Western Courier| November 29th, 2017

News: Western collects on Giving Tuesday.

Page 7: Swimming and diving returns to Brophy.

Sports: Women's basketball seeks continued success.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017 - Vol. 118 Issue 39

Council discusses transportation policy

By Tabi Jozwick courier staff

JASMYNE TAYLOR/COURIER STAFF

Mayor Mike Inman (top) and City Administrator Dean Torreson (bottom) look over the McDonough County Public Transportation Reasonable Modification Policy during Monday's Commitee of the Whole meeting.

Attempting to meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), McDonough County Public Transportation (MCPT) Director Nathan Cobb proposed a Reasonable Modification Policy during Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting.

According to MCPT Director Nathan Cobb, the Department of Transportation revised their policy in 2015 allocating public transportation systems to allow people with disabilities to have reasonable accommodations in accordance to the Americans with the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Illinois Department of Transportation also adopted the policy and is asking the public transportation systems in Illinois to adopt the policy as well.

“The purpose is for the reasonable modification policy is to operate on an effective opportunity and access to public transportation to individuals with disabilities and to come full compliance to the ADA,” Cobb said.

Cobb said the MCPT was already providing some reasonable accommodations, like having a demand transportation system for those

who cannot use the GoWest bus system and that all GoWest buses are wheelchair accessible. The new reasonable modification policy will allow people to make a request, like being picked up at a different door due to a low number of steps or allowing a diabetic to have a snack or a drink when their blood sugar is low.

“If a passenger asks for something outside of our service area or outside of our service time, that would be something that would be denied,” Cobb said.

The MCPT Reasonable Modification Policy will be for both the MCPT Demand Response and the Go West bus system and once enacted, requests can be made in writing or orally. The measure will be voted on the Dec. 4 City Council meeting.

In other business, City Administrator Dean Torreson said that the Public Works Committee met twice in the last month to discuss and recommend the capital improvement projects for 2018, which includes two water main projects.

Council page 2

UHDS works with SGA on dining

By Emily Stieren assistant news editor

PEDRO AVILA/ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Speaker Pro Tempore Isaac Asche (left) assumed the position of Speaker of the Senate in the heat of debate as Speaker of the Senate Patrick Quinlan (right) opposes legislation on the floor.

The Student Government Association (SGA) hosted guest speakers Ketra Russell and John Biernbaum of University Housing and Dining Services (UHDS) to discuss Western Illinois University’s dining, student fees and what is to come in the spring semester at yesterday’s meeting.

Russell said UHDS conducts surveys on about half of the dining locations on Western’s campus, so they can obtain feedback on aspects such as food quality, speed of service and presentation of the food Sodexo serves.

“Sodexo does customer satisfaction surveys one time a year,” Russell said. “Sodexo operates all the dining locations on campus, not only those in the residence halls, but also those in the union, Dividends, etc.”

Russell went on to mention how they take the in-

put into consideration immensely based on the surveys from Western students. Biernbaum expressed how much Sodexo cares about the student’s, staff’s and the UDHS’s feedback.

The nuances of the contract between Western and Sodexo were also discussed. Biernbaum said the contract consists of very dynamic meal plans. Although Western uses a different system than other Universities, it ends up working in the student’s favor, according to Biernbaum.

Russell stated how the Sodexo dining operations are paid for by the students who live on campus, so their feedback is essential for good eating.

“All of the units that we have on campus, which includes Sbarro’s, Einstein’s, Bayliss/Henninger and Corbin/Olson dining centers, the C- Stores, all of those are funded by, first and foremost, our board paying students,

our residents in the residence halls,” Russell said. “That is why we work so closely with Council.

According to Russell, Western signed a five-year contract with Sodexo with three 1 year renewables. As of now, the university is on the first year of one of those renewables. There are plans to execute the next two of the renewable years.

Russell continued by stating how since there has been a decline in student enrollment, it has forced UHDS to make necessary changes to the dining centers on campus, such as changing opening times and closing some units.

It was also mentioned how Western is in the last year of their contract with Sbarro in the University Union, meaning there will be a future evaluation on what will open in that space.

SGA

page 3

2

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

NEWS

WesternCourier.com

JESSIE MATIAS/PRODUCTION MANAGER

Tabi Jozwick courier staff

In light of the holiday season, the Western Illinois University Foundation and Development Office wanted to encourage the Western community to give during Giving Tuesday yesterday.

According to Director of Annual Giving Tim Hallinan, Giving Tuesday is a global initiative that started in 2012 when over 1,400 charities formed a coalition to use social media to encourage people to give during the holiday season.

“As people participate in Giving Tuesday, we’re asking that as they consider giving to their own charities that day, that they also consider giving to Western Illinois University as one of them,” Hallinan said.

Hallinan said that the Foundation and Development Office will reach out to faculty, staff and alumni at several times during the year to encourage them to give to Western.

“Giving Tuesday, being toward the end of the calendar year, it seems a good platform for us to do that,” Hallinan said.

“Rather than asking on Giving Tuesday and then again toward the end of the year, it seems that when many people are coming together to make their end of the year gifts, so it seems to be a natural fit for us.”

