Western Courier|February 14th,2018

Opinions: Space is cool, deal with it.

Sports: Steroids shouldn't keep MLB players from Hall of Fame

Wednesday, February 14, 2018 - Vol. 118 Issue 55

Sports: Basketball enters final games before conference tournament

SGA discusses fee structure

By Becca Langys photo editor

JOSHUA PURNELL/COURIER STAFF

The Student Government Association listens to a presentation on fee structures and discusses legislation pertaining to funding for Western Illinois University at Tuesday's meeting.

On Tuesday Feb. 13, the Student Government Association of Western Illinois University met for their weekly meeting at 7 p.m. in the Capitol Room in the University Union.

The purpose of the Student Government Association is to ensure that students have a voice on campus. On top of giving students a voice, the Student Government Association aims to improve the overall quality of education that Western students

receive, solve campus-wide issues, and greatly improve life on campus.

During this week’s meeting, guest speakers Ketra Russel and John Biernbaum from University Housing and Dining Services spoke about the fee proposal that will affect incoming and current students of the 2018-2019 school year. Russel holds the position of the Assistant Director of Budget and Biernbaum is the Associate Vice-President of Student Services To start the conversation, Russel let the association know that the

University intends to refrain from raising the price of the fees that are charged to the students based on the amount of credit hours they are taking. The University plans to continue supporting the affordability initiative by proposing a zero increase on fees.

Not only did Russel and Biernbaum introduce their idea of a zero-fee increase, but they also explained where the money from the student fees will be allocated.

SGA page 3

JIMMY PIERSON/PRODUCTION MANAGER

By Ryan Zurek opinions editor

Last Friday, State Senator and candidate for governor Daniel Biss, and his running mate Congresswoman Litesa Wallace, stopped by the Sandburg Lounge in the Union as part of their Road Forward College Tour.

The pair spoke about their pre-

vious experience as legislators.

Biss has been a state senator for the 9th district since 2013, and before that served in the House of Representatives in 2011. Wallace serves in the House representing the Rockford-based 67th district since 2014.

At the event Wallace highlighted her role in ensuring Western was able to keep its doors open with the emergen-

cy funding measure that was passed in November of 2016.

This issue was especially important to Wallace, as she is a Western alumna.

There was also a question and answer portion, where the two candidates were asked questions on the importance of downstate and rural Illinois for the Democratic Party. Senator Biss stressed the importance of state unity,

focusing on his ability to reach across the aisle on several issues important to him, such as imposing term limits on the Speaker of the House position, as well as redrawing district maps to be less gerrymandered. He noted that this last issue put him at odds with the rest of the Illinois Democratic Party.

The primary vote is about a month away on March 20th,

and the race for the Democratic endorsement is growing tighter, with recent poll conducted

by Victory Research placing JB Pritzker at 27 percent, just three percentage points ahead of Biss at 23.7 percent, with 27.5 percent of voters still undecided.

The deadline to register to vote is Feb. 20, and citizens can register to vote in the primaries at ova.elections.il.gov.

2

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

NEWS

By William Turkington courier staff

Ceramics artist Anthony Pearson showed off his craft for Western students on Thursday afternoon in the Heating Plant Annex.

Pearson currently a master of fine arts candidate at the University of Missouri in Columbia, which is also his hometown. He received his

bachelor ’s degree of fine arts in ceramics at Southern Utah University, which is where he met Western Professor Ian Shelly.

Professor Shelly teaches a beginning ceramics class that Pearson was primarily running the workshop for, although the event was open to all students.

During the two days that Pearson was running the workshop for the class, he

taught students how to form various clay objects like bowls, plates, and vases.

While Pearson was hard at work in front of a dozen or so students, Shelly cued Pearson to impart some advice to the young sculptors in the room.

“Have you guys had anything break yet? Because it’s going to happen,” Pearson said with a chuckle. “When you’re working, don’t get discouraged. Because if some-

thing happens to you, it’s happened to others before as well.”

Pearson opened up to the class about struggles he had as a high school student and how ceramics miraculously helped him get his life back on track.“In high school, I was what you would call a not very good student.”

