Western Courier| February 4th, 2019

Opinions: Should the death penalty be legal?

Sports: Bears make personnel decisions to start offseason

Sports: Leathernecks defeat North Dakota 108-88 at home

Monday, February 4, 2019 - Vol. 119 Issue 51

Macomb community welcomes Chick-fil-A to Western

By Steven Barnum news editor

Chick-fil-A opened its doors to the public with an official, ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday evening. University Housing and Dining Services hosted the event, which also included discounts for the University Bookstore.

With more than 2,200 locations, the chicken-themed es-

Tate dowell/ courier staff

Chick-fil-A is now available to students and the Macomb community after delays created months of anticipation.

tablishment announced that they would be bringing another food option to Macomb in June 2018.

Located in the Western Illinois University Union, the restaurant chain joins Burger King, Einstein Bros. Bagels and One Stop Rocky Shop. The university was searching for a replacement following the departure of Sbarro after its five-year contract expired at the end of the 2017/2018 school year.

PublicBroadcasting.neT

The Western Illinois University Union is home to Chick-fil-A.

Attorney and former Leatherneck publishes novel

By Tyler Moseberry courier staff

Like most undergraduate students, Jason Schutte did not have his whole life already written in stone.

Schutte is a native of Payson, Ill. and a graduate student of Western Illinois University, where he was a law enforcement major and a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. He believes that one’s career path and circumstances in their life are constantly changing, which is why he doesn’t believe in planning every step

of his life.

After completing his undergraduate program, Schutte decided to pursue law at Southern Illinois University Carbondale law school.

There he learned the disciplines to now practice and review things like civil litigation and personal injury, as well as family and domestic relations.

Since passing the needed requirements to practice law in Illinois, he has been providing services mostly in the 217-area code. This area code includes the capital Springfield and borders many of the counties and towns

around us like Quincy.

His most recent endeavor was in the form of writing in which he published “A Zealous Defense,” which is a legal fiction thriller set in Quincy in 1983. John is an attorney and the protagonist that is tasked with a case so fragile it threatens his entire livelihood.

Being that his latest case has to do with narcotics, it is not surprising that some extra drama could be associated with his personal life or the case itself. John also must make sure that he does not break the law, which adds even more suspense. Schutte

sells the book as a chance to be sucked into the world immediately, and it can slip your mind that it is depicted in the 80’s with the realism it displays. All these factors have led to a successful first book for Schutte.

Schutte had a goal of making his novel to be “purely fictional entertainment.”

This is no small part from the type of experiences he has had in his life and being able to meet genuine people.

Schutte believes after his first books success that he would be willing to make another. His timeline is not definitive due to his busy

work schedule, but he is open to the idea, and he left the book open to a sequel.

When asked about what has changed about Western, he pointed out some technological differences, like the use of landlines but in all not much.

He feels that even though he is removed from college, the experience and people you meet in Western community are still genuine. For those interested, his book is available on Amazon.

“If you never step up to home plate you’ll never hit a homerun,” Schutte says.

This is what he hopes all of us can do in our daily lives.

Monday, February 4, 2019

@WesternCourier

NEWS 3

Multicultural Center will host women's activism event

By Marc Ramirez edge editor

The Women’s Center at Western Illinois University will be participating in in the global activist movement, V-Day. V-Day’s purpose is to stop violence against women and girls and raise funds and awareness through benefit productions such as The Vagina Monologues which will take place this Friday, at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Multicultural Center. The Multicultural Center is located on Murray Street across from the University Union and adja-

cent to Mowbray Hall.

Tickets for the event will be for sale in advance in the Union Concourse from Monday 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. During these times, tickets will be sold at $5 for students and $7 for non-students. Prices will be raised at the door to $7 for students and $10 for non-students.

T-shirts can also be purchased during these times at $7 for students and $10 for non-students.

If students can’t make it to the Union during these times to purchase a ticket or merchandise, they can visit the Women’s Center from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

The Vagina Monologues gave

birth to V-Day, a global activist movement to end violence against all women and girls (cisgender, transgender, and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender based violence),” vday.org reads.

“With creativity and determination, V-activists around the world tirelessly work to end harassment, rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation and sex slavery.”

The Vagina Monologues is a award-winning play based on V-Day Founder/playwright Eve Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women.

“With humor and grace the piece celebrates women's sexu-

ality and strength,” vday.org reads. “Through this play and the liberation of this one word, countless women throughout the world have taken control of their bodies and their lives.

For more than sixteen years, The Vagina Monologues has given voice to experiences and feelings not previously exposed in public.”

The Women’s Center will be accepting donations such as baby lotion, women's deodorant, toilet paper, Kleenex, allpurpose cleaner, laundry detergent, pads, shampoo, conditioner and diapers (newborn and size 4-6).

All items collected will go to

the Western Illinois Regional Council-Community Action Agency (WIRC-CAA), an agency working with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Closed captioning and dyslexia-readable font are available through all performances.