Hallinan said that Western’s goal of Giving Tuesday was for 250 donors to donate any mone-

WC

tary amount to Western towards Giving Tuesday. Donors can designate their gifts to any genre they choose, whether it is a scholarship, an academic department or send the gift to where the greatest need is for Western.

“Giving Tuesday is one day of giving, it’s a 24 hours event on Nov. 28,” Hallinan said. “We put the campaign page up a little bit early for faculty and staff to make their advance gift if they so choose, but also for people to register as advocates.

It gives them time leading up to the day to register as an online advocate. It helps push the effort online.”

Advocates encouraged donors to give during Giving Tuesday through their social media platforms, whether it is Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, by either sharing their advocate links on the Giving Tuesday page, taking an “unselfie” of holding a sign telling donors why they give and using the hashtags #GivingTuesday and #LeathernecksGive.

“In addition to be an advocate, instead of just sharing a link, they can go back to the campaign page and track individual numbers of how many clicks generated, how many gifts they helped generate and the number of dollars that they help generate for Western as an advocate,” Hallinan said.

Advocates can also offer a matching gift, offer a challenge or tell their own story on why

STAFF MEMBERS editor-in-chief Nicholas Ebelhack NA-Ebelhack@wiu.edu news editor Isaiah Herard IA-Herard@wiu.edu assistant news editor Emily Stieren EN-Stieren@wiu.edu opinions editor Shannon Norris SA-Norris@wiu.edu

Located on the third floor of the Heating Plant Annex on the south end of campus across from Sherman Hall.

Mail: 1 University Circle, WIU, Macomb, IL 61455 Phone: 309-298-1876 Fax: 309-298-2309 Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays E-mail: micour@wiu.edu Member: Illinois College Press Association, National Association College Press

they gave their gift to Western.

“We saw this with other giving opportunities earlier in the year is that people really wanted to make an impact with their gift beyond the traditionally giving,” Hallinan said. “The idea of the challenge and the match are that donors can either match a gift, a typical match would be if a donor says, ‘I’m going to match all gifts up to $100,000,’ that way, a donor can double their impact by participating in a match. A challenge would be more if a donor says ‘if this campaign raises $5,000, I’ll contribute an additional $5,000. It gives our donors some flexibility to multiply the impact of their gift by inspiring an increase of donations for us.”

Hallinan stressed that donors can give any amount to Giving Tuesday, even if is a small monetary gift.

“Giving Tuesday, the way we see it is about participation,” Hallinan said. “It’s not so much about the amount, but rather that they participate and help us to reach the goal of 250 donors. The number of donors that we see for Giving Tuesday really sends a message out for people’s affinity of Western, so helping us reach that participation is as bit as important as the amount that someone can give.”

To make a gift to the Giving Tuesday campaign or to sign up as an advocate, go to http:// bit.ly/WesternGT17. The campaign will remain opened until Nov. 30.

sports editor Mat McClanahan MD-McClanahanw@wiu.edu assistant sports editor Devon Greene DJ-Greene@wiu.edu edge editor Alyssa Hohman AM-Hohman@wiu.edu copy editor Joshua Defibaugh JG-Defibaugh@wiu.edu proofreader Valerie Clemens VN-Clemens@wiu.edu

proofreader Alexis Lowe AL-Lowe@wiu.edu proofreader Tacuma Venzant T-Venzant@wiu.edu photo editor Angel Strack AE-Strack@wiu.edu assistant photo editor Pedro Avila PJ-Avila@wiu.edu production manager Jessie Matias JM-Garcia@wiu.edu business manager Faith Rucker F-Rucker@wiu.edu advertising manager Patryk Mazur P-Mazur@wiu.edu adviser Will Buss WJ-Buss@wiu.edu

“One is that you know about, that is in the northwest water main replacement,” Torreson said. “It is estimated to be $677,000 which $450,000 of that will be from a grant that we applied for and I think it was the third time that we applied for it and we were successful.”

The remaining estimated cost of $227,000 for the northwest water main replacement cost will come from the City of Macomb water fund. The southeast water main replacement project estimated cost will be $425,000, which $350,000 will come from the City of Macomb water fund and the remaining $75,000 will come from the infra sales tax.

“Along one side of the road,

there are water mains and we are going to replace them,” Interim Public Works Director Scott Coker said. “All of these pipes in the northwest section that are going to be replaced are cast iron that we are replacing.”

Coker said that the eventual goal is to replace all the cast iron water mains with plastic water mains and it would take a long time to be able to achieve the entire replacement of the city water main pipes. Coker recommended that residents and businesses that have rust in their water to let the water department know so that the water main can be flushed out, especially if the water has been sitting in the pipes for a while.

The next City Council meeting will be on Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.

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Council from front page

The Western Courier is published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the regular school year, excluding holidays, finals week and semester breaks. The WC updates the website weekly during the summer. All content reflects the editorial discretion of the students operating the newspaper and must be interpreted as unofficial university communication. While every attempt is made to determine the validity of advertising contained herein, the advertising in the WC is not to be construed as endorsements of any specific products or services. The WC assumes no responsibility or liability resulting from the content of paid advertisements. Subscription price is $36 per year mailed third-class bulk rate from Macomb.

