Edge: Looking back to Wrestle Mania.
Opinions: Climate change needs attention.
Sports: Baseball loses by 3 to Omaha.
Monday, April 15, 2018 - Vol. 118 Issue 78
UPI to hold strike authorization vote Faculty to vote Wednesday following prolonged negotiations
BECCA LANGYS/PHOTO EDITOR
By Nicholas Ebelhack editor-in-chief
The University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) Local 4100 intend to hold a strike authorization vote on April 18 after contract negotiations have continued to drag on for over a year. Negotiations began in December of 2016 between UPI and the Western Illinois University administration and have continued through the present following numerous mediated and unmediated negotiation sessions. According to a statement to Tri States Public Radio, UPI president Bill Thompson
By William Turkington courier staff
A rainy and foggy afternoon hindered the Western Illinois University’s Horn Environmental Learning Project’s annual Earthfest celebration in Chandler Park on Saturday. The event didn’t get off to a smooth start, with the drum circle being cancelled for fear
said that the vote is the move the union needs to make. “Given the information that we have received from the other side, taking all that into account, we decided that this was the time to ask our members to consider taking this step,” Thompson said. The announcement comes after 65 percent of voting faculty members stated that they had no confidence in Western’s administration. The university’s Board of Trustees released a statement in support of the administration following the vote. Should UPI members approve a strike authorization, a 10-day cooling period is
established before members would be allowed to strike. Following that, a one day filing period would be in place
“”
to inform the university of the intent to strike, meaning that the soonest a strike could occur would be late April or early May. If the strike authorization
vote passes, the members would have the ability to strike until a contract agreement is reached. Western Contract Administrator Russ Morgan released a statement on behalf of the university in response to the announcement of the vote. “We urge our faculty to vote against an authorization to strike, remain in the classroom, and remain committed to our students,” Morgan said. “Our students have entrusted their education to Western Illinois University. They deserve the education for which they have paid. With approximately four weeks remaining in the
Spring 2018 semester, we need to live up to our commitment to our students.” Even if UPI authorizes a strike, one may not occur. An additional mediation session has been scheduled following the most recent mediation session on April 5. “Our commitment to our students is matched by our commitment to the mediation process,” continues Morgan’s statement. “An additional mediation session has been scheduled for April 23. The administration's goal from the beginning has been to reach a sustainable and fiscally responsible agreement with UPI Local 4100.”
of the moisture damaging the drums. The weather was looking up in Macomb during the week, with temperatures into the 70s, but the unpredictable Illinois weather reared its ugly head at the worst possible time for the Macomb community. The festival included tables showcasing charm bracelets and T-shirts, from groups
like Friends of Argyle Lake State Park and the Macomb Food Co-Op. The Macomb Food Co-Op is a small grocery store, owned by over 400 members of the local community, which specialize in local, sustainable, organic and fair trade food items. Professor Gordon Rands serves as the board chairman of the co-op, and was one of
two Western professors who delivered a speech at the shortened festival. “I feel very strongly about protecting the environment,” Rands said. “I hope to remind people that the choices we make about whether or not to vote, and about who to vote for, have real impacts.” Rands’ presentation talked about some accomplishments
from the environmental protection movement over the last 48 years since the first Earth Day in 1970, and also at some of the dismantling of those protections that have occurred in the last 15 months and the long-term dangers they might present.
“We decided this was the time to ask our members to take this step.” -Bill Thompson
University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100 President
Earthfest
page 3
2
Monday, April 16, 2018
NEWS
WesternCourier.com
New major to be offered
Your Name Here
Bachelor of Business in Business Analytics
Fall 2018
Jimmy pierson/production manager
By Marc Ramirez assistant news editor
Western Illinois University was recently approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) to offer a new Bachelor of Business in business analytics, which is to be offered beginning of the Fall 2018 semester. Offered by the Department of Economics and Decision
By Steven Barnum assistant news editor
Today Western Illinois University faculty and students, area high school students, and members of the community are welcomed to watch a scene unfold at a mock drunk driving accident. Minus Muffler, an auto repair and towing business in Macomb, will provide wrecked
WC 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
Sciences, the new degree includes a combination of business core with data mining, forecasting and computer programming. The program has been designed for students who are interested in combining business training with data analytics. This science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) course is the only recognized Bachelor of Business at Western and is the first in the
state of Illinois. Tara Feld, associate professor of Economics and interim department chair, spoke on the topic and believes that this degree will benefit students when it comes to interpreting and drawing inferences from qualitative data and will allow them the opportunity to communicate their findings effectively. Graduates of this program
will be well-suited to pursue careers in almost any field of business, as well as in science, technology, computer science, health care, government and education,” Feld said. The Department of Economics and Decision Sciences believes they are proudly invested in ensuring a prosperous and ongoing success for their students even after they walk across the stage
at commencement. "This new program is meant as an enduring step toward that goal,” Feld said. “We encourage all interested students to contact the economics and decision sciences department about careers in business analytics, consider registering for DS200 [Introduction to Business Analytics] and to discuss the opportunities with your academic advisors."
