Western Courier| October 28th, 2019 by The Western Courier

Opinions: Critics got Joker wrong.

Sports: Men's soccer clinches playoff berth.

AWARD-WINNING STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY. SERVING MACOMB SINCE 1905.

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Monday, October 28, 2019 - Vol. 120 Issue 29

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Interim President Martin Abraham sends a Call to Action Dear University Community, In the past several months as I've made my way across campus and the community, I've had the opportunity to visit with students, faculty, staff and community members, both individually and in group settings. Most recently, I met with a group of Black student leaders in an open forum to hear more of their concerns, issues and challenges. It's certainly not a secret that our University and our local community have faced, and are facing, challenges and we have students, faculty, staff and community members who do not feel welcome. This must change, and I ask each of you to be part of the solution. I know many faculty and staff care deeply about the success of our students and have worked hard over the years to make sure our diverse populations are welcome on campus and in our community. To these individuals, I say thank you. Each of us has the ability to be a change agent for the better, to set the right tone and the right direction. To educate individuals and raise awareness. To speak out to right the wrongs. As a community, we must be intentional in our choices, our actions, our words and our behaviors. We must embrace the diversity and the richness that diversity brings to our University and our community. We have engaged in a series of dialogues and forums to listen, to hear the issues our University and local communities are experiencing, and the concerns they have about being here. While it is crucial to hear about these issues, we will ultimately be judged by the actions we take to make things better. Included in this letter are many of the issues and concerns our students have raised and actions taken to date. This is just the beginning. A common question we have received pertains to the lack of diversity among our faculty and staff as many of our Afri-

can American faculty and staff have left the institution. These are essential positions that are critical for our students' success. We are, and will continue, to conduct nationwide searches to fill faculty positions. We have taken steps within the search process to ensure a diverse applicant pool. We are advertising the positions with well-known diversity-related websites, journals and job boards. I also ask that our students, faculty and staff encourage qualified individuals they may know to apply for the positions available at Western. At last month's Town & Gown event, I provided remarks to the over 200 in attendance. I told the crowd present that this community has been incredibly welcoming to my wife, Nancy, and me. I requested that this community be as welcoming to ALL of our students, our faculty, our staff and our visitors as it has been to us. I also shared what I've heard from our students, and continue to hear, is heartbreaking. Many of our students and members of our community feel disenfranchised and marginalized. Some feel unwelcome, confused, scared. Something must change, and that change starts with the members of our University and local communities. For our University to succeed and ensure a diverse student body and employee base, our students, faculty, staff and visitors must know they are welcome as part of the community. All of us - both at the University and within our community - must put the same energy, compassion and intention into welcoming others. The forums, the dialogues, the conversations - they are the start, but they are certainly not the finish. It's going to take more than talking. It's going to take action, and not just action now, but continued action to ensure that this University and this community become - and remain a diverse and welcoming place for all.

WIU.EDU

Interim President Martin Abraham.

We must work every single day to ensure that Western Illinois University and Macomb are known for being wonderful places for all to learn, to work and to live, and that we value and support a diverse community. As the interim president of Western, I expect nothing less. Sincerely, Martin Abraham

Edge: Anticipation continues to grow for Aquaman sequel.

2 NEWS

Monday, October 28, 2019

WesternCourier.com

Student Government Association needs quorum to make change

By Marc Ramirez news editor

The Student Government Association held their weekly meeting Tuesday; however, no business was able to be conducted since there weren't enough senators present to make quorum. Speaker of the Senate Markeysha Marshall passed around a sign-in sheet and a contact information sheet for Senators to begin collaborating with one another to start creating more meaningful legislation to help Senators better assist their constituents. The meeting was supposed to start with a Zoom from Spin Bikeshare company to consider bringing their services to campus; however, they were unable to Tuesday night. President Colton Markey stated in his report that they would be in contact with the bikeshare program at the upcoming meeting. Markey also made the room aware that the SGA Scholarship application will close today, before midnight. He informed the room that due to the high volume of applicants, they will be closing them sooner to have adequate time to review all submissions. “Each year, the Student Government Association of Western Illinois University sponsors scholarships for deserving, involved and academically gifted students,” the SGA Scholarship application reads. “The SGA scholarship is a $400 monetary award which is given to two students

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

each semester.” Requirements for the scholarship consist of maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.8, being in good judicial standing with the University, not being a current member of SGA at Western, having a completed PurplePost application, writing a personal essay and attaching a current resume. Vice President Daria Levchenko announced that they will be hosting their first Mayor’s Roundtable at City Hall the following day. She said that students would have the opportunity to explore City Hall and understand the functions of it as well as learn more about it from guest speakers. She included that Macomb Mayor Mike Inman is and has been looking forward to the event all year. She continued by adding that you do not have to be involved in SGA to attend as it is open to the general student population. Levchenko then yielded to the rest of cabinet for their reports. Director of Student Services Araceli Villagomez announced that the Council on Planning and Instruction voted to approve Actuarial Science under the Math major, she also commented that the Council on General Education have been discussing incoming dual credits. Chief of Staff Rachel Greene stated that she is looking to reach out to department heads to nominate five outstanding students who would be interested in serving on councils and committees across the

university spectrum. However, Greene told the Senate that she also needs their help to fill these crucial roles in which student voice is needed and wanted. Director of Academic Affairs Ryan Homer informed the floor that two new courses have been approved and will be offered soon. CHEM 453 and Forensic Chemistry have been approved and will be offered through the Chemistry department in the near future. Director of Outreach Alexis Williams-White did not have a report and Student Member to the Board of Trustees and Advisor Michelle Janisz were not in attendance for the meeting. Marshall announced to the floors that her office hours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Organization Center located in the basement of the University Union. She also made it clear that Senators who have yet to turn in a Senate Clerk of Appointment sheet needs to do so by the next meeting. The Student Government Association is looking for Senators from the Athletic Department, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education and Human Services, Corbin Olson, Disability Resource Center, Graduate Studies, Interfraternity Council, Lincoln/Washington/Grote, Panhellenic Council, United Greek Council and Veteran’s Resource Center to be the liaison between the designated constituencies and SGA.

