OR
Opinions: Are internships really that important?
Sports: Men's soccer extends winning streak.
AWARD-WINNING STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY. SERVING MACOMB SINCE 1905.
WesternCourier.com
Monday, October 21, 2019 - Vol. 120 Issue 26
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Los Charros makes a splash with grand opening By Tea Wheat courier staff
Last semester, El Rancherito was closed down due to multiple health code violations here in Macomb. El Rancherito was given multiple opportunities to meet health code standards, but clearly did not do so. This was the second closing of one of the two Mexican restaurants in Macomb within the last couple of years, with Guadalajara being the first. Despite the fact that El Rancherito was closed due to health code violations, people all over Macomb were very sad to see it leave, especially the students at Western who had grown to love it so much. Over the summer, the site of El Rancherito was purchased by new owners who had the same idea as the previous owners: using the site for a Mexican restaurant. And so, Los Charros was born. Set into motion over the summer, it was a lot of hard work as the building was transformed. No longer did the building appear like it did even a couple of months before, both inside and out. Inside the building all the tables, chairs and decorations were torn out. In their place there now are new modern sleek furniture for patrons to sit on and new decorations to look at and take in while eating. The biggest difference inside the restaurant is
DEVON GREENE/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Los Charros shows off a packed parking lot on Sunday afternoon. that the new look has a lot simpler color scheme than El Rancherito had. The outside itself also got a new makeover. The old rock siding has been replaced with new, bigger siding, giving the building a nice modern look. The Los Charros Facebook page posted images of before
and after the renovations, the day of their grand opening. While El Rancherito may be gone, Los Charros still has the same authenticity. Los Charros still offers customers a good meal while experiencing the same vibe that El Rancherito had. One thing that made the grand opening of Los Char-
Campus Safety Notice On October 20, the Macomb Police Department notified the Western Illinois University Office of Public Safety of a report of unlawful discharge of a firearm in the 400 block of North Charles Street, near Wheeler Street, during the early morning hours. There were
no injuries. The incident is under investigation by the Macomb Police Department. Anyone with information can contact Macomb Area Crime Stoppers at (309) 836-2222 or the Macomb Police Department at (309) 833-2505.
ros unique, was that it was a surprise soft opening. Los Charros announced on their Facebook page on Oct. 9, “We are NOW OPEN for business!! Come check us out Macomb!!” This post garnered over 200 shares, and it showed with the number of people that were there on opening night.
The parking lot has been flooded with patrons during lunch hours over the past week as students and residents of Macomb rush in to test out the new location. Los Charros has three other locations open around Illinois in Rushville, Carthage and Aledo.
2 NEWS
Monday, October 21, 2019
WesternCourier.com
Thompson Hall hosts Haunted Housing By Tea Wheat courier staff
Haunted Housing is a tradition that has gone on for many years at Western Illinois University. What once was a capstone for Higgins Hall, was taken over by the Resident Assistant Council (RAC) and has been successfully conducted this way for years. Haunted Housing is a haunted house that takes place on the 18th floor of Thompson Hall. This offers a unique and thrilling experience for all those that attend. Additionally, Haunted Housing is run by students for students, which is in part what makes it so unique. This year, there is a new twist to Haunted Housing. Haunted Housing Co-Chair, Brooke Barnes spoke about the changes to Haunted Housing. “This year it is a bit different because it is a competition between all three halls,” Barnes said. “We’re hoping to keep in doing it this way so that the trophy can be passed on and it can become a fun tradition the whole university can look forward to.” This added competition gives more reason for students to get involved with Haunted Housing. It is also very important to note that when you help create the Haunted House, you can earn service hours for your major, organization or just for fun. Barnes also named some of the other benefits for participating in Haunted Housing. “It’s a good way to help raise money, collect food and get the whole community in the spirit of Halloween.” Barnes said. While the time for building for Haunted Housing has come to
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
an end, they are still welcoming actors. Anyone interested in acting should contact RAC Advisor, Kat Erbes. As mentioned by Barnes, the proceeds and donations from the Haunted House go to nonprofit organizations. All the proceeds will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters, which is an organization that works toward helping children build their self-value and their future. This organization works with children and matches each child up with a “Big,” or a mentor for their life. The organization creates lasting relationships that change the lives of children forever. Additionally, all canned goods collected will go to Western’s Stuff the Bus initiative. Western’s Stuff the Bus works to collect canned good items for Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, which is location at Macomb’s First Presbyterian Church. Donations for Stuff the Bus will also go to the Western Illinois Regional Council (WIRC) in Macomb, the WIU Food Pantry on campus and the Salvation Army. This year, Haunted Housing will take place on Oct. 24, 25 and 26 in Thompson Hall. It is $5 to go through the haunted house, and if you bring a nonperishable food item, the price is reduced to $3. On Oct. 24, the hours for Haunted Housing will be from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m., on Oct. 25, 8 p.m. until 11 p.m. and on Oct. 26, 8 p.m. until 11 p.m. Haunted Housing also offers a family friendly, or “safe,” hour on Oct. 25 from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m. This family friendly hour will be free to those who come through, though donations are still welcome.
