Western Courier| April 12th, 2019 by The Western Courier

Opinions: Networking is important in college.

Sports: Leathernecks look to continue winning streak.

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Friday, April 12, 2019 - Vol. 119 Issue 76

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Gov. Pritzker appoints new BOT at Western

COURTESY OF WJBC

Governor J.B. Pritzker (left) picked a new board and Justin Brown (right) is the current elected student member of the board.

By Steven Barnum news editor

In an effort to take Western Illinois University in a more promising direction, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker appointed an entirely new Board of Trustees (BOT). The University has been unsuccessful in moving away from the black clouds that surround its BOT open-meetings act violation in 2018. The Illinois Attorney General’s office determined that the group broke the law when members discussed layoffs and financial matters behind closed doors. Shortly after the incident became public, board members started to depart. Two members retired, two were found to have conflicts of interests and were removed, one resigned, one was not confirmed and

one was not reappointed. While a drastic decline in enrollment put Western’s decision makers in a difficult position, it is still important to hold them accountable for wrongdoing, according to Union leader Bill Thompson. “Members of the old board would like to blame their legal counsel for their ignorance about the open-meetings act, but the truth is, each board member is supposed to undergo mandatory training regarding the basics,” Thompson said. “It is basic that the budget and layoffs be discussed in open session and only in open session.” One of the first moves after the violation was replacing the former University counsel with Elizabeth Duvall. Thompson said that Duvall’s presence is a positive when it comes to being able to trust the board

and he doesn’t believe that she will allow any more violations. Pritzker made his appointments about a month after the University announced it would be laying off 132 employees. A petition designed to snag more funding for Western accumulated more than 4,000 signatures. Thompson said that there’s also an effort to reverse some of the layoffs, which may be unjust. The Public Access Counselor is asking to review closed-session tapes from the months leading up to June’s violation in 2018. He said that it was a red flag that the old board wouldn’t ask any tough questions, leading him to suspect that there were previous violations. “We need the information on those tapes to defend our members from layoffs that we believe were done in a non-

contractual manner,” he said, “and because we also want to understand why the University is in the position it is currently in.” Per the law, the governor cannot appoint a majority from any one political party. The process includes choosing from a field of candidates who were nominated by their constituents. Then, the senate must confirm the appointments within the next 60 meetings. Given how seldom that the legislature meets, it could take more than a year to meet this requirement. Thompson is optimistic in the new board, especially after hearing them ask the administration questions that they couldn’t answer. One of them was, “What is your rationale for laying off tenured faculty?” which was directed toward President Jack Thomas.

COURTESY OF PI KAPPA PHI

“The president was not able to answer that question – and he should have been able to answer it immediately as he is laying off tenured faculty,” Thompson said. “The fact that he could not answer the question was revealing. The previous BOT would never have asked that question which is in part why no one from the previous board is on the new board.” Another change that Thompson finds productive is the addition of public comment period toward the end of the BOT meetings. Previously, the public was only able to comment in the beginning of the meetings, making it impossible for their voices to be heard about “That is a huge improvement public access-wise to the meetings.

BOT page 3

NEWS

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Friday, April 12, 2019

McDonough District Hospital recognized for work ethic

COURTESY OF MCDONOUGH DISTRICT HOSPITAL

Above are some of the members of the Hospice team who were recognized at the McDonough District Hospital.

By Steven Barnum news editor

The Grateful Patient Program recently recognized the hospice team at the McDonough District Hospital with the “Healing Hand Award.” Terminally-ill patients who wish to be treated and potentially cured often rely on hospice teams, like the one at the McDonough District Hospital. After a family with a sick relative was pleased with the group’s work ethic and kindness, they nominated them for the award. According to Deb Lawver, the award symbolizes passion for what they do and effort.

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“This is a way that folks can recognize a particular team member or department,” Lawver said. “They can recognize caregivers throughout our organization who have made a difference in the care that they received or in their patient experience.” Lawver is the leader of home health and hospice at the hospital, a section that includes five nurses, three nurse’s aides, two counselors and one doctor. Additionally, there are volunteers within the department who provide companionship to patients. Lawver said that the award highlights the care that everyone in this department puts into their job. “This is for all of them because it was the entire

team that shared their work with the patient,” Lawver said. Home health, the other section that Lawver oversees, provides terminally-ill patients with care inside the comfort of their own home. Such patients prefer to stay at home in these bleak situations, so it’s important for Lawver ’s team to be able to provide care for them too. That care includes issuing antibiotics and conducting cardiac assessments. It’s typical for families who watched the hospice team care deeply for their loved ones to send in a thank you note or a donation to the department or hospital, but Lawver said that this particular family took an ever bigger step. They wanted to further rec-