JOSH PURNELL/ COURIER STAFF

Colton Markey, SGA President (top) and Markeysha Marshall, Speaker of the Senate (bottom) share their reports with those in attendance.

STAFF MEMBERS PUBLISHING AND CIRCULATION editor-in-chief Devon Greene DJ-Greene@wiu.edu

proofreader Mary Kilbourne

news editor Marc Ramirez

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MA-Ramirez3@wiu.edu

photo editor Becca Langys

opinions editor Allison Young

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AN-Young@wiu.edu

assistant photo editor Sara Remar

sports editor Bradley Piros

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production manager Jimmy Pierson

assistant sports editor Chris Bean

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business manager Janiya Haynes

edge editor Rachel Greene

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assistant business manager Nash Miller

copy editor Amanda Wandachowicz

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SGA from front page Two bills were up for vote; however, they were unable to be voted on do to lack of quorum. The bills proposed are SGA Bill of Appointment .003 and SGA Bill of Appointment .005 to appoint Savannah Osborne and Jordan Huff to the Council on Student Activities Funds. “The Council on Student Activity Funds is composed of six students appointed by the Student Government Association and three faculty members appointed by the Faculty Senate,” the CSAF Manual reads. “The Organization Finance Officer and the Director of Student Activities sit on the Council as exofficio, nonvoting members. The Council meets weekly to discuss any business relating to Student Activity funds. It is the role of the Council to: determine the

Monday, October 28, 2019 appropriateness of organizations’ funding requests and approve or deny them, make recommendations to the Student Government Association regarding yearly allocations, supplemental funding and freezing of an organization’s funds, establish goals and policies for the expenditure of Student Activity Funds, research topics of concern to the Council, interpret guidelines and funding decisions should questions arise and establish long-range goals and objectives for student fee allocation.” No comments were made during Open Forum so the group transitioned into Announcements. Senator of the Women’s Center announced that Masculine Monday take place every Monday at 11:30 a.m. in the Women's Center. It was also announced that Spooky Cookie decorations would be taking place this Wednesday.

The OSA Programming Senator announced that the University Union Board will be showing Scary Stories in the Sandburg Theatre on Tuesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. UUB will also be hosting Bingo in the Heritage Room on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. Philanthropic events announced by several different Senators were Dance Marathons Pancake DInner Nov. 7 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. Tickets can be purchased from anyone on the Leadership, Executive or Morale teams. Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority will be hosting their annual Dodgeball Tournament on Nov. 13. Anyone affiliated or not are welcome to participate and can form teams of up to six with a $30 registration fee. Sigma Gamma Rho will be hosting a Winter Clothing Drive for Samaritan Well organization. The next meeting will be held Tuesday in the Capital Room of the University Union.

Members of the Student Government Association share their reports and upcoming events taking place across campus.

NEWS 3

JOSH PURNELL/ COURIER STAFF

OPINIONS

Monday, October 28, 2019

WesternCourier.com

Critics have the Joker character all wrong When I read a year ago that Joaquin Phoenix was going to play the Joker character in a stand alone movie, I, like many others, were quite skeptical of this. Phoenix is a well respected actor, but the Joker is a character that’s very hard to truly accomplish and doing a stand alone movie could either go one way or another. But as the trailers started to come out, I started to actually like what I saw and even considered watching this movie; once news publications starting proclaiming it to be dangerous and inciting violence, I wanted to make my own judgment and saw the movie for myself, and I’m so glad I did. Todd Phillips’ adaptation of Joker is honestly one of the best movies I’ve seen. From the gritty presentation of Arkham City to the type

of music being used to the unforgettable performance by Phoenix, this movie is masterful storytelling and isn’t any ordinary comic book movie. Yes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is fantastic and has made superhero movies what they are today, but if that’s what you're expecting in Joker, you’re completely wrong. This Joker movie is more of an origin story that details the life of a man who slowly progresses into utter insanity, due to society’s lack of care and attention for people going through mental health struggles. What Phillips’ Joker does so great is not portraying a one-dimensional evil person, but purposely adds depth to him, his life and the situations in his life that force people to have sympathy for him. This gives you very different layers to this man and

forces you to evaluate the circumstances that may have to lead him down his path. One of the most important aspects of this movie is its reflection on society as a whole. In this movie, many scenes just made me frustrated at certain people. The main character (who eventually becomes the Joker) struggles with mental health but countless times is ridiculed and harassed for this. For me, this shows the blatant hypocrisy of everyday people, how we preach tolerance and care for one another but do the exact opposite of that with someone that is different or has different beliefs. This movie truly casts a light on our actions as a society and even shows us how situations can escalate as a result of this. I honestly don’t want to give any spoilers for this movie because I saw it with fresh eyes and was completely blown away. This movie really wasn’t what I was expecting and I’m happy because I got a movie that challenged my beliefs and made me think afterward, and when a movie does that, in the end, you know it’s unforgettable.

After the newest Joker movie, several people have opinions about the Jokers character.