In his sophomore year, Pearson had over 60 unexcused absences and almost

WesternCourier.com

failed his first semester of ceramics. Slowly but surely, Pearson started focusing more in school, and improved his craft immensely, which helped him breeze through his more advanced courses.

Ceramics page 3

BCA brings circus to Macomb

SARA REMAR/COURIER STAFF

The Forum hosts "El Circo Cheapo" on Wednesday night, as the Bureau of Cultural Affairs brings stunts, acrobatics and other performances to the stage.

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

STAFF MEMBERS editor-in-chief Nicholas Ebelhack NA-Ebelhack@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 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

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•On Feb. 2 at 7:37 p.m. a student reported that his iPhone and headset, valued at $1,100, was stolen from an unlocked locker at the Student Recreation Center. The incident is under investigation.

•On Feb. 3 at 3:09 a.m. nonstudent Joseph Conway, 19, of South Lake Villa (IL) was issued a notice to appear March 6 for a Macomb city ordinance violation for illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor near the West Adams and Lafayette intersection.

•On Feb. 3 at 8:09 p.m.

Krystyna Long, 27, of 1415 E. Wheeler St., Apt. D, was arrested in the 100 block of West Pierce Street for driving while license suspended. She was transported to the McDonough County Jail at 8:22 p.m. where she was lodged pending bond.

•On Feb. 4 at 7:52 p.m.

Malcolm Sturdivant, 20, of 1003 Henninger Hall, was arrested in Henninger on a McDonough County warrant for failure to appear. he was transported to the McDonough County Jail at 8 p.m. where he was lodged pending bond.

•On Feb. 4 at 11:27 p.m. two students in Henninger Hall were judicially referred (one for behavior and one for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor).

•On Feb. 5 at 1:42 p.m. nonstudent Darrin Cortelyou, 37, of Macomb, was arrested in Stipes Hall for criminal trespass to state-supported property. He was lodged in the McDonough County Jail at

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Ceramics from page 2

Pearson initially was shooting for a career in law enforcement. After he was exposed to the world of police work, he quickly realized it wasn’t for him.

“I was going for a ridealong and thought to myself, ‘Wait, this sucks. I don’t want to be working on holidays.”

Pearson realized that his

Council from front page

2:11 p.m. pending bond.

•On Feb. 5 at 5:14 p.m.

Danzel Thomas, 19, of 615 Tanner Hall, was arrested on West University Drive on a McDonough County warrant for failure to appear. He was lodged in the McDonough County Jail at 5:46 p.m. pending bond.

•On Feb. 7 at 10:03 a.m. a University employee reported a forged payroll check. The incident is under investigation.

•On Feb. 8 at 5:42 p.m. two students in Henninger Hall were judicially referred for behavior.

•On Feb. 9 at 1:41 a.m. nonstudent Briaunna Davis, 19, of Peoria, was arrested on North Lafayette Street for driving on a suspended license and unlawful consumption of alcohol by a minor. She was lodged in the McDonough County Jail at 2:22 a.m. pending bond.

•On Feb. 9 at 11:56 p.m. three students in Bayliss Hall were judicially referred for cannabis.

•On Feb. 11 at 3:49 a.m. the Macomb Fire Department responded to a fire alarm on the 11th floor of Tanner Hall. Simultaneously, another alarm was activated on the 10th floor. OPS determined that the alarms were activated as a result of a liquid poured/sprayed on the alarms. No smoke or fire was present. The incident is under investigation.

•On Feb. 12 at 10:22 p.m. one student in the Thompson Lot was judicially referred for cannabis.

The first fee discussed was the student activity fee, which is $3.25 per credit hour per student. The money from this fee will be used to support various student activities and organizations throughout campus.

The next fee addressed was the fine arts activity Fee of $2.59 per credit hour. This fee will cover things such as fine arts resources and will help fund fine arts programs across campus.

The talent grant fee of $1.75 per credit hour was next on board for discussion. This fee will directly fund the Talent Grants that are awarded throughout the different organizations around campus.

Following the Talent Grant Fee was the health center fee of $9.41 per credit hour.

Whilst this fee is heftier than its successors, it allows every student on campus the ability to use the Beu Health Center and provides partial financial support to the Beu as well.