STAFF MEMBERS editor-in-chief Devon Greene DJ-Greene@wiu.edu news editor Steven Barnum

proofreader Amanda Wandachowicz

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A-Wandachowicz@wiu.edu

opinions editor Allison Young

photo editor Becca Langys

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sports editor Bradley Piros

assistant photo editor Sara Remar

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assistant sports editor Chris Bean

production manager Jimmy Pierson

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edge editor Marc Ramirez

business manager Faith Rucker

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copy editor Brie Coder

advertising manager Jacob Day

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JD-Day@wiu.edu adviser Will Buss WJ-Buss@wiu.edu

ognize the hospice team for its continuous care in order to manage the patient’s symptoms and keep pain under control. “The team’s number one priority during the end of the patient’s life is making sure that they are comfortable. They want to help that patient and family member to fully enjoy the time that they have left,” Lawver said. In such a humbling line of work, there is no shortage of sad moments while on the job. Lawver believes that the team is fixated on eliminating the anxieties that people have when dealing with illnesses. “When they alleviate some of the questions and pain that comes with managing an illness, then the

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wife can just be a wife or the son can just be a son,” Lawver said. “The professionals are there to carry some of the burden.” The care means a lot to the family, but the award may mean even more to the team. Lawver said that she thinks the team looks at its work as a mission. “Each member was very touched that they were recognized,” Lawver said. “They consider it an honor to be able to share this time with patients. This group does not shy away from the patient in their final months of life and they are proud of that. I think that it’s another testament to the difference that their type of care can totally change the experience and how we look at final days.”

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Friday, April 12, 2019

NEWS 3

FYE Proposal and uTech initatives brought before SGA By Marc Ramirez edge editor

wiu.edu

josh purnell/courier staff

BOT

from page 1

This allows the public to comment on what they have seen and heard at the meeting.” As for other ways that the board could improve its reputation with the public, Thompson suggests that the vice presidents should sit in the audience. He said that having them sit at the table is misleading because it implies equality and it takes up space that could be used for more public seating. He also would like to hear less “humble bragging” dur-

ing the meetings and more discussion about the ways that they can revive Western. Pritzker ’s appointees include the following: Greg Aguilar (Chair) from East Moline, Nick Padgett (Vice Chair) from Chicago, Jackie Thompson from Macomb, Erik Dolieslager from Quincy, Kisha M.J. Lang from Maywood, Polly Radosh from Good Hope and Doug Shaw from Peoria. The eighth and final member of the BOT is Western student Justin Brown, from Rantoul, who was elected by fellow students to serve July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019.

Mark Mossman and Lori BakerSperry opened the Student Government Association weekly meeting to discuss the First Year Experience Proposal for the upcoming academic year. Following them was Rebecca Slater, the Chief Information Officer for University Technology to speak on some of the new initiatives uTech will be coming out with. Mossman began by providing a brief synopsis of the FYE Proposal, stating that a key piece of the proposal is that they are proposing to eliminate the graduation requirement of taking UNIV 100. He also said that they would not be eliminating the class, only the graduation requirement which would give people more flexibility in the offering and delivery of UNIV 100 as it will be easier to waive the class for transfer students. “It will be easier to waive the requirement for students coming in with an excessive dual enrollment, credit hours or AP hours, military credit hours, etc,” Mossman said. “It also allows us to then refocus the larger FYE program on the Y Course, which is another element of the FYE Program. The Y Course has been somewhat neglected in the past few years and we want that course to be more coherent and more organized.” The overall goal of the new proposal is to give a better experience to first year students by making the FYE program anchored to a academic discipline in efforts to make it more successful in delivering the FYE Program that way. The concern arose that peer-mentors have gone from just being essentially a teacher ’s assistant and a mentor who acts as a bridge between teachers and students to gaining new roles. Since only six to 10 UNIV 100 classes will be offered next year, OAS students will be required to enroll in the class and students who aren’t will have the option to or not. Since less UNIV 100 classes will be offered, peer-mentors will now be required to inform students about enrolling in a Y Course but not UNIV 100 important topics that should be covered and introduced to all students. Mossman and Baker-Sperry acknowledged the concern and said