MAXPIXEL.COM

hits homes November 12th

Are you an avid Disney fan? Pixar-enthusiast? A lover of all things Disney Princesses and the Lion King? An adventure lover and Marvel guru? If so, then Disney + may just be the streaming service that is right for you. Layout by: Jimmy Pierson

Written by: Tea Wheat

CONT. E.2

E2 EDGE

Monday, October 28, 2019

WesternCourier.com

Disney streamlines viewing with new service

Disney+ is an upcoming streaming service that is owned by The Walt Disney Company. Additionally, the parent companies to Disney+ are Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International Division of The Walt DisneyCompany. Disney + headquarters are located in Los Angeles, Calif. This video subscription service will include all movies from Walt Disney that are family friendly and fitting for audiences up to PG-13. This will include Classic Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and even National Geographic. Disney+ will allow for up to seven profiles on one account and will also allow four simultaneous streams. These allow for more people to be able to watch at the same time and allow for customer profiles to be more personalized. Disney+ will also differ from competitors like Netflix, in that

when new shows come out, they will release by weekly episode, rather than by season. There is now less than a month until the launch of Disney+, which is set for Nov. 12 of this year. As the days draw closer, Disney+ continues to draw attention to its upcoming service. According to CNET, the newest deal is that Verizon customers with unlimited data will be given a free year of Disney+. If it wasn’t already clear that Disney is serious about its new service, these deals and incentives say it all. In addition to more incentives and deals for Disney +, there is something else that will begin to change over the next month, and most definitely by the end of the year. This big change is that Disney shows and content will slowly but surely disappear from other streaming services like Netflix.

Netflix was the first streaming service where users could see Disney content, but unfortunately if this continued, it would eliminate a reason for Disney to have a streaming service of its own. When looking at Disney + compared to competitors such as Netflix and HBO, Disney+ makes a very strong case for itself on price alone. Disney+ will cost only $7 a month, or if you prepay for an entire year, $70, which ends up being $5.83 a month. The price for the Disney + bundle will be $12.99 a month. To compare, Netflix, for a standard one-device plan, costs $8.99 a month, and the standard Netflix plan is $12.99 a month. The Disney+ Bundle and standard Netflix plan both end up costing the same amount of money, but with the Disney+ Bundle, you are getting much more. So, if you are a fan of Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar or even National Geographic, then Disney+ may be right for you. Or, if you’re anything like me, it may be right for your other family members, too; and you can take advantage of the seven-profile WIKIMEDIA.ORG allowance on this new and exciting Old shows from Disney channel will get reboots. subscription service.

WIKIMEDIA.ORG

Disney+ is coming on Nov. 12.

Verzion unlimited customers will get a year of Disney+ for free

WIKIMEDIA.ORG

FLICKR.COM

Disney has a vast television and movie library that will be hitting the new streaming service.

E3 EDGE

Monday, October 28, 2019

WesternCourier.com

Aquaman 2 - bigger than the original? Jason Momoa has recently teased to fans and reporters alike that the Aquaman sequel will be much bigger than the original film. Momoa is a 40-year-old American actor best known for his performances in Aquaman and the television series Game of Thrones. While he is best known for these series to date, he also has a brand new show debuting called SEE. This show is an Apple original and is set in a postapocalyptic era. The trailer shows that the humans in this post-apocalyptic world do not have vision. Though,

everything changes when, years later, children are born that have the ability of sight. This show appears to have Game of Thrones vibes, but it’s new and exciting, allowing for much more screen time for Momoa. While this new show is captivating and essential to describing Momoa’s success as an actor, it is the Aquaman sequel that everyone is talking about. When talking with reporter Lauren Zima at the premiere of Momoa’s new show SEE, as previously mentioned above, it was also discussed that Momoa is busy in the

works with the second Aquaman production. While talking with Zima, Momoa explained, “There’s a lot more in store on so many more levels,” Momoa said. “There’s going to be a lot. It’s way bigger!” In addition, Momoa explained that he took his ideas about the sequel to Warner Bros. He continued to explain how Warner Bros really likes his ideas, and that we may see his own ideas shine through in this film. Aquaman and Momoa fans across the nation are excited for this sequel and are looking forward to a trailer or teaser trailer to confirm the many stipulations around the film. So, that said, if you love Aquaman and enjoyed the first film as much as I did, get ready for something bigger and much more exciting and adventure filled!

WIKIMEDIA.ORG

Jason Momoa stars as Aquaman once again in the upcoming sequel.

FLICKR.COM

Momoa was praised for his portrayal of the beloved superhero.

Aquaman 2 will be released in 2022.

E4 EDGE

Monday, October 28, 2019

WesternCourier.com

Comparing “One Missed Call” Last Halloween, I compared a Japanese horror film with its American remake, and I had so much fun, I thought it would be cool to do it again. I’m still not brave enough to watch “The Grudge” or “The Ring,” so I chose the film “One Missed Call.” Like before, I thought I’d start with the American remake. It is touted as the worst remake of a Japanese horror film ever, now since I’m watching it first, I won’t know. It starts off in an interesting way. There is a huge fire at a hospital and a little girl is rescued and asked if she knew where her mom was, and she remains silent. It then shifts to a female student at her home with her cat. One thing leads to another, and the typical horror movie tropes come into play. Her cat suspects something is in the water, the girl looks into the water and there’s a jump scare of her and her cat being pulled in. Next, we are at a funeral for the girl but after the funeral, one of her friends goes