vehicles for the event. In order to make the event look as real as possible, the District 14 Illinois State Police, the Macomb Police Department, the Macomb Fire Department and the McDonough County Sheriff’s Department will all help with the project. Taking it a step further, Air Evac Lifeteam will fly a helicopter into the scene and Eric Jameson, McDonough County
Coroner, will also respond to the scene. The goal of presenting such a graphic and realistic scene is to show the public the risks that are involved when getting behind the wheel intoxicated. Also aiding with the scene are emergency personnel from a volunteer student organization titled the "Western Illinois University Emergency
Medical Services" (WEMS), as well as Western’s Office of Public Safety (OPS). Giving his thoughts about the scene’s intentions was OPS Corporal and WEMS Advisor Ted Anderson. “This event provides a realistic scene related to drunk driving and its horrific consequences,” Anderson said, “We hope this provides that perspective on just what can
unfold… and quickly… and how emergency and law enforcement personnel work together to save lives.” The mock DUI event, which has been presented for the last 26 years, can be seen in the southwest portion of Macomb’s Q-Lot at 10 a.m. Contact OPS at (309) 298-1949 or Western’s EMS office at (309) 298-2863 for more questions.
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STAFF MEMBERS editor-in-chief Nicholas Ebelhack NA-Ebelhack@wiu.edu assistant news editor Marc Ramirez MA-Ramirez3@wiu.edu assistant news editor Steven Barnum SS-Barnum@wiu.edu opinions editor Ryan Zurek RP-Zurek@wiu.edu sports editor Devon Greene DJ-Greene@wiu.edu assistant sports editor Haley Richards H-Richards@wiu.edu edge editor Baylee Brynteson BM-Brynteson@wiu.edu copy editor Brie Coder B-Coder@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 Becca Langys RE-Langys@wiu.edu assistant photo editor Sara Remar SE-Remar@wiu.edu production manager Jimmy Pierson JM-Pierson@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
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. The WC is printed by The Galesburg Register-Mail in Galesburg, Ill.
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Monday, April 16, 2018
@WesternCourier
Earthfest from front page
The second and final performance of the event was a presentation from WIU Professor Bill Knox. “It was an honor to be asked by the Earthfest organizers to present,” Knox said. “I am writing an essay on a similar theme, so EarthFest gives me the opportunity to try out some ideas I would like to develop further.” Professor Knox compared the fragility of life support systems on the International Space Station (ISS) with those on Earth. Knox believes that the ISS crew can serve as a model for more responsible utilization for humanity. “Especially in consumer society, it is important to balance personal desires with the lim-
ited capacity of our global air, land, and waters to meet our demands,” Knox said. “Taking a day to assess our impact on the only planet we have –the one that sustains us– can help us to treat it and the people on it with greater respect.” The afternoon was largely spoiled by unfavorable weather patterns but the spirits of its participants remain vibrant, as they know they have a long way to go to preserve and conserve our environment. “It's important to remember that Earthfest has to be more than just one day a year,” Knox said. “We should practice respect for life on Earth every day by our choices to preserve the environment and its resources to improve the quality of the biosphere.”
NEWS 3
Graduating in May, August, or December 2018? Then be sure to stop by both ...
The Biggest Senior Send-Off of the Year! Enjoy
great
,
, and a All graduates from May, August, and December 2018 are invited (and feel free to bring a guest) !
Your One-Stop Shop for Graduation! All Grad Prep Day attendees will be entered to win a WIU diploma frame!
WIU Alumni Association A-Association@wiu.edu
Paid for by a private individual. The Western Courier is not affiliated with this advertisement.
11 AM - 3 PM
10 AM - 2 PM
QC Atrium Complex
Union Concourse
Monday, April 16, 2018
4 OPINIONS
WesternCourier.com
Let's talk about global warming Global warming has been an issue we’ve all been hearing about for years. I have heard many different ideas of what the root cause for our global warming issue is, but at the end of the day no matter the cause it’s still an issue that has been pushed aside a long time. I know even for me personally, I don’t put much thought into global warming because I just figure by the time it is a big issue I will already be dead anyway. This clearly isn’t the right mindset to have. This past Saturday, David
Buckel, set himself on fire in a New York park as an act of drawing attention to the global warming issue. Buckel was a very prominent gay rights lawyer, so his suicide is being highly recognized. According to the New York Times, Buckel set himself on fire early Saturday morning and left a suicide note near his body as well as emailing it to many top media outlets. In his suicide note emailed to the New York Times, Buckel stated, “Pollution ravages our planet, oozing inhabitability via air, soil, water and weather.