Athletic fees were the

NEWS 3 passion was ceramics and decided to put all his time and effort into making his passion a profession. He currently teaches a class at the University of Missouri as a graduate student and intends on continuing to teach ceramics at the college level. His passion for his craft is echoed on how he spoke about it.

“Clay is such a fun material that you can do so many things

with,” Pearson said. “I don’t think people understand the way that you can move the material around.”

Pearson is happy with his decision to pursue something he loves that makes him happy, instead of working a job that could potentially be more lucrative but less enjoyable.

“I’d much rather be happy than have all the money in the world.”

next topic of discussion. At $18.07 per credit hour, the Athletic Fee allows the student body to support the various University sports teams.

Following athletic fees, Russel discussed the bond revenue fee of $28.66 per credit hour, which supports institutions such as residence halls, the recreational center, and the University Union.

Next, the facilities fee of $18.21 was introduced. This fee covers facility improvements such as elevators, sprinklers, rooftops, etc.

The next fee discussed is the publication fee of $0.97 per credit hour. This fee provides financial support to The Western Courier.

The second-to-last fee discussed was the technology fee. This fee provides support to the computer labs around campus, pays for the technology in these labs, and pays the workers who maintain the labs. The fee is $4.89 per credit hour.

Finally, the last fee on the 2018-2019 fee proposal was the transit Fee of $2.78 per credit hour. The Transit Fee helps provide Western students with GoWest transpor-

tation at convenient spots on campus.

On top of talk about next year ’s fees, the Student Government Association was introduced to SGA Bill of Resolution 2017-2018.002, which was authored by the Director of Academic Affairs Madison Lynn and SGA President Grant Reed. This bill of resolution will request that the legislature and governor adopt a reasonable budget for higher education.

Explained in plainer terms, Grant Reed said this bill essentially, “Dear state of Illinois, please give the state money because we really need it”.

SGA Bill of Resolution passed unanimously.

In other news, the Student Government Association briefly discussed SGA Bill 2017-2018.005 that was first officially introduced in last week’s meeting. Author of the bill, Amanda Wrenn, introduced her plan to gain support for the bill. Wrenn intends to create a survey about the grading and attendance policies for Western students to take. Wrenn is currently in the process of drafting out those questions.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

4 OPINIONS

WesternCourier.com

JIMMYPIERSON/PRODUCTION MANAGER

On Feb. 6, 2018, the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launched into space. This rocket has the ability to lift 64 metric tons, which is 141,000 pounds. They used it to test a payload. They put a Tesla Roadster on it that overshot Mars, and ended up in the Asteroid Belt near the orbit of Ceres. Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, says this rocket “can launch things directly to Pluto and beyond. No stop needed.”

Does this news make you ex-

cited about space? It should, and more people should care about space and science.

I love all things space. I get excited when a new rocket launches, or when a new discovery is made in our cosmos.

People think I’m weird for it.

‘Why do you care so much about space?’ they wonder.

Excuse me if I can recite that the Sun is 93.3 million miles from the Earth, and that Jupiter has a 10-hour day. Or that Olympus Mons is the larg-

est volcano in the solar system, three times the height of Mount Everest. I just love astronomy and physics, even if it isn’t my major.

Space is the final frontier.

On July 20, 2019, it will be the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, the spacecraft that carried the two astronauts that were the first to land on the moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The moon landing was America’s greatest achievement. This makes America great, and makes me believe in our country and its future.

Do you know who Carl Sagan is? If you were to ask people on the street who he is, most people probably wouldn’t know him. He was

Dear Courier Editor, So it appears Chicken Little was lying, after all. The administration was not demanding furloughs. The administration was not demanding an 18 percent pay cut. The administration was not insisting on increased workloads.

The administration had not eliminated the minima either, although it has been trying to rework the minima structure.

But in the final analysis, the sky wasn’t falling. Instead, Chicken Little was simply trying to create fear, anxiety, and divisiveness. And it worked.

I am not surprised, however,

because the real issue is not protecting jobs. According to today’s “Hen House Gazette,” it is about getting pay raises.