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No reproduction or reuse of material is permitted without written consent of the WC. All rights reserved. To request permission to reprint any material from this publication, please contact Nicholas Ebelhack or Will Buss at 309-298-1876.

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Wednesday, November 29, 2017

NEWS 3

Jessie Matias/production manager

By Tabi Jozwick courier staff

Western Illinois University alumni Anthony Fillingham fought in Iraq during his time working for the Illinois National Guard, but now he is fighting another battle, leukemia.

Fillingham first graduated from Western in 1994 with a double major in applied Mathematics and Computer Science and Law Enforcement and Judicial Administration and started working with the Macomb Police Department for 19 years as a police officer, fieldtraining officer and defensive tactics officer.

A childhood dream of Filligaham was to serve in the military, and regretting that he did not enlist when he was younger, he decided to join the Illinois National Guard in

May 2003.

“At the age of 32, I swore to protect our country and joined the Illinois National Guard as an infantryman assigned to the 1/131 Infantry,” Filligham said.

“I joined infantry because I wanted to find the biggest challenge for me personally.”

That decision led Fillingham to his only deployment to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“Our battalion was sent to Fort Polk, LA for 15 months to replace the OPFOR battalion as they were being sent to Iraq,” Fillingham said. “So, for 15 months, the battalion took on the roles of al-Qaeda and the Taliban as we trained over 50,000 troops before they went overseas to fight our country's real enemy.

“After leaving the National Guard in 2011 and retiring from the Macomb Police Department

in 2014, Fillingham decided to make the change to become a special education teacher, so he returned to Western to earn his degree in special education.

“Within a few months, I was quite bored and looking for a change,” Fillingham said.

“Shortly after that I began substitute teaching at a school I used to work at as a police officer. At the school, Project Insight, I fell in love with education and the students. I decided to pursue a second career as a special education teacher. As I was a veteran with plenty of unused veteran education benefits, I saw no reason not to challenge myself.

Western was already my alma mater and has an excellent education program.”

When Fillingham returned to Western, during a trip to the Beu Health Center, he found

out that he had FLT3 Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

“I was diagnosed very early during the onset of my disease,” Fillingham said. “It’s theorized I was diagnosed within two weeks of onset. This is very rare and unusual in leukemia. I bless the care I received at Beu Health Center under Dr. Michael Waters with his quick and efficient diagnosis. On May 24, it was confirmed I had leukemia and that same day I was admitted to the Saint Francis Hospital in Peoria, IL. I spent the next 40 days and 40 nights receiving two rounds of chemo treatment to place me in a state of initial remission. After that I was released from the hospital for a few weeks.”

“Although I have no siblings, I was very blessed to have several perfect anonymous donors,” Fillingham said. “This was one

of my biggest fears. I believe everyone who has leukemia is afraid there will not be a stem cell transplant donor available for them. When I received word a donor existed for me, I felt a huge weight lift off my chest.”

Fillingham received treatment for his leukemia for years and he was grateful that the veterans at Western took the time to help pay with his care. Right now, he’s staying in an apartment in Chicago for long-term cancer patients so that he could be close to the University of Chicago Hospital during the first 100 days after his stem cell.

“I don’t know much about what happens after one year from stem cell transplant as I am still taking this one day at a time, but with some plans for the future,” Fillingham said. “I’m down a bit, but not out.”

SGA

mented during the previous academic year.

“I think this bill suffers two main problems,” said Speaker of the Senate Patrick Quinlan. “First, it lacks specificity. I really wanted to see like what specific halls this was going to be implemented in. Second, the language of it is kind of vague, especially the third clause. I think it really needs to be rewritten to be more specific, so we do know what is being talked about.”

However, the bill ended up being passed without being reworded.

SGA also passed the Bill 2017-2018.02 to collaborate with Facilities Management to create a natural barrier between the Frisbee golf course and the Lincoln/Washington/Grote parking lot.

The next SGA meeting will be held on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Capital Rooms of the University Union.

from front page

There was also discussion on the possible changes of student fees. According to Russell some of the items that are supported by fees are talent grants, athletics, campus recreation, the University Union, technology, the Beu Health Center and the GoWest Transit system.

“We are actually working on some potential larger changes to fees, as we have some higher fees than our sister institutions in the state, so we are looking at what we can do to reduce our expenses,” Russell said.

Moving forward, Unity Senator Natasha Kelch proposed SGA Bill 2017-2018.03 to change the single stall restrooms into gender neutral restrooms. This caused a vast misunderstanding at the meeting due to gender neutral restrooms being imple-

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

4 OPINIONS

Don‘t be fooled by halftruths about net neutrality

This past Monday, an article appeared in the Courier entitled “Net Neutrality is holding progress back” by Patrick Quinlan This article was full of misinformation and half-truths about net neutrality. For those readers who do not know, net neutrality is a policy of the Federal Communications Commision (FCC) that requires internet service providers such as Comcast or Verizon to provide the same speeds and priorities to all internet traffic, regardless of content.

There is a vote among the FCC set to repeal this policy taking place on Dec. 14. Proponents of net neutrality say that repealing the policy will allow ISPs to throttle data that they don’t like.

