Western Courier|February 21st, 2018

Opinions: Party politics do nothing but polarize.

Sports: Team USA behind in medal race.

Sports: Leathernecks approaching end of Basketball season.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018 - Vol. 118 Issue 58

Western looks at positives

By Nicholas Ebelhack editor-in-chief

NICHOLAS EBELHACK/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

University members speak at Monday's Town Hall Meeting. Pictured clockwise starting at the top left: Western Illinois University President Jack Thomas, Centennial Honors College Director Rick Hardy, Professor of English and Librarian Bill Thompson and Director of University Relations Darcie Shinberger.

President Jack Thomas and his administrative staff fielded ideas from the university community Monday afternoon at a town hall meeting focusing on generating ideas to emphasize the positive aspects of Western Illinois University.

“This is a wonderful time for us to come together as faculty, staff, students and administrators to come together and talk about our university and what we can do to make things better,” Thomas said.

“We do some great things at this university, but we feel we can also some better things at this institution.”

As enrollment and appropriated funding continues to decline at Western, Thomas acknowledged that times have been tough at Western but that the university is looking for new ways to push through adversity.

“For the past seven years, we have dealt with the state cash flow, and for the last two years the state budget impasse has severely affected the university,” Thomas said.

“Unfortunately the hand that we have been dealt hasn’t been popular with our state

colleges and universities.”

Director of University Relations Darcie Shinberger moderated the session, fielding potential ideas to be discussed with Thomas in addition to admissions staff and other departments.

“We can achieve even more when we all work together,” Thomas said. “The positive things that we have achieved in the last year outweigh the negatives, and you all know a lot about all those positive things in spite of the challenges.”

Ideas that were proposed included a focus on academic strengths, to which Centennial Honors College Director Rick Hardy responded with the Honors College’s contribution.

“We have an Athletics Hall of Fame; our greatest athletes are showcased there,” Hardy said. “But what do we do with our great students?

We will have the Academic Hall of Fame. The Honors College is working on the Academic Hall of Fame right now, and we will have all of our best students listed on it digitally.”

Town Hall page 3

SGA prepares for election season

By Marc Ramirez assistant news editor

Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m., the Student Government Association held their weekly meeting in the Capital Room of the University Union to discuss topics ranging from elections to allocating resources for apparel.

During the Legislative Session, General Election Regulations were discussed being that Spring Elections of 2018 were approaching. SGA Attorney General Kelly Rodgers presented the rules and regulations to the legislative body explaining new revisions.

Big changes include: candidates may now share why they are running for the perspective position, decreases in signatures needed by President and Vice President candidates, and an

increase in the amount of signatures needed for the Senator at Large position.

“Last year candidates were not allowed to speak on their position on why they were running,” Rodgers said. “This year it allows them a little more flexibility, so when a student asks them why they are running for said position, they can elaborate on that.”

In last year’s election, students running for the President or Vice president positions were required to attain 500 signatures from their peers showing their support. This year Rodgers plans to lower the signature rate back down to the previous 300 needed.

SGA page 3

JOSH PURNELL/COURIER STAFF

Student Government Association Attorney General Kelly Rodger presents new election rules Tuesday.

2

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

NEWS

WesternCourier.com

Council talks water issues

By Steven Barnum

courier staff

Even though they were shielded from the rain, the Macomb, Ill. city council met on Tuesday to talk about water issues.

First on the agenda was the city’s plan to charge citizens a flat service fee of $2 per month for every water meter in town. Quick to give his proposal from the public comments section was Macomb resident Dana Walker.

Walker suggested they charge different fees relative to the size of each meter, instead of charging everybody the same fee.

“I’ve heard no reason not to adopt the alternative fee schedule,” regarding his proposal from late last year.

“There’s some resentment to the flat fee among the regular citizens of the community and it builds every time you raise the fee.”

According to Walker, meters come in many different sizes, and it only makes sense to charge more depending on how big the meters are.

Adding to the validity of his alternative idea, Walker declared there were no objections when he last laid out his plan.

Sticking with water, the apparent theme of the night, Scott Coker recapped the problem with the Central Water Treatment Plant. Coker, the public works director, reminded the council that one of the three pumps is currently out of order due to a vibration. The pump needs to be removed from the ground and serviced.

The task of removing the pump from the ground won’t be an easy one; the pump is rather large and occupies space well beneath the ground. The pump, which has pumped roughly half of the five trillion gallons of water used by the city since 2010, must be removed with a crane.