Chicken Little tried this same approach two and a half years ago. When asked to help figure out a way to balance the budget, Chicken Little said no. The administration said for the union to consider one of four options: furloughs, layoffs, wage concessions, or some combination of the three. But Chicken Little said “Never!”

Later, in the coop, Chicken Little assured the other chickens that if they just stood still

and did nothing, everything would be okay, because there was no fiscal crisis in Illinois Higher Education. Sadly, the other chickens looked up to Chicken Little. That is, until the administration was forced to choose for the chickens, and proposed as many as 43 would have to be laid off since the chickens refused to share in the sacrifice. Upon learning of this plan, Chicken Little acted shocked! “Layoffs?” he clucked.

Fortunately, more reasonable chickens in the coop demanded a vote on wage concessions.

About 75 percent of the chick-

a renowned astrophysicist and scientific communicator of the 20th century. His television show “Cosmos,” aired on PBS in 1980. In his show, he discussed the cosmic perspective, and our place in the universe. Neil DeGrasse Tyson brought the show back in 2014 with updated special effects and a similar message about humanity.

So start reading about space.

You might learn about something you never knew before. I bet you didn’t know that NASA was founded on July 29, 1958. NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It only took 11 years after NASA was built before astronauts land-

ed on the moon. I’ve visited the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. and its very interesting. They have all these different spacecrafts on display. You can learn about the solar system and the history of spaceflight.

I love space and you should too. The Earth is the only home we’ve ever known, but once in a while its good to learn about the rest of the universe we live in. The Hubble Space Telescope takes amazing pictures. In 2019, NASA will launch the James Webb telescope, the Hubble’s successor. We’re going to learn more about the early universe through these telescopes, and I can’t wait.

ens disagreed with Chicken Little. In the end, most of the chickens scheduled for layoff were saved.

So here we are again. Chicken Little is back, demanding pay raises from a budget that has been shrinking for three years.

When asked if he was aware that in order to get raises from a fixed budget, layoffs would be required, Chicken Little suggested the administration would never do that. Apparently, lessons of the past are short-lived in the minds of some chickens.

I am not the wisest or smartest chicken in the coop. I am

but a simple chicken. But I have to wonder why so many smarter chickens keep lining up behind Chicken Little, given his demonstrated history of dramatic fabrications and not telling the truth. And given his demonstrated willingness to throw 43 chickens under the bus already, you would think more reasonable chickens would catch on. I also wonder which chickens Chicken Little is willing to send to the slaughter house this time in order to get his pay raise?

Robert J. Hironimus-Wendt Professor of Sociology

Letter to the Editor

@WesternCourier

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

When attending college, we get to experience many new things, for some of us that may even be getting our own pet. Like many of you, I have had a family dog for much of my childhood. Even now when I go home to visit, the first to come greet me at the door is my little fur ball that has been running around our home for years.

Our childhood family pets will always hold a special place in our hearts, but there is just something different about going out and getting a pet you can call your own. By about junior or senior year, a lot of students get the op-

dollars. Likewise, buying a dog from a shelter is commonly between 50-200. This is a huge difference, especially if all of you are as broke as I am.

When buying from a shelter, the price of your pet is not only cheaper, but they also come with a lot of additional savings. The adoption costs usually include the cost of getting your furry friend spayed/neutered and first vaccinations. According to Paws and Learn, the average spay/neuter cost is around $120 and the first vaccinations can be as high as $60.

So, having those already included in your adoption costs is a huge wallet saver.

Besides just savings, adopting from a shelter instead of buying from a pet store also comes with many other nonmonetary benefits. Buy-

OPINIONS 5

You should get a furry friend portunity to move and get a house off campus; this also opens up the idea of possibly getting a pet. Having a pet in college can be a wonderful stress reliever and companion, but my biggest advice to all is the famous saying, “adopt don’t shop.”

Getting a pet in college comes with a lot of responsibility. It also comes with a lot of costs. Adopting instead of shopping for your first pet will not only save you a lot of money, but is an all-around better choice. According to a study by Vet Street, buying a dog from a pet store can cost anywhere between 500-1000

Western’s Go West beats all the rest

Personally, I think we have a great bus system here at Western Illinois University.

