Western Courier| November 5th, 2018

Opinions: Why you shouldn't hold sloaths.

Sports: An early look at the NFL playoffs.

Sports: Football beats Salukis in a thrilling 17-point comeback.

Monday, November 5, 2018 - Vol. 119 Issue 32

Introducing: the 93 district Norine hammond rd

Jimmy pierson/Production Manager

By Chance Darby proofreader

Since December of 2010, Representative Norine Hammond has held on tight to District 93 and plans to continue to be our District Representative.

Hammond was born in Berwyn, Ill. and grew up in the western suburbs. She attended Western Illinois University and has been living in Macomb since the early 70s.

Leonard Hammond, Ham-

mond’s husband, is from Macomb and they’ve raised their daughter Trish in Macomb.

Hammond started her career after the unfortunate passing of Representative, Richard Myers, on Dec. 1, 2010.

“I was one of six individuals to be interviewed to replace him and was ultimately chosen and felt it was a mission that I wanted to continue,” Hammond said during the interview when asked on why she initially ran for the Representative seat.

“I think there is a lot of issues that we need to improve upon, and certainly do the very best on issues that affect us state wide but particularly here in west central Illinois,” Hammond said. “First and foremost is the funding for education at all levels. We have done a good job in the last couple of years for the funding formula for K-12 education. The schools in the 93 District do extremely well under this new funding formula and it’s something

we have got to maintain, the funding for that according to the formula as it was passed in the general assembly two years ago.”

“In addition to that we have our challenges certainly with higher education not just at our four years institution, but at our community colleges as well,” Hammond said.

“Going back to even before 2002 but certainly starting in the Blagojevich period, funding for higher education was absolutely slashed so we have

to build those levels back to a level that is adequate for all of our four year public institutions as well as our community colleges.”

Hammond is currently part of a higher education working group. It's a bipartisan and bicameral group of Legislators, Senators, Representatives, Republicans and Democrats.

Hammond page 2

Western graduate opens up 365 Nutrition Macomb seven months after graduation Jimmy Pierson/production manager

By Marc Ramirez news editor

Macomb gets ready to welcome a new business into the community; however, this one is a little different than many others. Named 365 Nutrition, the busines is here to help develop a person develop their best self-possible.

365 Nutrition is a local nutrition club that serves nutritious drinks that help you reach your health goals.

Western Illinois University graduate, Kristin Talley, is a 22-year-old owner and operator of this business. Talley graduated with her bachelor degree in kinesiology with a minor in nutrition, and uses her degree as a driving passion to help people.

“I have a huge passion for helping people become the best version of themselves possible,” Talley posted on the business Facebook page.

“I do this through fitness

and nutrition. My goal with bringing this nosiness to Macomb is to grow health, wellness and happiness in our community.”

From the small town of Amboy, Ill., Talley chose to start her business in a city like Macomb, since she knew she could get more business in a larger city compared to that of her hometown.

“I wanted a place where we all can come together and fuel our bodies with de-

licious guilt free nutrition and form amazing relationships,” Talley said. “We also want it to be a place where the community can come together and find a positive atmosphere full of excitement and support.”

Talley explained that her driving force to start this business was to help find her purpose; she knew it lied within helping people; she just wanted to find a way to express it.

“As a college student you feel so pushed and forced to know what you would like to spend the rest of your life doing,” Talley said. “If you work a Monday through Friday job, then your job takes up over 70 percent of your life. I one day ran into a nutrition club just like 365 and felt my purpose hit me.”

365 Nutrition page 2

2

NEWS

Hammond

from front page

They are currently working on how they can improve higher education in the state of Illinois in particular, keeping our Illinois students in Illinois and attracting students from other states. They plan on doing this by a number of measures that they have implicated in the last four years.

A four year Monetary Award Program is measure that they have implicated. M.A.P provides grants, which does not need to be repaid, to Illinois residents who attend approved Illinois colleges and demonstrate financial need, based on the information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Another program they plan to reach their goal for is a program called Aim High. Aim High expands opportunities for low-income middle school students and their teachers through a free summer learning and enrichment program.

Hammond also focuses on fiscal accountability.

“I would encourage young

365 Nutrition

from front page

With health problems like obesity on the rise, Talley instantly knew Macomb was in need of services like the ones provided through 365. There is no other place in Macomb that can provide you with fast healthy nutrition.

“We offer nutrition shakes, which are a complete healthy meal, teas that are energizing and increase your metabolism and aloe shots that help with hydration and digestion,” Talley said.

“We also will be holding body transformation challenges to help the community reach their goals they have always wanted.”

365 Nutrition is hoping to open in December, but can open as late as January. The opening date is dependent on the flow of construc-

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

Monday, November 5, 2018

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people to take an interest not in just state government, but local government,” Hammond said.

“Get involved in local races, whether you be the candidate or working on behalf of the candidate. Get involved and get a feel of it and the most important thing is that when you enter into that commitment you have to do it because you want to make things better for others not because you want to have some power trip.”

Hammond suggested that young people go out into their surrounding communities and get involved in politics.

“The most enjoyable part of it for me, is when we are in the district, not necessary when we are in Springfield during the leg, which is extremely important, but when you can be in the district and with the constituents whether it be visiting folks in long term care facilities or going to the schools, county board meetings or meeting with individuals that have problems with the state government that is the most rewarding part of it,” Hammond said. tion, inspectors and other tedious details that go into starting up a small business. 365 Nutrition will be located at 1061 W Jackson St. Suite 101, Macomb, Ill. The shop is located as little as three minutes away form Western’s library.

“I am most excited about making an impact on Macomb’s community,” Talley said. “I want everyone to know this is a place where you can come and hang out and be yourself.”

In addition to a place to get a tasty guilt-free meal in a shake, 365 Nutrition also has a lounge area for students to have a relaxing, calm environment to hang out with friends or study and do homework.