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STAFF MEMBERS PUBLISHING AND CIRCULATION editor-in-chief Devon Greene DJ-Greene@wiu.edu
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opinions editor Allison Young
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sports editor Bradley Piros
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assistant sports editor Chris Bean
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Monday, October 21, 2019
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Campus Crime Reports
Legend Cannabis
Alcohol by a Minor
Burglary/Theft
Fire Alarm
Other Report
•On Oct. 4 at 8 a.m. a university employee reported that a thermostat was pulled off the wall, and a door damaged, in the Grote Hall lounge. Damage was estimated at $100. The incident is under investigation. •On Oct. 4 at 7:26 P.M. Elijah Davis, 18, of 1404 Thompson Hall, was arrested at Western Avenue/Riverview drive for driving under the influence (cannabis), and was cited for disobeying a stop sign. He was transported to the McDonough County Jail at 9:54 p.m. where he was lodged pending bond. •On Oct. 6 at 2:16 a.m. two students were judicially referred for open alcohol in public in Q-Lot. •On Oct. 6 at 4:10 a.m. Dreshawn Allen, 20, of 524 Corbin Hall, was issued a notice to appear Nov. 12 for a Macomb City ordinance violation for illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor in the Corbin lot. •On Oct. 6 at 1:30 p.m. a university employee reported that a portion had been damaged in the first floor women's bathroom in Thompson Hall. Damage was estimated at $100. The incident is under investigation. •On Oct. 7 at 3:55 p.m. a University employee reported the theft of a metal lawn chair, valued at $60, from the Alumni House between Oct. 5-7. The incident is under investigation.
NEWS 3 •On Oct. 7 at 7:10 p.m. Marissa Lizzio, 21, of 31 Grote Hall, was issued a notice to appear Nov. 12 for a Macomb city ordinance violation of possession of less than 10 grams of cannabis near the University Union. •On Oct. 7 at 4:22 p.m. a student in Thompson Hall reported the theft of a phone charger wall plug and a video game wall plug, no value given. The incident is under investigation. •On Oct. 8 at 1:12 a.m. Gavin Meyer, 19, of 1211 Lincoln Hall; Robert Murdock, 18, of 1518 Thompson Hall; Donald Graves, 18, of 1518 Thompson Hall; and Anthony Williams, 18, of 1516 Thompson Hall were issued notices to appear Nov. 19 for possession of drug paraphernalia on Murray Street. •On Oct. 8 at 3:15 p.m. a student came to Mowbray Hall to report criminal damage to his electric bicycle, no value given. The incident is under investigation. •On Oct. 8 at 7:34 p.m. a student in the Corbin/Olson Dining Center reported the theft of $40 from her backpack. The incident is under investigation. On Oct. 11 at 8:58 p.m. Elijah Davis, 18, of 1404 Thompson Hall, was arrested in Thompson on a McDonough County warrant for fleeing and eluding police. He also received a Macomb city ordinance vio-
lation for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor. He was transported to the McDonough County Jail at 9:02 p.m. where he was lodged pending bond. •On Oct. 12 at 4:44 a.m. Cameron Taylor, 23, of 716 W. Chandler St., was arrested in Olson Hall for domestic battery. He was transported to the McDonough County Jail at 4:49 a.m. where he was lodged pending bond. •On Oct. 14 at 9:03 p.m. Diamond Moore, 20, of 304-A Grote Hall, was arrested in Grote on a warrant for failure to appear. She was lodged in the McDonough County Jail at 9:31 p.m. pending bond. •On Oct. 15 at 6:50 p.m. an employee of Burger King reported the theft of headphones, valued at $200. The incident is under investigation. •On Oct. 15 at 10:10 p.m. two students in Thompson Hall were judicially referred for alcohol and cannabis possession in Thompson. •On Oct. 16 at 8:04 a.m. a WIU employee reported damage to government property on land owned by WIU near the 800 block of West Adams Street. The incident is under investigation. •On Oct. 16 at 2:42 p.m. a WIU employee reported the theft of a parking permit, valued at $124, from her vehicle parked in the Horrabin Hall lot. The incident is under investigation.
Getting cheesy with DZ By Marc Ramirez news editor
Sara Remar (right) and Madison Brewer (left) stand in front of their sign.
COURTESY OF DELTA ZETA
Delta Zeta Sorority is preparing to “Get Cheesy with DZ” as part of their annual fundraising initiative to give back to their national philanthropy, The Starkey Hearing Foundation, this Thursday. People in and out of the Greek Life community are encouraged to purchase a ticket from any Delta Zeta to help give the gift of hearing to people in need in the U.S. and around the world. With a ticket attendees will receive an appetizer, homemade mac and cheese, cheesy garlic bread, no bake cheesecake bites and lemonde. There are also gluten and dairy free options to accommodate those with dietary restrictions. Tickets can be purchased for $3 in advance or $5 at the door. All proceeds benefit the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which has been the sorority’s national philanthropy since 2015, but the women have had their national concern
focused on speech and hearing since 1954.According to Madison Munoz, Delta Zeta’s Philanthropy Chair the women were able to raise $1,200 off this same event last year and that they hope to meet or exceed that goal again this year. “Starkey Hearing Foundation uses hearing as a vehicle to reflect caring and change lives around the world,” deltazeta.org reads. “As a member of Clinton Global Initiative, Starkey Hearing Foundation has pledged to provide more than one million hearing aids to people in need this decade and currently gives more than 175,000 hearing aids annually.” “People should come to the event to support the Starkey Hearing Foundation,”Munoz said. “The Foundation gives the gift of hearing to people in need in more than 100 countries, by providing hearing aids and additional resources to people all around the World.”