to a party to talk to someone. While she is there, her phone rings with a weird ringtone that she says does not belong to her. The call is revealed to be from the girl who died, with a voicemail left from a date that hasn’t happened yet, and it’s from none other than the phone owner herself, so we get right into it. When another death happens, which is revealed to be the detective’s sister, he discovers a red ball in her mouth. We go back to Leann, who was the owner of the phone that was previously called and she is revealed to start hallucinating. She later died in an accident after dining, though it shows her calling someone (herself) on the phone and another one of those red balls is found. The rest of the movie is a mystery that leads to an ending that shocked me to an extent that it left me scratching my head. The rest of the movie features plenty of jump scares so it is not for the weary of heart. “One Missed Call's” Japa-

nese counterpart (Chakushin ari) had a lot of similarities but one of the deaths was far more gruesome than the American version. In the American version, the character is strangled by an invisible force, but in the Japanese version, she gets her arm bent back and wrapped around her head, ripping off her arm and her head (no blood shown). The Japanese one is also more emotional. I don’t know if it was the acting or the little extra stuff they had. It was definitely a lot scarier and more tragic than the other, and the ending is just as confusing, if not moreso. Japanese horror movies tend to hit you at a more psychological level and this one was no different. Like other Japanese horror films, this one had very little music, so you always have that sense of dread. There are two other movies in this series in Japan. I have no idea if they are connected at all, but I might look them up. Again, it is very interesting to see the cultural differences in American horror with the blood, guts, unnecessary jump scares and exposition (which I appreciate). Japanese horror which is more towards your mind your feelings and makes you think and interpret the meanings yourself.

FLICKR.COM

One Missed call was released 5 years after the Japanese original.

Horror Movie Trivia ( The Ring Edition ) 1. What A) B) C)

movie dethroned “The Ring” for the highest-grossing horror remake? Halloween (2018) Stephen King’s IT (2017) Child’s Play (2019)

2. How many DVD copies did it sell in its first 24 hours? A) 3 million B) 5 million C) 2 million is the name of Samara in the Japanese original “Ringu?” Kayako Sadako Toshio Answers: 1) B

2) C

3) B

3. What A) B) C)

@WesternCourier

OPINIONS 5

Monday, October 28, 2019

Shoes don’t have character anymore Nike gained a competitive advantage against their competitors in the basketball shoe industry. The actual rise of Nike basketball shoes came when Nike signed Jordan as their cover athlete. Michael Jordan was a basketball player and his highlights and success elevated Nike and his own brand, but that is another story. His first shoe deal AJ1 (Air Jordan 1) would give Jordan a colorway (style and color) that made him stand out from

the rest of his teammates and this drew attention to both him and Nike. His colorway got banned from the NBA for breaking the rules that stated all players must wear the same color uniforms, which included socks and shoes. This allowed for market development which showed Nike advertising “Banned from the NBA” as a slogan to draw people into their products. The plan worked and Nike was able to get many other professional bas-

ketball players to join Nike, although they also gained something more. Nike started out making shoes for performance basketball players. Fortunately, Jordan fulfilled this goal and drew in many basketball fans and players that would buy the shoes. The NBA, however, gave Nike the ability to make the shoe fashionable and unique. With the “Banned” slogan, they were able to get the attention of people because of the story they were able to create. Nowadays, shoes are coming out in droves and the style and inspiration of shoes are not even unique. Typically, the shoes that sell the most are retros which people typically

have a connection with. The problem with the retro shoes is that they are extremely expensive for the average consumer. Hence why people do not get a product they really want. In the 21st century, we have the luxury of getting many types of shoes with different brands. Meaning as consumers, we can still have shoes that we may enjoy at a reasonable price. Another big deterrent of buying shoes that are not popular or mainstream is having fear of missing out. This can be very hard for kids that just want to be “cool” or fit in with the rest of the kids. As it stands, shoes are becoming less important when it comes to the average consumer. Even when shoes are

bought, they typically will be overlooked if you are not wearing a particular shoe or even a particular color. Everything is so particular today and it can seem like a chore just trying to find the type of color and style you want with a shoe. The best thing we can do as consumers is not get distracted by the flashing lights and only buy and support the brands that are sensical to us all. People may not have bought Nike basketball shoes, but they may very well have bought something else of Nike because of the cool slogan they had. This extension in their audience is just one of the many ways Nike is still prevalent today.

Dating apps aren't worth the time As someone who has been single for about two years, I’ll be honest and say that I have spent a fair share of time on dating apps. At first, I found it fun to spend hours on an app swiping left or right on people who I found to be attractive. As time went on and I matched with people who seemed interesting or attractive, I quickly realized that being on dating apps as a

20-year-old girl is not going to find me a significant other. Surprise surprise, but with today’s technology, it has given people the opportunity to change what “dating” actually is. Tinder, Bumble, Hinge and Grindr are probably the most used dating apps amongst college students. Personally, I have only had a Tinder and a Bumble profile. I feel like the few others are probably more

popular in more populated areas because I have friends that go to bigger schools than Western and have profiles on multiple different apps. I have found that Tinder is way more nonchalant than Bumble. People tend to be looking for all of the wrong things on Tinder. You may hope that you find someone that is actually looking for a relationship, but it is not everyday that you do. I have used Bumble, but not as much as Tinder. If you know anything about these two apps then you know that you can swipe left or right on people. If you swipe right that means that

you do not want to match with them, if you swipe left than that means you are trying to match. If you get to match with someone then you have the ability to message them. With Bumble, if you match with someone then the girl has to message the boy first which can be nice but also is not my forte. I don’t know why, but I would rather have someone new message me first to break the ice because I can be awkward from time to time. Because of that reason, I did not use Bumble as much which is why I don’t know how people act on there. Now, I have found it enter-

taining to have these apps and to use them as a distraction or something to pass the time. It is easy to get distracted by all of the crazy things people put for pictures or in their bio. Don’t get me wrong, I have met some people on dating apps who I have talked to and they have become good friends of mine. I am not saying that all of these apps are a waste of time or even the people on them. But, I think that more times than not, people on these dating apps at this age are not necessarily looking for a relationship like the apps were intended to do.