In addition, accessible parking will be available in front of Mowbray Hall. People can also reserve seating near the stage to combat difficulties seeing by contacting Lauren Hoover at le-hoover@wiu.edu.

For more information, visit vday.org or contact the Women's Center at (309)-298-2242.

NOTICE OF EXAMINATION MACOMB POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Board of Fire & Police Commissioners of the City of Macomb, Illinois hereby gives notice that examinations will offered to all eligible applicants to create an Eligibility List for hiring for positions with the Macomb Police Department.

At time of application, applicants must be at least 21 years of age and no more than 35 years of age. Military veterans may extend the age limit one year for every year if active duty, not to exceed ten years. Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent; must have completed 60 semesters or 90 quarters hours from an accredited academic institution; must posses valid driver’s license. To move forward in hiring processes, applicants must have physical and written exams, medical and psychological evalutions and background investigations; must have visual acuity 20/20 each eye corrected (minimum) with normal color vision and depth perception; must have good habits and be of moral character. Proof of U.S. Citzenship and if hired; McDonough County residency is required.

STARTING SALARY as of 05/01/18, $47,078.76 per year.

Forty-hour work week with time and a half for all overtime.

Applications packets may be obtained at the Mayor’s Office, City Hall, 232 E. Jackson St., Macomb, Illinois 61455, Phone (309) 833-2558, or on-line at: https://www.macombpolice.com/application-requirements/ All applications and attachments must be completed, signed and on file by 4:30 P.M., Tuesday, March 12, 2019. If sumbitting the application packet by mail, it must be postmarked on or before the application deadline date AND received at the Mayor’s Office within five (5) calendar days of the deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Testing date is March 30, 2019. Applicants should report to Brophy Hall, on the Western University campus at 7:30 A.M.

The City reserves the right to require reimbursement of training expenses on a pro-rata basis if an officer resigns within the first two years of employment.

The City of Macomb is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.

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 Devon Grrene DJ-Greene@wiu.edu news editor Steven Barnum

proofreader Amanda Wandachowicz

SS-Barnum@wiu.edu

A-Wandachowicz@wiu.edu

opinions editor Allison Young

photo editor Becca Langys

AN-Young@wiu.edu

RE-Langys@wiu.edu

sports editor Bradley Piros

assistant photo editor Sara Remar

BJ-Piros@wiu.edu

SE-Remar@wiu.edu

assistant sports editor Chris Bean

production manager Jimmy Pierson

CR-Bean@wiu.edu

JM-Pierson@wiu.edu

edge editor Marc Ramirez

business manager Faith Rucker

MA-Ramirez3@wiu.edu

F-Rucker@wiu.edu

copy editor Brie Coder

advertising manager Jacob Day

B-Coder@wiu.edu

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

PUBLISHING AND CIRCULATION

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

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One copy of the Western Courier is free.

Additional copies $1.

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS The WC needs your help to maintain accuracy. If you find a factual error, call the WC office at 309-298-1876 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Please ask to speak to an editor to ensure the inaccurate information can be corrected as quickly as possible.

Monday, February 4, 2019

@WesternCourier

NEWS 3

Campus Crime Reports

Legend Cannabis

•On Jan. 27 at 8:54 p.m. a student in Tanner Hall was judicially referred for cannabis and alcohol possession.

•On Jan. 28 at 2 a.m. a student in Tanner Hall reported someone was allegedly taking photographs in a restroom in Tanner.

•On Jan. 29 at 4 a.m. a student reported the theft of a credit card, cell phones, jewelry, makeup and a text book. The

Alcohol by a Minor

Burglary/Theft

Fire Alarm

Other Report

missing items were valued at $1,773, and $217.03 in fraudulent charges had been made on the credit card. The incident is under investigation.

•On Jan. 29 at 2:23 p.m. a student reported that he had lost his wallet in the Union. It was found in Waggoner Hall, and returned; however, $50 cash was missing. The incident is under investigation.

•On Jan. 31 at 3:54

p.m. a student reported that $40 had been stolen from her Bayliss Hall room. The incident is under investigation.

•On Jan. 30 at 5:15 p.m. a student reported that sometime between 6-8 p.m. Jan. 25, someone stole a coat, valued at $599 from an unlocked locker at the Rec center. The incident is under investigation.

•On Jan. 30 at 7:50 p.m. non student Sedrick Moses, 21, of Chicago,

was arrested in the 1300 block of West Adams Street for driving without a valid driver's license.

He was transported to the McDonough County Jail at 8:07 p.m. where he was lodged pending bond.

•On Jan. 30 at 3:10 a.m.

OPS and the Macomb Fire Department responded to a fire alarm in Henninger Hall. No smoke or fire were found and no injuries were reported.

4

OPINIONS

Monday, February 4, 2019

WesternCourier.com

Should the death penalty be legal?