Most humans on the planet now breathe air made unhealthy by fossil fuels, and many die early deaths as a result — my early death by fossil fuel reflects what we are doing to ourselves.” Buckel also went into depth about the disappointment he felt when trying to help but feeling like he wasn’t making a big enough difference, and how simply donating to an organization isn’t enough. Buckel wrote, “Many who drive their own lives to help others often realize that they do not change what causes the need for their help.” According to many of his coworkers, Buckel was very involved with the gay rights movement before moving his focus to our environmental issues. In 2005, Buckel helped file the first lawsuit in Iowa for
gay marriage. At that time, the only state that had legalized gay marriage was Massachusetts. One of his closest coworkers stated that in recent years Buckel started putting more of his attention on our environmental issues and that is what eventually lead to his suicide act begging for the attention on our environment. After reading all of this I did some research on NASA’s global climate change website and found a lot of compelling facts. Out of all of our warmest years recorded on earth, 16 of the top 17 have happened just since 2001. 2016 was the warmest year on record. According to The National Geographic, due to the increased warm weather, Spruce Bark Beetles in Alaska are booming and have chewed up over 4 million acres
of Spruce Trees. Arctic Penguins breeding pairs have also fallen from 32,000 to 11,000 in just the past 30 years. Scientist also expect that our large hurricanes and storms are going to get much stronger in the coming years. Although global warming isn’t something one person is going to be able to wake up one day and fix, it is definitely something we all need to be aware of. Even in these past few months alone we have all noticed changes. We had an abnormally warm winter this year as well as a rollercoaster of temperatures in this past month alone. Global warming is something to keep your eye out on and simply be aware that it is an issue quickly creeping up on us.
Be cautious about social media As a young woman of today’s society, I think it is very prominent how social media plays a large role in your daily life. Whether you spend hours on end looking at funny tweets or memes on Facebook, we can all say that we make time for social media. It is a tool used to communicate with, advertise to and influence many people in simple and quick ways. One of these aspects tends to focus on a subject that has been around for a long time, relationships.
Social media has exposed relationships more than it ever has, and although some may share these details with no intent to influence, subconsciously we tend to pay attention to these details more than needed. We can all agree that relationships and dating has changed and evolved immensely since the time our parents were our age. Many believe that the use of social media is part of the reason why it has changed in a negative way. People who
tend to put the details of their relationship out there for everyone on social media to see, can be influencing those who are not in relationships by giving them a false impression of what a real relationship may look like. Those who do not have much experience with dating tend to be influenced by this unintentionally since they do not know what a real relationship entails, social media can expose only one side of things. Social media tends to give people certain expectations on how a relationship should be like, posting pictures of your significant other buying you gifts all the time can make people think that having a significant other is all about
materialistic things like gifts. Even the smallest of things like posting a screenshot of a nice text you received or a picture of your boyfriend or girlfriend showing up at your door at 3 a.m., people tend to think that it is expected that we do this for each other. Although many of these things are harmless and do not require much effort, it gives people these expectations that once they get involved in a relationship, their significant other should be doing these things for them on a daily basis. It is important that we pay attention to how we expose relationships on social media and being aware that sometimes we pay attention to what is on social media rather than the
reality of things. It is easy to say that the internet does not influence you one bit whatsoever until you find yourself subconsciously making these expectations and standards. Posting these things can make some of the smallest gestures seem so out of the ordinary and this is why people have very low expectations of how they should be treated once they are in a relationship. I think if people stopped posting things that make people feel they should have certain expectations and standards, it can help people understand how a real relationship should be like and not involve all of your friends, family and followers to view your business online.
Monday, April 16, 2018
By: Evan Williamson
JIMMY PIERSON
E2 EDGE
Monday, April 16, 2018
WesternCourier.com
drops new album
JIMMY PIERSON
For the past week, the 25-year-old American rapper, Cardi B (Belcalis Almanzar), has felt nothing but love from all of her fans after dropping her first studio album, “Invasion of Privacy.” Personally, I am not a die hard Cardi B fan, but I could not get over the story behind her lyrics and the catchy beats of her songs. The world was not fully introduced to Cardi B until 2017 when her hit song “Bodak Yellow”
Wrestle from E1
The fifth match of the evening (second on the main show) featured “The Queen” Charlotte Flair versus the undefeated “Empress of Tomorrow” Askua for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Before WrestleMania, this match was one that I thought would steal the show. The match started off slow like a traditional match as they locked up a few times, then the match started to heat up a little bit. The match featured a lot of counters, the best one was Asuka reversing Charlotte’s moonsault by catching her in a triangle choke hold, the best counter to a top rope move I have ever seen. Both competitors told a great story in an emotional battle. They also did a huge high-risk spot off the top rope (look up CharlotteSpanish Fly). It was a back and
flooded the mainstream media. “Bodak Yellow” became the anthem for women because of the underlying message of female empowerment. This record peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 and remained there for three consecutive weeks. It was certified by the Recording Industry Academy of America (RIAA) for being platinum five times. Following the release of “Motorsport” and “No Limit,” Cardi B found
herself among an elite company as she became the third artist to have three top 10 songs simultaneously. The other two artists to achieve this accomplishment were The Beatles and Ashanti (“Cardi B Joins The Beatles & Ashanti With First 3 Hot 100 Hits in Top 10 Simultaneously; Ed Sheeran & Beyonce’s ‘Perfect’ No. 1”). Since her recent popularity, she was on the Hot 100 Chart once again as she was featured on Bruno Mars’ remix of “Finesse.” “Invasion of Privacy” is not just about one topic, but a range of topics from her current relationship with Migos member, Offset, to her newly-found fame. The album boasts 13 tracks with features such as SZA, Chance the Rapper,
21 Savage, Migos and more. The overall theme of Cardi B’s new album seems to be about selfempowerment as she is opening up to her audience, hence the title “Invasion of Privacy.” Cardi B proves she belongs on today’s list of great rappers, female or not, throughout the entirety of the album. Due to the popularity of “Bodak Yellow,” “ Invasion of Privacy” was eligible to be certified gold even before it was released. Following the release of “Invasion of Privacy,” Cardi B became the first ever co-host on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon. After just one week of the album’s release, Cardi B achieved 100,000,000 streams on Apple Music and broke the re-
cord for most streamed album by a female artist in one week, surpassing Taylor Swift. Rolling Stone Magazine gave the album a four star rating out of five. Writer, Rob Sheffield, of Rolling Stone proclaimed that this album is, “lavishly emotional, intimately personal, wildly funny,” and also stated that this album proves Cardi B is not going anywhere anytime soon. Many people worry that Cardi B is just a one-hit wonder, but she continues to succeed on the charts. We can expect that she’ll be around for awhile since she is only 25-years-old. This was Cardi B’s first major album and it sure will not be her last.
