special topics communications class organized a protest on the second floor of the Van Bokkelen building. Students made posters, stacked furniture, and chanted down the hallways.

ANTHONY PETRO Contributing Writer

Students protested Towson University’s purchase of furniture made by prisoners during a demonstration on the second floor of Van Bokkelen Hall on Nov. 7.

In November 2015, a group of student activists led the “Occupy Towson” movement and physically occupied the president’s office to get a list of 13 demands signed with the goal of improving life on-campus for students of color.

Then-Interim TU President Tim Chandler and the activists negotiated a list of 12 demands which Chandler signed.

Demand number four, which was completed in spring of 2016, was to send a letter to the president of University System of Maryland Student Council “regarding the review and termination of the contract, vendoring, and purchasing of appliances, tools, furniture and any other items produced within Maryland state and federal prisons.”

Last Tuesday’s protest, almost two years since Occupy Towson, but not affiliated with that movement, raised the issue again.

Above the stairwell at one end of the hall hung a sign which read, “Your Fee$ Pay 4 Slave Labor.”

On their first march through the halls, the students shouted in unison, “What do we want?

Slave abolition! When do we

nication student Marcus Palmer want it? Now!” said. “I agree with it because I Professor Jennifer Potter’s noticed a lot of furniture was communications special topics built by prisons.” class in social protest rhetoric Palmer was part of the comstacked all the tables and chairs from their classroom in the hallmunications class covering the protest for an assignment. way with signs and statistics “I don’t think it’s right for about their protest. anyone to be forced to work, Some of these signs read: and forced to work for 15 cents “Insourcing is cheaper than outan hour,” Stephen Rabaglia, a sourcing labor to other counsenior commutries. If a product you nication studies own says major and stu“I think the protest went ‘American dent of Potter’s really well. The biggest made’ it class said. part will be people was prob“Buying through the prisons is ably made coming out and seeing actually more in prison,” everything (the furniture expensive, but “In 2014, 70 and signs) stacked in the University percent of is legally manthe prison the halls. I think that will population dated to. We are really drive it home with was black, starting a petistudents.” although tion to cancel only 30 the mandate and percent of start purchasing ZHANAE ALLEN Maryland’s Senior cultural studies major through a differpopulation ent catalog.” is black,” Potter’s class and “It is illegal to import prodstarted the online petition and protest to save the University ucts made with prison labor money, and give everyone more from overseas… So why is it legal information in an attempt to to use prison labor in America?” reverse the mandate.

There were also signs on the “I think the protest went really doors and down the hall with well,” Zhanae Allen, a senior culthe social media hashtag #dismantlethedesk. tural studies major and student During the class’s second of Potter’s class and protest said. march through the halls, they “The biggest part will be people chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, this coming out and seeing everything racist system has got to go.” (the furniture and signs) stacked “I like what they are protestin the halls. I think that will really drive it home with students.” ing,” sophomore mass commu-

“

Towson University is looking to streamline the core curriculum, making it easier for students to get the classes they need to fulfill their core requirements.

According to Vicki Cohen, Interim Director of New Student and Freshman Registration, the changes to the cores would essentially make it easier for students to complete some of the “Perspectives” cores, or cores 10-14.

Cohen said the Maryland Higher Education Commission and the Code of Maryland Regulations mandate that in order to graduate, students need two arts and humanities classes, as well as two social and behavioral science classes.

Under the current system, in cores 10-14, students must take an arts and humanities class that is a different subject than core five, and a social and behavioral science class that is a different subject than core six.

Instead of students having to find a separate arts and humanities class for one of their “Perspectives” cores, the change to the core curriculum would make it so that core 14 would automatically satisfy students’ second arts and humanities course requirement.

Core 14, the ethical issues and perspectives core, covers different

subjects, but all the topics are related to ethics.

“Ethics is part of philosophy, philosophy is part of arts and humanities,” Cohen said. “Therefore, you could make an argument that all the courses under core 14 are automatically arts and humanities.”

Core 10, the metropolitan perspectives core, is potentially facing a similar change as well. If core 10 follows suit, any core 10 class would satisfy students’ second behavioral science course requirement for the “Perspectives” cores, according to Cohen.

Many Towson students voiced their displeasure with the current system in place, including sophomore Matthew Phillips.

“I have to retake core 10 because the field was the same field I took for whatever the core was,” Phillips said. “So that means since they were in the same field, I have to retake it in a different field, and that’s really frustrating. So now I’m going to be in the second semester of my sophomore year, and I should be done with all my cores but now I have to retake them.”

Freshman Sarah Oliver agreed that the change in the core requirements seemed necessary.

“I think it would be a better change,” she said. “I mean there’s so many cores we have to take its kind of a hassle sometimes because some majors don’t really fit in so it would make it easier for some students to graduate on time.”

File Photo by Cody Boteler/ The Towerlight

Those looking for help completing their core requirements can visit the Academic Advising Center in the Lecture Hall.

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News

November 14, 2017

Helen Zia speaks on Activist talks mass incarceration social movements Shares accounts of being a child of incarcerated parent Enforces idea “social change and progress is not a sprint”

Brendan Felch/ The Towerlight

Author Helen Zia spoke about her experiences as an activist participating in various social movements throughout her life.

KEARSTEIN JOHNSON Contributing Writer

Social progress is not a new fight, nor is it a quick one, according to activist, journalist, and author Helen Zia. “Social change and progress is not a sprint,” Zia said. “It is a marathon.

You may want to run full speed, but you just can’t. Change and progress does not move parallel together. Your lifetime has been living in a world with endless chaos and division.”

Zia spoke at Towson University on Nov. 7, telling her accounts of being involved in social movements and fighting for Asian-American and LGBTQ+ rights.

Zia got her inspiration early in life from the civil rights and women’s rights movements.

“A lot of students at that time felt strongly about the war and civil rights,” she said. “It was a mass movement and I just kept going from there.”