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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

Monday, October 28, 2019

SPORTS

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Volleyball sweeps South Dakota State University Jackrabbits By David Koier courier staff The Western Illinois Leatherneck volleyball team is finally back in the win column after a clean 3-0 sweep of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in Macomb Sunday afternoon. The Leatherneck offense was grinding as they outkilled their opponent, 43-32. Leading the way for the Purple and Gold were senior JoJo Kruize who led the team with 13 kills and sophomore Madeline Dieter who posted 12 of her own. Leading the way for the Jackrabbits was the trio of Crystal Burk, Tori Thompson and Mackenzie Hennen who each recorded seven kills on the day. Western got off to a hot start in set number one. A service ace by Jessie Connell followed by a pair of kills from Mariah Mitchell and Mackenzie Steckler helped Western get off to a 7-2 start. A service error by Steckler started a four-point run for SDSU, but an error by Ashlynn Smith gave the momentum right back to the Leathernecks. A bit of back and forth led to a surprising run by SDSU as the Jackrabbits were able to gain an 11-9 lead. A kill from Dieter off of a Western timeout was the offensive spark the Leathernecks needed. SDSU was able to sprinkle in a kill or two here and there throughout the rest of the set but Western held on to take set one 25-21. Western started off strong once again in set two, taking an early 5-2 lead. Western really never lost control throughout the set this time, though, and took set two 25-20. Attacking errors really hurt the Jackrabbits in the second set as their 10 (compared to Western only having four errors) led to their less than stellar -.026 hitting percentage for the second set. On top of that, Western

was able to outkill SDSU 14-9 while also blocking eight attacks. Set three would be a battle as Western was looking to earn their first win since Oct. 13, and SDSU was looking to stay alive to also try and get their first win since the 13th. A back and forth to begin the tertiary set brought the score to an even three apiece. Following a Jackrabbit timeout, the Leathernecks recorded a pair of attacking errors followed by two kills for the Jackrabbits giving SDSU a 7-3 lead. Down 10-6 later on, Western would find that drive deep down and take a lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the set. An 11-1 Leatherneck run that was comprised of five SDSU attacking errors, one bad set and five Western kills (three by Steckler, two by Kruize) powered Western to a 17-11 lead. Western kept the momentum going and looked to be taking set three and the match as they reached 21-17 over SDSU. An attacking error and bad set followed by a kill by Abby Fryauf brought the Jackrabbits within one of tying it up. Three Leatherneck kills with an attacking error mixed in there brought Western up 24-21 and one point away from taking the match. SDSU wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going down without a fight as Smith and Anna Nerad brought the set back to one point after each recorded a kill. Steckler, however, slammed the door in their face with a kill of her own to take the set 25-23 and the match 3-0. The Leathernecks move to 6-17 overall with a 3-7 conference record. The Purple and Gold will be in action this Friday at 7 p.m. in Western Hall as they face off against the Fighting Hawks of North Dakota. They close out the weekend with a matinee game at 1 p.m. against the Bison of North Dakota State. Twitter: @DavidKoier

BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR

BECCA ALNGYS / PHOTO EDITOR

Mackenzie Steckler goes up to spike Jessie Connell sets the ball to one of the ball. her teammates.

Mariah Mitchell gets set to return the ball JoJo Kruize tries to block an incoming spike for her team. from the other team.

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Spacious 2-5 bedroom homes for rent. 10 month lease available. Great locations, close to bus stops, plenty off street parking, all new windows, AC, energy efficient furnace, hardwood and ceramic tile floors, free washer/dryer. Well maintained (24 hrs.) by local landlord. Call 309-255-1233.

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

Available now: Close to campus, clean studio apartments, excellent condition, reasonable rent, and partly furnished. Ceiling fans and a/c. Professionally maintained. No pets. Semester leases offered. Call 309 837 4369 and leave your phone number if not there. Email: MandKhousing@gmail.com

Submit a classifieds ad to Micour@wiu.edu

Westen Investments has only two 4-Bedroom brich houses available. Call our office at 309-833-5995 to schedule a showing! We will show to 2-3 person groups as well!

Small 1BR apt near campus and downtown. All utilities included. (Electric, Water, DISH, Garbage) $500/month, $300 deposit. Available immediately. Also have 2BR, you pay electric. $600/month, $350 deposit available September 1st. Please contact 309-255-4367 for a showing.

STC Investments now leasing for the 18/19 school year. We have 1-6 bedroom apartments/houses ready for you to call home! Check out our selection at www.stcinvestments.com. You can also find us on Facebook to see daily posts!

Westen Investments has just one 3-Bedroom ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED (Water, Sewer, Trash, Gas, Electric, and Internet) Apartment left! Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right you just pay for rent, and the rest of it is on us! Call our office at 309-833-5995 to check it out. For Rent: Little Swan Lake, 30 min from campus. 2br, 2bth, heated double car garage with work area. $600 per mo. (309) 335-2206 after 6:00 pm, may leave message anytime.

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

ALL APARTMENTS - ALL INCLUSIVE Get control of your budget. Know exactly what you are spending each month. Each apartment includes free a/c, free heat, free electricity, free water, free cable tv, free hi speed internet, and free off street parking. Laundry on site. No noise policy. Bus stop across the street. Close to campus. Well maintained. Studios are $460/mo, One bedrooms are $620/mo. Call Doug at 309-255-8179 for an appointment.