that the goal is to ensure that peer mentors are not doing so many extra tasks in the upcoming year. Next to speak was Slater about new initiatives uTech will be taking to better the students at Western Illinois University and the people who come and visit campus. For starters, uTech will be making changes this summer to the guest wifi, currently known as “WIUGUEST,” to provide an open wifi option that will not require registration for our guests on campus. The goal of this project is to simplify the process for accessing our public wifi on campus. This is seen as beneficial for visitors who are coming for either long or short amounts of time and don’t want to go through the tedious process of connecting their device to the wireless networks. “University Technology is pursuing a project to allow students to use their Ecom user ID and password for logging in to STARS,” Slater said in an email. “This will enable students to only have one user ID and login. We estimate this project to be complete in Fall 2020.” Students are looking forward to this because it means that they no longer have to remember multiple passwords to access Western domains. This would mean students can check their grades, classes and do their homework all by logging in with the same username and password. “With the changing acumen and accessibility of technology to our student population, University Technology is investigating several potential new technology services on campus,” Slater said in an email. “Historically, technology services for students focused on availability of printing and computer labs. University Technology sent out a survey to investigate the level of interest in a gaming lounge on campus. We received multiple comments regarding using the funds that would be used for this service to bring back faculty positions. To be clear, this project is only in the investigatory stage to gauge interest.” It is important to note that the funding for this potential lab would not be coming from anywhere other than the technology budget. The technology budget is restricted to noninstructional technology services which would preclude it from being used to fund faculty positions, which was a concern voiced by students.

OPINIONS

Friday, April 12, 2019

WesternCourier.com

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

JIMMY PIERSON/PRODUCTION MANAGER

A majority of teenagers these days are either planning to or are attending college. Attending college is seen as a prerequisite to a successful career as well as comfortable living. However, I see college as a networking opportunity. Receiving good grades will only get you so far; it’s not what you know, it’s who you

know. Going into tens of thousands in student debt can be rendered ineffective if you don’t take the networking opportunities that being at college offers you. First of all, the essential element to creating a network for yourself is diminishing any fear of socialization. Making your name known to those around you

is important and does require some social skills. Whether you are outgoing or an introvert, you need to possess the correct social skills to be successful in life. Do not hesitate to sit in the front of the class. This simple action allows you to establish a professional relationship with your professors and will give you exposure to your peers; having a network of classmates is very beneficial. Group projects become less of a burden and give you opportunities to display leadership skills and develop proj-

ect management strategies. This will give you a wide network of ambitious, similarlyminded individuals who you may aid and assist you with any issues. Another advantage that should be utilized is job fairs and similar events on campus. These events are put together by the school solely to assist you in networking with businesses who are primarily interested in hiring people with skills similar to yours. However, simply attending these events is not enough; you need to network with the peo-

ple at these fairs. Involvement is also extremely important when attending college; clubs and organizations do much more for your professional prospects than just boosting your resume. Activities in these organizations allow you to establish and maintain relationships with your university’s alumni, current faculty and other student leaders. They also give you opportunities to work on team-building skills and, once again, allow you to immerse yourself in settings containing like-minded individuals.

You don't have to define your sexuality in college

A lot of people are coming to terms with who they are, and some people are not. Some people are okay identifying themselves within the LGBTA+ community. Some people are still hesitant to admit their sexuality, while some have already come forth and told those closest to them about their chosen sexuality. Whatever it may be, there is no rush to come to terms with who you are. Some people are always constantly question-

ing whether they are a certain sexuality and it can get really messy. Some people tend to identify as one thing when they actually are something completely different. Coming out as whatever sexual preference you are is a private and one way decision. People should not have to come out because they are forced to, they should come out because they want to. The great thing about sexuality is that there is no right sexuality, you’re al-

lowed to be your own person and be who you want to be regardless of who you tend to view romantically. Another great thing about sexuality is that no one is completely the same, everyone is unique and different in their own way no matter what front they put on. Exploring your sexuality is also something that can be very interesting for someone who is not sure on the type of mate they like. There’s no rush to do this type of thing and some people may never come to terms with who they are and that’s completely up to that individual. Although some people may never come to terms with who they are doesn’t mean they

are necessarily in denial, they are just not ready to make that life changing commitment and that’s completely up to them as well. The topic of nature versus nurture is something that often comes up when it comes to sexuality but that is not something that should matter. Instead of focusing on the why, people should focus on the what. Yes, someone may have come to terms with what their sexuality is as a contributing member to the community: that person should figure out what they can do to make feel more comfortable. Some people may think that they are a certain way but later come to find out that they

are not like that at all. Sometimes it just takes that special person to change their mind. That special person not only changes their mind but helps them explore things about themselves that never would have been possible with another person. It can be super hard to come out because of strict parents, being judged and society as a whole. We have gotten a lot better, but people are always going to judge someone for being that way. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter, you are allowed to like whoever you want to like. Your sexuality does not define you and you don’t have to define your sexuality.