Ever since her start in those early days of social movements, Zia has kept standing up for civil rights.

“One of my proudest moments had to be my involvement in the Vincent Chin case,” she said. “I was one of the people to help get the movement going. We needed to speak up. It became a national movement.”

Slow-moving as the fight for change may be, Zia emphasized the need for more activists to speak out and stand up for what they

believe in.

“There have been times where things have been pretty grim,” she said. “When are we ever going to stand up for human decency again?

History does not move in a straight line, it moves in a zigzag way; however, things go missing in history.”

When those factors go missing, that is when problems and chaos comes and leads to the social problems we are facing today, according to Zia. Zia said that we are “fighting for a world where everyone is given dignity,” and that “we are in a point in history where things are moving from one crisis to another.”

She told the audience that since the beginning of our generation, there has not been a time where there was not a war happening in this country.

Zia urged people to reflect on how they view their own and others’ identities, and not to limit those identities with stereotypes.

“Building unity starts with understanding each other…. None of us are just one check box. We all have different identities that make ourselves us,” Zia said. “We have to own our ignorance towards ourselves and others. Do you really want to be a one-dimensional stereotype?”

Student Kathryn Pickard agreed with Zia about the importance of learning about the world beyond our personal bubbles.

“There has been a lot going on in the news and it’s important to be educated in all of it,” Pickard said.

ALBERT IVORY Contributing Writer

As the child of an incarcerated parent, author Tony “Slugg” Lewis, Jr., grew up knowing the trauma that mass incarceration can create for prisoners’ families.

“Studies have also shown that having an incarcerated parent can be more traumatic than a dead parent,” Lewis said.

Lewis, who is also a philanthropist and community leader, visited campus on Nov. 7 to speak about mass incarceration.

Lewis grew up in Hanover Place in Northwest Washington, D.C., which is near the epicenter of the crack trade. He talked about his mother going in and out of mental institutions due to the impacts of his father’s incarceration.

His father was arrested for a drug offense on April 15, 1989, and is currently behind bars, serving a life sentence.

Since there’s no state prison in Washington, D.C., Lewis’ father was taken to a penitentiary in Lompoc, California, 3,000 miles away. Lewis said he visits his father from time to time to maintain a relationship.

Lewis’ role model and primary caretaker was his grandmother, who attended the University of the District of Columbia. Lewis said he was grateful for his grandmother for having to step up and carry the burden and thought about the stress that put on her.

After graduating from college, Lewis got a job as a Roving Leader,

doing youth outreach from 20002005. He’s currently the head coordinator for helping former incarcerated people re-enter society and has kept in touch with many of the people, especially receiving notifications about them getting employment, working on their education, getting a home and having a family. These factors contributed to Lewis’ sense of hope and optimism in the world.

Lewis, who is married and has two daughters, also mentioned the generational trauma that incarceration has on loved ones when he visited the prison that his father was held, along with his daughters.

His oldest daughter asked why her grandfather was not coming home, and staying there.

Lewis responded, “You’re grandfather is a good person, but he had done bad things and had to pay the consequences for them.”

He noted it was painful to look in her eyes, but that he had to accept that reality.

Lewis then shared some statistics. 2.3 million people are incarcerated in local, state and federal jails or prisons. Over 5 million children have at some point had an incarcerated parent. 1 in 14 American children have an incarcerated parent and 1 in 7 black children has had an incarcerated parent at some point. 33-36.5 million children have a parent with a criminal record, which is approximately half of the United States population of children. 2.7 million children have a parent behind bars and a larger number of this population are children under 10.

“Parental incarceration is one of the most severe forms of trauma a child can go through, with major social, emotional and academic consequences,” according to Matt Haney, Vice President of San Francisco’s Board of Education.

Mass incarceration studies link depression, aggression, disruptive behavior and anxiety to children of incarcerated parents. Children are often stigmatized for having incarcerated parents and experience poverty because of a source of income leaving their home.

Freshman Queena Williams found the event to be informative.

“I wanted to come hear about this, and it’s something that we talked about in African American studies,” she said.

Lewis said that combating mass incarceration has to “start with the economics.”

Mass incarceration leads to making economies out of prisons, he said. He provided a list of organizations that he believes are addressing the issue authentically and thoroughly, including Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership, The Osborne Association, The Sentencing Project and the #Cut50 campaign launched by CNN commentator, Van Jones.

The event was hosted by the Office of Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility, the Black Student Union, the Towson chapter of NAACP and Theta Omicron chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity.

“The purpose of the event is that we like to keep dialogues like this going since it impacts everyone,” said BSU secretary Miyah Overton.

Albert Ivory/ The Towerlight

Activist and community leader Tony “Slugg” Lewis, Jr. visited campus Nov. 7 to talk about the problems of mass incarceration and related the issue to his own experiences of his father being in prision.

News

November 14, 2017

Week of events honor military

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Café Enactus under new management

New director and asst. director step into positions ROHAN MATTU Staff Writer

Keri Luise/ The Towerlight

The Military and Veterans Center hosted a week of events leading up to Veterans Day in order to honor those who have served. Among these events was a “live museum” of war artifacts.

KERI LUISE Staff Writer

Towson University’s Military and Veterans Center hosted the “Week of Valor: Reflections of Vietnam” for students to honor those who have served and are currently serving our country.

Among these events were a live museum, a dialogue highlighting the life of women during the war, an obstacle course, an appreciation banner and screenings of the films “Platoon” and “GI Jane.”

Benz Armstrong, director of military and veteran services, said that this week of events was held with the purpose to “raise awareness within our TU community to remind us that we shall never forget.”

“We would like to honor those that paid the ultimate sacrifice, and still continue,” Armstrong said.

The Vietnam live museum put visitors in an interactive environment within the jungles of Vietnam during the war. People could hear the sounds of the war, feel the bamboo and even look at the different artifacts from both the Viet Cong and the U.S. “From talking to students this week, they are very excited and eager to learn more about [the Vietnam War] because it was a war that they understood when the U.S. went in two different directions of pros and cons,” Armstrong said.