Week 9: Reranking College Football's top 25

on a Michigan State team that has owned them in recent years. Sean Clifford threw for four touchdowns while the run game struggled for large portions of the game. The Nittany Lions didn’t allow the Spartans to do anything on offense. PSU has a bye week before going on the road to an undefeated Minnesota team. No. 6 Florida Gators: The Gators caught a couple of lucky breaks in a win over South Carolina a couple weeks ago but have looked extremely solid all season. They go up against Georgia for the SEC East title game next week after being on a bye. No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs: The Bulldogs were also on a bye as they gear up to play Florida next week. The loser of the game is back in the playoff hunt and headed to the SEC Championship game. No. 8 Oregon Ducks: After that loss to Auburn, Oregon has gone on a run. The last couple of weeks the defense hasn’t been as good, but the offense has picked up the pace in wins over Washington and Washington State. Against Washington State, C.J. Verdell ran for 257 yards on 23 carries and three touchdowns. They will need some help to get into the playoff but they aren’t dead yet. No. 9 Utah Utes: Tyler Huntley still has trouble throwing the ball at points but Utah has rebounded nicely after losing to USC. Like Oregon, they have crept back into the playoff discussion but need to win out and continue to win by a lot of points. The last four games the Utes haven’t allowed an opponent to go over 13 points. No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners: What in the world was that? Kansas State isn’t a bad team, but to let them walk up and down the field methodically was embarrassing

for the Sooner defense. After being down 48-23, Jalen Hurts tried leading a comeback but it wasn’t meant to be. With Texas continuing to look worse and worse, Oklahoma is going to need a lot of help to even get back in the playoff race. No. 11 Baylor Bears: The current first place team in the Big 12, the Bears are undefeated and will face Oklahoma and Texas in back to back weeks in the middle of November. Matt Rhule has done a fantastic job with this team and wouldn’t it be wild to see an undefeated Baylor team in the playoffs? No. 12 Minnesota Golden Gophers: The first four games of the season the Gophers barely survived against some lesser competition but the last four games they have dominated. No one can debate they have had an easy schedule but 8-0 is 8-0. With a two-game lead in the Big 10 West, they will take on Penn State, Iowa Northwestern and Wisconsin. No. 13 SMU Mustangs: The Mustangs are the current favorite for that group of five New Year's Day Spot. They have a big test next week when they head to the Liberty Bowl to face Memphis. Win that game and it is easy street to finish out the season for Sunny Dykes and crew. No. 14 Auburn Tigers: It is hard to punish Auburn too hard. They have two losses, both on the road against Florida and LSU. This is a good team and appear to have a solid quarterback for the future, but Bo Nix has his freshmen moments and when they happen, they’re ugly. Auburn may be out of the SEC West and playoff race, but they can still try and ruin the seasons of Georgia and Alabama as they get those teams at home. No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers: The loss to Ohio State is excusable. More and more the Buckeyes look like the best team in college football. That loss to Illinois though, what was that? The Badgers now face a two-game deficit in the Big 10 West behind Minnesota with a head to head still to come. What was once a very promising season

has quickly fallen apart. No. 16 Michigan Wolverines: Where did that come from? Jim Harbough finally gets a signature win at Michigan as they destroyed a very talented Notre Dame team by 31 points. In a downpour, they only threw the ball 14 times and just carved the Fighting Irish up on the ground. Hassan Haskins ran for 149 yards and Zach Charbonnet found the endzone twice for the Michigan grown game. No. 17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: What was faint playoff hopes came crashing down in Ann Arbour. The Fighting Irish run defense got decimated and on offense, Ian Book couldn’t find any sort of rhythm in heavy rain as the run game struggled mightily. The playoffs are now out of the question but a New Year's Day Bowl is still attainable. No. 18 Cincinnati Bearcats: Cincy’s only loss came to Ohio State and that is nothing to be ashamed of. The social media team had the best tweet of the year after their win over UCF, so they are picking up wins on and off the field. They should cruise through the AAC before heading to Memphis in their regular season finale. This is another team in line for that Group of Five New Year’s Day spot. No. 19 Applachain State Mountaineers: 7-0 are the Mountaineers and they will play Georgia Southern on Thursday before heading to South Carolina the following week. There are so many good Group of Five teams looking for that bowl spot and a win over the Gamecocks may put the Mountaineers over the top. They have run through the Sun Belt with no problem and no reason that shouldn’t continue. No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes: Yes, the Hawkeyes shutout Northwestern, but anyone who watched that offense knows that might not be all that great of an accomplishment. It has been quite simple for Iowa this year: play a good team they will lose, play a bad team they will win. They can change that narrative with games against Wisconsin

and Minnesota coming up. Nate Stanley will need to play better than he did against the Wildcats to get wins in those games. No. 21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons: It feels like everyone was on a bye week this week, but Wake Forest moves up by virtue of everyone else losing. They have skated by the tip of their nose in a lot of wins this year but a bunch of close wins have to account for something. They are the biggest test Clemson has left and that includes the ACC title game. No. 22 Boise State Broncos: The loss to BYU last week stings but this is still a very good football team that has a chance to get back to a New Year’s Day game. The first goal, though, should be to win the Mountain West and that is no easy task. After the bye week this week, the Broncos still have to face Wyoming and go on the road to Utah State. No. 23 Memphis Tigers: They barely hung on against a not very good Tulsa team, but a win is a win for Mike Norvell’s squad. The win sets up a big matchup at home against SMU next week. Kenneth Grant again went off for 149 yards and three touchdowns. A win next week puts them in the conversation for that Group of Five New Year’s Day bowl spot. No. 24 Kansas State Wildcats: The win over Oklahoma is a massive win for Chris Klieman in his first year at the helm. They were able to march up and down the field and quarterback Skylar Thompson ran for four touchdowns against the Sooners. In the first three quarters, the defense was able to limit Hurts and company and held on for the upset win. No. 25 Texas Longhorns: Texas is not back folks. They let TCU quarterback Max Duggan run all over them and Sam Ehlinger threw four picks in the loss. Sitting at 5-3, Texas still has to face a Kansas State team that is riding high, go on the road to Ames, Iowa and take on undefeated Baylor. 6-6 isn’t out of the question for this team which would be a major disappointment.