365 can be found on all of their social media platforms.

Facebook: 365 Nutrition Macomb, Twitter: @365NutritionMac and Instagram: 365 Nutrition Macomb.

STAFF MEMBERS editor-in-chief Devon Greene DJ-Greene@wiu.edu news editor Marc Ramirez MA-Ramirez3@wiu.edu assistant news editor Steven Barnum SS-Barnum@wiu.edu opinions editor Allison Young AN-Young@wiu.edu sports editor Haley Richards H-Richards@wiu.edu assistant sports editor Bradley Piros BJ-Piros@wiu.edu edge editor Jonathan Lynch JJ-Lynch@wiu.edu copy editor Brie Coder B-Coder@wiu.edu

proofreader Amanda Wandachowicz a-wandachowicz@wiu.edu proofreader Chance Darby ca-darby@wiu.edu photo editor Becca Langys RE-Langys@wiu.edu assistant photo editor Sara Remar SE-Remar@wiu.edu production manager Jimmy Pierson JM-Pierson@wiu.edu business manager Faith Rucker F-Rucker@wiu.edu advertising manager Jacob Day JD-Day@wiu.edu adviser Will Buss WJ-Buss@wiu.edu

PUBLISHING AND CIRCULATION

The Western Courier is published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the regular school year, excluding holidays, finals week and semester breaks. The WC updates the website weekly during the summer. All content reflects the editorial discretion of the students operating the newspaper and must be interpreted as unofficial university communication. While every attempt is made to determine the validity of advertising contained herein, the advertising in the WC is not to be construed as endorsements of any specific products or services. The WC assumes no responsibility or liability resulting from the content of paid advertisements. Subscription price is $36 per year mailed third-class bulk rate from Macomb.

The WC is printed by The Galesburg Register-Mail in Galesburg, Ill.

COPYRIGHT 2017

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

ADVERTISING POLICY

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One copy of the Western Courier is free.

Additional copies $1.

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

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NEWS 3

Multicultural Center celebrates Dia de Los Muertos

By Juan Casas

courier staff

Casa Latina along with the fraternities and sororities of Lambda Theta Phi, Lambda Theta Alpha, Gamma Phi Omega and Alpha Psi Lambda at Western Illinois University celebrated Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m last Friday at the Multicultural Center.

The event was open to the public. An educational lecture was held at the opening of the event to help shed light on what exactly is Day of the Dead for the Latinx community. There was also a guest performance by the newly formed Mariachi del Oro, a special dance performed by Tradicion dance club and other activities were also provided. These consisted of face painting, an art exhibition presenting over half a dozen oil canvas paintings done by a Latinx artists depicting Day of the Dead and traditional latinx games like lotteria, Mexican bingo. Traditional authentic Mexican cuisine like beans, rice and tamales along with many other variations of platters like Mexican hot chocolate were also provided free of charge.

The event opened with a presentation by Jesus Gonzales and Jennifer Coss on the definition, history and purpose of Day of the Dead within the Latinx culture.

“This day is celebrated amongst the Latinx Catholic religion, it is not a sad time but a time to celebrate life, and remembering those who have passed and honoring our loved ones,” Gonzales said.

“The purpose of Day of the Dead is to come together with the spirits of the dead, the dead being our beloved friends and family, to let them know that they are not forgotten and that their loved ones on Earth still care about them,” Coss said. “It is way of keeping a connection between loved ones alive, though they may be physically separated from us due to their death.”

Gonzales went on to explore in detail the history behind Day of the Dead, of the Spanish conquest of Latin America and the subsequent waves of death brought down upon Mesoamerica

by Spanish Europeans. In order to remember their passed loved ones, the Mesoamerican indigenous people held onto this custom of honoring the dead that predates the birth of Christ by tens of thousands of years.

Yet, coincidently enough, the Mesoamerican holiday of remembrance just so happens to fall on Nov. 1-2, which in the Roman Catholic Church is also considered and celebrated as All Saint's Day. This day is followed by All Soul's day.

Although this celebration

is popular all throughout Latin America, it is the most prominent holiday in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, and is considered to be its origination point. Coss went on to describe how exactly the Day of the Dead is celebrated.

She explained that this holiday is a very colorful one, with family of the deceased visiting their final resting places. They then decorate them with pictures and photos of the deceased, as well as candles, flowers, sugar skulls and toys for children that passed away. Papel picado, is colored paper that is cut into various shapes and designs aimed to signify the wind, and the happiness of the festival, as well as many other personal items that belonged to the dead when they were still living.

Overall, the purpose of the decoration is to remind the living family that the dead are always present and that instead of it being looked at as the end, it is seen as just another chapter and this helps families cope with the loss of their loved ones.

Following the description of how Day of the Dead has always been celebrated, Coss went on to depict how it’s celebrated in contemporary society. In Mexico City, there is a parade held annually in honor of the religious holiday. Also, there were two short video clips shown from the Disney movie “Coco” and “The Book of Life” depicting

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what Dia de Los Muertos is like. Following the presentation by Gonzales and Coss, there was a moment of silence observed in honor of all our loved ones who are no longer with us.

After the presentation was completed, there was a performance by Tradicion dance club, where four dancers dressed in traditional black and white Mexican attire, dresses for the females and button up dress shirts for the males, as they performed their tap-dance style routine without a glitch to the sound of traditional mariachi music.

A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd.

Following the performance, Mariachi Del Oro went before the audience to cast their debut performance.

Mariachi is the traditional form of music that has longstanding ties to the agricultural communities of rural Latin America, specifically Mexico. This form of music could be said to be close kin to traditional American country music. The songs performed by Mariachi Del Oro are renown in Mexican music and amongst Latino audiences. The first song was of "El Rey," "(The King,)", which depicts the common life of a man who, with or without money, has always lived his life to the fullest.