“It’s important because these things might not be talked about within our history books; we tend to forget things that aren’t always brought up to our attention because there’s so much going on.”

Jane McCarthy was a nurse in Vietnam during the war. She came

to Towson Wednesday to talk about her life as a female warrior and the challenges she faced while in the military and thereafter.

McCarthy grew up in a small town in Massachusetts, and went to nursing school in Boston at the Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing in the 1960s.

During this time, McCarthy lost many friends in the war and decided she wanted to do something to help.

“I would be a nurse soon and I thought, ‘What would have more purpose than to go into the army and take care of the wounded?’”

McCarthy said.

She worked in Bethesda at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the recovery room and intensive care unit. After a few months working there, McCarthy was out on order for her last year to go to Vietnam.

McCarthy was stationed at the 95th Evacuation Hospital in Da Nang, Vietnam. She explained the process of how she would treat the wounded and those who would not survive while a nurse in Vietnam.

While in Vietnam, McCarthy applied to a couple of colleges, but got no response from the army.

“I hand-wrote an eight-page letter to Ted Kennedy, my senator, and six days later the chief nurse came running down and she said, ‘Lieutenant McCarthy, go pack your bags. You’re out of here.’ And that was my goodbye party from Vietnam. I was glad to get out, but there was no welcome home.”

McCarthy got accepted to Indiana University. When she came home from Vietnam, she felt very lost and had a hard time transitioning over to typical civilian life again. During her

time at Indiana University, she said she got seriously depressed.

“I had classic PTSD before it was discovered,” McCarthy said. “I would sleep every other night. When I did sleep, I dreamt about being in Vietnam and it was very scary.”

Over time, McCarthy said she has felt very appreciated and is proud of what she did as a nurse in Vietnam.

“I still go home to march in the Memorial Day parade to remember the high cost – to remember all those that sacrificed their lives and hopefully to remember to help us from doing it again,” she said.

Going from being in a war scene to coming back to basic life can be a difficult transition for many veterans.

According to Armstrong, the Military and Veterans Center works to help military and veteran students “transition into student civilian life through providing resources and services readily available to them.”

This “Week of Valor” was held not only to honor those who have served and currently serve, but also to spread awareness of the sacrifices and difficult lives veterans live.

“It helps the community get a very small glimpse of military culture and the sacrifices of those made,” Armstrong said. “If we could help spread awareness in our community, then our students could be more humbling or be more aware of the sacrifices that we chose to defend our great nation. And that hopefully, in the future, it would be easier for traditional students and the military and veterans to coincide and bridge that gap of understanding and inclusion and things that President Schatzel’s top priorities are when she talks about inclusion and diversity.”

Café Enactus, the student run deli and café located on the first floor of Stephens Hall, is under new management this semester.

Nicole Cooney and Elizabeth Adeoye have stepped into the positions of the café’s director and assistant director, respectively.

Since establishing the café in 2015, sisters Megan and Meredith Price have performed the day-to-day operations of keeping the café running alongside their peers. Next semester, the Price twins are graduating, and in preparation, they have put Café Enactus in new hands.

Megan Price spoke on what she was looking for in her and her sister’s successors.

“I was looking for people who were interested in learning, who wanted to get more involved, someone who wanted to apply what they learn in the classroom,” she said. “That’s why Elizabeth, a marketing major, wanted to help with marketing.”

Steve Marr, director of Newell Dining and acting advisor for Café Enactus, spoke about the transition process.

“We’ve been discussing a succession plan, and they’ve been working with Nicole and Elizabeth to pass the baton so to speak,” Marr said. “I think this transition will be real successful.”

Cooney, hired as the new director, is a political science and economics dual major in her sophomore year.

“I feel very lucky to be able to take over such a well-established, student-run business,” Cooney said.

“I know I have some really big shoes to fill. Since I have been hired, I have been director-in-training, making schedules and more recently hiring staff to help smooth the transition into next semester.”

As assistant director, Adeoye, a marketing major also in her sophomore year, assists Cooney by working with Chartwells Dining Services to stock the café, as well as helping market the café on campus.

Cooney and Adeoye do not plan on making any immediate changes, saying that they like the café just the way it is. The two plan on increasing advertising of the café in an effort to gain traffic not only from students in Stephens Hall, but from further reaches of campus. One long-term goal the new management has in mind is eventually moving to a bigger space.

For the Price sisters, leaving the café is bittersweet.

“I’m glad and excited to put the café in good hands, because it’s an amazing learning experience, and I’ve learned a lot from it over the last couple of years,” Meredith Price said. “I’m sad to leave because I’ve put a lot of effort into it, but at the same time it’s good to go.”

Rohan Mattu/ The Towerlight

(Left to right) Elizabeth Adeoye, Meredith Price, Nicole Cooney, and Megan Price pose as the new and old leaders of the café.

12 November 14, 2017

Arts & Life

SCULPTOR ENCOURAGES ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT LEAH VOLPE Contributing Writer

Photos courtesy of walkingcubes.com

Taylor was inspired by the construction of bleachers, and this influence is seen in “Sunday Rituals” (above) and “The Stands” (below).

For the final installment of the Thursday night lecture series of 2017, the Center for the Arts at Towson University welcomed renowned sculptor Chris Boyd Taylor.

After years of art school and numerous teaching jobs in upstate New York, Taylor now resides in Huntsville, Alabama, where he teaches sculpting at a smaller research institution at the University of Alabama.

About 60 students and faculty piled into the Art Lecture Hall at 6:30 p.m. to hear how Taylor has achieved his success as a sculptor in the art world, while still juggling the responsibilities of being a husband and a father.

“This talk is directed to the students, not to the faculty, but to you all, the students,” Taylor said. “And hopefully you come away with maybe some tools, maybe conceptual tools, maybe they’re studio tools that might help you develop into the artist you want to be.”