Saturday’s game looked to be on pace for a shootout when the Leathernecks quickly answered, when Connor Sampson found Clint Ratkovich for a 36-yard passing touchdown, after all of 27 seconds ran off the clock. Now, the next 10 minutes saw plenty of scoring. Over the next 10 minutes, three big yardage plays from Youngstown State occurred: a 56-yard run, 40-yard pass and 54-yard pass. Just like that, Western Illinois went from hopeful with a 7-7 tied game to stunned, down 28-7 after just one quarter of play. Earlier, we said that Youngstown State was able to easily find the end zone only 1:10 into the game. They sort of duplicated that going into the second quarter, just taking six minutes off the clock en route to the end zone with a 1-yard touchdown pass to make this one even more out of reach at 35-7. No, the Penguins were not done yet that quarter. Albeit,

the aforementioned Alessi was kept out of the endzone after his hot start. Although that may be a slight consolation for the Leathernecks, Youngstown State continued displaying the effects of their solid passing attack under the leadership of senior quarterback Nathan Mays. It seemed that Youngstown State was driving once again in the later ticks of the second quarter, looking to ice this one, but for just the third time to that point of the game, the Western Illinois defense did prevent a touchdown. The Penguins’ kicker, Colt McFadden, split the uprights for a 25-yard field goal. After the Leathernecks fumbled the ball, it was recovered by Youngstown State at the Western Illinois 39 and subsequently taken in for a touchdown with no time left in the half. With still another 30 minutes left to play, Western Illinois found itself behind by a score of 45-7

at the break. Western Illinois would get the ball to start the third quarter. They would wind up punting. Youngstown State got great field position at the Leatherneck 46 and turned it into yet another touchdown, leading 52-7 after the point after. The Leathernecks seemingly couldn’t piece it together, having to punt twice more. Then, it was the Penguins breaking through for what would end up being their final score of the game, ending the third quarter with a 59-7 lead. With a small amount of time left in the third, Western Illinois would still have the ball, but time ran out in the quarter, so they had a shot in the fourth. After a drive that ultimately took two minutes and 32 seconds, the Leathernecks finally punched it in for their first score since the passing touchdown in the first quarter. Same players, different time. Sampson found Ratkovich for a short, four-yard

passing touchdown to set the final score at 59-14. As mentioned earlier, Western Illinois falls to 0-8 with the loss. They will return home this Saturday, to face a South Dakota Coyotes team that has some pretty notable opponents to this point of the season. The Coyotes lost to No. 25 Montana (31-17), the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners (70-14), and the No. 14 Northern Iowa Panthers (4227), who Western Illinois will close out the regular season schedule with. A big game looms large after the South Dakota game, as the Leathernecks travel to Fargo, North Dakota, a town that has been rated the second best college football town, FBS or FCS, only behind Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The North Dakota State Bison are once again the No. 1 team in the FCS with an 8-0 record and currently on a 29-game winning streak. The Bison play Youngstown State next.

Zach Remelius courier staff

No.1 Ohio State Buckeyes: The Buckeyes have won every game by more than 20 points and they are making it look easy. After a slow start against Wisconsin, the offense got it going in the second half, scoring 28 points. Justin Fields had a down day passing but J.K. Dobbins went for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Chase Young had four sacks on the day in another dominant defensive performance. No. 2 LSU Tigers: Auburn presented LSU with a big challenge and instead of the LSU offense taking control, it was the LSU defense limiting Bo Nix and company. Joe Burrow still threw for a touchdown pass and almost 350 yards as his Heisman campaign continues. Next week they have a bye before heading to Tuscaloosa. No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide: No Tua Tagovailoa, no problem for the Crimson Tide. They obliterated Arkansas as Mac Jones went 18 for 22 and 235 yards to go along with three touchdowns in his first start as a member of the Tide. The Razorbacks were never going to be a challenge for Alabama and now we wait on the status of Tagovailoa for their game against LSU in two weeks. No. 4 Clemson Tigers: After the scare against UNC a few weeks ago, Clemson has turned it on. Winning their last three by 31, 35 and 52 points respectively, they are finally starting to look like the team we all thought we would see at the beginning of the season and that should scare everyone. Trevor Lawrence was efficient and Travis Etienne looked strong on the ground. Clemson should continue to cost to the playoff. No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions: After a highly emotional win against Michigan, it was impressive for Penn State to go into East Lansing and lay the smackdown

Leathernecks remain winless after 45-point loss By Alex Staab courier staff

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO — The Leathernecks were on the road again with a flight east to Youngstown, Ohio to face the Youngstown State Penguins, in what turned out to be a gloomy day across most of the midwest. It was a fast-paced and fast-scoring day, just mostly for the Penguins, that resulted in a 59-14 loss for Western Illinois, taking the losing streak to 10 games, extending into the final two games of the 2018 season. The Leathernecks faced a hungry Penguins squad, who were on a three-game losing streak after starting the season a perfect 4-0, debuting on ESPN against Samford. It didn’t take long at all for the Penguins to find the endzone. In fact, the Penguins took the kickoff and went right down the field, when Joe Alessi ran it in from 44 yards out.