Coker assured the council that the pump would be worth fixing. It would take 12 to 16 weeks to get a new pump, and it would cost much less to service the existing pump than it would to bring in a new pump.

Central Sump Service is the apparent low bidder for the project. They will be responsible for removing the pump, taking it to their shop, and servicing it so it’s ready for future use.

The amount agreed upon is just over $900,000. “We are receiving a grant and the additional expenses will come from our water fund,” said Coker, “we’re within our budgeted amount on that and we received great bids.”

Of the three bids in total, the council ultimately chose to accept Central Sump’s Service’s offer.

Next, it was announced that the Macomb transportation was looking at construction bids for bus stops. Of the five contractors who submitted bids, Otto Baum Company, Inc offered the lowest bid. The offer was for $139,156, which is well within the construction estimate of $172,000. After review, IDOT recommended that Otto Baum be awarded with $156,722.

“This was three to four years in planning for the Go West Transit System,” said Macomb Mayor Mike Inman “federal funding went away and then came back,” pointing out how the deal is now possible.

Specifically, IDOT handed out grant funds that now allow for the transportation.

The council will officially approve the bid at next week’s meeting.

In closing, it was revealed that the local high school was holding a forum with political candidates shortly after the city council meeting. The forum allowed residents to discuss the upcoming primary elections, which will be held next month.

Jasmyne taylor/courier staff

Macomb Mayor Mike Inman

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Wednesday, February 21, 2018

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SGA

from front page

“Talking to those who ran last year, even with the amount of time they had, it was difficult for them to get 500 signatures,” said Rodgers. “Lowering it back down to 300 should make it easier to get signatures.”

In addition, the Senator at Large position will have an increase of signatures needed from 50 to 75. Rodgers explains that this is intended to deter any potential candidates to run for the position, which is why the signature count was only raised by 25.

“They represent the student body here at Western, so they should be talking to as many students as possible,” said Rodgers.

Changes such as petitioning to organizations that meet outside of the University Union have also been made.

Candidates are now free to speak on behalf of their position and reasons for running at various organizations in efforts to gain supporters. This includes but is not limited to all organizations within the Office of Student Activities. Candidates how-

Smith from front page

Other ideas included ways to make potential students feel more included on campus. Women’s Center Director Stephanie Hovsepian mentioned that the entire university community plays a role in ensuring marginalized groups feel comfortable and attracted to Western.

“We are doing some amazing work along with our graduate students,” Hovsepian said. “The work that we do absolutely supports the work that you all are doing right now, and our efforts to connect with students of different races and ethnicities, but that isn’t just our job, this is everyone’s work to find ways to give those students who want that extra support.”

Shinberger also mentioned

ever so have to go through appropriate channels such as organizations presidents to gain access to such petitioning efforts.

Tuesday night’s general assembly also discussed allocation of funds to purchase T-shirts with the SGA logo and reward winners of the “Western Illinois University Student Government Student of the Month Program.”

“We are looking to get t-shirts for SGA members to have as almost a uniform that we can wear when we have events like ‘Lunch time with Leaders’,” said author of SGA Bill of Appropriation 2017-2018.009 and Director of Finance Nicole Viveros.

“This way we can look a lot more unified when making public appearances.”

Student Government Association President, Grant Reed, spoke on behalf of Vice President Samir Almhiemid’s bill to reward students who receive the Student Government of the Month.

“A monetary reward of 25 dollars to their Rocky Dollar account will be dispersed, they can buy food or laundry,” said Reed. “ We thought it was just a bit more utilitarian for them.” how little things can make students feel included, citing that some students find their way to Western when they see that there interests are represented in student organizations or other activities.

“I met with the outdoors club the other day, this sounds silly but there are a lot of high schools in the region that have an outdoors club or a bass fishing club,” Shinberger said. We have a big bass fishing club here and they are willing to invite those students here and meet with our club so that they know there is something that interest them here.”

Thomas ended the meeting with his closing remarks, encouraging people to continue to pitch ideas.

“We want to continue this dialogue and to promote the positive things happening at Western.”

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NEWS 3

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Wednesday, February 21, 2018

4 OPINIONS

Things around the world have been a little dark and depressing lately so I thought I would talk about a nice story of friendship. A few days ago, President Trump endorsed long time friend Mitt Romney for the soon to be vacated Utah Senate seat.

The former Massachusetts governor hopes to replace retiring Senator Orrin Hatch.