It is a depiction of struggle and of finding one's own way through life. The second song performed was dos arboli-

tos, two little trees, which aims to depict how there are things that are beyond our control. How God placed two little trees together and that no one or anything could stop them from growing up together. It is a depiction of life and how there are things that cannot be changed or foreseen.

The second to final song played was one of the oldest in mariachi, so old in fact that it has no lyrics and is only the hum of the mariachi musical instruments, reminiscent of traditional European classical music like Beethoven's “Symphony 1.” The final song performed was a very famous one, one created by renown Mexican musical composer Jose Alfredo Jimenes, in the first half of the 20th century, “Canta Canta Canta,” (which means “Sing, Sing, Sing”).

Considered one of the greatest mariachi songs ever created, it aims at uplifting the hopes, encouraging singing and helping remove sadness through song and dance.

Following the mariachi performance, there where games held of loterria, face painting and many other traditional Latinx-Mexican activities.

Overall, the event was a huge success, with the audience being very respectful and engaged, while also ensuring that there was never an empty seat. Day of the Dead, was indeed celebrated successfully at Western last Friday.

4 OPINIONS

Monday, November 5, 2018

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Sloths have feelings too!

Today in society sloths are becoming a big trend.

Everyone on instagram or facebook is holding sloths or taking pictures with sloths at tourist destinations. The problem is that sloths should not be touched or hugged.

Many people do not know that sloths internalize their fear. Since sloths move at a slow pace, they can not run away from danger. When someone is holding a sloth, the sloth feels in danger but

can not flee the situation.

Most tourist locations that have sloths out for display are not beneficial for the sloths life. Many sloths that are found in tourist locations are kidnapped from their habitat put into bags and are brought to events for people to make a profit off of them. Sloths love to be hanging in trees not on a strangers neck. When a sloth is scared or threatened it's natural instinct to become

completely still. Most people mistake the sloths manner as cute. If it seems as if the sloth your holding hugs you, it is actually a sign that it is scared and is trying to grip on to you for stability and to feel safe.

Sloths require a warm and wet environment to live in.

Many times when people buy a sloth for a pet they can not maintain the perfect environment for a sloth.

Sloths should not be pets.

Sloths travel on average the length of five football fields per day. No one can house a sloth and have that amount of room for it. It would also be hard to have a sloth as a pet because of their high maintenance diet. Sloths are

mainly herbivores. Feeding the sloth leaves off a tree in your backyard will not cut it.

Sloths also come down from their branches to urinate and poop once a week, sloths usually do their business in the same spot which makes them prone to predators.

Touching a sloth can also make them prone to sickness and make them become distorted. Illegal loggers go into the wild and there are videos of these loggers cutting down trees that sloths are hanging from and then poorly handling the sloth, shoving the sloth into a trash bag and selling them to the entertainment and tourism industry. It is disgusting and cruel and many tourist are blind

to how the sloth actually got to the tourist site. It is not cute or cool to hold any wild animal. Wild animals belong in the wild not in tourist attractions. If you want to see first hand the cruelty sloths are put through just look up any illegal logger video about sloths.

I do not think sloths should be pets nor will I ever touch or hug a sloth if I see one as an attraction. I know the sloth was probably brought to the United States through trafficking and that it is not happy to be where it is at now. If you really love sloths and care for their wellbeing you should not partake in pictures with sloths or consider having a sloth as a pet.

Give electric dance music a shot Electronic Dance Music (EDM) is a fairly new concept in Macomb.

A few people have put together concerts either at their houses or at the local bars. Personally, I believe it should be an even bigger scene here in Macomb.

Not only does it give people a break from the “normal” bar music around town, it also gives people a better outlet for stress, being that it is hard to just stand still while listening to EDM. A few weeks ago, The Forum hosted it’s first EDM night, the turnout was actually decent for the first time. There

were roughly 70 people at this concert and every person I saw was dancing and having a great time. In the future I think more people will show up and come to appreciate the EDM scene. The growth of this kind of music in our area would be so great in so many aspects.

Typically, if you are going out to the bars, you are expecting to hear mostly current rap, pop, etc.

Some places link songs to other songs with a little bit of EDM to get the crowd hyped. This is a good example as to why we should be adding it into our typical “bar

music” EDM does nothing short of hyping up everyone who hears it.

If I’m being honest EDM used to be terrible to me, any time someone would play it, I would groan. That changed after I went to a concert over the summer which hosted Boogie T and Steady Flow. Being in an environment such as that, it really made me realize that it isn’t the music, it’s the crowd. If the crowd would have been standing there simply listening to the music and not moving, I guarantee that concert would have been boring, but since everyone was up and dancing, it made me want to dance and it turned into one of the best concerts I’ve been to. That being said, if you go to an EDM concert you should always put yourself out there, and attempt to dance even if you aren’t comfortable, because the truth is no one actually cares what

you look like while dancing.

Another reason EDM would be great for college-age people to involve themselves in, it's a great stress reliever. You can easily get lost in EDM music and just forget about everything else going on in your life whether at school, home or in your personal relationships.

EDM is a great way to just drop all worries and dance for a few hours and meet new people. I personally believe everyone should give EDM a chance to wow them and it could become a big part of your social life. Lately, I have been hearing rumors of another upcoming EDM night at the Forum suspected to be on Nov 29.

I suggest to anyone who has predispositions of EDM to come and see what the environment is like, and also come support the local talent!

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EDM music is very common at night clubs.

Contact Allison Young

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‘In Search of Darkness’ docmentary preview “In Search of Darkness” is an upcoming documentary that claims to be the definitive 1980s horror film documentary. The Kickstarter project has, at the time of writing, pledged $93,247. This is more than their goal of $31,764. The project’s mission is to create a retrospective documentary film that will be “bringing the horror community together to celebrate the most iconic era in cinema history.”