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OPINIONS
Monday, October 21, 2019
WesternCourier.com
Internships aren't as beneficial as you think Whether your life goal is to become a neurosurgeon, a computer engineer or even a journalist, enrolling in an internship will ensure you a plethora of knowledge and experience that you will cherish and use to your benefit-or at least that’s what is presented. My internship began in the summer of 20 18, I wa s among a total of four interns who got accepted to work for Congresswoman Robin Kelly of the second district in Illinois, in which I live, in her district office in Matteson, Ill.. I was ecstatic because I was actually doing something productive besides staying at home. Most importantly for opportunity t o intern for a Congresswoman, an elected official who faces the everyday struggles and hardships of government and politics on a daily basis. I had visions of getting to see Rep. Kelly during meetings, being a part of her staff and helping her out and even getting to know how politicians act behind closed doors when they’re not in front of the cameras. That vision did not completely become a reality; my internship consisted mostly of answering phones, cleaning files and writing thank you letters (I still did get to do a lot though). My internship experience is what
many young people endure as interns, a lack of engagement and real world knowledge. The problem with internships is that in the end, they don’t really feel beneficial at all. One of the many concerns of internships is the fact that some students aren’t presented with valuable productivity and knowledge throughout the duration of their time. In an article written by William Pang, a contributor for Business Insider called, “The Biggest Issue with Internships isn't Whether or not They're Paid," various students accounts of their internship are detailed and the displeasure they had. An intern named Kelly spent five weeks at a wealth management firm but claimed her internship at the firm was “horrible.” “I still remember coming to office one day, and my boss came in and placed a big box on my desk...filled with a thousand white envelopes and stickers, and I spent the whole day putting stickers on envelopes. I was literally bleeding.” Kelly said. An intern named Chelsea also described her time as an intern at a catering company by having to do a lot of “busy work” like putting menu items in the computer system, filling out rental forms and creating a Pinterest page.
“I learned a lot more working at Shake Shack than at my internship.” Chelsea said. Throughout the article, Pang further addresses students discontent after their internship and claims this happens because of a lack of mentoring or acknowledgment by the employer. While Pang does concede that an internship may consists of lackluster responsibilities such as taking phone calls and assorting files, he believes that in order for an internship or even a long lasting partnership to succeed, an employer has to build a meaningful relationship and trust. He encourages employers to do this by motivating interns to work harder and push their limits and provide training that can test their mind set and worth ethic to evaluate whether or not they're committed to what they’re doing. By doing this, an intern and employer are more likely to have a long lasting relationship. According to a study conducted by NACE in 2009, employees hired through an internship are also more loyal to the company. Many interns who leave their internships with displeasure are often that way because of the lack of acknowledgement or fulfillment throughout their time there. An internship isn't all about excitement and wonder, but a lack of a mutual connection and trust between an intern, and the employer can most likely doom the prospects of the internship from the beginning.
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E2 EDGE
Monday, October 21, 2019
WesternCourier.com
Fans rejoice over new season of The Flash The episode starts off with Barry and Iris finding out that the Time Vault had been broken into and that Gideon was broken. This erased Nora’s message that she had left for her parents, causing the two feel like they had lost their daughter all over again. The scene ends and the next one starts off with “ FOUR MONTHS LATER” as we see Barry chasing down what appears to be Godspeed. However, after Barry subdues him and tries to interrogate him, all the “Godspeed” can do is screech. It turns out that this wasn’t the first “Godspeed” the gang had caught over the past four months, all of whom haven’t been able to talk. After Barry comes back in, the entire Team Flash has a BBQ at Joe and Cecil’s house. The meal also serves as a catching up point for us fans. In the last couple of months, Barry has been working more and more, while Iris’s newspaper con-
tinues to get bigger. Killer Frost hasn’t been coming out as much for some reason, and Cisco has been working on the MAC, or the Mental Augmented Chamber. The MAC would help the team hack into the speed force, allowing Barry to see all possible outcomes of the future. The remainder of the episode follows the team as they look to defeat what appears to be black holes that pop up all over town. Iris is able to deduce that the black holes are coming from an eccentric scientist, who when working on a new machine to be able to talk to aliens, accidentally shorts out the brain. The black holes end up being the other half of his conscious. Barry ends up saving the day by going into the next black hole and pulling out the conscious and running back to the scientist’s physical body. The season looks to be bigger
The Flash has become one of the most popular shows on the CW.
and better than before. The whole gang's back together, with the exception of Wally, and everyone seems to be enjoying life with the exception of Barry and Iris who are still trying to cope with the loss of Nora. However, throughout the episode, we see an interaction between Caitlin and a friend of hers, Ramsey Rosso. In an attempt to cure himself of cancer, he injects himself with dark matter. We see this injection at the very end, giving the audience a rather massive amount of foreshadowing for the remainder of the season. We also get to see Caitlin and Killer Frost figure out how they are going to live moving forward. All Frost wanted was to be able to live a life, something that is hard to do when living in another ’s body. Ralph is able to be a sort of mediator between the two and helps to give Frost the life she wanted. While, that doesn’t meant that Caitlin won’t be living hers anymore, it means that this season viewers should expect to see a lot more Frost. I’m really looking forward to this season. It looks to be huge and with the crossover episodes of the Arrowverse coming up, expect for Flash to have a major role.
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Fans were excited to see the release of the sixth season.