This is not the first time President Trump has had nice things to say about his buddy Romney. Back when Trump was still running for president, he called Rom-

ney “one of the dumbest and worst candidates in the history of Republican politics,” referring to his 2012 presidential election loss to President Obama. Trump also endorsed Romney for that election as well.

While President Trump is famous for his love-hate relationships with literally everyone he encounters, this feels like it’s more of a political party move rather than two old buddies supporting each other.

This is not the first time at all we’ve seen political re-

lationships completely flip like this over a short period of time. Another early Trump critic was Speaker of the House Paul Ryan who spoke out against Trump during the primary and still critiqued him after he had received the nomination. It wasn’t until Trump was sworn in as president that Speaker Ryan seemed to be on good terms with him and supported his presidency.

In fact many GOP critics of Trump became goody goody with him after he won the election. Ben Carson happily accepted a cabinet position for something I’m not entirely sure he’s qualified for unless you use Trump’s logic. Chris Christie was an avid opposer of Trump’s in the primaries, but once he

dropped from the race he followed the future commander in chief like a lost puppy.

Unfortunately this issue is one of the few things that both parties support. Despite significant evidence that the Democratic primary results were tampered with, Bernie Sanders supported Hillary Clinton’s nomination and election campaign, even though he had way more support. He also polled better against Trump than Clinton did, but the party had picked their candidate before the Iowa caucuses had even started. This by no means is the only time loyalty has quickly changed in the Democratic Party either. So what’s the issue?

Politicians are blindly loyal to their respective par-

They hired Fergie to provide the service of singing the national anthem for the game. There’s expectations that come with that. Once she accepted the money, she was obligated to perform the national anthem up to the standards and expectations of the NBA. And by not rendering that service she, in essence, cheats the NBA out of their money. She drew attention away from the game and capitalized her service for her own agenda.

Her agenda could have been to make a political statement.

If she did, this is controversial. It could be related to the people who knelt during the national anthem. I

think people should still sing the national anthem and stand up for it. Even though I do not like the president, I think the spirit of America, and the idea of America is still present in the hearts of the people. This is a strange time for our country. When people believe the president doesn’t know what he’s doing, they think kneeling for the pledge of allegiance will make a statement. I think people should stand up and sing well because we should all be patriotic, even during trying times.

“This was a good example of someone trying to make the national anthem all about her rather than being a part of a long held patriotic tradition. It was not an American Idol audition. She exceeded her personal fowl (sic) limit and should have been escorted out of the building,” a comment made on YouTube

by user RSVPini. They are right because the national anthem is a patriotic song, not a sexy one. If a pop star sings it, they should sing it the right way.

Usually, the song is supposed to be apolitical. This rendition by Fergie has a hint of political action. There needs to be a lot of political action, but not during a sports game. The political action should be saved for other public events.

Fergie should be ashamed.

She let down the nation.

In the midst of all this tension across the country she shouldn’t walk up to the microphone and make a fool of herself. The basketball players were trying to hold in laughter. Her performance was really funny, yet cringe worthy at the same time. The national anthem is something to be respected and shouldn’t be ‘fergalicious.’

Stop trying to politicize our national symbols

Fergie’s rendition of the national anthem at the NBA all-star game was the worst rendition I’ve ever heard. She looked like she was drunk.

She seemed like she wanted to put her own pop star spin on it. The national anthem shouldn’t be like that. The national anthem should be a time to honor our country.

Joy Reid, host of AM Joy on MSNBC, said on twitter that the anthem should be “soaring but hard to sing ...war focused ...set to the tune of an old English drinking song ...marred by a third verse attacking enslaved men for daring to fight for freedom.

One thing it is NOT is a sexy lounge song. Nope.”

WesternCourier.com

ties, both in Washington and across the country. There is usually not enough support for independent and third party candidates so politicians are forced to pick red or blue.

The issue this creates is that instead of doing what they believe or what’s best for the country, they do what is best for their party and control of their seat. This leads to a constant power struggle and territory war and makes Washington look more like the set of “West Side Story” and less like a government.

We need politicians who will support what they believe and not get caught up in the snapping and dance numbers. We don’t need politicians to be friendly, we need them to grow spines.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

@WesternCourier

OPINIONS 5

Videos are hit or miss In a letter to the editor published on Jan. 31, Faculty Senate Chair Steve Rock made a point pertaining to Student Member to the Board of Trustees Wil Gradle’s position on the use of videos inside the classroom.