He gave students career advice about how they can pursue projects locally and build their professional resume. More specifically, Taylor discussed the benefits of participating in the municipalities that cities provide for local artists.

Taylor discussed his experience of his own project that never made the final cut for the city of Chicago after they had sent out a public request for proposals to artists in the area.

Eventually, a museum contacted him about the specific piece and now displays his sculpture.

“I tell students, ‘Start going after

those things now,’ you know, just try it.

There’s nothing against putting something out there,” Taylor said. “The more that you practice that, the more you’re going to develop your writing skills, because writing is attached to all of these public art proposals.”

Throughout his many projects that include “Flag Bearers,” “Mascota” and “The Cardboard Kids,” Taylor has always been fascinated by the relationship between figure and object or viewer and art piece.

In a video project, Taylor explores this relationship between an object and himself, and communicates it through actions like stomping, kicking and throwing the object. His most powerful finding is when Taylor played the footage backwards, the object is now doing the action to the individual.

Taylor often relates this relationship back to his days on the wrestling team as a kid. He recognized that the same tension from facing an opponent in a sports match can parallel his art.

“It’s like this recognition, this recognition of the foe that’s in front of you,” Taylor said. “And so, I wanted you to keep that in mind that there is some sort of tension there. There’s this invisible tension, there’s this energy that’s about to manifest itself.”

Taylor’s biggest question he has always strived to answer in his pieces is how can he construct sculptures that create tension between an object and a figure. His mission is to find how sculpture blows people away and can impact the individuals viewing the piece.

On a recent trip to Tennessee, Taylor found his latest muse in the different sports structures and stadiums, which have prompted piece like “The Stands”

and “Sunday Ritual.” The main point he attempts to communicate is how scale is impactful.

Stadiums and bleachers represent spectatorship on large and small scales and through these pieces inspired by his travels in the southeast, Taylor has found a way to create interaction between the viewer and the object.

This particular concept resonated with freshman Adelina Consoli, who attended the lecture for her class.

“Personally, I like to make art from my travels, and I saw that he did too,” Consoli said. “So it was really nice to see that he makes art in the same way I do.”

Since Taylor has a family, the travelling for art has become less frequent, yet he manages to find inspiration for his art throughout his daily life and the things that affect him personally.

Lucy Bull, a junior art and design major at Towson University, found herself relating to this idea during the lecture.

“I thought that his main point was that we are observers and he was commenting on how we view the world and how we are affected by the things around us,” Bull said.

Through this lecture, Taylor wanted to showcase his art pieces and the concept behind them but also encourage students in their path into the art world.

“You’re going to develop your drawing skills, or your 3D modeling skills, or your model-making skills,” Taylor said. “You’ll learn how to push out an idea quickly and then you submit that.

So, what you’re learning in your studio courses right now will apply to certainly this sort of prompt.”

Courtesy of walkingcubes.com Photo by Leah Volpe/ The Towerlight

(Above) Sculptor Chris Boyd Taylor introduced attendees to concepts in which he found inspiration.

Taylor’s 2015 creation “Mascota,” pictured right, is made of wood, stain, latex wash and bronze.

Arts & Life

November 14, 2017

13

Towson alum is making music, living dream

tarist and a Towson alum. “We still do the same work as any other band does, it’s just different how we go about it.”

Ciarrocchi and his bandmates Taylor Hughes (Exnations’ drummer) and Sal Mastrocola (Exnations’ vocalist and guitarist) demonstrated their ease at making things work despite the physical separation that was clearly apparent as I spoke to them each via telephone. Hughes described our interaction in one simple word that she later used to label her band’s unique creative process: comfortable.

“It’s really nice actually,” Hughes said with a soft chuckle.

She explained how the band uses the program Dropbox to share files

with each other, their computers linking them together. Each member collaborates on a song before sending it to their producer, making sure to continuously communicate until they accomplish exactly what they were looking for out of a song.

They all agreed that although the process seems daunting, it adds value to their music.

“We work harder when we’re actually in the room together,” Hughes added. “I feel like a lot of bands take it for granted to live together. The distance makes us work a lot harder.”

Mastrocola expressed how he feels their work across states presents a challenge, but also a solution that each member did not get from their

previous band experiences.

“It’s difficult because you can’t really feel it out in a live setting all the time, but our situation still definitely adds value to our music,” Mastrocola said. “I think collaboration is a really valuable tool. It can kind of bog things down in certain instances, like traditional band settings where you’re constantly working with one another.

When I send a song off to Taylor or Dan, there’s no forced timeline or pressure, which gives each of us time to make thoughtful decisions.”

The story of how Exnations came to be was just as one-of-a-kind as their routine. The members collaboratively put together their experiences to tell me how they started working together.

Ciarrocchi cited his sister as his main source of inspiration to become a musician.

“My sister was really talented; she had a really great voice,” Ciarrocchi said. “I think my love for music probably started there, innately. As I got older, I just really got into punk rock and learning how to play the guitar.”

Teaching himself how to play in highschool, the guitarist began his band experiences in his teenage years.

“I did the whole start a band in my garage thing, as cliché as it is,” Ciarrocchi said. “That’s what I did and it just went from there.”

Ciarrocchi initially attended college at Loyola University in Maryland, where he met Mastrocola, who now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Both followed their own paths musically, making their marks with different groups in the East Coast area.

Hughes, on the other hand, created Exnations prior to working with her current bandmates.

for a brand new toaster, I understand that some things just must be done. And so, I’ve found five deals I think are worth going Black Friday shopping for – beauty-related, of course.

Go to Ulta for: -NYX Cosmetics Box of Goodies Advent Calendar ($25): This set allows you access to 12 different beauty products for only $25. Talk about a countdown to Christmas.

-Urban Decay Primer Potion ($8!): For a product that is not only essential but that also normally retails for $24, a 66 percent-off discount is not bad at all.