The death penalty has and always will be a controversial topic and an interesting one to discuss as well. It is especially controversial when it comes to minors. Yes, there is the term that everybody makes mistakes, but there are some mistakes that should be punishable by death. There are some cases where the crime is considered to be extremely heinous but should not necessarily be up for the death penalty. That might sound a bit inhumane, but with the death penalty, the first thing that comes to mind is mass shooters, bombers, terrorist, hate crimes, etc. Yes, murder of any degree is bad, but the death penalty was thrown

around way too much back then.

Obviously I am not a licensed or practicing police officer, but people have been given the death penalty for less, and people who should have been given the death penalty for doing worse did not get it.

The idea of the death penalty is not unusual but sometimes it can be a bit cruel. Cruel most likely is not an appropriate word to use because the crime committed was cruel but as stated before, people who have been charged for less and get away with more. It’s hard to say whether the death penalty is the right answer because sometimes people get wrongfully accused and then by the time that

is figured out, it is too late. This is not always the case but it is a possibility for some crimes. The death penalty may also not be the right choice for a defendant because sometimes there is more going on than people know. For example, if a kid kills his mother, he might have killed her because she was abusive to him or because he was schizophrenic and the voices in his head told him so. He could have a lot of mental problems and something just triggered him and set him off one day. At the end of the day when the crimes are committed, the only people involved in the case are the witnesses, defendant and the victim.

All of law enforcement or like figures are not there and they don’t know exactly what happened.

There may be hard evidence of the boy committing murder, but the motive is not there. A lot of times, the motives don’t matter.

It's too cold for models to do photoshoots outside

The weather seemed to have warmed up this past weekend.

For those of us that have made it through the polar vortex, now is the time to reflect and be grateful that we only had to put up with the cold for a week.

While most people did the sane and rational thing to stay indoors in this frostbite-inducing cold some people decided to go out and have photoshoots, in swimsuits. Some of these people who decided to bare themselves out in the cold, are prominent models and style bloggers who have thousands of followers. The temperatures this past week reached 40 to 50 degrees below zero with wind chill, a temperature that can bring on frostbite and frostbite symptoms to exposed skin in as little as five minutes. Generally, most swimsuits expose decent amounts of skin, which is the point of swimsuits. While you may have snapped a few good

pictures, the risk to you and your health isn’t worth the product.

The modeling and fashion industry has never had a good reputation when it comes to practicing and maintaining a “good” figure and backdrop conditions. The undereating, extreme dieting and many other dangerous practices aren’t exactly new. Even in Hollywood, actors and actresses have been known to put a lot of strain on their body for a certain look; sometimes eating minimally and not drinking water for a day or two. They’ve been in the spotlight for years with many agencies making efforts to improve model safety. Now with social media, there are more opportunities to model and post pictures leading to a surging number of independent models and style bloggers. Apps like Instagram and Snapchat allow anyone to make an account, post pictures instantly and receive thousands

of followers in short amount of time. What becomes concerning is when we see individuals who do things like go out in the polar vortex for a photoshoot to get that great backdrop. With an ever increasing number of modeling and styling accounts, there is an increased pressure to distinguish yourself from other models and to get the best shot. This can lead to dangerous practices such as going out in below zero weather in a swimsuit. The shot might look good, but it’s not worth getting frostbite.

Not only can it hurt their physical health but their mental health as well. They are trying to maintain a certain look and figure, as well as possibly stressing their body for a good shot.

Unlike models of the past they get feedback on their photos instantly. Instagram and Snapchat allow for instant posting but also instant comments. Too many negative comments can lead to photoshoots and pictures that push even more. You can’t put your health on the line for more likes. It’s not safe, and it will only end up hurting you in the long run.

A crime is a crime, but that is not always the case and is very untrue. Sometimes there are external and internal factors along with circumstances that causes someone to act outside of their normal behavior. There are many scenarios as to why someone did what they did. Some of those examples are because they were frightened, they were trying to protect themselves, etc.

These factors, however, aren’t relevant when it comes to sentencing and that is why the death penalty is not always fair. When there are crimes that are super large like mass shootings, bombings, hate crimes, terrorist attacks, etc. those are the types of situations that the death penalty would not be considered cruel and unusual punishment, because those people who committed those crimes are psychopaths and deserve nothing but maximum sentence.

Pixabay

People often don't agree with the death penalty

Editorial Policy

The editorial views of the Western Courier shall be confined to this editorial and are to be separate from news coverage otherwise noted. The editorial presented is based on the ideas and views of the WC editorial 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.

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2019 Fall Semester Editorial Board

Edge Editor - Marc Ramirez Editor-in-Chief - Devon Greene Opinions Editor - Allison Young

The Joker is back For a very long time now, fans of the DC Universe have been picked on for supporting the comic book company and it’s not so great live action movies.