@WesternCourier

Friday, April 12, 2019

OPINIONS 5

College cheating scandal continues On March 12, 50 people were charged in a $25 million college cheating scheme; this scheme primarily involved wealthy parents illegally taking measures to secure their children's admission into elite universities like the University of Southern California and Yale. These measures included changing SAT and ACT scores to even photoshopping images of their children on sports teams for admission. But this entire scandal became even more high profile when it was revealed that actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were also involved in the scandal. Huffman was known for being on “Desperate Housewives” and Loughlin is known by many people as aunt Becky from "Full House." Celebrities actually cheating the system and buying a spot for their children to elite universities was not only wrong but irreprehensible. Society has always driven this montra that in order to be successful you have to work nonstop, dedicate yourself to your craft and also be willing to make sacrifices in the process, but this

scandal only bridges that belief, especially for young, low-income students from backgrounds who struggle the most. Loughlin and Huffman have become the poster faces for everything that is wrong with money, fame, privilege and nepotism. Those spots that were bought from these parents only blocked students who worked hard and studied, but because of their lack of resources they were not even given a chance. Many of these parents spent sums of $15,000 to more that $1 million, and successfully did this by not drawing initial awareness into their transactions by funneling the money through charitable organizations. According to U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, Andrew Lelling, “This case is about the widening corruption of elite college admissions through the steady application of wealth, combined with fraud.” As a college student myself I can only imagine how the children must feel, especially the ones who had no idea, and because of their parents' actions will have to face the brunt of this scandal. Loughlin’s own daughter, Olivia

Jade, who is a YouTube personality in her own right has already had sponsorship brands sever ties with her because of this scandal, and both her and her sister Bella have not even returned to their classes, continuing to keep a low-profile. Fortunately, many parents have come forward and have admitted what they did was wrong. Huffman was one of 13 parents who have plead guilty and even apologized for their actions. “I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community,” said Huffman. But many parents like Loughlin have still stayed silent and have not publicly expressed any remorse. Loughlin reportedly has not yet accepted a plea deal and has even reported to be in denial and in “panic mode” at the prospects of actually going to prison. With negotiations underway with prosecutors, these parents may not face the lengthy prison sentence that a typical conspiracy and money laundering charge would entail, but the fact is they are definitely facing some prison time. This entire scandal is a pure lesson in society of how money, power and privilege can truly get you ahead in life, even if it means blocking disadvantaged people

Flickr

Felicity Huffman is one of the several people who was involved in this scandal.

Friday, April 12, 2019

SPORTS

Track and field to compete under the lights in Musco Twilight By Michael Harms courier staff

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Western Illinois University track and field teams will travel to Iowa City to compete in the Musco Twilight this weekend. They are competing with seven other teams including: Iowa, Iowa Central CC, Loyola, Minnesota State, Northern Illinois and Northern Iowa. The meet starts at noon with the men's shot put, women's discus and women's pole vault. The early running sections start with the 100-meter hurdles at 1:55 p.m. and the premier sections start at 4:15 p.m. with the 400-meter relay. A full schedule of events is located at hawkeyesports.com on the track and field schedule page. The midpoint meet for the Leathernecks outdoor season plays a pivotal role in the future of the team. It will show what they must do in order to qualify for The Summit League Championship later in May. For Western, all eyes will be on Nicole Beebe who enters this meet as the front runner for the 3000-meters. Her season best of 9:55.00 leads the field. She finished third at this meet two years ago. At the start of the meet, Darius Patterson will have his first chance to get some points for the Leathernecks in the 100-meter dash. With a time of 10.61, he is ranked third for the field and looking to improve.

This meet will not be easy as Iowa is returning with 12 winning athletes and 10 athletes that won their events last year at this same event. But some Leathernecks have other plans. Mainly the duo of Isaiah Lesure and Gabe Cheeks. These two first time field athletes for Western will compete in the long jump on Saturday and are ranked third and sixth, respectively. Lesure who is a senior, is experiencing this track and field competition for the first time, as well as Cheeks. For whatever reason, it does not seem to hinder their performance as both athletes look to rank high for Western. Josh Kirby looks to make waves at this meet, too. In the 400-meter hurdles, he is ranked fourth in the field and set a previous personal record two years ago at this same meet. So did Khalyia Lawson who also finished fifth two years ago for the Purple and Gold. Another to look out for is Bo Brasseur, who will compete in the 200-meter dash in hopes to better her fourth place ranking. Brasseur is coming off a record-breaking long jump performance in Columbia, Mo., where she set the school record with a 6.23 meter jump, which landed her on the top-20 list in the nation. This Saturday, the Leathernecks have another chance to go up against the best and test their limits. What they come away with will be fun to watch.