E3 EDGE
Monday, October 21, 2019
WesternCourier.com
Anticipation grows for “Doctor Sleep”
As Halloween approaches, more and more people are immersing themselves in the world of horror. Film companies know this, and there have been many horror movies released within the month before and after Halloween. Last month, “IT: Chapter 2” was released as well as other movies such as "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark." Looking forward to next month, the film “Doctor Sleep” is set to be released on Nov. 8. “Doctor Sleep” is a sequel to
the notorious Stephen King adaptation from 1980, “The Shining.” “The Shining” followed the life of a father, mother and son as they moved to a very remote hotel. The father of the family, Jack Torrence, received a new job attending to the hotel and ski resort while it was closed for the brutal winter months. The family is warned of prior strange occurrences and that the isolation of staying at the resort for months alone could lead to severe mental issues, as seen in prior workers who could not handle
it. Jack insists that he can, as this would be a wonderful opportunity for his writing, and alas the family is locked into the resort for the three months. Things do not go as anticipated for the family as Jack begins to go mad, influenced by spirits in the hotel. Though, it is evident that Jack’s son, Danny Torrence, is special. Viewers learn that he has an ability to “shine,” which means that he has the ability to communicate with others who can shine through solely the mind, and also that he can see things that have happened in the past or future. “Doctor Sleep” follows Danny as an adult. The trailer for this film opens with an adult Danny saying, “When I was a kid there was a place, a dark place,” in reference to the
resort. He continues, “they closed it down and let it rot, but the things that lived there, they come back.” It is clear the impact that the traumatic events that took place at the resort had on Danny, as they would on anyone. The trailer shows Danny buying tickets to go somewhere and when the man selling them asks if he is running away from something, Danny replies, “I’m running away from myself I guess.” Though one day while running from himself and trying to manage his life with his traumatic past and his gift to shine, he runs into a young girl at a park. The little girl says to him, “You’re magic, like me.” Danny explains to the young girl that he does not feel it is magic, but that he calls it “the shine.”
Danny and the little girl have found someone like them, who can shine. The trailer soon makes viewers aware of the dangers that come with this rare ability, the people who will seek out and hurt those who shine. These people have noticed the little girl and begin a hunt to find her. The trailer escalates when viewers realize that Danny plans to return to the resort with this young girl, in an act to save both of their lives. The battle will not be easy and returning to such a terrible place may not be easy either. As an avid horror movie and Stephen King fan, I am counting down the days until Nov. 8, to see just how Danny’s return to the resort may end.
IMDB.COM
Ewan McGregor stars in Stephen King's Doctor Sleep.
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This horror movie is a must see of the season.
IMDB.COM
The long awaited sequel finally made it's debut to audiences.
E4 EDGE
Monday, October 21, 2019
WesternCourier.com
An anime like "The Guild" I just happened to discover an interesting anime on Friday through a Facebook page advertisement of anime DVDs. The show is called Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta, which translates to "And you thought there is never a girl online?" I’ve only seen the first episode so far, but it was the description that made me look into it. "Ako Tamaki has everything she could ever want: a wonderful husband, a cute outfit and a guild filled with great friends. The problem? It’s not reality. It’s all in the online world of LA aka Legendary Age! And when her guild meets in real life, her inability to discern between the real and online world becomes a problem. Can she trade magic spells for social skills, or will she forever
be an IRL noob,” reads the DVD preview. It kind of reminds me of the show The Guild, a web series that went through six seasons, starring and created by Felicia Day. Unlike that show where everyone has social problems and meet each other for the first time, not everybody in the series, as of episode one, have a lot of social problems outside of Ako. In fact, one of the characters in real life is Student Council President at her school. It’s a pretty funny show ,especially since the main character Hideki “Rusian” Nishimura, who is Ako’s ingame husband finds out that the three other players he’s playing with, Ako and two male characters are all three girls and they go to the same high school. Hideki is an otaku, someone who is a fan
of anime, and gets made fun of a bit in a humorous way, especially by Akane Segawa who is revealed to be one of his in-game guild mates. Just from episode one, I’m enjoying the “nerd” tropes and the episode actually split between real life and in-game, which made it look like Dungeons and Dragons. I also always enjoy series where a true group of friends does something together on almost a daily basis, something I dream of having someday. It’s a short series with only 12 episodes but it is based on a couple Manga series so there is even more to check out. I will warn everybody, though nothing has happened yet, there has been a fair bit of fan service. It’s an action, slice of life, romantic comedy and the first episode was very entertaining. I can only guess what is going to happen. I think that after a few episodes, the group will become good friends in real life but the journey to that point looks like it’s going to be fun.
MANGA.TOKOYO
Things get interesting for these characters when the gaming world collides with reality.
This new series is available to watch on DVD .
Aspects of this anime can be related back to "The Guild".
BLU-RAY.COM
MANGA.TOKOYO
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OPINIONS 5
Monday, October 21, 2019
Will justice be served in opioid civil lawsuits?
The U.S. judicial system is about to take on the largest civil action in the history of the United States, and no, I’m not talking about actions against the president. This week begins the first set of trials against six companies in response to the over 200,000 overdose victims of the opioid epidemic. The case will be a conglomerate of multiple lawsuits being placed around the country against pharmaceutical companies, drug distribution companies and retailers (like Walgreens), who the plaintiffs believe purposefully contributed to the current state of the opioid epidemic. Why should the outcome of this case be of concern to the average U.S.