This might change, however, because DC is creating a new live action film that may be darker than the ones they have created before.

Layout by: Jimmy Pierson

CONT. E.2

Written by: Brie Coder

E2 EDGE

Joker from page 5

As of September 2018, teaser previews have been uploaded of a man (Joaquin Phoenix) standing in front of a clear background, with images coming across his face showing how an average man goes from living a typical 9-5 life to becoming the psychotic clown we have all grown to love, the Joker. Halfway through the preview, Phoenix transforms from average Joe to the Joker himself by showing his big wide smile at first as his normal self, and then in his clown makeup.

In the next scene of that same preview, fans see a

Monday, February 4, 2019

very disgruntled Phoenix leaving a graffiti covered building and walking down the street. Halfway down the street, a man comes out chasing Phoenix. The man chasing him is wearing the typical clown attire (big red nose, white makeup, suspenders and big shoes). What makes this teaser great is the fact that the conversation between the two men is muted. No one has any idea what is said.

Another preview that was released shows Phoenix at a subway station waiting for a train. When the train pulls up, there are some clowns on the train that are holding signs such as “kill the rich.” Phoe-

Joaquin Pheonix will depict the leading role in the new movie "Joker."

nix, dressed in his Joker costume, walks onto the train and within a few seconds, tons of citizens are running off the train.

So far all we know is that the movie is called “Joker” and that it’ll be released Oct. 4. The next question that fans are asking is which Joker is Phoenix portraying? His attire looks like the original Joker costume worn by Cesar Romero’s in the original “Batman” TV series from the late 60’s (yes the one that Adam West played in as Batman). However, his body language portrays a little bit of Jack Nicholson’s version of the Joker in “Batman” from 1989 and Heath Ledger’s chilling version

from “The Dark Knight” in 2008.

The real question though is, is this Joker going to be completely different from the ones we have seen before? We haven’t seen the version of the Joker like the one made in the 1988 graphic novel “The Killing Joke.”

For those who don’t know the story behind “The Killing Joke,” it tells Joker ’s backstory as an engineer who decides to quit his job and become a low end standup comedian. He is a family man that is at the time trying to take care of his pregnant wife, but just completely loses it. He starts turning to crime to make

WesternCourier.com

more money to support his growing family. What shocks readers in this comic is how psychologically insane he can get.

The levels he crosses are so dark that the Joker we grew up loving doesn’t even compare to the one created in this story.

Even though DC made an animated version of “The Killing Joke” back in 2016, this does not mean that the current “Joker” won’t shed more light and detail on this side of him. It’s an exciting time to be a DC fan because we as fans of the product could be seeing one of the best live action films DC has produced in a long time.

screenrant.com

E4 EDGE

Monday, February 4, 2019

WesternCourier.com

Black Widow to be Rated-R.

When Scarlet Johansson made her debut as Natasha Romanoff, codename The Black Widow, almost nine years ago in “Iron Man 2,” fans instantly fell in love with her. I'm not going to sugar coat it; the character herself is sexy, powerful and smart. The total package for anyone to fall in love with.

There have been rumors of a solo film for years now and it appears that those plans are finally going into action.

Black Widow is different than other superheroes at least in my opinion because her origin story is one that I think is interesting. You can only watch Uncle Ben die so many times, and the vast majority of the others you are like come

on let's get to the superhero part. But I believe an origin movie of Black Widow would be very captivating especially since we have already seen some memories and learned a few things about her past in other movies.

They even showed a similar process in Agent Carter.

It would definitely take place after “Captain America: The First Avenger” and maybe “Captain Marvel” depending on how they go about the origin. I know I'm not the only one that wants to see how this little girl from Russia (I guess it would have been the Soviet Union at the time) become an assassin and learn all these skills that we have been seen in recent movies, eventually

joining S.H.I.E.L.D. There has been talk of this being the MCU's first R-rated movie. There are pros and cons to this decision of course.

Do you risk alienating certain groups of fans including younger girls who look up to her in a sense and can handle a PG-13 movie but not an R one?

What would warrant an R-rating, language is unnecessary as we have like two-dozen MCU movies that don't drop the F-Word at all.

Though they could hold back on the sexual content, she does tend to use her feminine ways to be successful at her missions, in fact, being very attractive is one of her characteristics. They will probably have sensual scenes and probably some nudity (though most of it will probably not sexualized), so that might warrant that type of rating.

The violence would probably be the cause of the rating.

Just think about it, the process

geektyrant.com

Scarlett Johansson is depticted as Black Widow in DC Comics upcoming movie.

to become an assassin or soldier of any kind can be awful. According to Marvel, "At a young age she was a part of a Russian training program to turn young girls into lethal undercovered agents called the Red Room." We already know some of that history: the mental and physical breaking that we see still affects her.

The brainwashing, the training, the forced sterilization, a scene itself that is probably disturbing enough to warrant an R-rating.