forth match that had me on the edge of my seat. At the end of it, all Charlotte retained her championship as she gave Asuka her first defeat. The one thing I hated about this match was that they kept interrupting by showing John Cena in the crowd. Then at the end of the match while celebrating they showed a referee telling Cena something resulting in him running up the ramp past a celebrating Charlotte which was really out of place and I actually found it insulting. A couple matches later, the match that we had been waiting for since WrestleMania 31, “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey made her in-ring debut teaming up with Kurt Angle to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Expectations for the match were relatively low due to this being Rousey’s first match. The match went beyond anybody’s expectations. It featured classic and comedic heel tactics, as they built up
the anticipation of Rousey getting tagged in by teasing it for multiple minutes. During this time, Angle showed that he could still compete as he and Triple H kept the match in motion. Every time McMahon got involved and Rousey was stopped by the referee, the anticipation just continued to grow. After six minutes, Rousey was tagged in and the roof of the Superdome almost came off. Now running the ropes is one of the most difficult things to do in prowrestling it also really bruises you up if you are not used to it, with that being said, Rousey bounced off the ropes even better than some of the veterans resulting in a perfect clothesline. She transitioned well and took her fair share of bumps as well. She did a few spots with Triple H including giving him a hurricanrana which is impressive for a newbie. At the end of the match, Ronda Rousey
forced McMahon to tap to her devastating arm bar. She did great in her first match and I hope that she really will be a full-time superstar including being at house shows. Later in the night, The Undertaker returned to take on Cena in an impromptu match, in what was the dumbest thing ever, and here’s why; Last year at WrestleMania Undertaker lost to Roman Reigns. It is common for a veteran to go out on his back putting over young talent. It made sense that you could have built the Universal Championship match, (the main event of the evening) around the only two people to beat the Undertaker at WrestleMania. Another thing is that last year the Undertaker left his hat, coat and gloves in the ring before going to ringside and kissing his wife (breaking character for the first time ever). That would have been a perfect ending. But for some reason, they decided to have Cena, who
is turning into the Rock, face him. The only thing that would make sense would have been to have the Undertaker return as the American Badass persona that he dawned from 2000-2003. They did not do that, Undertaker came back as the Deadman and beat Cena in a squash match that was the shortest Undertaker match in WrestleMania history. Now the Undertaker and Cena won’t be seen for a while (at least after the big Saudi Arabia event April 27, 2018). That was the only match I had a problem with. Overall the show was good. I was disappointed in the WWE Championship match, only because I had high expectations for it, and the RAW Women’s Championship match was good. I will say this though WWE has a reputation for being predictable but this year there were matches that everyone thought they knew what was going to happen, but ended up being surprised multiple times.
E3 EDGE
Monday, April 16, 2018
WesternCourier.com
JIMMY PIERSON
Bethesda Game Studios is the video game company responsible for the Fallout series and The Elder Scrolls series, including the popular 2011 video game “The Elder Scroll V: Skyrim.” Bethesda had a rough time at E3 2017. E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is an annual event in which the biggest game companies have big press conferences in which they reveal new games, software and hardware. At E3 2018, we could expect a great performance from Bethesda. This is because they may release a new
video game called “Starfield.” There is some speculation as to what this video game could even be about. Following the style and format of other games released by this company, we can predict that this new game will probably be an open-world role-playing game set in space. This sounds like an ambitious project. All we know about the game right now is a trademark filed by ZeniMax Media, the company that owns Bethesda Game Studios. The trademark for “Starfield” was
filed in 2016 and approved in 2018 according to JUSTIA Trademarks. Other games made by this company have been set in a single large area. Skyrim took place in a fantasy world called Tamriel. “Fallout 4” took place in post-apocalyptic Boston and the surrounding area. However, outer space is way bigger than these previously used openworld areas. It seems that Bethesda always tries to push the boundaries of what is possible in gaming. “Starfield,” if set in a whole galaxy or region of space, would be a huge game. Leaks that involve trademarks have surfaced before. Some of them are fake. For example, “Fallout: New Orleans” was completely fake yet it stirred the hype for a little bit last year.