“Trustee Gradle allegedly stated: ‘professors excessively use videos and presentations to teach students the material as opposed to traditional lectures,’” Rock said. “I surmise that most undergraduate students actually find videos and presentations a welcome method to present course material. In today’s best practices for teaching, a variety of approaches are suggested rather than just lecturing to accommodate students’ different learning styles.”

I believe Rock has missed the point of Gradle’s concerns. Yes, a variety of methods should be used to present material because not everyone learns the same way.

But while videos can be a strong supplement to course material, relying heavily on video presentations that either echo what the lecturer has stated or to replace teaching altogether is an issue that does need to be talked about.

Vote for a middle class candidate

With the primary election day set for March 20th, campaigns all across the state are kicking into high gear. Most notable among these campaigns is that of JB Pritzker, a Democratic hopeful for governer.

Just last week, Pritzker put in another $7 million to his own campaign, bringing his total spending in this election to $56 million.

I don't think I'm alone when I say that's too much money for one person to be able to put into a campaign.

It is absurd that someone who has literally zero qualifications or experience in governance would think to try and buy a governership position. But realistically thinking, it's not really that absurd. Our president did just that. And so did our governor. And people acted surprised when people with no experience in governing turned out to be terrible at it.

So why then are so many demo-

crats in Illinois supporting Pritzker? The answer is fairly simple.

He has a lot of money, and he is using that to buy the most TV commercial spots and Youtube ads. The big endorsements he has gotten have all been from organizations he just happened to have donated large amounts of money to.

To me, that seems like an unfair election. But everything he has done has been totally legal, at least in terms of campaign finance. The problem with American elections is that there is too much money involved. Campaigns aren't about taking positions that voters want. They are about raising and spending as much money as you can.

JB Pritzker will never attempt to change that system. He benefits from it, so why would he even bother. Only one candidate in this elections has not only promised to get money out of politics, but has actually outlined a plan

to do so, as well as funded his entire campaign through small donations from Illinois families.

That candidate is Daniel Biss.

He is a senator from the 9th district, and has seven years of experience in the legislature. He is also middle class. He hasn't been accepting donations from a bunch of rich friends. In other words he hasn't been bought.

He has laid out a plan to fix Illinois, not just return to the place we were at before Bruce Rauner became governor. He has recieved endorsements from Our Revolution and MoveOn.org, two organizations dedicated to getting money out of politics and ensuring fair and free elections for all Americans.

He has also taken a stance against not only Rauner, but against Mike Madigan. He understand's that Illinois' problems extend beyond the past four years. So if you are a registered Democrat or Independent, take some time on March 20th to consider what kind of Illinois you want to live in. Do you want to continue living in a state dominated by the wealthy? Or do you want the power to return to the middle class?

This semester, I have two professors that have relied on videos inside the classroom.

One has used videos in a way that I think everyone can agree is a “best practice” as Rock said, while the other has me questioning why I invested my money in their class in the first place.

My “History of Modern Japan” course, taught by Febe Pamonag, is an example of how videos should be used in the classroom.

Pamonag uses videos to present information in a meaningful way, showing material that you cannot replicate through a traditional lecture such as art, music and iconography that embodies Japanese history and culture.

But she doesn’t just show the video. The video is accompanied with discussion, and the videos add information that isn’t restating what the lecture presents, nor does it present information that could easily be explained through lecture by the professor, and many times, such as with films, the material isn’t readily available to students on the internet without a cost barrier.

In another class, however, I would not consider the usage of videos to be a “best practice.” In

this class, the professor utilizes videos that are easily available to students outside of the classroom through YouTube, and no discussion follows. There have been multiple days this semester where the class begins, the professor clicks play and then clicks stop when the class ends.

Each three-credit hour course I take costs $1,128.27.

YouTube videos cost nothing, and I can at least watch them from the comfort of my bed.

If there wasn’t an attendance policy in that class (which is a separate article for another time, kudos to College of Business and Technology Senator Amanda Wrenn for starting a conversation on another important issue though), I would not show up. If 50 minutes of YouTube videos can constitute a college level class, then I’m just as qualified to be a professor as anyone else with internet access.

I mentioned earlier that I agree with Rock that a variety of teaching methods does make for an ideal classroom. But I wouldn’t call a class that relies on videos to present all the information as teaching, just like how I wouldn’t call sitting a young child in front of a television all day parenting.

Videos can be useful, and in many cases a “best practice,” when the curriculum calls for it.

But I didn’t pay for YouTube, I paid for an educational experience from an academic expert.