My previous article was about a series I was reading about an assassin and just how that described the process as terrible; it scars you for life. The benefit I believe, of making it R-rated is so you don't have to pull back on the disturbing scenes because that's the point. Seeing her at rock bottom being forced to do missions for the "bad guys" that she is still trying to atone for, helps the audience understand and feel for

the character more.

Symbols are powerful and with mental health being a huge problem in this world, having a voice with this movie could put that problem in the front. Black Widow, though an incredible beast, is broken and would have awful PTSD, and seeing the cause of that and seeing her rise up from that would speak volumes, bring empathy to the problem and give some people hope.

With that being said, an Rrated origin story of Black Widow will be tough to watch as it should, but don't rate it that way just to use the fword every other sentence or have buckets of blood and fifty shades of grey it. Make it mean something. I do think, however, that they should also make a version that is not as graphic for younger audiences and more "pure-minded" viewers.

I look forward to the movie no matter what it's rating ends up being.

Amazon.com

E3 EDGE

Monday, February 4, 2019

A qu a m a n splashes to the top of the charts

“Aquaman” was released on Dec. 21, 2018, and since then has been climbing the charts.

“Aquaman” is nearing $1.1 billion in box office sales. “Aquaman” is quickly surpassing the profit of both “Suicide Squad” and “Deadpool 2,” this will make the film 2018’s fifth highest “domestic grosser” according to Forbes.

When “Aquaman” was first announced, there were mixed feelings from potential viewers. Many felt that the film would be a flop, but based on the box sales and ratings from viewers, it has done just the opposite. Though, the film has been granted a low rating of 65 percent from Rotten Tomatoes.

One flaw that has been identified is that there are many similarities between “Aquaman” and other various films and works of literature. Throughout the film I kept finding a lot of similarities to King Arthur and Camelot. This was an interesting underlying theme that was present for the entirety of the film. There have also been a lot of comparisons between “Aquaman” and “Thor: Ragnorak” as well as “Aquaman” and “Black Panther.”

Following the origin story of Arthur Curry aka Aquaman, the film starts with the meeting of Arthur’s parents. Set out on the east coast, Queen Atlanna washes ashore at the base of a lighthouse, where Thomas Curry finds her and treats her.

The two end up falling in love, causing Atlanna to stay with Thomas rather than return to Atlantis. It is only when Atlantian soldiers come to retrieve her that she finally leaves her family behind. As Arthur grows up he

learns that he can communicate with marine animals and can breathe underwater. The film shifts to present-day where we see Arthur (played by Jason Momoa) save a submarine from a group of pirates. This is where the viewers meet his comic book archnemesis: Black Manta.

When Arthur returns home to visit his father, he is visited by Mera, a princess of one of the seven underwater kingdoms engaged to Arthur’s half-brother Orm. She asks that Arthur comes with her to Atlantis to challenge his brother’s right to the Atlantian throne. After Arthur refuses, a giant wave crashes onto the road almost killing his father. Mera saves Thomas, persuading Arthur to agree to come back with her to Atlantis. The film then follows his quest for the Trident of the first Atlantian King.

I saw the film last weekend and absolutely loved it. The film was suspenseful and beautifully put together. Animation and film both came together to make this production directed

by James Wan. The scenery throughout the whole film was captivating, as well as the complex storyline. There is both a romantic as well as a heroic storyline, which makes “Aquaman” appeal to all types of viewers, even those who may not be interested in superheroes originally.

I highly recommend seeing “Aquaman” if you haven’t already. Or even if you have, go see it again! Providing viewers with everything they might need, “Aquaman” has it all.

Just don’t try and hold your breath during the underwater parts (it won’t work, trust me).

WesternCourier.com

Underground Cabaret hits Western

I went to the Underground Cabaret on Saturday. On the second floor of Simpkins Hall in that little dark theater, the WIU theatre and dance department really put on an impressive talent showcase. This show is put on to honor professor Emeritus Maughn McMurdie, who left a large impact on the department of theater and dance.

He taught at Western from 1969 -1992.

The show started with eight theater students singing a song about “another opening of another show” dressed in pink and black barber shop quartet like costumes. Then after that, the host and a guy named James came on stage to announce the next act.

The host had to tell James that he can’t be in the show because it’s “already cast.”

But then he said to James what he could do is be the co-host. As co-host, he got to announce the next acts and move the furniture. James got excited about the moving furniture idea.

The whole show was filled with great acts and musical numbers. My favorite was when the two girls who looked just like each other sang about how even though one of them was graduating, they’ll always be there for each other. These two actresses are almost identical in appearance, and to be honest I haven’t met them, so I didn’t actually know they were two different people! It seemed like they had collaborated on writing this song themselves.

One of them asked the question, “what will I do without

my doppelganger?”