-Philosophy Christmas Shower Gels ($12 each): These scents

are undoubtedly the best ones Philosophy releases. Be sure to stock up if you want to smell like Christmas year-round.

Go to Sephora for: -Fenty Beauty Liquid Lipstick Launch in “Stunna”- Leave it to Rihanna to launch a product specifically for Black Friday. The new lip color is a bright red that claims to be universal for everyone, and with the way her other products have turned out, it’s safe to say that this lipstick will be just as good as its PR coverage.

Go to Target for: -Soap & Glory sale: This brand is having a BOGO 50 percent off sale. To keep it short: your skin will

thank you.

Stay home for: If you have particular makeup brands that are sold exclusively online, or that you love more over others, make sure to sign up for their email list now. This year, most beauty brands are doing a last-minute “drop” approach to their holiday deals to spark more interest and buyer motivation. Many brands are only releasing the smallest bits of information about their Black Friday deals early, saving

Courtesy of Adele Sakey on Instagram

Each member is in a different location, but Hughes just thinks the distance makes them “work harder.”

KERRY INGRAM Asst. Arts & Life Editor

To be a band in today’s world can be difficult work – writing unique lyrics that connect to most people, creating a sound that is new yet current, and branding yourself in a way that catches attention despite the enormous amount of competition that exists. Imagine doing all of these things successfully, while rarely ever being in the same place as your bandmates. For Exnations, a musical trio that creates music across state lines, this is a reality worth living.

“It’s a unique experience for sure,” said Dan Ciarrocchi, Exnations’ gui-

“Exnations formed two years ago with completely different people, and with a completely different identity,” Hughes said. “I started it as a studio project, but over time, the chemistry amongst the original bandmates dwindled down. I reached out to Dan spring of last year.”

“We just got to talking about what we love about music and we just clicked,” Ciarrocchi said. “From there, that’s when I reached out to Sal. Logistics are kind of crazy. The band is in two different states [New York and Maryland]. We’ve been making it work.”

Hughes describes the synth-pop band’s music as “upbeat without lacking depth; a ‘dance while you cry’ type of band.”

As the lyricist and vocalist for the band, Mastrocola spoke on how important the lyrics can be for Exnations’ songs.

“The lyrics are always the hardest yet most satisfying thing for me to write,” Mastrocola said.

“I would say the lyrics are personal. I’m trying to explore more storytelling. We want our music to be socially-outward-looking; to tell the stories of other sources than just our own.”

The band hopes to continue on their musical journey for as long as possible.

“I think ultimately, I would just love to be continuing to make music we all feel passionate about,” Mastrocola said. “I hope in five years we have a lot of people listening.”

Exnations released their single “Never About the Money” in August, and the group is set to perform at Baltimore’s Ottobar venue on Nov. 30, along with the bands Pocketbells, SMANTX and Us and Us Only.

the biggest news to be released on Thanksgiving. Keep an eye out for more beauty news via the interwebs, and if all else fails and you discover something a little late, play it safe and shop online.

No matter which way you go, you’re sure to find some special deals just for Black Friday, so save that paycheck and avoid eating too much, because the only thing that might stop you from taking advantage is that post-Thanksgiving food coma.

Some big Black Friday deals you won’t want to miss KERRY INGRAM Asst. Arts & Life Editor

Whether you want to believe it or not, the year is almost over.

Somehow, the holiday season of 2017 crept up on all of us (along with this insanely cold weather that no one was prepared for after having extended summer heat), and with it comes the most dangerous day of the year for your wallet: Black Friday.

Although I am a full believer in staying home and celebrating the holidays with your family instead of going out into the wilderness of society and risking your life

14 November 14, 2017

Arts & Life

Film focuses on BAND OPENS UP ABOUT NEW ALBUM other war injuries Barb Wire Dolls talks intention, message of songs LUKE PARKER Columnist

Jason Hall’s “Thank You for Your Service” proves that war-themed films need not focus on combat to be effective. Based on David Finkel’s acclaimed 2013 nonfiction book of the same name, this harrowing drama shines a light on the inescapable mental hell so many veterans of our armed forces face every day. Considering the fact that there seems to be no end in sight to the country’s involvement in the Middle East, the film feels irrefutably apt.

The picture marks the directorial debut of Hall, whose abilities to brilliantly inscribe and portray the emotional afflictions of the modern soldier were on full display in Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper.” He has whittled the book’s discussion of soldiers from the 2-16 Infantry Battalion down to the lives of three, all of whom are connected and bonded by combat experiences, the details of which are entirely and expertly hidden behind shell-shocked dialogue until the very end of the film.

There’s Adam Schumann (Miles Teller), a selfless Sergeant whose self-destructing tendency to prioritize the building troubles of others before his own makes him some sort of G.I. George Bailey; Tausolo “Solo” Aieti (Beulah Koale), an American Samoan suffering the effects of a brain injury; and Will Waller (Joe Cole), who returns home to find that his wife has left him and taken their daughter with her. They have each entered a new kind of battle.

It does not take long for this battle to commence. Upon arriving at the airport, even before he gets a chance to see his wife, Saskia (Haley Bennett), Adam is confronted by Amanda Doster (Amy Schumer), the widow of a fellow soldier, who begs him for the details of her husband’s death. He tells her that he wasn’t there when it happened, but the pained and tired look in his eyes signifies that there is much more to the story.

And there is. And it is the story Hall masterfully withholds from us.

Among the many wartime incidents suggested to be haunting Adam, only one is depicted early in the film in which he desperately tries to help a fellow soldier, Emory (Scott Haze), who

has been shot in the head by a sniper.

Adam attempts to carry Emory down the many flights of steps, only to drop him when he begins choking on the blood gushing from the wound. None, for their own reasons, are completely spared of guilt.

Though the combat itself is scarcely on the screen, its presence can be felt in any shot Teller is in. With every movement, the 30-year-old actor, whose impressive trend of successful dramatic roles which spans back to “Whiplash” continues, drags the emotional turmoil of a thousand men, making Schumann a living martyr of a broken system.