Our campus isn’t even that big and they still offer buses for most of the times throughout the day and night. Not only are there buses that take you to class, but there are even buses that take you to town and back. There are two buses that go around campus called the purple and gold carousels. One goes one way and the other goes the other way. These buses run about every 10 minutes and drop you off right in front of certain buildings. If it’s not the building that your class is in, it’s still convenient because it drops you off to the nearest building that’s closet to your class. This is a great opportunity to take into consideration when the weather is bad and you just don’t feel like walking.

It’s even convenient be-

cause there are some handicap people that like to take the bus and people are usually considerate to let them on.

The bus sometimes does get crowded, but since there are buses that run every 10 minutes, you usually can make it to class on time if you’re there right on the 10 minute mark.

Sometimes when they know it’s going to be crowded due to weather conditions, they even have buses that arrive back to back following each other. There was one instance where I was going to be late to class because I missed the bus, but a few minutes later, another bus came.

The most convenient time for the bus is when it’s raining or snowing. I know there are people who prefer to walk instead of take the bus, but the buses can be convient when weather conditions are bad. For example in my freshman year, I had a class in

Simpkins and I had to go all the way to Brophy, which is on the other side of campus.

I knew I wouldn’t make that walk in 10 minutes, so I took the bus there and I got there on time. This was really convenient because I couldn’t be late to class every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Another great thing about the buses is that it’s free to the public, even if they don’t go to Western Illinois University. Yes, it comes out as part of our tuition for school, but if you think about it, I’m sure some people use the bus for the amount that we pay for the bus. It’s super convenient for people who cannot afford to put in a dollar or two every time they get on the bus. And most of the bus drivers are super nice too. I can understand that some people are nervous to use a bus because they may have never taken city transportation before and they might be scared of the environment, but everyone is very welcoming and the bus drivers seem to like the job for the most part. Just say please and thank you and you’ll have a great bus ride.

ing from a shelter means not giving money to puppy mills. Puppy mills are factory-styled businesses used to breed pets in mass quantities for profit. The mother dogs inside these mills are used for breeding for years and years and never receive any human companionship or contact even. The mass populating from these mills are what in return makes shelters over populated down the road.

According to the Humane Society website, approximately 2.7 million adoptable dogs and cats have to be put down each year because of the mass overpopulating.

When you adopt a pet from a shelter you are not only helping out your new furry friend, but you are also helping out another by opening up a space at the shelter for

another pet.

Whether you buy your first furry friend from a shelter or a pet store, you are going to have a period of adjustment for you and your new pet. Many shelters offer help and resources with this transition period, whereas it is more common for pet stores to just leave you on your own as soon as you walk out the door. People buy from a pet store because they are so determined to get the specific breed they want, but often time’s shelters may not have that exact breed you’re looking for.

Getting your first pet, whether it’s in college or after, can be exciting and extremely rewarding. When you go to find your first cuddly friend though, try checking out the shelter before making that top dollar purchase.

Editorial Policy The editoral views of the Western Courier shall be confined to this editorial and are to be separate from news coverage otherwise noted. The editoral presented is based on the ideas and views of the WC editoral board.Columns are the opinions of the columnists alone and should not be construed as the opinions and beliefs of the WC staff as a whole.

Letters & Local Forum Policies E-mail letters to the Editor and Local Forum messages to micour@wiu.edu.

Letters should not be more than 350 words in length. The author’s name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Failure to include such information will lead to the letter being discarded. The WC staff will edit letters in cases of timeliness, obscenity length and grammer, and we do not guarantee publication of all letters.

2018 Spring Semester Editorial Board Editor-in-Cheif - Nicholas Ebelhack Edge Editor - Baylee Bryntesson Opinions Editor - Ryan Zurek

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

6 SPORTS

Men

Women

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from back page

They did not play this weekend, so the Leathernecks have had some time to practice for this late season match-up.

The Leathernecks need to contain Konchar and Scott in order to get a win. They both have shot under 30 percent from the field, and only 1-9 behind the arc. On offense, let Webster find another way to win the game like he did last time. These two things will help the Leathernecks be able to score a win on the road.