Cont. Egde 2

Written by: Conal Duffy

Layout by: jimmy Pierson

E2 EDGE

Monday, November 5, 2018

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FLICKR.COM

Darkness

from E1

The 1980s was a decade where we saw, arguably, the best horror films.

From "The Thing” to “A Nightmare on Elm Street” to “Hellraiser”, from “Child’s Play” to “They Live”, the 80s showed us a lot of fantastic monsters and killer thrills. Directors like David Cronenberg, John Carpenter, Brian Yuzna and Wes Craven pioneered the genre.

The documentary plans to conduct exclusive interviews with the people who were involved in mak-

ing the films of that decade.

They are going to be using soundtrack from synthwave record label New Retro Wave.

In the 80s, the invention of the VCR allowed people to copy each other’s movies onto VHS. Using VHS, if you copied a film from another copy that had been copied from another copy, your copy would be grainier and have less video quality. But that didn’t make the movie any less scary. Due to public outcry and protests, a lot of newly released movies were banned from local rental stores. This didn’t stop people from trading bootlegged VHS tapes.

VHS, because of its abil-

ity to bring home the movies, opened up opportunities for low-budget filmmakers.

Horror films from that decade used amazing practical special effects. In the time before CGI, filmmakers were still able to capture our imagination and frighten us with their practical effects. For example, in “The Thing”, they used bubble gum.

These films were also a reflection of their own time. Horror films inspired music and fashion back then. In the documentary they’ll be interviewing “modern horror masters and popular horror influencers to get their unique takes on these movies and how they influenced the horror genre,

the fans who watched them, and society itself.” This might mean they’ll be interviewing random people who go to the movies to see scary movies.

They are also going to cover the socio/political context that influenced those films. For example, the fear of nuclear war, more violent crime and deadly diseases like AIDS. In the interviews we’re going to hear from the actors, producers, writers and composers who brought you horror movie icons like Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers and Pinhead.

What I’m excited for is James Rolfe, otherwise known on YouTube as The Angry Video

Game Nerd, will be interviewed in this film. He runs the channel “Cinemassacre” and makes a series called “Monster Madness” in which he reviews old horror films.

His videos are inspiring a new generation to go back and watch the old films. He has certainly inspired me to watch them. I watched “Hellraiser” the other night, and it gave me bad dreams! I love horror films and have backed the project on Kickstarter.

If you pay the 20 euro version, you get the movie as a digital download. The movie will be coming out this July for Kickstarter backers.

JIMMY PIERSON/ PRODUCTION MANAGER

E3 EDGE

Monday, November 5, 2018

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JIMMY PIERSON, PRODUCTION MANAGER

“Riverdale” has become a very popular show, and its third season is currently airing on the CW. Recently Netflix has released a new show“The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” which is a spin off of the 90’s and early 2000’s show “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.”

“The Chilling Adventure of Sabrina” takes place in a town called Greendale, which exists in the same universe as “Riverdale”- and is a neighboring town just on the other side of Sweetwater River.

A town where magic exists is just across the river from the town of Riverdale, so what can fans expect for the future of “Riverdale?” While “The Chilling Adventures

of Sabrina” has only been out for a little over a week, these shows have been interacting with each other for a while. After all, they do exist in the same universe.

In “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” there have been small references to “Riverdale,” such as the Archie Comics related thermos that Sabrina has in episode one. Some additional references are the mention of the town name, and flyers on the school bulletin boards indicating sporting events between the two schools.

Though, these references are not only seen in “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” but are also found in “Riverdale.”

Greendale was also mentioned in season one of Riverdale, as that is where Ms. Grundy moved after she was forced to quit her job at Riverdale High and leave “Riverdale” all together due to an affair with a student. Ms. Grundy continued to teach music, but in Greendale rather than Riverdale, but unfortunately met her demise by the Black Hood shortly after having another affair with her student, Benjamin Button.

In season three of “Riverdale,” during an intense game of Griffins and Gargoyles (which could be a whole other article in itself), Button throws himself out a hospital window, in hope to again be with his friend Dilton Doiley, whose life was also lost playing Griffins and Gargoyles. While fans may never know if Button and Doiley met again on the other side, they may be shocked

to find Ben Button in episode seven of “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”

Button, or rather Moses Thiessen, Buttons actor, appears as a nameless pizza delivery boy in the town of Greendale. This leaves fans with the question, is it just coincidence that Thiessen appeared in another show that takes place just a short drive away? Or is there something more supernatural going on here? The most fans can do to find answers, is to watch.

Since Greendale and Riverdale are only a river apart, what are the chances of a crossover episode? Fans of both shows are beginning to speculate and wonder if a crossover would be a possibility. Though, the “Riverdale” producer and Archie Comics CEO, Andy Goldwater, stated “Right now, we’re not thinking about that...They’re two separate entities for now.”

Neither confirmation nor distinctive denial, fans are still hopeful. Unfortunately, these two shows are created by two different production agencies, the CW and Netflix, so a crossover would be difficult. Though, “Riverdale” has had undertones of the “Supernatural” pop-up multiple times throughout the show, and it is a mystery what writers will decide to do next. Some fans are hoping that there will be a crossover, throwing the beloved characters of “Riverdale” into a world of witches and warlocks; others hope that these two shows will remain separate.

Only time will tell, as the third season of “Riverdale” continues to unravel, and a second season of “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is in the production process. Fans of these two shows have a lot to look forward to.

held their first all women PPV

JIMMY PIERSON, PRODUCTION MANAGER

On Oct. 28 history was made with WWE's first ever all women's PPV event. I just want to say this before I begin my review, with WWE Evolution was highly hyped but poorly built as far as the storylines go, however, I can safely say this was the best main roster event in a while.