The falsehood present in the offending article is written as such, “ISPs did not throttle data before the 2015 policy was implemented.” This is completely false. In 2014 (a year that took place before 2015) Comcast throttled the internet company Netflix, slowing down their speeds by up to 30%, until Netflix agreed to pay the ISP to end the slowdown. This information came from multiple sources, including Fortune, and can be found through a very simple Google search.

More significant than that one piece of misinformation is that conclusions that the author attempted to draw from it.

Quinlan wrote, “ISPs have no reason to care about content ...

Any notion that ISPs will throttle Netflix — when Netflix is 35 percent of what customer bandwidth is used for — and not face negative consequences for that throttling by customers immediately jumping ship is entirely outlandish.” This again is completely untrue. ISPs have every reason to care about content, especially when said content is a competitor to their own video streaming service.

There are also quite a few faulty assumptions in the idea that customers can change to a new ISP. According to a report from the FCC, vast swaths of census blocks only have one option for ISP, with the lack of competition growing at higher speeds.

Consumerist has an article with maps of entire cities such as the Twin Cities, Los Angeles or Boston where there is only one option for ISPs. In other words, in those areas it is impossible to “jump ship” without moving to a completely new neighborhood or city. Net neutrality is not a “solution searching for a nonexistent problem” it is a solution to the monopolies held by ISPs in enormous areas that allows consumers fair access.

Quinlan also states that net neutrality “destroys any incentives to drastically increase available bandwidth and advance internet technology” While it is true that ISPs don’t have any incentives to improve in those areas, that is not because of net

neutrality, it is because of the monopolies they hold. With or without net neutrality, there is not competition in the internet service industry.

Where there is competition, however, is in industries created by the internet. For instance, there is currently competition between Netflix and Hulu, or between Amazon and Ebay.

This competition can only exist because of net neutrality. If it is repealed, ISPs that own businesses involved in these industries, such as comcast, can legally avoid competition not by improving their product, but rather by simply throttling their competitors, as they have done before.

Quinlan also claims that “massive companies like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon happen to support the keeping of net neutrality” Once again, this is false. According to USA Today, all three of those companies have stated that they support the FCC in their repeal. Both Comcast and AT&T have posts on their site written by their vice presidents in support of the repeal.

However, there are companies that are in support of net neutrality. These are the companies that have the most to lose.

According to Reuters, companies such as Reddit, AirBnb, Tumblr and Etsy all published a letter urging the chairman of the FCC to vote against the repeal.

These companies, and the consumers, are the ones that will suffer under an anti-competitive monopoly if net neutrality is repealed.

Neutrality

page 5

JESSIE MATIAS/PRODUCTION MANAGER

WesternCourier.com

The internet is a service, not a luxury Earlier last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed a repeal of net neutrality regulations put in place by the Obama administration. These regulations prevented internet service providers from charging users access to specific content or slowing speeds unless users are willing to pay extra. Essentially people who are able to pay more will get more access and speed on the internet while people who struggle financially will get slower speeds and restricted access.

Imagine having dial up speeds again just because you can’t afford to have higher speeds.

Some people are already paying a decent chunk of change out of their paychecks for internet, which means they’ll have to pay even more for a slower speed than they currently have.

So what started all of this? Net neutrality has been a big issue for years now as internet speeds increased and the demand and in some cases need for internet access went through the roof.

Schools, businesses, and other institutions have moved more toward internet or online-based operations than paper. Many schools have moved toward online textbooks and accessing subject matter and assignments online. It is an easier system and allows students to access materials at any time. With this increased demand, internet service providers wanted to put a cap on the amount of internet access or speed low paying customers get.

During the Obama administration, regulations were put in place stating that access to internet is a right and limiting access is an infringement on the First Amendment. They felt that internet service providers should not have that much control over the people’s access to the internet.

These regulations led to many rejoicing and forgetting about the issue as they enjoyed their access. That was until last week as the FCC made the announcement. The FCC made a similar sounding argument, stating that they felt the government should not micromanage the internet and trusts the internet service providers to be fair and transparent in their internet allocating decisions.

Excuse me? Are we really trusting major corporations like AT&T to be transparent and fair and not just to charge insanely high prices for internet access? If they had their way, they would charge prices so high that their own average employees would have a hard time paying them, with or without a discount. Internet in countries like the U.S. has expanded to become so much more than a luxury.

Most high schools and universities have their systems using internet access and run online programs. Many companies are moving services and customer service help online. Many stores are moving away from brickand-mortar shops in exchange for cheaper online stores. How can we make this a luxury item that only the rich and wealthy can afford?

The internet is possibly the one thing in the U.S. that is an equalizer for people across the country. There are opportunities for low income families to be able to have access to internet to help them find work and to help their children keep up in school. These programs will be gone if net neutrality regulations are repealed.

While there are things that are more important than internet for basic survival, internet is a tool that should be for everyone, not just the select few.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

@WesternCourier

Neutrality from page 4

The final issue with Monday's article that I would like to address is the last paragraph. The author asks, “Would you prefer that the government have control over your Internet?” And the answer to that is no, obviously. But I also don’t want Comcast or Verizon having control over my internet. Slapping the word “corporation” on it doesn’t suddenly make something better. Furthermore, net

neutrality is not the government controlling your internet, not in any sense of the word. It is the government saying that noone can control the internet.