Another one of my favorites was a re-creation of “Who’s on First” by Abbott and Costello. It’s where one clueless person asks about who is playing what position in a baseball game, and the other person tells them, but the first base player’s name is “Who.” They added more players, like “What” is on second base, “I Don’t Know” is on third base and so on. It made the audience laugh.

Scholarships were awarded to two of the performers that have been outstanding in the fine arts program, Annie Etchison and Paige Woods.

Scholarships are awarded at the Underground Cabaret every year.

One song was about a girl who just moved in to her new apartment, “14G.” She got comfortable and cozy, but then the lady who lives a floor below her started practicing her opera singing. And the lady who lives a floor above her started practicing singing too. The girl couldn’t help but shout “STOP!” When she shouted this, she sang it of course, because it was a song.

I liked this performance because it was smart and entertaining. I laughed, I cried.

I didn’t really cry but some songs really hit me.

All in all, it was a great show with great performances. The students in the fine arts and theater program are really talented and put on a wonderful show. It’s always fun to go to these performances.

I’m always sure to get a front row seat. Bravo!

JIMMY PIERSON/PRODUCTION MANAGER

Whether you like it or not, animal print is back. Resurfacing in the 2018 fall collections of many designers, leopard print has ignited a movement. The movement of animal prints. When styled correctly, animal print conveys decadence and a level of sophistication.

More and more women are finding edgier ways to dress. Don’t believe me? Take a look around at your local bar, pub or nightclub and you will see the entire jungle manifested in the clothing of the crowd: cheetah, snake, tiger and yes the sleekest of them all, leopard. Women are now using these bold patterns in major pieces of clothing. Before, coats, shoes and purses had the fashion monopoly of animal prints, allowing women to gently accessorize their way to the jungle.

Now, entire wardrobes are rotating around animal skirts, shirts,

Contact Allison Young

tights and shoes.

Leopard print may be a bold pattern to wear, however I believe it can also be a neutral pattern as well. The black-andtan pattern looks great with almost any color palette. It can be dressed up or down, it flatters every skin tone and it pops up on runways so often that it hardly seems fair to call it a trend.

And yet, what leopard conveys in fashion is highly inconsistent, especially when it comes to signifying class. Think about First Lady Jackie Kennedy’s leopard-print Oleg Cassini coat.

This simple elegant full-length leopard coat portrayed her in a sophisticated and classy way.

The way she wears leopard print evokes a kind of old-money femininity bolstered by a kind of unimpeachable confidence. On the other hand, leopard print can sometimes convey “trashiness,”

which often represents the sexual availability of the lower-class woman. Picture Fran Drescher in a tiny leopard-print mini skirt on “The Nanny.” She is not wearing that skirt for the aspect of fashion, she is wearing it to get the attention of her wealthy employer. The gaudy leopard print she wears represents women using their wits and sexuality to slink into lives of luxury. These two very different connotations have made wearing animal print kind of a fashion risk.

Designers like Tom Ford are pioneering leopard print back into the fashion world, and it’s working. Ford’s spring 2019 collection has spurred an animal print craze among celebrities such as Heidi Klum, Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Lopez. All of these celebrities display their approval of the trend by wearing animal print ensembles to performances, award ceremonies or in their daily lives. Animal print now represents a fashion forward woman. Rather than signifying class, it signifies confidence and style.

AN-Young@wiu.edu

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6

Monday, February 4, 2019

Sports

Women's from back page

The dominating quarter was spearheaded by Kaufmann. She scored 11 points in the quarter, using her speed and quickness to get to the basket as well as knocking down the three point shot. Western's lead at the half can be contributed to their great shooting, as they knocked down 54 percent of their shots (50 percent from three) holding North Dakota to 41 percent. The third quarter was more of the same for the Necks. Kaufmann scored the first six points forWestern in the quarter as they held a 48-36 lead with 8:49 left to play in the quarter. North Dakota couldn’t make up any ground over the next couple minutes, the Leathrnecks then begin to slip further away. Pushing their lead to 69-50, on a pair of free throws from Higginbotham with 2:24 remaining in the quarter. The Fighting Hawks put a small dent in the lead at the end of the quarter making it, 78-62. A made three by junior guard Avery Hamm to begin the quarter pushed the lead back to 19 for the Leathernecks.

Later in the game, Western found themselves up 21 points after junior guard Annabel Graettinger hit a three with 7:54

left to play in the game. North Dakota would then go on a 12-0 run to narrow the lead to nine, 87-78 with 5:16 left in the game. That run would be their last cry, the Purple and Gold answered North Dakota with a fury of their own. It began with Graettinger hitting back to back threes, Fleecs scored a layup for North Dakota in between those threes giving Western a 93-80 advantage with 4:23 remaining. Higginbotham scored seven points over the next few minutes including nailing a three with 1:29 left in the game, pushing the lead to 10888 and sealing the victory for the Leathernecks.

This win for Western completed their first sweep of a conference opponent this season.