WesternCourier.com

Weekend Sports Schedule Friday April 12 - 3 p.m. basball VS Fort Wayne saturday April 13 - All day Track & Field @ Musco Twilight SAturday April 13 - 10:30 a.m. Women’s Tennis vs denver SAturday April 13 - 11 a.m. men’s soccer vs Indian hills SAturday April 13 - 1 p.m. baseball VS Fort Wayne SAturday April 13 - 1 p.m. softball@ UIC

GOLEATHERNECKS.COM

Darius Patterson sprints out during practice.

BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR

Bo Brasseur warms up before practice.

CLASSIFIEDS

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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. Now showing for 2017 & 2018 year 2, 3, and 5 bedrooms homes all close to campus. Call 309-331-4565. Westen Investments: Leasing season has officailly begun, and we’re showing properties now! 1-5 bedroom houses close to campus are ready to be leased for this upcoming school year! Call our office at 309-833-5995 to schedule an appointment! Stay updated with us on Twitter @Western_Invest STC Investments now leasing for the 18/19 school year. We have 1-6 bedroom apartments/houses ready for you to call home! Check out our selection at www.stcinvestments.com. You can also find us on Facebook to see daily posts!

LARGE STUDENT RENTALS 5 and 6 Bedroom Homes are still available!! Ask for our $1000.00 Discount program! First come first serve for the last large homes that are open for the fall. NICE, CLEAN, WELL MAINTAINED 1 TO 6 BEDROOM HOUSES FOR 2017-2018 Our houses have wood floors, ceramic tile, W/D, central air, and are close to campus with plentry of parking. We offer low rent and a 10 month lease to save you money! Call 309-255-1959 for a showing. Small 1BR apt near campus and downtown. All utilities included. (Electric, Water, DISH, Garbage) $500/month, $300 deposit. Available immediately. Also have 2BR, you pay electric. $600/month, $350 deposit available September 1st. Please contact 309-255-4367 for a showing. 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. Westen Investments: Are you looking for an apartment? We are now showing our beautiful 1-3 bedroom apartments for this upcoming school year! Don’t like paying for utilities? Ask about our ALL UTILITIES options, and be sure to check out our website (westerninvest.com) to see our listings! Schedule an appointment with us today at 309-833-5995. The nicer apartments are going fast, excellent service- 24 hour emergency maintenance. Reasonable prices. Studio, 1-3 bedrooms, locations on/off campus available ‘18-’19 school year. Check us out at rentcollegepads.com. If interested, please call F & H Rentals 309/837-1705.

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. Ceiling fans and a/c. Professionally maintained. No pets. 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. For Rent: Little Swan Lake, 30 min from campus. 2br, 2bth, heated double car garage with work area. $600 per mo. (309) 335-2206 after 6:00 pm, may leave message anytime. Spacious 3 Bedroom Upper in Duplex close to campus and Jackson St. All utilities furnished and appliances Includes cable and internet 18/19 school year $375.00 per Br Ph 309 255 8086 Please leave message Still have some nice large locations available at reasonable prices. Excellent service- 24 hour emergency maintenance. 1-8 bedrooms, locations on/off campus available ‘18-’19 school year. Pets at some locations. Check us out at rentcollegepads.com. If interested, please call F & H Rentals 309/837-1705. Looking for 2 roommates to share a 3-bedroom furnished house beginning in August for 2018-19. 10- to 12-month contract. New carpet, air, garage w/ storage, laundry. $300 each per month, plus utilities. Call Sharon at 309-338-3888.

Sports 7

Friday, April 12, 2019

@WesternCourier

Tiger Woods looks to win his fifth green jacket

It’s April and that means one thing: the Masters. One of the greatest golf tournaments to be played on the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour, the Masters comes around this time every year. This year the field of competition is stacked with names like: Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth and one of the greatest golfers to play the sport, Tiger Woods. Dating back to 1934, the Masters has been on the big stage of sports. The course itself was founded by one of the greatest amateur golfers Bobby Jones. Jones beat names like Walter Hagen and Gene Serazen, both of whom played golf as a profession. Jones only played golf part-time, working as a lawyer when he wasn’t golfing. Most well-known for winning the Grand Slam of his time, Jones won both the amateur U.S. Open and the Open Championship along with the professional equivalents in 1930. It was

after this year that Jones retired from the sport. He had always dreamed of owning his own golf course and started to make that a reality early into his retirement. He purchased the land that the Augusta National golf course sits on in 1931. The Masters first started in 1934, under the name Augusta National Invitational. The tournament drew the top players in the world from the start, partially because of Jones being behind the event. To help solidify its spot as a major tournament, Jones agreed to come out of retirement to play in the tournament which helped to draw more and more people, players and spectators alike. Spanning the normal four days it takes to complete a golf tournament, the Masters takes place in Augusta, Ga. The Masters has seen some fierce duels throughout the years, including Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus in 1975, but one of the more recent ones in memory was between Woods,