Quinlan attempts to muddy the waters on this issue by saying, “Even if the current rules may seem neutral, the possibility remains that the government could censor certain websites by disallowing ISPs to provide bandwidth to certain content” And sure, that would be bad, but that’s irrelevant to the discussion. That’s not what net neutrality is, and repealing net

neutrality isn’t going to magically make that impossible. If the time comes where the government seeks to do that, then we have to fight to ensure that they don’t. Allowing ISPs to throttle data and destroy competition among internet companies isn’t the solution to that problem.

Quinlan also asks, “Say President Trump believes that CNN has gone too far, or a Democratic President thinks Breitbart should not be allowed to publish what it does. Do you want the potential for the govern-

Letter to the Editor Dear editor, In recent weeks we have seen the benefit of feminist thinking as one woman after another has spoken out about abuse meted out by men in powerful positions in the media and politics. This mass consciousness raising never would have happened without the Civil Rights and Feminist movements. The Civil Rights movement taught those oppressed by racism how to successfully fight racism on its own ground. Feminism took these lessons and applied them to sexism. The world is a much better place because of both movements. It’s for this reason it’s doubly strange that Western’s administration has chosen to stifle learning about feminism and civil rights.

Last year, the Western administration dissolved our Women’s Studies Department and the Department of African

American Studies, resulting in the loss of some faculty including one tenured Women’s Studies professor. Some of the departments that remain also examine social issues and promote equality include the Departments of Psychology, Art, History and English. Faculty in these departments have been unfairly accused by Western administration of being overpaid during recent contract negotiations with the faculty union. All of these actions by the administration undervalue critical thinking, cross cultural learning , and ethical reasoning at Western at a time when the importance of these types of education are being dramatically underscored. Current events including the recent abuses of power by men in the media, as well as the controversies involving kneeling NFL players and confederate monu-

ments signal, if nothing else, a lack of empathy and critical thinking. Our leadership needs to resist making sweeping curricular changes that diminish our ability to teach about and address these issues.

It is my hope that the Western administrative leadership creates strategies to respond to the difficulties facing our University and Illinois public higher education while maintaining strong educational programs based in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Denigrating faculty and programs devoted to equity and social justice is wrong-headed and divisive, and is contradictory to our stated commitment to personal growth and social responsibility.

Damon McArthur Professor of Art Western Illinois University

Online shopping beats Black Friday “Shop till you drop” is never more literal than it is on Black Friday. Squeezing between people here, throwing elbows for the last crock pot there, Black Friday is a war zone. The hustle and bustle of shopping on this famous day is one unlike any other. The thrill of getting that last Razor scooter can be a good one, but at the end of it all is it really worth it? I’ve never been much of an online shopper, but when it comes to Black Friday it is definitely the way to go.

There are many pros and cons between the online shopping and the regular brick-and-mortar stores, but for Black Friday your best bet is online. The first big pro to doing your shopping online this day is that you have a much higher chance of being able to get the items you are shopping for. The stores only get in a limited supply of the items so your chance of getting the

one you desire is often slim. If you are really determined, however, you would have to show up to the stores hours before the doors open to sit outside and save your spot near the front.

This used to be fun a few years ago when the stores opened at midnight, but sadly that’s not the case anymore. Walmart’s and Target’s across the country were opening as early as 6pm on Thanksgiving evening this year. For me that’s right in the middle of my family holiday.

Although you won’t be getting the hectic thrill of Black Friday shopping, if you do it online you are able to spend more of your thanksgiving with your family and have a much higher chance of being able to get what you are shopping for.

Many online websites are also starting to offer their deals online even earlier than in stores.

Stores like Target allowed cus-

tomers to buy Black Friday deals online as early as midnight Thanksgiving morning.

This way you could get all of your shopping done before you even begin your thanksgiving holiday and most large retailers even offer free shipping directly to your house. So not only do you not have to fight the crowds, but you can buy your items in the comfort of your own home and have them shipped right to you.

The last big pro to online shopping on Black Friday is just the mere convenience. Most all of the prime Black Friday shopping happens at night where it is dark, and cold, and you run the small risk of being trampled.

Even if you do fight the crowds and get your hands on that prized deal you still have the long wait in the checkout lines.

Black Friday has been a fun tradition for years for people all over the country, but with the technology improvements we have now and the awful idea to move Black Friday shopping to pretty much Thursday night, online shopping is the much easier and less stressful way to go.

ment to beable to regulate the Internet in that kind of fashion, with literally zero recourse?”

Again the answer is no, but again I have to add the caveat that this question is largely irrelevant to net neutrality. The government insuring that all data moves at the same speed has literally nothing to do with this.

Again, if a president attempts to do something like that, than the people will have the opportunity to do something about it, and fight against it. But if ISPs attempt something so sinister (which admittedly is a worst-

OPINIONS 5 case scenario), large portions of the country will not be able to do anything, because ISPs have a monopoly over vast geographical territories, and consumers do not have an immediate recourse.