The crowd was loud all night long, which doesn't even happen at WrestleMania (granted that show is longer). The night began with nostalgia as Trish Stratus and Lita took on the team of Mickie James and Alicia Fox with Alexa Bliss (who was originally in this match before injury) in their corner. It was a nice way to start off the event despite a couple hiccups during the match. Stratus and Lita won

this match.

I don't usually review battle royals, but I will say this had a Royal Rumble feel to it. Everybody had an entrance, which never happens in a battle royal, and it just seemed more important; like it was more than a multi-person match to give everyone a spot on the show. I actually liked it.

The finals of the Mae Young Classic were next, after several weeks of amazing competition we were down to Aussi Toni Storm and one of the best wrestlers in the world, Io Shirai in a back and forth match that saw Storm getting the victory. Then a cool off six women tag-team match which was most likely supposed to be what they call the popcorn match (bathroom

break). But it ended up being a good match as well.

Then it was time for the main events. First up was the NXT Women's Champion as "the Pirate Princess" Kairi Sane took on "the Queen of Spades" Shayna Baszler. This match was brutal as Baszler worked on the arm at one point attempting to literally dislocate her elbow. It was a very good back and forth match, but interference resulted in Sane getting chocked out, but the important thing here is she did not tap.

Now here is the problem I have with this I feel like the Four Horsewomen of MMA (minus Ronda Rousey), should have been doing this all along or at least earlier than when they did it. I love Sane, but I feel like the interference should have cost her before she won the title in the first place. Then what most people considered the main event of the evening was the SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch versus Charlotte

Flair in the first ever last woman standing match. Lynch is supposed to be the bad guy, but she continued to get the biggest reaction of the night as the crowd was 95 percent behind Lynch.

It was a hard-hitting match as they used tables, ladders, kendo sticks and steel chairs. A lot of high spots, and despite some counting mistakes and a less than satisfying ending, in my opinion, it was the match of the night.

Lynch retained and in a little break of character you could see Lynch with tears in her eyes as both her and Flair got emotional at the end, which I love.

The main event was the RAW Women's Champion Rousey taking on Nikki Bella. I will give them credit as one of their segments leading up to the event caused more people to buy tickets to the event. It was a better match than I thought it would and I understand why this was put on last. Lynch is technically

a heel (for some reason) and you typically want to end an event like this with the good guy going over. At the end of the show, all the women were on stage celebrating a successful show.

Now despite the WWE not building much up for the event, and with this Crown Jewel event controversy, it was one of the best non-big four events I have ever seen. Some people might be upset that the set looked more like a house show than a PPV event but in my opinion that was better because it focused on the wrestling (which I prefer during PPV). I don't care if this show was made just because of WWE doing events in Saudi Arabia, it was successful and this along with the Mae Young Classic proves that you can have an all women event.

I hope that this will be an event that we see for years to come. I had mid expectations for this show and it went above and beyond what I could’ve hoped for.

E4 EDGE

Monday, November 5, 2018

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BRIE CODER, COPY EDITOR

When you hear the word a cappella, the first thing that comes to mind is musicians incorporating a vibrate sound without the backing of instruments. Western Illinois’ a capella group, InVoxicated, breaks the mold of what a traditional a capella group is supposed to sound like, and defines a new way of listening to this style of music.

Juniors Rebecca Helmeid (president, music therapy major) and Lauren Wood (secretary, music education major), have put a lot of heart and soul into this wellestablished group, and are expanding music listeners’ horizons with the type of music they perform throughout

the school year.When InVoxicated first started in the fall of 2016, Wood was one of the first to jump on the opportunity to join the group. Helmeid came to Western in the fall of 2017 during her sophomore year and auditioned at that time.

Since Helmeid and Wood were a part of their school’s musical clubs/groups in high school, they both wanted to maintain their musical craft when they came to Western by joining InVoxicated.

“In my school after sixth grade, you had to choose either band or choir and I chose band because of the way it was scheduled,” Wood said.

“I didn’t do choir again until

my senior year of high school because I finally had openings and I really missed singing.”

Helmeid reminisced about her time in high school and spoke about her decision to join the a cappella group at Western.

“In high school for three years I was in the a cappella layer along with the other higher level ensembles. Coming here I wanted to continue the a capella because it's a very nice close knit family you get to do things that you don’t do in classes. So that’s why I joined because of the community it can create and being able to share music with everybody.”

Once Helmeid and Wood joined, it was only a matter of time before their role in the group would go from being just performers, to leaders within the group. As president, Helmeid’s responsibilities include making things

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run smoothly by having others take over their respected positions like choreography for example. She also teaches the singers the music, and makes sure that their group is involved in the community.

With Wood as the secretary, she feels she “nags everyone a lot” since she is in charge of taking attendance and helping the new and returning members with questions on the music. If there is one thing that InVoxicated wants their group to take away from their performances, is that they don’t perform for themselves, they perform to unite the audiences they’re performing in front of.

“I just want them to love music as much as we do. The whole reason we perform music is because we enjoy it, or at least for me, because I really love it. It makes me happy. I just want the audience to enjoy it and feel how

we do when we perform it,” Wood said.

Helmeid wants the crowd to understand how hard they work.

“I want them to understand that they don’t need to know all the hard work that goes behind it,” Helmeid said. “I want them to know that there is still magic and a cappella I feel like is a very good place to find that magic. I love sharing music with people and being able to have them take a piece of our world with them because this is what we spend all our time doing.”

This Thursday, InVoxicated along with Lone Daisy G, and Corlie and Cordell From the Guitar Shop, will be a part of the Showcase at Sundown, an event hosted by the music business department. The event begins at 8 p.m. at the Multicultural Center and is free and open to the public.

Monday, November 5, 2018

@WesternCourier

OPINIONS 5

Words matter, especially when you are the President

 Times have changed, political dialogue has devolved from decency to savagery.