David Duval and Mickelson in 2001. Woods led by one stroke heading into Sunday, with Mickelson sitting right behind him. After bogeying the first hole, Woods managed to gain the stroke back, tying Mickelson at 12 under. The pair would stay within a stroke of each other the entire front nine with Woods leading by a stroke. Once the leaders reached the back nine, momentum started to shift a bit. Duval started out the day three strokes behind Woods, but managed to trail only by a stroke, alongside Mickelson, going into the back nine. Duval started out the back nine by birdieing the hole drawing even with Woods. Woods responded with a birdie of his own on hole 11, while Mickelson bogeyed, dropping him a couple of strokes. However, Woods would then give back the stroke he gained with a bogy on the following hole, making him and Duval all square heading into hole 12. Duval parred the hole, leaving Woods with a birdie opportunity. Woods managed to step up and nail his birdie put, once again pulling ahead. Duval wasn’t quite done yet, how-

ever, and he rallied for his own birdie at 15. That would be the end for Duval, as he would bogey the following hole and lost to Woods by two strokes. That victory for Woods would be one of the greatest accomplishments in golf history as Woods managed to win his own Grand Slam. Though not in a calendar year, Woods managed to win the U.S. Open, The Open, The Players and finally the Masters. He would be the first player to complete the Grand Slam since Jack Nicklaus. Growing up, I remember my dad going downstairs taking over the television so he could watch the Masters. Which, as a kid, made me think he was crazy. I thought golf was boring. I mean, there was no physicality between golfers, and it wasn’t a team sport. However, now that I’m in college I can see where he was coming from. Golf is a sport that anyone can play at any age. Just like anything, if you want to be good at golf you have to practice, but it is the only sport where anybody, and I mean anybody, can stop what they are doing, pick up some clubs and have a chance at winning. The Masters allows a per-

son to watch a tournament that, if they truly wanted to, they could qualify for. The Masters also lets you watch some of the greatest golfers in the world come together, and they either play well on a really difficult course or they play bad on a really good course. Take a look at Spieth from 2016. After finishing the front nine on his final round with four straight birdies, Spieth looked poised to repeat as the tournament champion. However, being the human he is, Spieth blew his five stroke lead after receiving a quadruple bogey, that is four strokes above par, on the 12th hole. This is the perfect example of how even some of the greatest golfers can look human. Going into this year ’s Masters, I hope we get to see Woods claim another Green Jacket. It has been too long since Woods has won the Masters, or even another major tournament for that matter. I think the best thing for golf this weekend is that Woods manages to remain relevant throughout the event. Whether you like him or not, golf is more noticeable and more fun when Woods is relevant during a major tournament.

Who will be the new king in the East? The NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and things will be very different this year, especially in the Eastern Conference. This year, LeBron James is out of the Eastern Conference and leaves the door wide open for someone to take the conference throne. For the last eight seasons, James went to eight straight NBA Finals with the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers. This year, the level of competition should be fun to watch and the matchups are finally set for the first round. The Bucks will host the Pistons, the Raptors will have home court advantage over the Magic, the 76ers will face off against the emerging Nets and the Celtics will host the Pacers. Right now, the Bucks

have the best record in all of basketball, and are looking to reclaim glory. However, it will be a tough road for the No. 1 seed because of all the depth the Eastern Conference possesses in terms of talent. Every team in the playoffs has the talent to pull off an upset. It may not seem likely to some, but it is very capable. Let’s go in depth on the matchups. First, let’s look at the Bucks versus the Pistons. The Bucks did not get the best record in basketball by getting lucky. They have one of the best players in the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The “Greek Freak” and his teammates are poised and fired up to come out on top of the Eastern Conference, and that

is why I am picking them to beat the Pistons in round one, in five games. They just outmatch the Pistons in star talent and I think the matchup problems they have will give Detroit too much for them to handle. The No. 2 seed in the East is the Toronto Raptors and they will be playing the Orlando Magic. Again, I am going to take the higher seed. I think the Raptors have the best player in the entire conference, Kawhi Leonard, but he also has something no one in this conference has, that is playoff experience success. You can argue Kyrie Irving has the same amount of experience, but Leonard has been to the playoffs more, and has had more success. I think that kind of veteran leadership will lead the Raptors to the only sweep in the first round this year, and they will easily take the series in four games. This is where things start