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

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

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

6 SPORTS

Men

from back page

The Leathernecks go into Thursday’s matchup looking to gain momentum for the Summit League Tournament right around the corner, but they have to play a very smart game. The Purple and Gold have struggled with turnovers all season long, which is one of the reasons that have so many doubledigit losses this season. The Leathernecks also need to be efficient on both ends of the court. On offense, they need to focus their game plan around Webster.

Though Webster is only a freshman, he plays like he has been playing college basketball for years. He has proven he is the leader of this team,

and he lives for taking the big shot.

Coach Wright needs to get his young star as many shots as possible if Western wants to come out with a victory. On the defensive side, junior center Brandon Gilbeck needs to be the elite rim protector who has haunted Summit League teams for the past few seasons, but needs to stay out of foul trouble.

To win this game, Western will need to lock down Miller, and make the extra pass on offense to get the shot they want. With only one more game left before the conference tournament, the Leathernecks will look to gain momentum during the final stretch of the season.

Twitter: Brendan ReidyII

from back page

FILE PHOTO

They were solid in the team’s first meeting, Blummer hit five threes and ended the night with 19 points, Higginbotham added 18. The Leathernecks defense was also stifling in this game. They forced 21 turnovers in the matchup while only coughing up the ball nine times, this lead to a 25-4 advantage in scoring for the Leathernecks.

The defense and shooting should get Western to their 20th victory of the season, which would mark Coach Gravina’s first time having back to back 20 win seasons

CLASSIFIEDS

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For Rent

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Submit a classifieds ad to Micour@wiu.edu

1 & 2 bedroom apartments, new $250 signing bonus on 10 and 12 month leases. Two blocks from campus. Bus stops nearby. Free water, garbage and parking. Laundry onsite. Clean, well maintained and secure. Call Ted 309-837-5600 or visit markertrental.com.

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.

BECCA LANGYS/PHOTO EDITOR

Taylor Higginbotham dribbles the ball up court.

Women

Brandon Gilbeck gathers with a defender draped on his back.

WesternCourier.com

since joining the program in 2012, after getting his first last year.

The Bison are hoping that the travel to Fargo, North Dakota will have some effect on their opponents. The Leathernecks are just 8-5 on the road this season compared to an impressive 11-3 at home.

While NDSU is only 6-6 at home, their 2-10 road record shows they play their best basketball with the crowd in Fargo behind them. Bison head coach Maren Walseth knows that the key to beating the Purple and Gold would be to rebound well again, as they were able to outrebound Western 38-31 in meeting number one. Walseth also

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knows to get Sarah and Reilly Jacobson (no relation) going early. The sophomore duo are the two leading scorers for the squad. Sarah Jacobson was the lone Bison with more than 15 points the last time the two teams played, as she went for 26 while hitting six of her nine three point attempts. Reilly Jacobson struggled shooting that night but still added 13 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

The teams will tip off at 7 p.m. in Fargo, N.D. on Thursday inside the Scheels Arena.

The game can be viewed on ESPN3, or heard on radio via Leathernecks Sports Network Twitter: HeChilling

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

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Sports 7

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

@WesternCourier

U.S. falls behind in medal race

Four years ago, the United States won the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games medal race with 28 in total; 9 gold, 7 silver and 12 bronze. However, this time around, about half way through the games, the U.S. isn’t really in contention to win that race to the surprise of many.

Norway is leading with 29 medals, followed by Germany with 23, Canada with 19, Netherlands with 14, France with 13, and the U.S. in fifth with 12 medals.

The United States is usually favorited to win the medal race in every Olympics, so it’s understandable if they can’t live up to our extremely high standards every once in a while. In the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games, the U.S. won 121 medals, coming in first as expected.

Coming in second was Great Britain with 67. Needless to say, the U.S. is always favorited to win the race, just like they have for the past two games.

On the other hand, although the U.S. might not have the most medals, they sure do provide some fun athletes to watch. You might remember my top ten

U.S. athletes to look out for article; if not, I had Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White, Jamie Anderson, Chloe Kim and Mikaela Shiffrin as my top five. Out of those top five, four of them have gold medals.

The United States has 224 competing athletes, which is among the most out of the other competing countries, so choosing a top ten was quite difficult.

I knew some of my personal favorites were going to be there, like snowboarding legend Shaun White, but for others I had to do some research.

Either way, the U.S. only has 11 medals, so let’s talk about how we got them, and what we still have to look forward to.