Men’s soccer clinches postseason appearnce after 2-1 win over EIU By Bradley Piros sports editor

MACOMB, Ill. — The Western Illinois University men’s soccer team (4-11) started their season on an 11-game losing streak with no real expectations of getting back to The Summit League Tournament. The good news, though, is that only one of those losses was in conference. After a four-game win streak as of late, the Leathernecks sit 3-1 in The Summit and after a 2-1 win over the Eastern Illinois University Panthers, Western clinched a postseason appearance. Western went to battle against EIU Saturday afternoon for Senior Day, and a couple of those seniors were able to make a difference, especially goalkeeper Tim Trilk. “I think we grew closer as a team. Honestly you know, most teams that start a season 0-11 like that, they just fall apart, but honestly we grew stronger,” Trilk said in an interview with WIU Athletics Communications. Trilk made three key saves on the day that helped his team secure the victory, but you still need to score goals to win the game, and that wasn’t a problem either. In the 13th minute, junior forward Ryan Debois scored in his fifth straight game and his sixth goal overall. He picked up the ball after an EIU turnover and calmly put it into the bottom left corner of the net to take the early 1-0 lead. Coming off his first ever Summit League Offensive Player of the

Week honor, he was full of confidence and is heating up at just the right time. It looked like the Panthers were going to tie the game in the 60th minute, but the shot rattled off the crossbar and the game stayed level. EIU took another shot which led to a corner attempt for them and another shot that went wide left. After Western weathered a little bit of the Panthers’ storm, they doubled their lead from a corner kick of their own. Freshman midfielder Caleb Ragland delivered the corner kick and it fell to the feet of senior midfielder Gimale Essacu. He quickly flicked it to junior midfielder Daisuke Otsuka who slotted the ball home for the eventual game-winner. The scoring wasn’t done yet though as the Panthers had one final push in them. Only four minutes after Western scored, Eastern cut the lead in half. EIU regained most of the second half’s offensive momentum and had Western on their heels into the final minutes. In the 72nd minute, sophomore forward Arian Mehrang for Western and Shady Omar for Eastern were given straight red cards after an altercation that led to both teams playing with 10 men for the remainder of the match. Eastern still had the advantage as the game closed out, but Western’s defense stood tall and came away with their fourth straight win. Everyone was proud of the effort, especially head coach Eric Johnson.

“Great win for us today,” Johnson said to Athletics after the match. “Two good goals and then a spirited effort by the team when Eastern made their push to equalize after getting a goal back to make it 2-1. Hard fought win.” It was indeed a hard fought win and it was the most important win in the teams past two seasons. Western will be going back to The Summit League Tournament for the 18th time after they missed out last year for the first time since 2010. The job’s not done yet though. Western still has three more regular season games, but only one of them is in conference. Western has IUPUI this Wednesday and Bradley next Monday before they close out their season on the road against Oral Roberts University. ORU sit atop The Summit League standings with a perfect 3-0 conference record. Western can win The Summit if ORU loses their remaining two games to Omaha and the Leathernecks. If ORU wins one of those two games, they clinch the conference. As great as it would be to win The Summit League conference, Western will have their work cut out for them, and they'll need a little bit of help from Omaha as well. Until then, Western takes a twogame break from conference opponents. The Leathernecks will take on the Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis Jaguars this Wednesday night at 6 p.m. Twitter: @bradjp08

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Ryan Debois takes a shot against ORU.

BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR

Daisuke Otsuka passes the ball.

Women’s soccer falls 1-0 in 2OT to Oral Roberts on Senior Day By Bradley Piros sports editor

BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR

Ines Palmiero Herrera takes a goal kick for her team.

MACOMB, Ill. — The Western Illinois University women’s soccer team fell 1-0 in double-overtime Sunday afternoon to the Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles on Senior Day. Senior goalkeeper Ines Palmiero Herrera took to the net as usual and held her opposition scoreless for 109 minutes, one minute short of picking up one point. The goal wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t even a full minute that decided the game. With 20 seconds in the second overtime, ORU netted the golden goal to pick up a very important two-points in The Summit League standings. With this loss, the Leathernecks will miss out on The Summit League Tournament after a promising

start to the month including a four-game win streak. It was especially a heartbreaking loss to the six seniors: Palmiero Herrera, Natalie Sielaff, Madison Bulin, Maddie Wilsey, Kayla McCormick and Emily Bollman. It was the last time for those six Leathernecks to ever play on their home field, so it’s already emotional before a dramatic double-overtime loss. The loss brings Western to seventh in The Summit League standings and only the top four make the tournament. With only one game left, the Leathernecks are mathematically elimated from making an appearance. The game between the Leathernecks and the Golden Eagles was a dead even contest. Western even outshot ORU 19-15 and each team had seven SOG. Those 19 shots set a new team-high.

11 of those shots came from the Birmingham, England due Amy Andrews and Zoe Clarke. Andrews had six total (two shots on goal) and Clarke had five (four SOG). Clarke also had an opportunity to win the game in the first overtime but her shot was saved. Eight players played all 109 minute including Palmiero Herrera, Sielaff, Andrews, Cassidy Grunewald, Natalie Nagle, Jenna Lundgren, Lauryn Peters and Bridget Schuler. Every player that touched the field gave it their all, but especially these eight. It was a heartbreaking loss, but Western still can end the season on a high note. They have one more road game this Sunday against the South Dakota University Coyotes. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. for the Leathernecks’ last game of the season.