Before, it was unheard of to call the media the enemy of the people, now it is all too common.

When before, to lie while holding office was kin to braking the law, now its seen as perfectly legal. When, racism was covert and is now blatantly overt. The standards of the presidency have either fallen or completely been eliminated, the bar of what is acceptable behavior has all but been removed. So,

when the highest office in the land claims that they have been unfairly targeted, and calls on the media to stop doing their job, reporting things in an unbiased manner, and to help the presidency appear more civil or sophisticated then his own words permit. Because of these constant attacks on the media, a far-right lunatic used these as an excuse to go and threaten and attack the media and any other group or person who the president has verbally attacked and insulted, then this goes to show that words do

indeed matter.

The words of the highest office in the land hold weight, what the president says and does is held under a different light, under higher scrutiny as it should. For the simple reason that, the individuals who hold the presidency, are idolized and hold tremendous influence over hundreds of millions of people, thus they ought to be held accountable for their actions as well as for their words.

This is because what they say, whether intended or not, can have real world consequences. If a normal person walks into a movie theater and screams fire this causes mayhem and results in people being injured, then that individual is held responsible even though they did not

physically harm anyone. So, it is not unheard of or radical to expect the president of the United States to be held to the same standards.

Yet, it appears that this is no longer the case, it seems that the presidency is immune to the laws and social norms that binds the rest of us together.

That being said, we ought to always attempt to compromise, to understand and to give people the benefit of the doubt, this includes the President of the United States. If we could entertain the idea that the mainstream media has been unfairly portraying the administration, then it is reasonable to attempt to find out how, and in what means to reduce, if not eliminate the biases. This may be challeng-

ing, but not impossible. We as a country, and as a people can come together to help each other understand truths and debunk lies. Yet, this must be done in a civil and meaningful way, the president of the United States ought to reach out to the media, in a respectful manner. To declare that the media is being bias, and the presidency is willing to work with the main stream media to ensure that the news is being reported in an objective way.

Whether this is done via policy changes, or special programs to help diversify a left leaning media machine, I am convinced that it can and ought to be done, for it is not the first time the media and the presidency have not seen eye to eye.

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Monday, November 5, 2018

6 SPORTS

WesternCourier.com

Volleyball beats the Bison in Fargo

By Taylor Jordan courier staff

JOSH PURNELL/COURIER STAFF

Shiah Sanders blocks a ball against Tennessee Tech in Western Hall.

FARGO, N.D. — The Western Illinois volleyball team headed north this week with back-to-back games. The Leathernecks played North Dakota last Thursday and NDSU on last Friday. These two matches concluded their road slate for 2018 as they move onto 2-24 on the season.

Senior Shiah Sanders had a career-day for Western Illinois, but it was not enough to end the skid, as the Western Illinois Leathernecks were defeated

by North Dakota 3-1. Sanders recorded 15 kills while hitting at a .394 clip.

The Leathernecks came out hot in the first set after jumping out to a 3-0 advantage. Western stretched their lead to 10-6 after a Fighting Hawk service error, a kill from Sanders and an ace from freshman Madeline Dieter. The Leathernecks won four straight points in the middle of the set to go up 17-2, and proceeded to win the set 25-21.

North Dakota rebounded and took the second and third sets, 25-21 and 25-17. Down 13-9 in the second set, the Leathernecks took four straight points to tie the game at 13 points. The Fighting Hawks were able to battle back and take the second set, 25-21. The third set went to North Dakota, as the Fighting Hawks quickly took a 12-5 lead. The Leathernecks closed the gap to seven points

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(24-17) but UND won 25-17.

Trying to force a fifth set, the Leathernecks fought in the fourth set. Western found themselves down 16-10, they won five straight points to force a UND timeout. Western Illinois stopped the North Dakota advantage to 21-19, but the Fighting Hawks came out on top, taking the set 25-23. Junior Claire Grove logged a team-high 24 digs while senior Jaime Johnson posted 38 assists.

After less than 24 hours off, Western Illinois bounced back to break their skid against the North Dakota State Bison on Friday (Nov. 2). The Leathernecks took their final road match of the season 3-1. The win marks the first Summit League victory of the season and the first win in 24 matches.

The Leathernecks started off strong in the first set as they pulled ahead 7-5. WIU took advantage of a 3-0 scoring run, aided by a Dieter kill, to take a 13-9 lead. After Western Illinois forced a Bison timeout to go up 15-11, the Leathernecks strained another North Dakota State timeout with the set tied at 23. With the score clenched at 24, an attacking error from the Bison and a kill from sophomore Emma Norris gave the Purple and Gold a 26-24 set win.

Neither team took more than a one-point lead in the second set until North Dakota State captured a 13-11 lead. The Bison forced a Leatherneck timeout after going

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up 17-14. The Purple and Gold battled in the game and tied the score at 23 points. The Bison took the last two points of the set to tie the match at one game.

Western Illinois bounced back quickly in the third set, after capturing a 9-5 lead and turning it into a 14-8 advantage. Down six, North Dakota State was forced to take a timeout. The Leathernecks affected NDSU to take its second timeout of the set after Patenaude recorded a kill to put Western up 22-19. The Bison were able to pull within one, but the Purple and Gold enclosed the Bison run and took the set 25-21 to go up 2-1.

Carrying the momentum from the third set, the Leathernecks came out ready in the fourth set.

Western took a lightning-quick 8-1 lead and acquired a NDSU timeout. The Bison battled back to force a Leatherneck timeout after trimming the lead to 12-8. Western continued to roll in the set and stifled two runs from North Dakota State. The Leathernecks took six of the last nine points to win the fourth set 25-19.

This has been Western Illinois’ first win since sweeping Fairleigh Dickinson on Aug. 24 and is the first road victory for the Leathernecks this season. Sanders and Steckler each recorded 12 kills to lead the squad while Grove recorded a season-high 28 digs.