However, “Thank You for Your Service” does not denigrate the military – that is, with the exception of one encounter between Adam and an ignorant colonel who is completely oblivious to the prominent emotional pain the man standing in front of him is experiencing.

The people working at the VA facility, including a therapist who takes time from her lunch to meet with Solo, are depicted as caring and good-hearted. As Adam and Solo sit in a waiting room amongst hundreds of other veterans from all eras of the army, it is obvious that these workers are overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problems before them.

The first-time director does an impressive job covering these problems himself, though subtlety is not necessarily his specialty.

One sequence, in which a war-based video game triggers a breakdown from one of the men, feels out of place in its aggression, and another which sees Solo tend to a wounded fighting dog nearly screams symbolism. Hall’s tedious tendency to hold our hands through his rather palpable outlook can be felt until the very end, with a Bruce Springsteen song that hits the mark all too well.

However, the overall emotions, which are rooted in the PTSD-infested minds of our returned American heroes, are genuine enough to overpass this minor misstep of direction. The movie is not merely about the horror of wars – it simply tells us that when you go to the hell of war to fight, you will never stop fighting – and after experiencing it, a new appreciation is found for the bravery and agony endured by all of our veterans, not just the ones that come home in bandages.

CHLOË WILLIAMS Columnist

Grunge punk rock band Barb Wire Dolls is a remarkable fivepiece group from Crete, Greece.

Since their appearance on the Vans Warped Tour last summer, Barb Wire Dolls has been touring with their brand new album, “Rub My Mind.” Frontwoman Isis Queen discussed the band’s latest release.

According to Queen, every Barb Wire Dolls album is different in its own way, but “Rub My Mind” has an especially angry and dramatic feel.

This new album demonstrates the band’s sound evolution from their first works that possess an “underground” sound.

Barb Wire Dolls recorded “Rub My Mind” in two days at the famous recording studio Rancho De La Luna in California. Queen said the recording of the new album was a “freak accident” that occurred after making connections with the guitarist of Eagles of Death Metal. A short time later, Barb Wire Dolls was recording in the same studio that music legends Iggy Pop and Queens of the Stone Age had.

“The songs basically wrote themselves,” Queen said.

Queen also commented on the technical aspects of writing “Rub My Mind.” She explained that the lyrics were typically written first, with the music accompaniments created afterwards. Barb Wire Dolls is open to

letting the creative process move the song instead of sticking to a rigid plan.

Queen said that although there are many slower songs on “Rub My Mind,” this was not intentional, but rather a product of the creative process guiding the album. In fact, the singer said that part of the reason there are a good amount of soft songs are because of political issues that Barb Wire Dolls felt they should comment on.

Politics are exemplified in the song “Contract,” which Queen explained is “based on the humans we elect into positions.” This song takes that idea and turns it into a satirical joke, explaining how the people in power’s “whole goal is to write contracts to fuel their own fire,” when they should be leading with the best interests of their people in mind.

Political subject matter can also be found in the song, “Back in the U.S.S.A.,” inspired by The Beatles with a title crafted to mimic the famous, “Back in the U.S.S.R.” According to Queen, this song was written during the time of the 2016 elections, and was heavily influenced by the events of that time. “Back in the U.S.S.A.,” Queen explained, is a comparison of the United States in 2016 to the Soviet Union in the 1980s. This song will make listeners feel like they have gone back in time from the comparison of these two historic events.

Another important theme in “Rub My Mind” regards the emotional aspects. Queen explained that

many of the tracks try to convey a personal message to the listener and future musicians.

“If you think you’re good enough, you can do it,” she said.

“Rub My Mind” describes what it means to exist in this world and making sense and purpose out of your own being. She also explained that the song “Waiting to Be Lost” is an especially emotional song and an “ode to finding who you want to be in the world.”

Descriptions of the desert, mountains and sea are frequently utilized on “Rub My Mind,” especially in the songs “Desert Song” and “Gold.”

Queen said these references to naturescapes give the album a spatial quality that is accessible to all audiences. She explained that these areas can be experienced “wherever you go” and therefore make an excellent comparison to the different human emotions.

According to Queen, listeners will be able to relate to places like the mountains, and therefore be able to identify more closely with the ideas and emotions the album is trying to convey.

“Rub My Mind” is a refreshingly honest album from a band that displays obvious talent and creative intelligence. With their unique and diverse sound, it is no wonder that Barb Wire Dolls is entrancing the ears of many listeners who are looking for something new and important in the modern music scene. I encourage all readers to take Queen’s closing remarks to heart and “enjoy the album, listen to it loud. This album is amazing.”

Courtesy of Adrenaline PR

The band Barb Wire Dolls is originally from Crete, Greece, but is touring in the U.S. for “Rub My Mind.”

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15

November 14, 2017 14, 2017 16 16November

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8-18-16

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November 14, 2017

Winter Sports Preview

17

Winter Sports Preview Compiled by Desmond Boyle, Karuga Koinange, Billy Owens and Muhammad Waheed

jackson prepares team for indoors Head coach Mike Jackson enters his third season leading the indoor track and field program. He believes the transition from cross country to indoor track and field is getting easier for his players as his time at Towson continues.

“I think [the transition] is pretty smooth,” Jackson said. “Everyone is starting to get excited about championship season for cross country, but also getting excited for track and field. We have our first meet starting in December, so we’re just getting into some skill development.”

Towson’s first meet will be against Navy Thursday, Dec. 5, as Jackson looks for his team to impress in its first showing.

“[We want to] knock the cobwebs off to see what some of our new student-athletes can do, also just give our returners an opportunity to get an opportunity to compete,” Jackson said.

Towson competes at the New York Armory on Jan. 13, the Prince George's Sportsplex and at Penn State this season. “[I want to see them] grow and mature,” Jackson said. “To increase their vision to look towards obviously competing at a higher level, improving their performance individually and team wise having another focus to get to CAA Championships and be able to win, but also looking beyond that as well.”