There are only four more games left in the regular season. They will play one more game on the road, before finishing the year off at home.

Western is still looking for their first on the road win of the year, and what better way of getting it by defeating the Mastodons.

Twitter: Cre_bean

“It was nice to get up and down the court and play some relaxed offense. I thought we did a good job of having fun with the game,” Gravina said. “Now it is time to spring towards the finish, which starts with Saturday against a really good South Dakota State team.”

This game win for the Leathernecks must motivate them to win against South

@westerncourier THE WESTERN COURIER

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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.

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Dakota State, who is ahead of Western in the Summit League, holding a 21-5 record and only one game behind USD. This matchup on Feb. 17 is the last game in Western Hall for seniors Clemens, Blumer, Olivia Braun, Tayler Hanneman, Merriman, and Michelle Farrow. The senior class is looking to increase their chances to get ahead for the Summit League Championships in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

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

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

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

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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

@WesternCourier

Sports 7

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Steroids shouldn't stop Hall of Famers

On Jan. 24, we saw four new baseball legends get elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman; all received the phone call that they would be forever enshrined in Cooperstown next to all the other baseball greats.

Among those who didn’t make the Hall this year, there are a few people who I thought should never make it in. What do these few players have in common? They were either suspected or confirmed to have used performance enhancing drugs. The biggest cases of these in my opinion are Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and one player who is no longer eligible, Mark McGwire.

These men were all big names during the late 1990s which was properly nicknamed the “Steroid Era.” Many people believe this era revitalized the game of baseball. McGwire and Sosa were both a part of the 1998 home run race that sparked interest throughout the nation. Bonds is also a big name in home runs as he is the current all-time home run king with 762 home runs, and he also had a single-season home run

record of 73. Clemens dominated on the mound with seven Cy Young awards in his career accompanied by an AL MVP. All these men had such historic careers, yet none of them have their plaques in the Hall.

Three of the four players have admitted to steroid usage, Sosa being the lone player not admitting to his alleged usage.

Clemens, Bonds and Sosa were on this year’s ballot for their sixth year of eligibility, leaving only four years for them to reach the 75 percent of votes allowing them to become immortal. Bonds and Clemens have each received over 50 percent of votes for the past two years, while Sosa has only received over 10 percent once in his six years of eligibility.

You may be wondering, “Why is he listing off the accomplishments of all these players?”

The answer to that is should these gentlemen be allowed into the National Baseball Hall of Fame?

For starters, that question is really opinionated, so you can ask 10 different people and each will give you a different answer and their own reason why. To answer that question though,

By Brie Coder

and team competitions for the men and women.

For the women’s division, sophomore Casey Roberts placed 2nd in both the 200-free (2:00.39), and the 100-free (54.77). Continuing with the individual competition, junior Brittany Erickson also placed second in the 50-breast with a time of 33.44. The team of freshmen Amanda Schaefer and Dana Kaftan, along with sophomores Taylor Winkel and Amy Borgstede, took second in the 200-free relay at 1:46.16.

Continuing with the second place finishes on the men’s side, there were more than one individual second place winners including, freshman Ian Johnson in the 50-free (22.38), freshman Samir Almhiemid in the 50-back (24.31) and junior Joshua Hill in the 50-fly (24.81). Almhiemid, sophomore Phillip Kudella and freshmen Seth Brady and Chance McQuigg came in at second next to the women’s team in the 200free relay at a time of 1:27.39.

There are a few names that Western will have to watch out for during the four-day competition. Recently, The University of South Dakota’s swimmers Katie Coleman and Mark Vanderzee, and divers Sarah Schank and Isaac Morris, are the top ranked Summit League Champions and recent award winners.

we must analyze each of the individual statistics for each player. I’m going to focus on the two dominating hitters, Bonds and McGwire.

Let’s start with McGwire. The 12-time All-Star started off his career pretty strong, posting a .289 batting average and hitting 49 home runs. Both of these stats along with many others led to him scoring an AL Rookie of the Year award. Over the next few seasons, he posted similar numbers, but due to injuries some of these seasons were cut short.