citizen? How about the fact that this case will serve as a precedent for future cases surrounding this issue, and potentially, future cases that work to hold industries accountable? Indeed, this controversial issue places a lot at stake for both sides of the aisle. The main challenge for this civil lawsuit will be to determine who is to blame and how much of that blame should be attributed to each group. This will be a heavy challenge to accomplish due to the complexity of the issue. Since the drugs in question cannot be obtained by the consumers themselves, it is hard to argue that people became addicted by their own accord. The
system itself was (somewhat) designed to control the use of opioids and prevent addiction from happening. Acquiring the drugs requires a prescription from a health care provider, and drug distributors were supposed to monitor large shipments of opioids to ensure providers were prescribing appropriately. Yet, clearly these checkpoints failed and the question of why that is remains. The plaintiffs are claiming that the accused companies are guilty of attributing to the epidemic through a variety of actions. One claim is that the manufacturers of the drugs were misleading in their marketing, implying that the drugs were less addictive and dangerous than they were really known to be. Other claims state that companies were turning a blind eye to large orders in order to increase profits. If either of these claims is true, then it seems obvious to me
that these companies should be held accountable. Unfortunately, even if the plaintiffs are capable of convincing the jurors of the involvement of these companies in the epidemic, the damages paid will in no way fix the problem. Indeed, estimates indicate that hundreds of billions of dollars have been lost due to the opioid epidemic (considering healthcare costs, legal costs and lost lifetime earnings). Yet, when discussing potential settlements, companies are only offering between $20 million and $50 billion. Even if the courts demand greater monetary payments than those offered in the attempted settlements, it is unlikely to amount to what is needed to fully address the ongoing problem. So then, what is the main benefit of pursuing these cases? In my opinion, it comes down to bringing continued focus on the issue, and holding companies accountable when
they negatively impact society. Although we cannot undo what has already been done, we can work to prevent such an event from happening again. By taking these companies to court and bringing to light unethical and corrupt practices, it may provide a deterrent for these actions by future companies. More importantly, it may highlight the inherent issues present in our health system and our treatment of healthcare as a business. As the trial proceeds in the upcoming weeks, it will be interesting to see how the cards unfold. Will the associated parties be found guilty of the charges? Will those who have been most impacted by the epidemic receive the justice they seek? Will our country come together and do what is necessary to fix the inherent issues that led to an epidemic of this magnitude? The answers to these questions will only be revealed in time.
live on. Now, this is no debate on climate change, but a question of what is more important. The sustainability of our current planet or the cultivation, exploration and conquering on another planet. I believe that with the type of resources and planning that would be required for our species to conquer and settle a new planet, it makes more sense to stay at home. Space exploration is not only dangerous, but risky, and if
something does not work out the way we planned, help is too far away. The reason for this is because space is continually expanding,meaning that the distance of potential sustainable planets are only getting farther away. If these exo-planets get farther, astronauts and future space pioneers must go farther and unlike on Earth, we have no infrastructure in space. No pit stops and no sign of intelligent life that even remotely resembles us. On Earth, we have all of these things, which is why it is the safest and most logical answer. Imagine traveling down to Macomb, whether it be on the train or your own transportation, and
something breaks down or malfunctions. This is not unlikely because technology malfunctions for many different reasons. Would you call emergency responders, a friend or a family member? All of these options are valid and reasonable. More importantly all of those options will get you help in some way or another while in space none of those options are available. Except maybe the emergency responders, but they are at least a day away assuming you explored as close as the moon. So, assuming we do decide to fix and/or improve our planet, what things can we do to improve it? One way is to quite literally clean it up. Whether that
comes in the form of the waste we have in categories like food, technology, water and resources or it means cleaning up crime. The amount of physical and political problems on Earth are already piling up on us. Whenever people talk about going to space it always seems nice and exciting and that’s because it is new and vast and extremely different than what we are used to. The problem is that space is not a theme park and should not be treated as some one way ticket to salvation. Space is the biggest opponent the human race will ever face and we should figure out how to deal with the one on earth before delegating our time on something else.
Stop exploring outerspace Space, the Final Frontier. As the human race evolves, space will always be ahead in both a literal and figurative sense. Space is literally expanding as time goes on and since time has no plans on stopping, space will not stop either. Since we are the most intelligent and dominant species on our planet, we control what happens to our planet and any thing else in our reach. With that notion, as a species, we continue to decimate the planet we currently
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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 - Rachel Greene Editor-in-Chief - Devon Greene Opinions Editor - Allison Young
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Monday, October 21, 2019
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Women’s soccer lose back to Volleyball gets back Summit League matches swept by South By Bradley Piros Dakota and Denver sports editor
By Becca Langys photo editor DENVER — The Western Illinois women’s volleyball team participated in two Summit League matches this past weekend, against the University of South Dakota and the University of Denver. The Leathernecks finish up the weekend with two respective losses against these teams, giving them a conference record of 2-6 and an overall record of 5-16. The Leathernecks are a little more than halfway done with their Summit League play, which gives them plenty of time to make up for the first half of their conference play. The Leathernecks hope to strengthen their conference record in order to improve their seed placement for the upcoming Summit League Championships. For their first game of the weekend, the Purple and Gold traveled to Vermillion to face off against the University of South Dakota. The Leathernecks were swept by the Coyotes, leaving their first match of the weekend with a 0-3 final score. As for the individual games, the scores were 17-25, 17-25 and 18-25. The Purple and Gold were led offensively by senior outside-hitter JoJo Kruize with a total of eight kills during this matchup. Following Kruize is sophomore hitter Madeline Dieter who raked up six kills for the Leathernecks. Defensively, freshman libero Gabby DePersio led the team with eight digs. At the net, senior middle-hitter Mackenzie Steckler led the Leathernecks in blocks, earning a total of four blocks throughout the matchup. Overall, the Western Illinois volleyball team struggled during their first match-