File photo by Alex Ziolkowski/ The Towerlight

The Tigers compete in the Towson Invitational in the spring of 2016. It was their only home meet of the year.

richardson ready for first season New head coach Diane Richardson hopes to lead Towson to its first winning season since 2011-12, after taking charge of a struggling program. Richardson has run higher tempo practices and established a winner's mentality within a team that has lacked it over the years.

“We wanna win, we wanna win every game,” Richardson said. “[It's important to] the culture of buying into winning and having that winning mentality. From the very

beginning, we want to win.”

The first-year Towson head coach may have found one in point guard Kayla Davis, a graduate transfer from Xavier.

Davis is a former three-star recruit who recorded 50 rebounds and 32 assists in her sophomore year, and notes that the Tigers are just as feisty as her former Big East school.

“I personally haven't noticed a very big change as far as the level of competition, the level of com-

petition in practice or the level of coaching I'm receiving,” Davis said. “We need to focus on the little things on a consistent basis, because that's the way you get ahead of the competition.”

With faster practices, Richardson hopes that the team will be conditioned for the CAA schedule.

“We'd like to go to the [NCAA] tournament, so we'd like to win the conference tournament so we can get to the NCAA,” Richardson said.

“We talk about planning and being

efficient with our practices, so I'd like us to be efficient even before the conference.”

Towson’s CAA schedule begins on Friday, Dec. 29, against Northeastern, but there are several tough non-conference games, including matchups against George Washington and Pitt.

“I want to see them fighting, I want to see them fighting for every possession, every rebound," Richardson said. "That'll tell me if they're ready.”

NEXT@ 11/16 HOME 7:00pm

18 November 14, 2017

Winter Sports Preview

tu celebrates anniversary season The team kicks off its 50th season in the Little Boston Invitational Saturday, Jan. 6 Seventh-year head coach Vicki Chliszczyk May was voted Regional Coach of the Year for the Southeast Region by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/ Women (NACGC/W) in April, the first time a Towson coach has won the honor since 1990.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for the work we’re trying to do,” Chliszczyk May said. “It’s not just a reflection of myself, but also my coaches, the staff, the girls, the support staff, the athletic trainers, the academic support people — everybody that helps us be successful.”

Chliszczyk May will lead Towson’s program into its 50th anniversary season on Jan. 6, in the Little Boston Invitational, the team’s first meet of the year.

The Tigers have made some notable changes during the offseason, specifically focusing on revamping their training. According to Chliszczyk May, assistant coach Jay Ramirez has reworked the team’s conditioning in the gym.

The team is also working with

Towson’s strength coach Aaron Droege, who has been modifying how the team approaches weightlifting.

“We’re really focusing in on the little details and basics before getting to the harder work and routines in order to get cleaner lines and a better look,” Chliszczyk May said. “The girls are in great shape already, which will help sustain their competition season longer than in the past.”

Towson hosts the conference championships Saturday, Mar. 24, at SECU Arena. This is just one of the six home meets the team has scheduled for 2018. The meet on Sunday, Feb. 18, against Gustavus Adolphus and Southern Connecticut is the team’s 50th Anniversary Night and will honor alumni and past coaches from Towson’s gymnastics program.

“We have more support when we’re at home,” Chliszczyk May said. “The girls have more fun, relax a little bit, and just enjoy it.

Their routines are better and their scores are better. The energy in

SECU is just going to be electric, and we feed off it very well.”

The team’s ultimate goal this season is to qualify for the regional championships as a team.

“If everyone does their job it’s a realistic goal, but it will really take everyone doing their job,” Chliszczyk May said. “People have to step up and do what they were recruited to do for that to actually happen. We have to work every day in order to get there.”

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File photo by Chris Simms/ The Towerlight

TU competes in a home meet at SECU Arena in the spring 2016.

tigers look to break more records Head Coach Jake Shrum leads a team with several championship-tested athletes Towson’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have already began the 2017-18 season, and are looking to improve from the 201617 campaign.

Third-year head coach Jake Shrum is confident that both teams will continue to achieve the same levels of success that they have the past few seasons.

Shrum has coached the Tigers to third-place finishes at the CAA championships the past two years.

“Right now, we’re in a short postseason before [the Bucknell Invitational], then we’re hitting the reset button and training for a month and a half,” Shrum said. “Our mindset changed a lot from the start of the season to

now, and people are excited about swimming and diving.”

Through the first five meets of the season, the men’s team sits at 1-4, while the women’s team holds a 3-2 record.

“Our results were kind of expected, and we’ve done a great job of learning from our meet results,” Shrum said. “I’m really happy with the things we’ve had control over at our dual meets.”

Each team has three All-CAA selections from last season returning this season. On the men’s side is junior Jack Saunderson, senior Nick Essing and junior Evan Brophy.

On the women’s team is senior Jacy Icard, senior Kendall Krumenacker

and sophomore Sarah-Margaret Locke.

“It’s really about having a full roster of people that can contribute,” Shrum said. “We have 33 girls and 27 guys, but only 20 competed at CAA’s [in February]. It’s also about having people that are on that CAA team that are able to score in events and get top-eight finishes in the bottom half of our roster. Improving is definitely within our grasp.”

The team hired Matt Lowe as an assistant coach in the offseason. Lowe is a 2015 Towson graduate, and former member of the men’s swimming and diving team. He helped the team finish in a school-best second place at the 2015 CAA Championships as an athlete.

“He’s really knowledgeable and really excited to be working here,” Shrum said. “He helps us out a lot.

He’s a great stroke technician, and gives great feedback.”

The team's final event of the fall is the Bucknell University Invitational in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, which starts Friday, Nov. 17, and ends Sunday, Nov. 19.

“We’ll have a decent amount of lifetime bests, which is great for a mid season meet,” Shrum said. “We’ll rest a day before so we’re not as broken down and tired, and it’ll give them a chance to go really fast.”