He really took off in the 1996 season when he posted a .312 batting average and 52 home runs. McGwire only went up from here, scoring numbers that constantly astounded the baseball community. It wasn’t until 1998 that the entire nation really took notice of McGwire and the game of baseball as a whole.

McGwire and Sosa dominated the 1998 home run leaderboard as it became apparent that one of them would break baseball legend Roger Marris’s singleseason home run record. It was a close race throughout the entire season which made it so exciting for baseball and nonbaseball fans alike.

The race ended with McGwire on top of the homerun leaderboard with an astonishing 70 home runs in the season, and Sosa not far behind with 68. This home run race is credited for

“saving baseball” as it brought newer and younger fans to the game, as well as older fans who were discouraged by the strike a few years prior.

McGwire’s dominating performance wasn’t left unnoticed though. Many people were skeptical of his steroid usage, and went to trial along with numerous other players including Bonds and Clemens.

McGwire admitted to his usage but cited that he mostly used them to help recover from his injuries in the early 90s.

The question for McGwire still stands: does he deserve the Hall? Yes! He should have been a first ballot Hall of Famer.

McGwire was one of the game’s best power hitters and even before he started using PEDs, he was posting numbers that hadn’t been seen in years. He, along with Sosa, are a big reason why baseball was reemerging in the late 1990s. The fact that he isn’t rewarded is sad.

With a 21- year career and a batting average of .298, Bonds should be in the Hall of Fame because of that record. This man, in some fans’ opinions, is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Yet with all of this greatness comes accusations, including his increased size growth, which made fans suspect he was using PEDs. Bonds stated that he did not use any kind of steroids throughout his career. It was

later revealed that he did use them, but Bonds and his legal team told prosecutors that the team trainer misinformed him as to what he was given.

As the all-time home run king, surpassing greats such as Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth, most believe that Bonds should be in the Hall. This is where I am a bit fuzzy on the subject.

With McGwire, you have a man who only took the steroids to heal from some injuries and continue to play the game he loved. Bonds on the other hand never used them to heal injuries. He used them to reshape his body and boost his stats.

That in my opinion is cheating.

The only reason I think he should be allowed in is because he was scoring high numbers before he started using PEDs. I don’t think, however, that he should be able to hold onto his records; because there is no way that he would have those numbers without steroids.

So what’s the final verdict?

Yes. Steroid users should be allowed to be in the Hall of Fame. With four more years of eligibility and already so high on the voting list, it looks like Bonds and Clemens will soon be awarded in Cooperstown.

As for McGwire, the man who helped revamp baseball, we will unfortunately never see his name on the walls of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Swim and dive heads to Sioux Falls

copy editor

Sioux Falls, S.D.— For the past 11 days since their last meet in Iowa, the Western Illinois University swimming and diving teams have been gearing up for a four-day competition starting this Wednesday, and concluding on Saturday, at The 2018 Summit League Championships in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

At last year’s Summit League Championship, Western finished in 5th with 363 points for the men and 6th for the women with 196 points. Freshman Erica Hagen set a new school record in the 100-breast, which she re-broke this season with a time of 1:03.33.

The Leathernecks have had several highs and lows within the season. Many of the swimmers on both the men and women’s teams have excelled with top-10 individual finishes, but no official overall wins as a team.

The Purple and Gold’s last dual meet took place on Feb. 2 against the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. There were several highlights for Western during the meet that raised the stakes against their competitors, including several second place finishes for both the individual

At the Coyote Invitational on Feb. 2nd-3rd, Coleman placed 2nd in 100-yard freestyle (52.83), and 4th in the 50-yard freestyle (24.26). With her 50-yard freestyle, she entered the Coyote Top 10 list at 10th fastest in school history.

Throughout the season, Vanderzee captured victories in the 500-yard freestyle (4:40.79), 400-yard individual medley (4:13.33), and 200-yard fly (1:55.77). His time in the 200yard fly ranks 10th overall in school history.

In the diving division, Schank received Six Diver of the Week honors, which ranks 4th in league history for a single season. She also placed 2nd in the 1-meter (251.65) and 3-meter (254.10) at the Coyote Invite.