“Fallout 4” was a great game but there were some things people did not like about it. Some said the dialog system was too simplified. Others said the game was too much shooting and less of an RPG. Let’s hope Bethesda has a good E3 2018. They had a good performance in 2015 when they announced “Fallout 4.” “ The Elder Scrolls VI “could still be a ways off because of the potential announcement of “Starfield.” Bethesda is known for having long periods of time between game releases. “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion,” was released in 2006, and “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” was released in 2011. “Fallout 3” came out in 2008, “Fallout: New Vegas” came out in 2010, and “Fallout 4” came out in 2015. It’s been seven
years since “Skyrim” came out, so usually this is the time when we would expect the announcement of “The Elder Scrolls VI.” However, if “Starfield” turns out to be a largescale RPG like Elder Scrolls and Fallout are, we may have to wait another couple years for the next Elder Scrolls game. If Bethesda can manage to get by with developing two huge game franchises and releasing their iterations once in a long while, I wonder how they will be able to manage developing three of them. I imagine “Starfield” will have a lot of backstory and lore, which would attract a large fan base of players to the game. Fans of Bethesda games are patient, but how patient can they be if the time between big game releases is longer?
E4 EDGE
Monday, April 16, 2018
WesternCourier.com
Post Malone hiatus
is over JIMMY PIERSON
After waiting a year and five months, Post Malone fans everywhere will finally have a new album to put on repeat. Post Malone announced a release date for his second studio album via Twitter. He titled it “Beerbongs & Bentleys” back in February of 2017. The original release was supposed to be in December of 2017, but was pushed back to 2018. He changed his Twit-
ter name to match the album title and it still remains the same to this very day. The 22-year-old has not released an album since his breakout album, “Stoney,” back in December of 2016. “Stoney” debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and, only ten months after the release, was certified double platinum. “I Fall Apart” was the sixth single released off the album and still sits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Write For EDGE Contact
bm-brynteson@wiu.edu
Since the release of “Stoney,” Malone went on the “Stoney Tour” in late 2017, which was a 30 show tour that included a show in Canada and one in Mexico. While on tour, he released a single titled “rockstar,” which featured 21 Savage. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained at the top for eight straight weeks until its reign finally came to an end. The music video for “rockstar” premiered two months later in November and prompted a lot of speculation about his upcoming album. In February, “Psycho” featuring Ty Dolla Sign was released and peaked at No. 2. At the same time, he also announced a tour with 21 Savage that begins at Coachella 2018 and
ends in August in France. On April 5, Post finally gave us an official release date of April 27 for “Beerbongs & Bentleys.” The long drought of not having a new Post Malone album is finally close to coming to an end and let us all rejoice. It is clear that he has been hard at work since his last album and we must continue being patient for just a little while longer. What can we expect from this album? Well, it’s hard to say. We know he loves a vast array of music genres so we could most likely expect a mix of genres on the album. The title could be aimed at his post-“Stoney” success and where he currently stands as a musician. He had once stated that he thought
his first album was “mediocre,” even with the certifications and Hot 100 appearances. There is no official tracklist or any other details other than the release date and the two singles we’ve heard. With that being said, we must listen with an open mind and not compare it to his first album. It is very common for people to question why an artist’s music sounds different on another album. If an artist released music that always sounded the same, we would be unable to see their growth as a musician. This is a very important thing to remember and not only goes for Post Malone, but all musicians.
Monday, April 16, 2018
@WesternCourier
OPINIONS 5
It's important to relax sometimes As we reach the end of the semester, the pressure is intensifying for us students. Stress levels are rising, and the weather is finally starting to cooperate. It’s becoming a lot more tempting to put our homework off to the side so we can go out with our friends and such. But really, who could blame us? We are in one of the most trying times of our lives, having a little fun won’t hurt. The biggest stereotype about college life are the parties. I’m sure we can all attest to the fact that our families warned us not
to go off and party too much while we were away, and to remember that we’re in college to get an education. To me, parties are one of the best things to happen in college. As I come to the end of my freshman year, I have gotten accustomed to the way things work around here. But it was difficult to adjust being away from home. Parties and other social functions made things go a lot smoother. The way I see it, parties are a way for students, who are all faced with the same challenges and stresses of school, to let
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2018 Spring Semester Editorial Board Editor-in-Cheif - Nicholas Ebelhack Edge Editor - Baylee Bryntesson Opinions Editor - Ryan Zurek
loose without restrictions. It’s a way for us to release our anxieties and worries for a couple hours. We shouldn’t be shamed for it. Of course other priorities come first; homework, essays and studying for ridiculously long exams. Those things should always remain first. But spending a night out with friends and loud music is one of the best ways to take a time-out from all of that. Not only are they fun, but partying has many benefits. Trust me, I would know. It’s a way to meet and interact with other students on campus, burn calories and most importantly create long lasting memories with those you’ve grown to love. As students, we tend to only have a single outlook on school and our purpose as a student. But
we forget that this is supposed to be the best time of our lives, a time we only have one chance to experience. We will meet people that we are going to remember for a lifetime. Some of us already have. Going to college is about more than just earning a degree. Who says that college shouldn’t be a fun experience? If I were to give advice to an incoming freshman, it would be that partying is okay, as long as they put their academics first. This negative connotation about college students and parties is played out. If it weren't for the parties I went to both first and second semester, I wouldn’t have known the majority of the people I know now on campus, and I probably would’ve had a mental breakdown from the workload I received during
school. I also wouldn’t have as many saved memories on my Snapchat gallery. However, I still managed to maintain good grades and a high GPA, which I probably wouldn’t have had if I didn’t go out every now-and-then. The more people we know, the easier it is to network. So in a way, partying should be encouraged for students instead of shunned. My message to all incoming freshman and first year students is to cherish this opportunity. College is supposed to be enjoyable. Go out, party and have fun. Just remember to pace yourselves, and keep your academics as a number one priority. Don’t be ashamed to fit the college party stereotype. Because honestly, it’s more beneficial than you’d think.