If there exist any strong, legitimate arguments against net neutrality, I certainly have not seen them. If I do one day come across them, I hope that they will be built upon truth, and intellectual rigor, and will lead to productive discussion on what may be one of the most important decisions regarding a fair and free internet.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

6 SPORTS

Football from page 8

Basketball from page 8

The Leathernecks lead got as big as 13 points, but they started to crumble in the latter of the third quarter. The Panthers were able to stop the Leathernecks and cut their lead down to a point, but Western managed to end the quarter up by two.

In the start of the fourth quarter Milwaukee made two quick jump shots to give them the first lead since the first quarter.

The Leathernecks kept battling and Braun hit a step back to tie up the game, 63-63. Braun followed her jump shot with a free throw to give the Leathernecks their final lead of the game.

Milwaukee kept their foot on the gas and took down Western by ten.

The Leathernecks will try to comeback from this loss when they take on Chicago State University today at 7 p.m. at home. The Leathernecks already beat Chicago State 83-45 in their previous matchup this season.

Twitter: @MacIsland13

McShane ended up fifth in the conference in allpurpose yards per game at 103.82, which left him ranked 56th nationally.

These 12 players helped lead the Leathernecks to their 8-4 season. They finished the regular season ranked ninth in the STATS FCS ‘Top 25’ poll and 10th in the FCS coaches poll.

Along with these accolades, head coach Charlie Fisher was a finalist for the FCS Coach of the Year. The Eddie Robinson award is named after the former coach of Grambling State University.

This year ’s list includes at least one coach from all 13 FCS Conferences. Fisher was amongst 17 other finalists.

As head coach, Fisher helped lead the Leathernecks to eight regular season wins for the first time since 2003.

The six road games they

CLASSIFIEDS

WC

For Rent

For Rent

Submit a classifieds ad to Micour@wiu.edu

1 & 2 bedroom apartments, new $250 signing bonus on 10 and 12 month leases. Two blocks from campus. Bus stops nearby. Free water, garbage and parking. Laundry onsite. Clean, well maintained and secure. Call Ted 309-837-5600 or visit markertrental.com.

Spacious 2-5 bedroom homes for rent. 10 month lease available. Great locations, close to bus stops, plenty off street parking, all new windows, AC, energy efficient furnace, hardwood and ceramic tile floors, free washer/dryer. Well maintained (24 hrs.) by local landlord.

Call 309-255-1233.

Houses for Rent 2016/2017: A&D Real Estate has several 3, 4 and 5 bedroom houses for rent, all with at least 2 bathrooms, recently rennovated and located close to campus. Call for a tour or visit our website at www.wiucollegerentals.com. Local landlord with a focus on clean and updated housing with personal service for your college housing needs. 309-313-1122.

FALL INTO SAVINGS with Charleston Boulevard Apartments! Now offering SPECIAL RATES through Dec. 2017! Call for specific details 309-833-4545!.

NICE, CLEAN, WELL MAINTAINED 1 TO 6 BEDROOM HOUSES FOR 2016-2017 Our houses have hard wood floors, ceramic tile, central air, washer and dryer and are close to campus with plenty of parking. We offer a ten month lease so you don’t pay for the months you aren’t here. Please call 309-255-1959 for a showing.

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WesternCourier.com

won this year set a program record. This is only his second season as head coach at Western. Fisher has over 30 years of college coaching. Some of his previous schools are Pennsylvania State University, Vanderbilt University, North Carolina State University and the University of Mississippi.

Although their season got cut a bit short, the Purple and Gold have much to be proud of this season. It was a record-breaking year for several players.

Along with Acklin, McGuire has passed for 2,650 yards which is the seventh-most in a single season in program history. Taylor ’s 90 assisted tackles are third-most in a single season. While junior defensive back Xavier Rowe is tied for 10th in school history with 11 breakups.

The All-Newcomer player, Ratkovich, caught 17 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. He also

LARGE STUDENT RENTALS 5 and 6 Bedroom Homes are still available!! Ask for our $1000.00 Discount program! Firsrt come first serve for the last large homes that are open for the fall.

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CLEAN, REMODELED, AND WELL MAINTAINED HOUSES AND APTS FOR RENT IN GREAT LOCATIONS. UTILITIES PAID FOR APARTMENTS. RENTING NOW FOR FALL 2017.

ALSO RENTING TWO APTS FOR SPRING 2016. CALL JASON AT 309-221-3985.

Timbercrest Apartments 1587 Riverview Drive Now showing 1 & 2 Bedroom Units. Very clean, close to WIU campus with bus stop in front of building. Washer/dryer available in most units, all other appliances included, FREE INTERNET, ceiling fans in every room, pet friendly. All units have off street parking and private decks overlooking campus. Both 10- and 12-month leases are available. Openings for Summer 2017 and school year 2017/2018. Deposit required. Phone (309)833-3192 and leave message.

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ran for 132 yards for two more touchdowns.

Holloway, another Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer, finished the season tied for seventh with three interceptions. Racking up 21 tackles and 6 breakups.