to get interesting. The 76ers will play against the young Brooklyn Nets. While the 76ers possess a great deal of talent, they have yet to put it all together and the players still have not found or accepted the roles on the team. This is why I think the Nets will upset the Sixers. The Nets have one of the brightest young players in basketball with D’Angelo Russell, and I think they are going to shock the East and win the series in six games. The last game of the first round is between the No. 4 seed Boston Celtics and the No. 5 seed Indiana Pacers. The Celtics didn’t have the season they were hoping for, but I think they'll turn it on during the playoffs. The Pacers days are numbered and after heavily relied on All-Star Victor Oladipo had a season ending in late January. That's why I don't think it will be enough to stop the very talented roster the Celtics posse. They

just have too much depth for Indiana to handle, and I believe that the Celtics will win the series in six games. From there, I believe the Celtics will ride their hot streak and upset the Milwaukee Bucks in a very competitive seven-game series. I think the series will be defined by coaching, and that is where Brad Stevens and Boston will have the upper hand. In the other series, I think the Nets’ magical run will come to an end because they will run into the very talented Raptors. They are just too good defensively for the young Nets, and I believe the Raptors will win the series in five games. So, my prediction for the Eastern Conference Finals will be Celtics versus the Raptors, and I think the Raptors will finally end their drought and win the series in six games. However the East turns out, it should be a good one, and fans will have a new champion to look forward to.

Leathernecks look to continue Summit League win-streak By Christopher Bean assistant sports editor

Date/Time Feb. 15 (FRI) 1 P.M. Feb. 16 (SAT) 1 P.M. Feb. 16 (SAT) 4:30 P.M. Feb. 22 (FRI) 3 P.M. Feb. 23 (SAT) 2 P.M. Feb. 24 (SUN) 1 P.M. Mar. 1 (FRI) 2 P.M. Mar. 2 (SAT) 2 P.M. Mar. 3 (SUN) 1 P.M. Mar. 8 (FRI) 3 P.M. Mar. 9 (SAT) 2 P.M. Mar. 10 (SUN) 12 P.M. Mar. 12 (TUE) 6:30 P.M. Mar. 13 (WED) 3 P.M. Mar. 15 (FRI) 3 P.M. Mar. 16 (SAT) 1 P.M. Mar. 17 (SUN) 1 P.M. Mar. 19 (TUES) 3 P.M. Mar. 22 (FRI) 3 P.M. Mar. 23 (SAT) 1 P.M. Mar. 24 (SUN) 1 P.M. Mar. 26 (TUE) 3 P.M. Mar. 29 (FRI) 1 P.M. Mar. 30 (SAT) 1 P.M. Mar. 31 (SUN) 1 P.M. Apr. 2 (TUE) 6 P.M. Apr. 5 (FRI) 3 P.M. Apr. 6 (SAT) 1 P.M. Apr. 7 (SUN) 1 P.M. Apr. 9 (TUE) 4 P.M. Apr. 12 (FRI) 3 P.M. Apr. 13 (SAT) 1 P.M. Apr. 14 (SUN) 1 P.M. Apr. 16 (TUE) 6 P.M. Apr. 19 (FRI) 3 P.M. Apr. 20 (SAT) 1 P.M. Apr. 21 (SUN) 1 P.M.

Opponents At Tennessee Tech At Tennessee Tech At Tennessee Tech At Southeast Missouri At Southeast Missouri At Southeast Missouri At Southern Illinois At Southern Illinois At Southern Illinois At Saint Louis At Saint Louis At Saint Louis At Arkansas At Arkansas Vs South Dakota State Vs South Dakota State Vs South Dakota State Vs Iowa Wesleyan Vs North Dakota State Vs North Dakota State Vs North Dakota State Vs St. Ambrose At Omaha At Omaha At Omaha At Bradley

Score

L, 14 - 2 W, 5 - 2 ( 11 Inn. ) L, 8 - 1 L, 6- 1 L, 16 -1 W, 3 - 0 W, 5 - 4 L, 8 - 2 L, 8 - 0 L, 11 - 2 L, 7 - 6 W, 10 - 6 L, 7 - 4 W, 16 - 3 L, 5 - 4 W, 9 - 6 L, 11 - 1 W, 13 - 3 L, 8 - 2 L, 4 - 3 L, 15 - 5 L, 10 - 0

Vs Oral Roberts Vs Oral Roberts Vs Oral Roberts Vs Bradley Vs Purdue Fort Wayne Vs Purdue Fort Wayne Vs Purdue Fort Wayne At SIU-E At South Dakota State At South Dakota State At South Dakota State

W, 8 - 5 W, 7 - 3 W, 11 - 7 L, 4 - 1 Macomb, IL. Macomb, IL. Macomb, IL. Edwardsville, IL. Brookings, S.D. Brookings, S.D. Brookings, S.D.