it out and then get over it, but girls like to hit you where it hurts. The person hurting the other girl may think they’re being funny and cool around their friends, but it does really hurt sometimes. Constantly being called out and embarrassed on social media because you had a disagreement is not okay. Cyber bullying can really hurt someone too. The thing about cyber bullying is that its a cowardly way out because you are hiding behind a screen. This one hurts a lot because people can see someone being called out and once something is on the Internet, it never goes away. You can delete it but technology is very modernized and all you have to do is screenshot it and it could possibly go viral. This is something that I see all the time. I don’t see as much physical bullying around school, but at the same time I feel like it is still there. I feel like if it happens they wouldn’t do it in the open so
everybody can see. Some of the people that I see bullying other people, I personally knew them in high school and they were the same way. Sometimes they need to realize that their joke could go too far and it can really upset someone. People need to realize that not everyone has a perfect day and one little thing that you say negative to them can make their day a lot worse. I wish people would think before they speak, but that is easier said than done. I still can’t comprehend why people have to constantly put each other down to make themselves feel better. This world is filled with so much hate and nastiness and it’s completely unnecessary. I know everybody has their own battles and struggles, but that doesn’t mean you should take your anger out on someone else. And especially when one has a disagreement with another person they should not put them on blast and put them down and try to embarrass them in front of a large group of people because that's just not cool. Bullying happens all the time in college and it seriously needs to stop. People just need to grow up and learn to turn the other cheek.
Be kind to each other
Being a bully in college is not okay. One would think that would stop in high school, but it does not. Once a bully, always a bully is what I like to say. When I walk into class and mind my own business, I see bullying happening all the time. The thing about bullying is it’s not only physical, it’s emotional too, and words can hurt a lot more sometimes than getting hit. I see this happening a lot with girls. They constantly are putting each other down, making each other cry and trying to one up everyone. This is an issue that seriously needs to stop. We are all adults now and we’re trying to achieve a mutual goal, which is to get a degree. Most of us are at least 18 years old which makes us an adult so it’s time to grow up. I’ve seen this happen a lot with females when I am out. I can’t speak for every female but sometimes they go further than a guy would. If guys get into an argument they punch
Monday, April 16, 2018
6 SPORTS
Baseball from back page
In the top of the seventh inning, the Mavericks were finally able to score off of senior Sam Cottingham-Beard, who had taken over for Koch in the fourth. Cottingham-Beard walked senior Adam Caniglia on a 3-2 count, with two outs with the bases loaded to break the tie. The Mavericks got two more runs thanks to a wild pitch, and an error by Montgomery to
Halle Hollatz prepares for a ground ball.
Softball from back page
“I am very proud of our team and how we played in this year's Summit League Tournament,” previous head coach Holly Van Vlymen said. “That opening game win over SDSU was a huge comeback win, and once we got past that first game I think we were able to loosen up a little bit and play like up to our abilities.
WesternCourier.com make it 8-5. Junior Cal Hehnke came in for Omaha in the bottom of the seventh inning. He was spectacular pitching the rest of the game, only allowing one hit, one hit batter, and two walks. He also got two strikeouts in his first save of the year. The Leathernecks went down swinging. They had runners on first and second brining the tying run to the plate, with two outs in the ninth. Red shirt freshman Alex Dorothy drove the ball into the right field but unfortunately
towards the right fielder to end the game. The Leathernecks will be on the road this week. They are looking for some revenge on Wednesday in Peoria against Bradley University, who beat them earlier in the year. Then they will play three games against North Dakota State University. They won two out of three the first time they played Bison and look to win another series against them. Twitter: Cre_bean
JASMYNE TAYLOR/COURIER STAFF
I'm very proud of our seniors and the leadership that they brought to our team this year. I don't think this season could have been possible without what each of them brought to this team.” As of now, conference play is looking good for the Leathernecks. They still have three more Summit League series games left to play until the tournament in early May. Twitter: hayfourrr
Drue Gallassi stands in his batting stance as he waits on the pitch.
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. Now showing for 2017 & 2018 year 2, 3, and 5 bedrooms homes all close to campus. Call 309-331-4565. Westen Investments has only two 4-Bedroom brich houses available. Call our office at 309-833-5995 to schedule a showing! We will show to 2-3 person groups as well! 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! Firsrt 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. 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. Westen Investments has just one 3-Bedroom ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED (Water, Sewer, Trash, Gas, Electric, and Internet) Apartment left! That’s right you just pay for rent, and the rest of it is on us! Call our office at 309-833-5995 to check it out. 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.