Western Illinois will end the season ranked fourth out of the 10 teams in the conference. The Missouri Valley Football Conference is not only the top-rated league in the FCS but also is ranked ahead of many FBS (Football Bowl Series) conferences.

Those conferences include the Mountain West, C-USA, the MAC and the Sun Belt.

So, while people say that the FCS (Football College Series) is not as competitive or as prominent as the FBS, that can be argued.

The Leathernecks accomplished a lot this season and are in a great position moving forward into the future.

Twitter: @hayfourrr

RATES $5.50 per issue (open rate) $4.00 per issue (campus rate)

For Rent Available now: Close to campus, clean studio apartments, excellent condition, reasonable rent, and partly furnished.

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Semester leases offered. Call 309 837 4369 and leave your phone number if not there. Email: MandKhousing@gmail.com ALL APARTMENTS - ALL INCLUSIVE Get control of your budget. Know exactly what you are spending each month. Each apartment includes free a/c, free heat, free electricity, free water, free cable tv, free hi speed internet, and free off street parking. Laundry on site.

No noise policy. Bus stop across the street. Close to campus. Well maintained. Studios are $460/mo, One bedrooms are $620/mo. Call Doug at 309-255-8179 for an appointment.

Westen Investments still has affordable 1-4 Bedroom Apartment/Houses available. Be sure to check out our website (www.westeninvest.com) to see our available listings, and call our office at 309-833-5995 to schedule a showing. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to win prize giveaways!

APARTMENT FOR RENT: FOR QUIET PERSON. ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT FOR RENT LOCATED AT 314 West Carroll ST Macomb, Ill 61455. Available end of August 2017-new carpeting yearly lease SMALEST FURNISHED IN MACOMB $345.00/month - HEAT & AC INCLUDED private entrance, off-street parking included call for appointment309-837-4748 or 255-5075 woodburning fireplace, ask for Paul.

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@WesternCourier

Sports 7

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Leathernecks look to tame Cougars

By Devon Greene

assistant sports editor The Western Illinois University women’s basketball team is looking to rebound at home tonight after a 10-point loss to the University of Milwaukee Panthers. The Chicago State University Cougars head to Macomb for their second game of the season with the Leathernecks.

The first matchup between the two teams this season took place in Chicago where the Purple and Gold handed the Cougars a demoralizing 83-45 loss. Senior point guard Emily Clemens posted her season high in points at Chicago state with a 21-point output.

Clemens also wrote her name in the Leatherneck history books when she surpassed 1,000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals in the game.

The Cougars have plenty of problems this season as their record reflects with an 0-6 start. They are losing games by an average of 25.5 points per game and their season high scoring outpoint is 69. The Cougars were held to 36 percent from the field

the last time they played the Leathernecks and shot 0-8 from the three-point line.

Chicago State is shooting the worst three-point percentage in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) at an abysmal 18 percent from beyond the arch. Granted, they don’t take many shots from outside, only taking 15 this year and over half coming in the game against Western.

They also recorded a whopping 30 turnovers which is only their third highest turnover total in a game this season. To contrast, Western’s highest turnover total this season is 16. Chicago State ranks last in the WIC in turnovers with 146 this season and hold a negative 6.83 margin on the season. This bodes well for Western because they are second in the Summit League in steals per game. They also have three players in the top five players in the Summit League in steals per game.

Clemens is far and away the leader with 4.1 steals per game, senior guard Michelle Farrow follows her with 2.3 and junior guard Taylor Higginbotham currently ranks fourth with 2.1.

Chicago State also ranks last in the WAC for scoring defense at 76.3 points per game. This stat looks like it will get worse against the Leathernecks as the Purple and Gold are far and away the highest scoring team in the Summit League at 89.9 points per game. 12.9 higher than the second highest team, North Dakota State.

Western has reached this point per game output shooting a better field goal percentage than anyone else in the conference. They are shooting 45.1 percent on the year and 34.4 from the three-point line.

A big component in their efficiency on the offensive side is their ability to move the ball.

The Purple and Gold have two women in the top five in assists this year as Clemens and sophomore guard Oliva Kaufmann have shown a knack for finding their open teammates.

This game is a good one for the Leathernecks to bounce back and avoid a two-game losing streak on their home court. They won by 18 the last time these two teams played, and there is no reason to expect a different outcome.

Twitter: devondeadlysins

Taylor Higginbotham gathers for a layup

Angel Strack/photo editor

Necks look for redemption at home

goleathernecks.com

Erica Hagen breaks two school records at the House of Champion Meet.

By Bradley Piros courier staff

MACOMB Ill. - The Western Illinois University swimming and diving teams come back home this Saturday to take on the Truman State Bulldogs.

Last time out was a bit tough for both the men and the women, but they made their home crowd proud earlier this month with a couple of wins.

The last time the Leathernecks were in the pool was the weekend before Thanksgiving break where they competed in the 2017 House of Champions Meet.

A total of 14 schools came

out to this meet including some tough competition like the University of Connecticut, the University of Indiana and the University of WisconsinGreen Bay. The women placed in 13th with 190 points, while the men came in at 11th with 214.50 points. They might have not placed well, but head coach Greg Naumann was still happy with his side’s performance.

“We had a really good meet.