Apr. 23 (TUE) 4 P.M. Apr. 26 (FRI) 6:30 P.M. Apr. 27 (SAT) 1 P.M. Apr. 28 (SUN) 1 P.M. Apr. 30 (TUE) 6 P.M. May 3 (FRI) 6 P.M. May 4 (SAT) 2 P.M. May 5 (SUN) 1 P.M. May 10 (FRI) 3 P.M. May 11 (SAT) 1 P.M. May 12 (SUN) 1 P.M. May 14 (TUE) 12 P.M. May 16 (THU) 3 P.M. May 17 (FRI) 2 P.M. May 18 (SAT) 1 P.M.

Vs SIU-E At North Dakota State At North Dakota State At North Dakota State At Iowa At Oral Roberts At Oral Roberts At Oral Roberts Vs Ohama Vs Ohama Vs Ohama Vs Iowa At Purdue Fort Wayne At Purdue Fort Wayne At Purdue Fort Wayne

Macomb, IL. Fargo, N.D. Fargo, N.D. Fargo, N.D. Iowa City, Iowa Tulsa, OK. Tulsa, OK. Tulsa, OK. Macomb, IL. Macomb, IL. Macomb, IL. Macomb, IL. Fort Wayne, IN. Fort Wayne, IN. Fort Wayne, IN.

L,2-3 L,3-8 L,4-7 W, 9 - 2

MACOMB, Ill. — The Western Illinois baseball team will host the struggling 5-25 Mastodons of Fort Wayne. Coming into the weekend series, both teams are at the bottom of The Summit League, with Western at 5-7 and Fort Wayne at 0-12. Even though the Necks are in fifth place, they are only two games out of second place where South Dakota State sits at 7-5. The Purple and Gold are currently on a seven game homestand and are 3-1 through the first four games. After sweeping Oral Roberts this weekend, the Leathernecks lost 4-1 on Tuesday against the Braves from Bradley University. The Braves got off to a hot start, scoring two runs off Chandler Fochs who fell to 1-1. Dan Bolt hit a one-out RBI single to left field. Two batters later, Keaton Rice got hit by the pitch with the bases loaded to score Brendan Dougherty. The score stayed the same until the Braves scored their third run of the game thanks to

a wild pitch, however, Western wouldn’t go away silently. In the bottom of the seventh, Ryan Hodgett relieved starter Jed Moscot after throwing a scoreless six innings and eventually picked up his third win this year. He began the inning by giving up two walks in-a-row to Drue Galassi and Bailey Montgomery. Brian Schrimmer would come in to replace him. A wild pitch advanced Galassi and Montgomery to second and third with no outs. Later in the game, Alex Dorethy singled to centerfield, scoring the only Western run in the game. After CJ Schaeffer Jr. flied out to first, Justin Fitzpatrick hit a shot to the shortstop who caught it, and then threw it to first to get an inning-ending double play, killing the rally for the Necks. The Braves didn’t waste any time getting that run back after Rice led the inning with a double, hugging the right field line. Connor Manthey executed his bunt, sacrificing the out to advance Rice to third. Next batter, Nick McMurray, hit a

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Drew Galassi watches on frm third base.

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Alex Dorethy leans into his swing.

sacrifice fly to center field to score the run’s last game. Offensively, Western went in order to end the game. Bradley swept the two game season series, after beating Western 10-0 back on April 2. The Braves picked up their 18th win of this year and now have an 18-10 record. The Leathernecks fell to 11-19. Galassi is now tied for first in home runs with seven and 26 RBIs after his monster weekend hitting three home runs and seven RBIs against Oral Roberts. Javin Drake leads the Summit in strikeouts with 61, and his 3.79 ERA is fourth best in the conference. Even though they lost on Tuesday, the Purple and Gold can still go 6-1 on this homestand when they host Fort Wayne this weekend. The series will start with a doubleheader on Saturday with the first pitch around 11 a.m. Western continues to move up the leaderboard in conference play and with a sweep they will be over .500 in the conference for the first time this year.

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Javin Drake in his delivery.

MY'ANNA PURDUE / PHOTO STAFF

Bailey Montgomery satnds in batter's box.