The victory is a benefit of their red hot offense. They shot 10 of 15 from three in the second half, hitting 68 percent of their shots in the half overall, 61 percent for the game. The Fighting Hawks put up a solid effort out. They out rebounded the Necks and got great scoring from Fleecs and Lexi Klabo (24 points), still the Necks were too much to handle at home. This win marks the Necks fourth in their last five games. The Necks are back in action on the road February 6 against Purdue University Fort Wayne Mastodons.

Men's

from back page

On the flip side, the Leathernecks did not keep the same aggression as they did in the first half and it really cost them the game.

C.J. Duff came out strong as he scored 13 points in the second half, finishing with 21 overall. Freshmen Forward Ben Pyle kicked in as he added 9 points, finishing with 11 overall. Webster cooled down in the second half only scoring 6 points in the half, finishing with 21. The best chance the Leathernecks had at taking the lead came with five minutes left in the game when

WC

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they tied it up 67-67, but the Bison took a big three that helped them control the game.

“We gave ourselves a chance to win tonight but came up short,” Coach Wright said.

The Leathernecks are now 8-15 overall this season and 3-7 in the conference, putting them second to last at the bottom of the Summit League standings. They will travel on the road this week to Fort Wayne, Indiana where they will play against the PurdueFort Wayne Mastodons on Thursday, February 7th.

Tip-off begins at 6 p.m. as the Leathernecks look to avoid being dead last in the conference.

CJ Duff passes the ball to a teammate.

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Sports 7

Monday, February 4, 2019

Bears have to make offseason decisions

The 2018-19 season was a memorable one for Chicago Bears fans. In year one under head coach Matt Nagy, the “Monsters of the Midway” took the league by storm, finishing with a superb 12-4 regular season record in route to their first NFC North title in nearly a decade.

While they failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs, crushing fans’ Super Bowl dreams, it was a promising year nonetheless for a developing squad that looks to be in a position to contend for the next several seasons. Now a team on the rise, the Bears are now faced with some difficult decisions to make this offseason if they want to make a legitimate championship run next year. Without a first or second-round pick in the upcoming draft, general manager Ryan Pace will have to use his checkbook wisely once the free agency market opens for business.

For one, the Bears come into the 2019 offseason with a qual-

ity characteristic they aren’t quite used to, relevance. In a matter of a year, Chicago has completely flip-flopped expectations surrounding their organization. Unlike many years prior, a winning season is no longer seen as a luxury. In fact anything less in 2019 would be seen as a massive failure.

The days of mediocrity and searching for their next superstar talent via the NFL Draft are now over. Instead, Pace will be tasked with putting the finishing touches on a championshipcaliber roster. The question that remains is, will he look to keep his roster intact or find replacements for players with expiring contracts through free agency and limited draft capital?

Pace managed to cross his first task off the list by re-signing starting offensive tackle Bobby Massie to a four-year contract extension on Jan. 26. The 29-year-old tackle has missed a total of just two games in his three-year stint as a Bear and has produced efficiently for the team. While he may not

be a world-breaking talent, the importance of this signing traces back to keeping an offensive line intact that surrendered the eighth fewest sacks in the league in 2018. More importantly, Chicago now has all but one of their 22 starters from last year’s squad signed through next season.

Starting safety Adrian Amos remains as the last of the bunch who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Amos has drawn rave reviews from followers of advanced metrics, such as Pro Football Focus, who graded him as the eighth best safety in football last year.

However, one of the biggest arguments than can be made is that an elite defensive front elevated his play to an unsustainable level. Simply put, Amos is a good safety who does his job well but doesn’t really stand out as an irreplaceable playmaker. Perhaps the largest perk for the Bears when it comes to negotiating with Amos is the depth of this year’s free agent class at defensive back. At just 25- years- old and arguably reaching the prime of his career, Amos will have no shortage of suitors if Pace hesitates to make a deal. However, there are a multitude of replacements that Chicago can look toward.

Considering slot-corner Bryce Callahan is also a freeagent-to-be, Pace would be walking on thin ice if he were to let both him and Amos walk. Re-signing Callahan would be ideal, given that he provides good depth off the bench and could immediately slide into a starting spot barring an injury, but it’ll be hard to convince him to stay if another team offers him a larger role. If the Bears are indeed faced with this dilemma, they will undoubtedly kick the tires on free agents like Tyrann Mathieu (better known as the “Honey Badger”), LaMarcus Joyner and Bradley Roby, all of whom Bears’ fans should be content with.

While keeping the defense intact should be a primary objective of the Windy City’s front office, perhaps the largest thing the Bears must address is their kicker. Cody Parkey has outworn his welcome in Chicago, and it didn’t take long. By now, we’ve all seen the infamous missed field goal that sent the team packing after just one playoff appearance.

This offseason need is about as obvious as they come, but who will replace Parkey? The move that all fans want to see is the legendary Robbie Gould back

in navy blue and orange, and it’s quite possible that dream could become a reality.