Following the meet at Bucknell, the teams head to Philadelphia to take on Drexel before returning home

to Burdick Pool to face Delaware Saturday, Jan. 20. Those meets will be crucial in building momentum midway in the season.

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s

Winter Sports Preview

November 14, 2017

skerry seeks success Tigers will play a faster pace in the 2017-18 season

19

USTORE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Zane Martin Men’s Basketball

Sophomore guard Zane Martin racked up 22 points and shot 50 percent from beyond the arc. Martin even hit a three that pulled Towson within one point of Old Dominion, but the team ultimately fell 57-54.

File photo by Joe Noyes/ The Towerlight

Senior guard Mike Morsell takes a jumper over an Elon defender in a game last season. Morsell led the Tigers in scoring last year with 13.4 points per-game, and was given CAA All-Preseason honors this year.

Towson suffered a heartbreaking end to its 2016-17 season with a loss to the College of Charleston in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) semifinals, but the team has brushed off the tournament loss and looks to have a strong 2017-18 campaign.

“This is a very competitive, tough-minded group,” Head Coach Pat Skerry said.

Towson returns key pieces to the team, including senior guards Mike Morsell and Deshaun Morman.

Morsell led the team in scoring last season with 13.4 points per-game, while Morman racked up a team-high 49 steals and 65 assists. Both players earned CAA All-Preseason honors this year.

The Tigers need their leadership to be present early, as they compete in two regular season tournaments.

“

The team plays in the Florida Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida.

That event kicks off with a matchup against Florida Atlantic on Monday, Nov. 20, and continues with a game against Penn or Northern Illinois Tuesday, Nov. 21. The team could take on UMKC, Georgia Southern, Missouri State or Manhattan the following day.

Two weeks later, Towson travels to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to face La Salle in the Belfast Invitational Friday, Dec. 1. The team battles either Holy Cross or Manhattan the next day.

Following those two events, Towson heads home to SECU Arena for two local rival games. The team hosts Morgan State in the Battle for Greater Baltimore Wednesday, Dec. 6, and stays at home for a matchup against UMBC on Saturday, Dec. 9, for Pride Day.

The Tigers kick off CAA competition with a road game on Saturday, Dec. 30, against Charleston. Though revenge against the team that knocked them out of contention would be nice, it is not the main focus of the upcoming season.

“Our goals have been the same,” Skerry said. “We want to take care of the ball better and foul less. If we can do those things, then we’ll be an improved ball club.”

The team rounds out conference play with a contest in Boston, Massachusetts, against Northeastern before heading to Hempstead, New York, for a game against Hofstra.

Towson kicked off its season with a tight 57-54 loss against Old Dominion, but looks to rebound with a win against Frostburg State in its home opener at SECU Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

”

This is a very competitive, tough-minded group.

Our goals have been the same. We want to take care of the ball better and foul less. If we can do those things, then we’ll be an improved ball club.

PAT SKERRY Head Coach

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20 November 14, 2017

Sports

tigers take down tribe

File photo by Brendan Felch/ The Towerlight

Redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Stover looks to pass in Towson’s loss to Villanova at Johnny Unitas Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 30. Towson dropped this game 24-9.

KARUGA KOINANGE Sports Editor

Towson pulled off a 26-14 comeback win against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) foe William & Mary Saturday afternoon at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The Tigers (4-6, 2-5 CAA) had an up-and-down game, but got on track in the second half to take down the Tribe (2-8, 0-7 CAA).

“I think that there were moments today that we played aggressive, hard, fast, with an attitude in all three phases of the game,” Head Coach Rob Ambrose said. “There were times when we were professional at shooting ourselves in the foot.”

The visitors started the game strong as redshirt senior defensive lineman Kanyia Anderson recorded

a sack and forced fumble on just the fifth play from scrimmage. Fellow redshirt senior defensive lineman Clifton Jones recovered the ball to put his team near the red zone. The two Virginia natives impressed in the return to their home state.

“I knew we were going to get everything they had,” Ambrose said. “This was going to be their best effort and those guys played like animals. I wouldn’t want to block them.”

Anderson finished the game with two and a half sacks, boosting his season total to seven and a half.

Harris recorded two tackles on the day, including one for a loss.

On the ensuing drive, redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Stover connected with redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jabari Greenwood for a 15-yard completion to put the Tigers at the goal line. Redshirt junior tight end Ellis Knudson bat-

tered his way into the end zone to cap off the drive.

Towson forced a three-and-out on its next defensive possession and got a boost from its special teams on the ensuing punt. Freshman defensive back Coby Tippett returned the ball 62 yards for a touchdown to give his team a 12-0 lead.

The Tribe started to wake up after that play, as both sides of the ball began making big plays.

Junior quarterback Tommy McKee marched the home team downfield and tossed a five-yard touchdown strike to narrow the deficit.

The defense got in on the action too, as senior cornerback Aaron Swinton intercepted a pass from Stover to halt a scoring effort towards the end of the first quarter. McKee struck again in the second quarter with a three-yard touchdown run, and the Tribe took

a 14-12 lead going into halftime.

“There were times when we could have let the moment beat us, and we didn’t,” Ambrose said.

Neither team got anything going until the fourth quarter when freshman running back Kobe Young pounded in a four-yard touchdown run to give Towson a 19-14 lead.

McKee was intercepted by redshirt freshman defensive back Jamal Watson on the Tribe’s next drive, giving the Tigers good field position and momentum. Stover powered into the end zone on a two-yard quarterback sneak just one play later, and the Tigers held on for the victory.

Towson rounds out its 2017 season with a matchup against Rhode Island Saturday, Nov. 8, at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The home team will honor its seniors before the game. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

“It’s the CAA, so it really doesn’t

matter who we're playing,” Ambrose said. “You’re going to get their best effort. They got great players. They got great coaches. The records go out the door. But, it's senior day and we need to send these guys out the right way, with class, with effort and with a win.”