up of the weekend, giving up a conference win to the University of South Dakota. Moving on to their next matchup, the Leathernecks then faced the University of Denver on Sunday in Denver. The final score of this match ended up being 0-3 for the Leathernecks, adding another loss to their conference record. Denver proved to be a tough opponent for the Leathernecks, with the individual game scores being 14-25, 14-25 and 26-28 respectively. During their final game of the match, Western put up a bigger fight against Denver, taking them to 28 points, and proving their determination to not go down without a fight. Looking at statistics, the Purple and Gold were led again by Kruize, who earned a total of 13 kills this match. Following Kruize is Steckler, who had eight kills. Freshman setter Jessie Connell led the Leathernecks defensively, earning a total of eight digs during the matchup. Following Connell was junior setter Cassie Hunt who raked up seven kills for the Leathernecks. Hunt also led the team in assists, having a total of 16 assists this match. Overall, the Western Illinois women’s volleyball team struggled during their previous weekend, setting them up at a 2-6 conference record at the halfway point of their conference season. The Leathernecks have plenty of time to improve upon their current conference record, with 8 more Summit League games left to play this season. The Western Illinois women’s volleyball team is scheduled to play Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Macomb. Twitter: @beccalangysxo
FARGO, N.D. – After winning four-straight games to start the month of October, the Western Illinois University women’s soccer team (6-9-1) have now lost four straight. Western played in two Summit League matchups over the weekend. They played the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits on Friday and fell by a score of 1-0. They wrapped up the two-game road trip yesterday with a 2-1 loss to the North Dakota State University Bison. In the game against SDSU, Western was outshot 16-11 (7-6 SOG). The main stat line though was, once again, corner kicks. The Jackrabbits had nine to Western’s three. After losing to North Dakota University 1-0 off of a fluke corner kick goal back on Oct. 13, the Leathernecks, once again, lost because of a set piece. This time the ball was whipped in from the corner and headed in by the SDSU forward. Western did everything they could, but were unable to put the ball in the back of the net, leading to the 1-0 loss. Sophomore defender Zoe Clarke led the team with three shots, followed by forwards Amy Andrews and Emily Bollman with two. Although it was a 2-1 loss to the Bison, the game was much more even. The teams were
BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR
Amy Andrews sprints up field.
tied with 16 shots a piece and tied with seven shots on goal. Western took the lead in the 30th minute with the sixth goal of the season from Andrews and Western took that 1-0 lead into the locker room. The second half didn’t fair too well for the Leathernecks. It took only two minutes for NDSU to tie the game in the second half. Sixteen minutes later NDSU took the lead and that’s how the game finished, 2-1. The Leathernecks didn’t go without their chances though. Late in the second half Clarke had a free kick opportunity right outside the 18-yard box. The ball was heading for the bottom right corner of the net but the NDSU goalkeeper made a diving save to maintain the lead. After the disappointing weekend, Western only has two regular season games left on their schedule, one at home and one away. The Leathernecks will play their last home match this Sunday, while their final regular season match of the year is up in Vermillion, S.D. when Western visits the Coyotes of South Dakota University. The last home game of the season means it’s Senior Day. Western will be saying goodbye to six Leathernecks and for those six, it will be the last time they play on John Mackenzie Alumni Field in front of their home fans. Kick off for that match against ORU is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday. Twitter: @bradjp08
BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR
Zoe Clarke settles the ball down.
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Sports 7
Monday, October 21, 2019
@WesternCourier
Illinois pulls off a miracle, top 5 remain undefeated
Another week of college football is in the books, so let’s take a look at how things stand now after week eight. There were some doozies this week. The first game that had huge implications for the CFP and the Big Ten having a team make it was Illinois versus Wisconsin. Wisconsin came into the game with a perfect 6-0 record and was ranked number six in the nation. The Badgers are led by Heisman candidate Jonathan Taylor, who has been phenomenal for them in the run game this season. On the other sideline was Illinois. The Illini came into the game with a 2-4 record with losses to Eastern Michigan, Nebraska, Minnesota and Michigan. They came into the game with trouble at the quar-
terback position with their junior quarterback Brandon Peters, who transferred over from Michigan, struggling to recover from an injury, and the other backups have very little experience. The game started out just as expected: Wisconsin scored early off of an 18-yard strike to Jake Ferguson with 9:15 remaining in the first quarter. The Badgers then tacked on another three points midway through the second quarter, putting them up 10-0. Illinois would then get on the scoreboard off of a bomb from Peters to his wideout Donny Navarro for 48 yards. Wisconsin would kick another field game before the half ended, bringing about a 13-7 score at halftime. The second half was a little slower to get started, picking
up right where things left off with Wisconsin scoring off of a five-yard run for a touchdown. Illinois responded close to 10 minutes later with a touchdown of their own off of a 43-yard run. Wisconsin scored a field goal with 9:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, putting the Badgers up 23-14. Illinois ended up taking advantage of a Wisconsin fumble a couple of drives later and scored a touchdown, bringing the score to 23-21. Then, Wisconsin did the unthinkable: they threw an interception in the final three minutes of the game. Illinois would end up driving down the field and James McCourt would nail the 39-yard field goal for the upset. As a college football fan, watching this game was both heartbreaking and entertaining. This current college football season hasn’t seen that many good undefeated teams continue to win week in and week out. Wisconsin had been one of those few teams who were leading the way. They
have the great talent that would be so exciting to see in the CFP. But, with Illinois beating them, their chances of making it are a lot smaller. The Badgers losing also hurts the Big Ten’s chances of sending a team to the CFP. Yes, the Big Ten still has Ohio State, but both teams had the potential, albeit very slim, to send both teams if they had met undefeated in the Big Ten championship. Now, the Big Ten will have to rely on Ohio State not losing from here on out. However, as an Illini fan, this game was so sweet to watch. Illinois hardly ever wins big games, no matter the sport, so watching them pull off the upset was so nice. Another game that saw an upset was the Boise State, BYU game. The game was supposed to be all Boise State, who had come into this game undefeated. BYU came into the game with a 2-4 record. However, that didn’t stop them from pulling off another upset. BYU won pretty handily. While the final score,
28-25, doesn’t give off that impression, BYU was able to score three touchdowns in the third quarter, which helped to seal the deal for them. Boise State wasn’t getting much coverage, but they had been a pretty solid team who had just been climbing the ranking since week one and were able to end up in the 14th spot in last week’s rankings. However, after their loss last night to BYU, Boise State’s chances of making the CFP, which weren’t necessarily high, are down the drain. The remainder of the games went as expected. The top five managed to win their games by a combined margin of 220 – 53. This means there probably won’t be too much of a shakeup at the top of the top 25, but the remainder of the top ten will see some definite changes. The first CFP rankings don’t come out until Nov. 5th, so there is still plenty of time for big wins, and big losses, to happen. Let’s see how the next 15 days shake out.