On Friday, 49ers reporter Matt Barrows announced on Twitter that Gould and his current team would like to work on a contract extension but the two sides haven’t come close to an agreement thus far. If Pace is as smart as he’s proven to be, he will jump on this opportunity immediately. Gould hasn’t lost a step even at 36- years- old, converting on 97 percent of his field goal attempts last season.

A reunion between him and the Bears could be the key difference between making the playoffs and making noise in the playoffs.

Regardless of what Pace decides on in the near future, it’s imminent that the Bears come into 2019 as the NFC North favorites and will remain a force to be reckoned with. The 2018 season was a step in the right direction for this young and developing roster, but the right acquisitions this offseason could write them a one-way ticket to compete for the ultimate prize next year, the Lombardi Trophy. Can Pace make the right moves to do so? We will all have the answers to that question soon enough.

Tuesday, Feb. 5 - all day Women’s golf @ Mid-american match play challenge Wednesday, feb.6 - 6 p.m. women’s basketball @ purdue fort wayne thursday, feb. 7 - 6 p.m. men’s basketball @ purdue fort wayne thursday, feb. 8 & 9 men’s & women’s track & field @ valley state friday, feb. 8 - 10 a.m. women’s tennis @ missouri state

Women's basketball bounces back at home

By Titus Perez

assistant sports editor

Taylor Higginbotham dribbles the ball down court inside Western Hall.

GOLEATHERNECKS.COM

MACOB, Ill. — After a disappointing loss on January 26 to the University of South Dakota Coyotes, Junior guard Olivia Kaufman and Senior guard Taylor Higginbotham each performed well to help lead Western Illinois University Leathernecks (9-13, 5-4 Summit) defeat the North Dakota University Fighting Hawks(8-14, 3-6 Summit), 111-90.

The Lady Necks leading scorer on the season, Kaufmann matched her career high with 28 points in the game while Higginbotham added 23.

Higginbotham hit four of the 15 threes Western made in the game, 15 threes is the most Western have hit in conference play thus far this season.

Western offense was clicking all game, the 111 points they scored was the second most scored against a NCAA division one opponent in the last ten years.

“We were able to counteract them being unstoppable around the basket by really spacing them out. They had

a really hard time guarding us without fouling, and when we shoot it well like that and spacing is good like it was, I think we're a really good offensive team. This was a fun upand-down game” said Western Illinois head coach JD Gravina after the game.

The game got started with Taylor Higginbotham knocking down a jump shot to give Western the early lead however this was countered by a layup from the game’s leading scorer Julia Fleecs (33 points).

For the rest of the quarter, both teams would go back and forth, North Dakota did happen to capture a seven point lead in the quarter but the Purple and Gold fought back to cut it to five, 22-17 at the end of the first. The Fighting Hawks took the lead behind a strong quarter from Fleecs, her 14 points set the tone for the game early.

The second quarter had different results as the Leathernecks would not be denied, they outscored the fighting Hawks 27-12 in the second quarter to take the lead at halftime, 44-34.

Women's page 6

Leathernecks suffer back to back loses

By Kejuan Rucker courier staff It has been a tough weekend for Western Illinois men’s basketball team as the Leathernecks fell short 78-76 at home Saturday night against North Dakota State. It was a back and forth affair between the Bison and the Leathernecks throughout the game; however, the Bison scored some clutch baskets in the fourth quarter that gave the Leathernecks another loss in their two game home stand.

“I’m really pleased with our effort. My concern was that we would have a hangover from the emotional loss last night,” ead coach Billy Wright said.

It did not seem as if the one point loss against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks would have a negative effect on the team as the Leathernecks came out strong in the first half. The team shot over 40 percent from the field and three point range.

The Leathernecks got the Bison to turn the ball over 7 times in the first half, showing that they were locked in on both sides of the basketball. Sophomore Guard Kobe Webster lead the charge with 15 points while Junior Guard C.J. Duff added 8

points and Sophomore Forward Isaac Johnson added 7 points as the big 3 helped the team lead 42-35 at halftime.

The Bison were not going away early although they were down by as much as 13 in the first half. They shot 48 percent from the field and 39 percent from three point range. Their starters were not in a rhythm early, but they got help from their bench, specifically Junior Forward Deng Geu. Geu outscored our bench by himself as he gave the Bison 12 points off the bench in 9 minutes of action.

Redshirt Freshman, Tyree Ward, added 8 points off the bench and did not miss a shot in the 11 minutes he played.

There was a tale of two halves as the Bison made adjustments to begin a comeback in second half. They went on a 16-2 run in the opening minutes and never looked back. Junior Guard Vinnie Shahid is one starter that got back in rhythm in the second half scoring 10 big points for the team.

Men's page 6

Kobe Webster dribbles down the court on a fast break.

GOLEATHERNECKS.COM