Concluding the Summit League award recipients is Morris, who ranks 2nd in league history with his overall performances in the 1-meter (300.90), and 3-meter (314.60) at the Coyote Invite.

He has collected his 8th career Summit League Diver of the Week award last week.

Western will have a lot of strong competition this week and weekend. Let’s hope they will swim their way to the top, and conclude the season with an overall win at the Summit League GOLEATHERNECKS.COM Championship tournaments.

Erica Hagen sets a new school record in 100-breast.

Monday, August 21, 2017

Men search for conference sweep

By Christopher Bean courier staff

Fort Wayne, Ind.- The Western Illinois Leathernecks 11-12 (2-8) will take on the Fort Wayne Mastodons 16-12 (5-6) Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Leathernecks won the first match up in a thrilling overtime win.

Freshman guard Kobe Webster hit the game-winning three with 1.1 seconds left. He also had his career high in Summit League plays with 24 points going 8-20 from the field, along with 17 coming in the second half and overtime. The Leathernecks’ big man, Brandon Gilbeck, had a strong outing going 6-6 with 16 points and 9 rebounds.

The Mastodons are currently third in the Summit League, but have lost two in a row, with both games on the road. However, their home record is 11-1, respectively. Their only loss came from South Dakota with 68-58. The guard player for Fort Wayne is their strongest member. Led by senior captain, Bryson Scott averages 22.8 points a game, making him the second-best scorer in the Summit League. Junior guard John Konchar can pretty much do it all. Konchar is teh

Mastadons best player. He leads the league in assists with 4.5, and steals with 2.8. He’s the best rebounding guard with 8.1, which places him third in the Summit League. He also averages 13.8 points per game. Another player to be in first in two statistics is forward Mike Daum, from South Dakota State. However, Konchar is the only player in the Summit League to be in the top ten in four different statistics.

Western is coming off a 71-68 loss to Omaha last Thursday.

They were outscored 41-34 in the second half, and blew a one-point lead with 29 seconds to go. Webster led the way for the Leathernecks. He had 20 points, shooting 53.3 percent from the field.

He also had five assists and only one turnover. C.J. Duff and Dalan Ancrum also scored in double figures.

But at the end of the day it wasn’t enough for them to get the win. This was the second game in a row where Western didn’t trail by ten or more points in the Summit League. In the previous eight games, they experienced that deficit.

Men page 6

CJ Duff locks down his opponent on defense.

FILE PHOTO

Necks exorcise Red Devils

By Michael Harms courier staff

Krishna Merriman gets into position on offense.

BECCA LANGYS/PHOTO EDITOR

Eureka College challenged the Western Illinois University Leathernecks on Monday and lost big, 98-46. This Division 3 school has had a successful season posting a 16-7 record, tied for second in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, but did not have the skill to keep up with Western’s Division 1 talent competing at the top of the Summit League with a 19-7 record.

The Purple and Gold controlled this matchup from the opening tip. Western scored first and went on an 11-0 run in the first four minutes, until Samantha Sarnes put in a three-point jumper that put Eureka on the board. Eureka could not find the bottom of the net for the rest of the first quarter.

The Red Devils went 1-18 shooting in the first quarter as the Leatherneck defense was able to stifle any offense they were looking to find.

Meanwhile, Western showed it’s first quarter dominance as they shot 11-19 for a total of 28 points. This started the long 40-minute play, which was dominated by one corner. Western may have let off the gas, but never allowed Eureka to have

any positive stats. Through the first half, Eureka had only 13 points, shot below 20 percent and had 13 turnovers. Despite this horrible performance on the stat sheet, this game would not count.

For Eureka, this matchup was an exhibition game and would not affect their season overall stats.

Western decided to make this game an easy win for themselves as they scored less than 22 in each quarter. They shot 46.2 percent from the field and had 17 points off turnovers. They kept it simple utilizing their bench for 60 points and shooting 10 points at the free throw line. Western had four players in double digit scoring including Clemens, Blumer, Higgonbotham and Krishna Merriman.

Merriman, who played volleyball for Western for three years until a season ending injury her junior year, turned to basketball, and had the night of her career.

Head coach JD Gravina praised the importance of the game towards building momentum for the rest of the season.

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