JASMYNE TAYLOR/COURIER STAFF
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. 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. 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
Sports 7
Monday, April 16, 2018
@WesternCourier
NBA playoffs are underway
The NBA playoffs have started, but at the same time nothing truly exciting is occurring. This is because there are only three teams that have a realistic chance of winning the NBA finals and many want to see them fail. The Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors are the only three teams that could be considered winning it all. First, we have to discredit the 13 other teams and why they don’t hold enough talent to make it to the Finals. To start in the East, everyone knew seed five and below don't hold a chance. Those teams are the Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat. The Indiana Pacers do not hold a star on their roster. Their most coveted athlete would be guard Victor Oladipo who is the strongest Most Improved Player candidate, but barely made
the all-star team. He did not start for the Oklahoma City Thunder last year and his breakout year has turned some heads, but the roster does not hold enough talent to make it past James and the Cavs. Last year Cleveland swept them and that was when they had all-star talent with Paul George. Oladipo and company does not stack up to that loss of talent and hold no real threat to the Cavs making the finals. The Miami Heat have the same issue. Hassan Whiteside is the strongest talent on the Heat and he is too inconsistent to create any sort of conversation about how good the Heat really are. They don’t hold enough depth or starting lineup talent to take down James. The Milwaukee Bucks have an MVP candidate with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and have a supporting cast, but the Cavs have beat the Bucks three out of four times in
the regular season without breaking a sweat. In a series of seven the Cavs should not have a tough time taking out the Bucks even with Antetokounmpo’s up and coming talent. Finally, the Washington Wizards have two all-stars on their team with John Wall and Bradley Beal. After them the talent drops. This is why without Wall, the Wizards barely survived for a playoff spot. Do not expect them to get past the first round. These teams simply do not hold enough talent beyond their first few good players to keep up with the Cavs and James’ playoff experience. The next team to go would be Boston. Sadly, the reason they cannot compete is because of injuries. First Gordon Hayward, missed the entire season due to a broken and dislocated ankle in the first game of the season. Then, Kyrie after a failed surgery is out for the playoffs, then Marcus Smart breaks a bone and is out for the first round. They have not been healthy all year and will not be able to challenge James with simply young talent. Has not worked in the past and it won’t be any different
this year. The Raptors have the talent, but no experience past the first round. Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan have not seen the Finals and cannot seem to challenge anybody in the East because they cannot get the job done. They choke in the playoffs and James does not. Simple as that. The series to watch in the east is the Philadelphia 76ers vs. the Cavs. Sadly the 76ers have no playoff experience. This is the first time the process has seen the playoffs and Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and company will not be ready for the playoffs. The Cavs have been there before, hungry for more, and want to see the Warriors one more time. They will fight to get there’s, but my guess, it will not take more than 16 games to get there. The West is a different monster all together. It took 82 games to finalize playoff seeds, and the competition was fierce from seed four to 10 all year long. The studded cast of the Minnesota Timberwolves including Jimmy Butler, Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins are the last seed in the playoffs. MVP candidate Anthony Davis,
Jrue Holliday and playoff Rajon Rondo is a cast that can compete in the east. Another MVP candidate Russel Westbrook with allstars George, and Carmelo Anthony are competitive, and yet none of this matters. Why? The Houston Rockets have Chris Paul, MVP front runner James Harden, athletic big man Clint Capela. With those three on the floor they have lost only a handful of games. That is it. This team has talent everywhere and holds the number one seed to prove it. They have much to prove and need to come up clutch, but in three years they seem to be the only team in the West to challenge the Warriors. Finally, the Warriors are still the favorite to win it all. They hold four Hall of Fame candidates on their team, two MVP candidates and one of the best second units in the NBA. If that is not the recipe for success, then no one knows what is. Hopefully we will see the Houston Rockets, and Golden State Warriors go to game seven in the Western Conference Finals, and see who holds the best team to challenge James and his royalty title of "The King.”
Track and field records many personal bests By Bradley Piros courier staff
Michaela Busch racing in hurdle event at meet.