Hong Kong protests spark free speech controversy Sebastian gamboa courier staff
When Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted out an image in support of the Hong Kong protesters, controvery arupted. With China’s oppressive habits of silencing any and all who speak or act out in opposition, their reaction was swift. Both the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and Chinese media company Tencent immediately cut their ties with the Houston Rockets. Interestingly enough, the president of the CBA is Yao Ming, who spent his NBA career with the Rockets, meaning he turned his back on his former team. Additionally, it was announced that NBA preseason games would not be streamed in China in reaction to the tweet. All of this is significant because of the large audience the NBA has in China. According to figures from Tencent, 490 million people streamed NBA games in China. At around half a billion, that figure makes up
around a third of China’s overall population. There were many reactions to the situation from all over the country. Unsurprisingly, NBA players came out to defend their money. James Harden of the Rockets stood next to his teammate Russell Westbrook and said to reporters “[China] we love you” and also stated “we love everything they are about”. This elicited many negative reactions. Many believe that this is just an example of an NBA player feeling out to defend their money even when it comes from defending an oppressive communist regime bent on silencing opposition and cries for freedom. Another player who spoke even more about the incident was LeBron James. James said that Morey was “misinformed” and “not educated” on the Hong Kong situation. He also stated
that “so many people could have been harmed, not only financially but physically, emotionally, spiritually”. These comments were met with heavy criticism accusing James of hypocrisy as when James has spoken out on social justice issues he has been told things like “shut up and dribble” to which he rightfully defends himself. Only now, he is the one seemingly discouraging someone in the sports industry from speaking their opinions. His comments regarding the supposed financial, physical, emotional and spiritual damages have also been taken poorly. These comments seem to be drenched in privileged faux-intellectualism of a man who sold his character for red money. It is shameful that James, a bastion for free speech for those in the public view, as well as being the face of the NBA would betray his country and his own beliefs to protect his financial prospects. One final section from the NBA was that of commissioner Adam Silver. Silver has made an attempt to handle this situation delicately without abandoning members of his
league while also protecting business relationships with China. However, he made it clear that he was asked by China to fire Morey for his tweet but is refusing to even discipline him at all stating “There’s no chance we’ll even discipline him.” Silver ’s comments set a very encouraging precedent for the future as members of the NBA, both management and players, can feel secure in exercising their rights as United States citizens to speak freely without censorship. There was also quite the encouraging buzz in the political world over the NBA/ China clash. Members of both parties came out in support of Morey and condemnation against the players who disavowed Morey and his comments. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz from Texas said, “[LeBron James is] kissing up to murderers” also posting a video on his Twitter saying that Morey’s Tweet was “true.” Across the aisle, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted out in support of Morey stating “No one should implement a gag order on Americans
speaking out for freedom.” Additionally, Democratic hopefuls for the 2020 primary also came out in support of Morey and in denunciation of China. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren posted “the NBA chose its pocketbook over principles” and “We should all be speaking out in support of those protesting for their rights.” Social media star candidate Andrew Yang tweeted that China made a “terrible move” in banning the NBA games from steaming and finally, former HUD Secretary and current 2020 Democratic Primary candidate Julian Castro tweeted that we should not allow American citizens to be “bullied by an authoritarian government.” With this bipartisan agreement regarding the NBA/ China conflict it will be interesting to see further response by the NBA and their players, as well as how China will react and if they will continue to carry through on punishing the NBA for Morey’s comments. Finally, it is also disheartening to see such blatant self-interest on the part of certain NBA players.