We only give the team a couple of days rest, but they still swam fast when compared to the rest of our season times,” Naumann said. “We always compare to what we have

done at this time in years past, and it appears that many are in track to compete even better at The Summit League Championships than in years past.”

Freshman Erica Hagen set two school records to pick her team up some points.

Her first record time was in the 100-breast finals with a time of 1:03.33 to get the win. The other one was in the 200-breast where she won the final again with 2:21.55.

On the men’s side sophomore Brennan Bladel set a personal record in the 200-back with a time of 1:53.20.

The last time the Purple and

Gold swam in Macomb was back earlier this month on the 4th when they took on the Olivet Nazarene Crusaders and the Valparaiso Tigers.

The women dominated the meet entirely beating the Crusaders 197-54 and the Tigers 142.5-124.5 while the men were edged by Olivet Nazarene 150-123 and beat Valparaiso 185-82.

Western started the meet out strong as they won the first relay event. Sophomores Taylor Winkel, Casey Roberts and Miranda Mathus along with Hagen took first place with a 4:04.84 time.

Sophomores Madison Chao

and Winkel took the top two spots in the 100-back with times of 1:02.70 and 1:03 respectively. The same pair would do it again in the 200back with times of 2:16.06 and 2:18.08.

As for the men, Bladel won the Leathernecks' first event with a swim of 54.02 in the 100-back and sophomore Colin Parker won the 1-meter dive with a score of 241.20.

The swim and dive teams will return to action here in Macomb as they look for another win when they take on the Bulldogs. It’s set to take place at 1 p.m. in Brophy Hall.

Twitter: bradjpo08

Monday, August 21, 2017

Women’s hoops takes second loss

By Mat McClanahan sports editor

MACOMB Ill. - The Western Illinois University women’s basketball team was handed their second loss of the season when they lost to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers. The Panthers beat the Leathernecks by ten, notching 77 points to the Leathernecks 67.

“That was a hard-fought game and we played well for sports,” head coach JD Gravina said. “We hit a cold streak in our shooting and we let it deflate our energy. We have to find a way to battle a little better when our shots aren’t falling.”

In the opening seconds of the game, the Panthers struck first with a quick floater by the Panthers’ senior forward Steph Kostowicz. Their early and little lead did not last long, Western’s senior forward Olivia Braun sank a jump shot to tie up the game.

The whole first quarter was back and forth between the Purple and Gold and the Panthers. The biggest lead either team was able to get was just five points. The first quar-

ter ended with the ball game at 20-20.

In the start of the second quarter, Western found their first lead when senior guard Morgan Blumer splashed a three to make the ball game 23-20. Western was not able to get much momentum because the Panthers tied up the game with a free throw followed by a short jumper.

In the middle of the second quarter, Western’s senior guard Emily Clemens started to catch fire with a layup that led to a 17-point night. Clemens made a free throw on the next possession and Blumer followed her with another three to give Western a 35-31 lead. The Leathernecks stayed on top for the rest of the half and took a three-point lead into half time, 39-36.

The Leathernecks came out of the break firing and a jump shot made by Clemens, a three made by Braun, another three drilled by junior guard Taylor Higginbotham, and capped by another three by senior guard Michelle Farrow gave Western a 12-point lead, 50-38.

Basketball page 6

Emily Clemens pushes the ball up the court in a fast break for the Leathernecks.

ANGEL STRACK / PHOTO EDITOR

A salute to our seniors

By Haley Richards courier staff

NICHOLAS EBELHACK / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Brett Taylor cuts off a South Dakota running back at the Western’s first home game this season.

The Western Illinois University football team’s season may be over but many Leathernecks received all-conference honors. The conference office announced the teams on Monday, Nov. 27.

First teamers consisted of senior linebacker Brett Taylor, senior wide receiver Jaelon Acklin, senior offensive lineman Jacob Judd and junior defensive lineman Khalen Saunders. Second team honorees consisted of junior defensive back Justin Fitzpatrick and junior running back Steve McShane. Junior quarterback Sean McGuire, junior linebacker Quintin Moon, sophomore running back Max Norris and senior offensive lineman Josh Baldus all received all-conference honorable mention.

Redshirt freshman Clint Ratkovich and senior transfer Tyrin Holloway were named to the Conference All-Newcomer Team.

Taylor also was awarded the Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player

of the Year. He led the nation with 162 tackles, 13.5 stops per game, and 96 assisted tackles.

These stats are the secondmost in a single season in program history.

Acklin finished his career second in the nation in receiving yards with a total of 1,369. He was fifth in the nation for yards per game at 114.1 and seventh in total touchdowns with 14.

He now ranks eighth in Western history with 1,733 receiving yards and tied for 10th with 12 receiving touchdowns.

Judd helped in leading the Leathernecks to top 30 in the nations team passing efficiency. This was his third consecutive all-conference accolade.

This season, Saunders ranked fifth in the conference in forced fumbles and sacks. HE placed sixth in the conference with 12 tackles for loss.

With five interceptions on the season, Fitzpatrick tied for the conference lead. He ended the season with 57 tackles, six breakups, two forced fumbles and two quarterback hurries.

Football page 6