GOLEATHERNECKS.COM
NORMAL Ill. – The Western Illinois track and field teams traveled over to compete against Illinois State University in the Redbird Invite where they finished fifth out of six teams. Many Leathernecks earned new collegiate bests, including freshman Nick Olson who continued to dominate in the field events. Two weeks ago, he set a new PR in javelin, and since then he has never turned back. Olson took Western’s one and only first place win with a mark of 49.68 meters (163’ 0”). Such a feat made assistant coach, Nick Maas, extremely pleased. “Nick Olson continues to impress in less than ideal conditions. The javelin is beginning to become a premier event for him,” Maas siad. Seven Leathernecks ran the 200-meter race, and six of them walked away with new PR’s. Senior Raytoria Richardson had the best time at 25.25 finishing ninth. She was followed by sophomore Michaela Busch (26.43), freshman Claire Young (26.49) and fellow sophomore Rachel Hilton (27.01). For the men, sophomore Justin Montalto and junior
Darius Patterson finished with times of 22.63 and 22.70 respectively, each earning PR’s in the event. Junior Jasmine Swanagan and freshman C’Andria Campbell both competed in the hammer throw. Swanagan came in at seventh recording a mark of 43.50 meters (142’ 8”) while Campbell threw 39.56 meters (129’ 9”). Richardson wasn’t done on the day as she recorded her second PR in the 100-meter dash where she logged a time of 12.53. She competed alongside freshman Amelia Peterson who was competing in the event for her first time and recorded a time of (13.08). Continuing the day’s success was sophomores Michaela Busch and Abigail Richter along with junior Khalyia Lawson each earned second in their events. Richter missed setting a new PR by mere seconds, but still picked up second clocking in a time of 11:24.38 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Busch matched her finish in the high jump (1.66 meters / 5'5.25") but also achieved a new PR in the 100-meter hurdles when she ran a 15.20. Lawson along with freshman Victoria Adesola had back-to-back second and third place finishes in the long jump. Lawson
had a 4.77-meter effort (15’ 7.75”) while her partner trailed closely 4.74 meters (15’ 6.75”). A couple of Leathernecks came in with fourth-place finishes to end the day as freshman Bo Brassuer picked up a PR along the way in the 400-meter dash (49.46). Sophomores Nicole Beebe ran a 10:38.84 in the 3,000meter run while Josh Kirby recorded a time of 15.58 in the 110-meter hurdles to obtain fourth as well. They might not have placed as high as they would have liked to, but coach Maas was still pleased with side moving forward. “Another rainy and windy day but our team has really learned to manage that pretty well as the season has gone on. The majority of the team trained very hard this week and didn't really rest going into this meet, but we were still able to come away with some great marks.” The Leathernecks will continue their outdoor season against some tough competition in Mizzou and Drake University. They head down to Columbia, Missouri this weekend to visit the Tigers in the two-day Tom Botts Invitational. Things will kick-off at 4:30 p.m. this Friday. twitter: bradjp08
Softball eyes the Hawkeyes By Haley Richards courier staff
IOWA CITY, IA. — The Western Illinois softball team was supposed to play Iowa State University but the double-header set for Saturday was cancelled due to inclement weather. The Leathernecks are currently 13-22 on the season and 6-0 in Summit League play. They are currently on a sixgame winning streak. The next game for the Purple and Gold is set for Tuesday against the University of Iowa. They will hit the road once again and play in Iowa City. Their first pitch is set for 7 p.m. The Hawkeyes are 19-21 on the season and 5-8 in conference. They are on a four-game losing streak. This season they have faced ranked teams such as the University of Michigan, Arizona State University and Baylor University. The offensive leader for the Hawkeyes is junior pitcher Malllory Killian at .297. She has 20 hits and 15 RBIs on the season. Next is senior outfielder Allie Wood with a batting average of .284, following her is freshman utility Aralee
Bogar at .276. The leading pitcher for Iowa is sophomore pitcher Allison Doocy who has an ERA of 1.54. Leading the Leathernecks offensively is junior infielder Hailey Duwa with a .369 batting average, she has 38 hits and 24 RBIs on the season. Behind her is sophomore outfielder Jasmine Lara with a batting average of .324, Lara has 34 hits and seven RBIs. As for pitching, junior pitcher Emily Ira leads for Western Illinois with an ERA of 3.59. Following this game against Iowa, the Leathernecks will continue Summit League play and face the University of Nebraska- Omaha at home. Currently the Purple and Gold sits atop the conference. South Dakota State University is in second with a 5-3 conference record followed by North Dakota State University in third at 2-2 on conference. Last year, Western Illinois fell to Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and North Dakota State to end their tournament run.
Softball page 6
Jasmine Lara scoops up a ball in the outfield.
JASMYNE TAYLOR/COURIER STAFF
Necks cool down against Mavericks Chris Bean courier staff
C.J. Schaeffer stares down the pitcher.
GOLEATHERNECKS.COM
MACOMB, Ill. — Western Illinois University hosted the University of Nebraska Omaha on Friday at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium. The Mavericks defeated the Leathernecks 8-5, after three runs in the seventh inning, to break the tie at five. The Purple and Gold came in hot after winning its first ever series against Oral Roberts last weekend and beating SIU-E on Wednesday. Unfortunately, it did not correlate on Friday in the loss to the Mavericks. With the win, Omaha improved to 8-4 in the Summit League, just a half a game behind Oral Roberts for first place. They picked up their first road win of the year and improved to 12-18 overall. Western drops to 7-20 overall, and 5-6 in conference play. Junior Ian Koch got the start for the Leathernecks. He came off a dominant start last weekend against Oral Roberts but struggled on Friday. Koch only pitched three innings, giving up five hits on four earned runs. He was also very wild walking five batters and hitting two batters. Omaha was able to score early, getting one
run in the first. They exploded in the second, getting three runs in the second. The double off the bat of sophomore Cole Thibodeau scored two runners to make it 4-1 Omaha. The next inning did not get better at all for Koch, throwing 19 balls in the top of the third, but somehow limited the damage to only one run. With the wild inning, it forced manager Ryan Brownlee to take him out of the game. Joey Machado got the start of the Mavericks. He pitched six innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits. He walked two and only struck out one batter. The Leathernecks tied the game by a squeezed bunt from junior Bailey Montgomery to score junior Deion Thompson. They combined to score three runs in the fourth and fifth inning, to cut the lead to 5-4. The Leathernecks tied the game off of another squeeze, this time from senior Johnathan Fleek, scoring junior C.J. Schaeffer. This forced Machado to exit the ball game, making it the battle of the bullpens.
Baseball page 6