Men’s soccer pick up third straight win against Purdue Fort Wayne Mastadons By Michael Harms courier staff The men’s soccer team continued their season turnaround with their third straight win on Saturday against Summit League opponent Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. After starting 0-11, the Leathernecks have won three straight with two conference wins to place themselves third in The Summit League and just three points behind first place. The Leathernecks got the job done with a clean sheet for the second time this year. Tim Trilk shared the clean sheet after being pulled at the halfway mark of the second half for freshman keeper Seanan Main. The Canadian native continued Trilk’s strong play recording one save and keeping the Mastodon’s scoreless. Junior Ryan Debois has hit a rhythm scoring in his fourth straight match. After being shutout of the scoring column for two years Debois has five goals, leads the team and is a spark plug off the bench that seems to have a knack for finding goals. He is third in The Summit League
with five goals and is a major factor for the first three wins of the season for Western. The Mastodons simply could not match the Leathernecks offense. They had 19 total shots for the day, but only three were on target. The Mastodons have lost seven straight now and are last in The Summit League standings. A struggling effort for the Mastodon’s allow for an easy win for the Leathernecks. Forward Enric Ferrer, recorded the first goal of the game at the 52 minute mark. After a good pass from Daisuke Otsuka, he powered through the ball with his right foot to put it past the keeper for a score. His second goal of the year helped cement the result in this contest. Now with only two Summit League matches left, the Leathernecks look to go above .500 in conference play to secure a post season appearance. After failing to make an appearance last year coach Eric Johnson is working hard to right the ship. Their final opponents are Eastern Illinois 4-7-2 (0-1-2) and Oral Roberts who leads all Summit League teams
and has the top two forwards in the conference. Looking toward Eastern, the Leathernecks may be favored in this one. Their final game at home will be against an in-state opponent that beat them a season ago 1-0. Now the Leathernecks have a stronger record and momentum in their favor. Eastern will have a hard time breaking the spirts of the Leathernecks but will have their chance to spoil Senior day fun. Oral Roberts is a more daunting task for the Leathernecks. The 10-2 Golden Eagles are 3-0 in conference play and have dominated their opposition. Freshman Reed Berry leads the team with nine goals which also leads the Summit League. Second in The Summit League for that stat, is Golden Eagle Dante Brigida with eight. Not to mention they sweep the top five in the assists category. This team is the top tier in The Summit League and will be Western’s toughest opponent. The Leathernecks look strong now but will look to keep things positive with a win against in-state rival Eastern later this week.
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Ryan Debois keeps a defender off his back while making a pass.
Football’s comeback falls short in seventh straight loss By Zach Remelius courier staff
BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR
Eric Carrera jogs back into position
BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR
Connor Sampson eyes a teammate to pass to.
The Fighting Leathernecks fell to 0-7 on the season after their loss to Illinois State 28-14 on Hanson Field. The Leathernecks had opportunities to pull off the upset of the 11th ranked team in the country but squandered several of them. Illinois State was able to make enough plays to pull of the win, but the Leathernecks can take away some positives that may lead to a win within the next five games. The game started out brutally for the Leathernecks. On the second play of the game after receiving the opening kickoff, the Redbirds recovered a Leatherneck fumble and two plays later, senior RB James Robinson found a hole and ran it in from 16 yards out. The rest of the first quarter was largely uneventful except for the Leathernecks fumbling a punt when it hit the ground and bounced off a Western Illinois player. The Leathernecks were able to move the ball a bit, but the first drive of the second quarter ended with a missed field goal. Things started to turn when senior DB Eric Carrera picked off junior QB Brady Davis' pass and the offense set up shop at the 25 yard line. An opportunity was squandered when on second and goal from the two yard line, the Leathernecks tried running a trick play. The ball ended up in junior WR Tony Tate’s hands as he was rolling right looking to throw, his pass was intercepted and the Redbirds held the 7-0 lead. After a couple punts back and forth, Illinois State marched down the field on a 10-play, 75-yard drive and went up 14-0. It stayed that way at half. Midway through the third quarter, the Leathernecks got the ball on the 20 yard line, needing a score to stay in the game. They responded with a 14-play drive that took just under six minutes and ended with a redshirtfreshman RB DeShon Gavin finding the endzone for a two year touchdown to cut the lead to 14-7. On this drive, the Leathernecks stayed on schedule and got a few yards on both first and second down to avoid facing a third and long against a fierce Redbird pass rush. The drive saw only two third downs, a third and two and a
third and five. The Redbirds got the ball back toward the end of the third quarter and started on a drive that crept into the fourth. After picking up a key third and six, Robinson found the endzone for the third time on the afternoon, extending the Illinois State lead to 21-7. On the following drive on third and eight, junior QB Connor Sampson’s pass was intercepted and returned to the Western Illinois 16 yard line. The defense did their best to hold them, including back-to back stops on the goaline, but junior RB Jeff Procter got in on the third try and it was 28-7. To the Leathernecks’ credit, they didn’t give up as Sampson led an aerial attack down the field for a 15-play touchdown drive that ended with Sampson finding graduate WR George Wahee for a four-yard touchdown. After getting the ball back with about five minutes left, the Leathernecks started to move the ball through the air again and ended up on the Redbird 36 yard line. The drive stalled when Sampson was sacked on third down by sophomore LB Brandon Simon and couldn’t convert the fourth down play, ending the game after Illinois State picked up a first down and bled the clock to end it in their favor, 28-14. The Leathernecks actually outgained their counterparts by almost 100 yards and were able to convert 11-20 on third down. What led to their demise in this game were the turnovers. Three fumbles, two on punt return, two interceptions, one on the goaline and then the turnover on downs at the very end of the game. It is tough to beat a highly ranked team when giving away the ball that much. Sampson was productive going 34-50 for 270 yards and a touchdown. The Leatherneck offense changed things up a bit and played with some very quick tempo, going with a no huddle look for a lot of this game. The quick throws seemed to get Sampson in a rhythm on what his best game of the season. The running game was effective enough for the Leathernecks, averaging three yards a carry led by junior RB Clint Ratkovich carrying the ball five times for 45 yards. Eric Carrera led the way on defense with 11 tackles and his interception. The Leathernecks hit the road for their next game to face Youngstown State before returning to Hanson Field to play South Dakota on Nov. 2.