The Leathernecks welcome Omaha inside Western Hall on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

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Sports 7

Monday, November 5, 2018

@WesternCourier

Looking forward to the NFL playoffs

We've hit the week eight mark of the NFL season and now it’s time to look towards the end. What teams could come back? What teams are imploding? And who will win it all?

But first, here are the teams that I will not talk about. These are teams that are rebuilding and will take a number of years for them to get back on track and into serious playoff considerations. These teams include: San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts.

These are the teams that will not make the playoffs, but I want to talk about how they are imploding. First is the Jacksonville Jaguars. Last year, this team made the playoffs and made it all the way to the AFC championship game and now, is 3-5 on a four game losing streak. They gave up 40 points to the Dallas Cowboys, which shouldn’t happen when your defense is your primary weapon. The team has lost faith in quarterback Blake Bortles and will continue to struggle until they find their generational quarterback. Until then, I advise them to make their defense happy and find a new QB. Moving on to the Cleveland Browns. Coming into the sea-

son I was expecting 8-8 as their ceiling. Now it looks like they can only win five games this year. They just hired their head coach, Hue Jackson, and offensive coordinator, Todd Haley. Jackson should’ve been replaced last season, after failing to get a single win, but they kept him. Why? Rookie QB Baker Mayfield looks strong. If the Browns want to get eight wins, they need to focus on their defense and run game to help Mayfield succeed. Instead they focused too much on Mayfield and now have some major gaps in their front office.

Finally, the last team that I believe is imploding is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. First of all they need pick a consistent QB. Ryan Fitzpatrick who was substituted for Jameis Winston when he served a three game suspension from the NFL for an off the field incident involving an Uber driver. Fitzpatrick played beautifully and inspired the phrase “Fitzmagic.” His talents earned him a trip to the bench after just one bad game.

Now Winston had a bad game and Fitzpatrick is the starter once more. Pick one and stick with it. No QB is perfect; especially the two in that locker room, but to constantly switch your offensive scheme week to week causes issues and poor

performances on the field.

Now to talk about all the teams that are not in the lead, but still have a chance. Some of these teams are surprising some are not. The first is the Seattle Seahawks. They are 4-3, and have a great QB in Russell Wilson and are transitioning from the legion of boom, to a younger more dedicated defense. Next is the, Green Bay Packers. When you have a Hall of Famer as a QB you should be in the lead. They aren’t due to two reasons, a defense that models most Styrofoam companies for protection, and their head coach, Mike McCarthy.

McCarthy has kept Rodgers away from too many Super Bowls, and this season will prove he does not have what it takes to lead a team. Good luck to Green Bay, the oneman army trying to get to the playoffs.

The Atlanta Falcons have struggled despite the explosive offense they could create. Due to major injuries, Atlanta just can’t hold any momentum. They can do a lot in this league and go a long way but need to stay healthy. Superman, a.k.a. Cam Newton, is getting the job done in Carolina. Stanford alumni Christian McCaffery, who is now a household name and a fantasy beast on Sunday’s, has helped the Panthers eliminate opponents and gave Newton just one more target to play with. They are 5-2 and looking to invade the playoffs. Finally the NFC East. Every team here is a surprise. Dallas can’t score

the ball, they don’t have any receivers apparently and Dak Prescott still can’t find a consistent wideout. The Eagles are 4-4 and even Carson Wentz still can’t get them on a hot streak. The Washington Redskins are 5-2 led by Alex Smith quietly winning games like he did in Kansas City.

Making a modest living not bankrupting the NFL like his predecessor, which I wonder if the team likes that.

Moving to the AFC, the Denver Broncos defense needs to straighten themselves out to get back to their former glory they once had. Meanwhile, Melvin Gordon and the Los Angeles Chargers are amazing to watch. Gordon has established himself as a workhorse who can play with the best and with veteran Phillip Rivers, they might do some damage.

The AFC South frankly sucks.

Giving every team a shot at winning even the Colts, but Deshaun Watson will beat out the Tennessee Titans this year.

The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals are doing their best to better the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both teams are strong opponents, but lack the talent that Pittsburgh has.

With AJ Green missing time on injury the sensational Tyler Boyd will get to see how good he really is. The young receiving talent among these three teams is incredible. I can’t wait to see the future of the AFC North.

Finally, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets. Both will fight for Wild Card spots, but neither will make it, due

to the horrible persona in each team’s QB position. They don’t have the experience or talent to get back to their winning form.

Now the front-runners.

Those whose talent is scaring the rest of the NFL and whose teams are dominating their division. At the top we have the Los Angeles Rams.

The only team undefeated at 8-0 and is looking to keep it that way. Strong defense, best running back in the league and a winning system with one of the smartest men on Earth as a head coach, the Rams are looking unbeatable. Then you have the New Orleans Saints. With a Hall of Fame record breaking QB, an elite core of running backs and long speedy wideouts, leads to offensive success and team success, should I say more? The Chicago Bears on the other hand, are currently leading their division. We’ll see how long that lasts.

In the AFC the Chiefs are at the top as Patrick Mahomes looks to be an MVP candidate. His talent among amazing weapons and a defense that can maintain its own is a strong team to stop. The Steelers hold among the top as they had a shaky start and they still don’t have their elusive talent Le’Veon Bell.

Last but not least, the New England Patriots. The dynasty continues and will forever, or it seems like it. The halfway point is set and there's only eight more weeks to change the course. Let’s see who gets to the playoffs.

Leathernecks sneak past Salukis

BECCA LANGYS/PHOTO EDITOR

Sam Crosa kicking a field goal for the Leathernecks at Hanson Field.

By Titus Perez courier staff

CARBONDALE, Ill. — A brawl broke out in Carbondale this weekend between the Western Illinois University Leathernecks (5-4, 4-2 MVFC) and the Southern Illinois University Salukis (2-7, 1-5 MVFC). The game between two in-state rivals came down to a field goal to decide the winner, as the Leathernecks pulled out a 34-31 victory.

“We did an amazing job, keeping calm, staying posed no panic, just kept chipping away,” head coach Jared Elliott said. “We kept saying all we need is one score and we're going to flip momentum here' and then we stacked some good plays and our defense got a turnover.”

Western Illinois felt that this game would be tough regardless of Southern Illinois’ terrible record. Most of the team figured this was one of those games that would come down to the wire, especially since they hadn’t beat the Salukis at home since 2000.

The last time the Leathernecks were in Carbondale, SIU beat Western in a wild game that eliminated the Necks from playoff contention. Senior quarterback Sean McGuire said he remembered that game during his post-game interview. In this game, he threw 283 yards and two touchdowns to help the Purple and Gold seal their

fifth win of the season and keep their playoff hopes alive.

The game started with three straight turnovers. SIU’s running back DJ Davis fumbled on the first drive of the game and then McGuire threw his first of two interceptions on a dropped deep post route by senior wide receiver Isaiah LeSure.

However, the Salukis came back and threw an interception of their own. According to Salukis’ head coach Nick Hill; his quarterback thought a Leatherneck defender jumped offside. Therefore, he threw a deep ball thinking it was a free play, and junior cornerback Darron Wheeler played the ball well leading to his first interception of the season. That interception would lead to a Leatherneck punt.

After Western punted the ball, the Salukis got it going and scored a touchdown on a 9-yard play, 80-yard drive which was boasted by a 32-yard pass and catch from quarterback Matt DeSomer to SIU’s lead wideout Raphael Leonard. Davis later ran it in from four yards out to give the Salukis a 7-0 lead. McGuire and the Western offense answered immediately as they drove 77-yards in just nine plays on the next possession. Junior running back Max Morris who had 91 yards in the game on 17 carries, busted out a 40-yard run to the Salukis 1-yard line. Senior running back Steve McShane would score on a run up the middle just one play later, tying the game at a touchdown apiece.

The Purple and Gold scored on back-to-back drives. After

BECCA LANGYS/PHOTO EDITOR

Max Norris reciveiving the ball from quarterback Sean McGuire in a home game.

a Salukis three and out, the Leathernecks offense drove down the field and took the lead 14-7 on a 14-yard passing touchdown form McGuire to sophomore running back Clint Ratkovich. It was McGuire’s 20th touchdown pass of the season.

The Salukis answered on their next possession with a long, 6:19 drive. While the drive only ended in a field goal, it brought the score to 14-10. The length of the drive drained the Leatherneck momentum and turned it in SIU’s favor, as they took over the game from this point.

SIU closed the half by pinning the Necks deep in their own territory on a punt, Western Illinois couldn’t move the ball and had to punt the ball back to SIU, which put them in good field positioning. This led to a Salukis touchdown. DeSomer found Je’Quan Burton wide open for a 20-yard touchdown with 42 seconds left in the half.

Western would run out the rest of the clock and go to half trailing 17-14.

The second half started with Western putting together an impressive drive that got all the way inside the Southern Illinois 1-yard line. However, on fourth and goal, with the Necks electing to go for it, Southern Illinois stuffed McGuire short of the end zone on a quarterback sneak. SIU would take over on downs and then drive 99-yards down the field for a touchdown of their own, bringing the score to 24-14.

McGuire threw his second interception of the day trying

to set up a screen on the next possession, SIU defensive lineman jumped the attempt and took the ball away; the interception set up another Saluki touchdown. DeSomer hooked up with Leonard again, this time for a 30-yard touchdown to give them the 31-14 lead, with 3:08 remaining in the third quarter.

Down 17 points entering the fourth quarter, the Leathernecks would answer with a 34-yard field goal from junior kicker Sam Crosa with 13:33 left in the game, bringing the score to 34-17. On the first play of their next possession, SIU fumbled and the Western defense recovered the ball. The offense then took advantage of the short field and scored on McShane’s second rushing touchdown of the day, this time from four yards out. McShane seemed to be surrounded in the backfield but made a spectacular hesitation move to get in the end zone and help Western close the gap by only a single touchdown, 31-24.

SIU tried to answer on their next drive, but ended up punting. They took a shot down the field and had a receiver open but Wheeler made a great play on the ball knocking it down, stopping a sure touchdown. On third down, junior defensive lineman Lacale London sacked DeSomer to force the punt.

Western would tie the game on the pursing possession, driving the ball 96 yards in nine plays. The drive was chaotic as McShane fumbled after catching a short pass, but SIU was flagged for a facemask on the

play. Still mad at the facemask call, SIU was flagged again a couple plays later for unsportsmanlike conduct. Later in the drive, McGuire stretched the field and went deep for LeSure who made a circus catch over a defender, his catch put Western in field goal range.

They ran a couple plays before Crosa knocked down his second 34-yard field goal of the game, with just 13 seconds left in the game. SIU threw a long ball, which fell incomplete, but a pass interference call extended the game and gave SIU a legitimate shot at a Hail Mary. However, DeSomer was sacked to end the game which completed the Leatherneck comeback.

“I'm just so proud of our guys, how they fought and how they finished,” Elliott said.

“They never lost faith, they just keep fighting, and they believed, and when you believe you give yourself a chance.”

Not only was this a huge win as far as the Missouri Valley Football Conference standings will look, but it was the first time that Western Illinois has defeated the Salukis in Carbondale since the year 2000.

SIU had won the last eight matchups at Saluki Stadium.

The overall series record is now 37-23-4, with Western leading.

After Saturday’s game, the Purple and Gold are currently ranked third in the MVFC standings and have a good shot of seeing playoff action once again this season.