The first medal that the United States has won was by 17-yearold Red Gerard in the men’s snowboarding slopestyle. It was his first Olympic medal, and after a terrific come from behind victory, he completely deserved that one.

Gerard wasn’t the only American to get things done in the snowboarding department though. As a matter of fact, three other U.S. athletes were able to capture gold, including

my two favorite athletes, White and Kim. Kim picked up her first Olympic medal, also at the age of only 17. She put down a perfect run in the women’s snowboarding halfpipe, capturing her Olympic gold. Following her to the podium in that event was Arielle Gold, capturing her first Olympic medal as well at just 21. Also winning gold in the women’s snowboarding division was Jamie Anderson as she found herself a gold medal in the women’s slopestyle event for the second straight winter Olympic games.

On the other side of the spectrum, you have White. At 31 years old, this was most likely his final attempt at capturing another gold medal. He last won gold in the 2006 and 2010 games, but missed out in 2014; so, he was set out on a mission to regain his crown. As the top qualifier heading into the men’s snowboarding halfpipe competition, he was already the favorite to win. So, when he flew through the pipe and put down one of the best runs of his life, you could tell that was the winning run before the scores even came in.

When White finally did find out he won, tears of happiness ran down his face, and it was a moment he won’t forget, and neither will I. White is one of my favorite athletes, so I’m hoping he doesn’t hang

it up just yet, but if he does, I understand, and this is sure a great way to leave his legacy, winning the U.S.’s 100th winter Olympic gold medal.

Another athlete I said to look out for was Shiffrin. She has been tearing it up recently in the women’s skiing giant slalom and was expected to win gold in the event; and that’s exactly what she did. This was her second Olympic medal, and she’s just getting started with her skiing career. Also in skiing was Nick Goepper as he was able to pick up silver in the men’s slopestyle event, while Brita Sigourney captured bronze in the women’s halfpipe.

I also said to look out for a couple of the American figure skaters, including Adam Rippon and the Shibutani’s. They were all able to work together to pick up the bronze medal in the team event. None of them have captured individual medals yet, but it’s just a matter of time before they do.

Rounding off the U.S. medal count for now were a couple of silver medals from Chris Mazder in men’s singles luge and John-Henry Krueger in the men’s 1000m short track speed skating event. That’s the rundown for all the U.S. medals for now, but there are still plenty of opportunities for the American athletes to pick up some silverware. So, what do we still have

to look forward to?

Well first of all, you have the gold medal games for both men’s and women’s hockey.

Even if the U.S. doesn’t make it to the gold medal games, these are definitely still worth tuning in for. The women’s gold medal game is tonight, while the men’s is on the final day of competition on the 25.

You also have Vonn seeking redemption in alpine skiing events such as downhill and Super-G. She came in as my number one U.S. athlete to watch and I stand by that. She’s been through so many injuries, and really deserves to finish her decorated career on top.

Also making that list was Gus Kenworthy, one of the only openly gay athletes competing at the winter Olympics. If you’re interested, you can catch him in the men’s skiing halfpipe finals tonight.

There’s so many other events that I could go on and on forever listing them. We still have curling, speed skating, figure skating, skeleton, cross country skiing, ski jump and team bobsled just to name a few.

So, if you haven’t been watching the first half of the games, I strongly encourage you to tune into your local station to catch some of the action. The Olympics only come around every two years anyway, so you really don’t want to miss out.

Baseball unsuccessful in Opening Weekend

By Haley Richards

assistant sports editor

CJ Schaeffer behind the plate for Western.

JASMYNE TAYLOR//COURIER STAFF

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Western Illinois University baseball team headed to Tennessee for the start of their 2018 season. The Leathernecks played a three-game series against the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State University. Unfortunately, the Purple and Gold could not find a win in their Opening Weekend and will start the season with a record of 0-3.

Their first game was on Friday afternoon at Reese Smith Jr. Field where the home team walked away with the 2-0 win. The game started off slow, there were no runs scored until the fifth inning.

“We had an opportunity to blow that game open in the first two innings - push one or two across there and you can breathe a little bit,” said head coach Ryan Brownlee. “That's something that we will get better at. We just got to make sure we're forcing the pitcher to be in the strike zone with runners in scoring position.”

Junior pitcher Ian Koch threw six innings on the day. He only allowed two runs and matched

his career-high seven strikeouts.

Senior pitchers Pete Minella and Colan Borchers stepped in and yielded just one hit. Borchers recorded three strikeouts in just 1.1 innings.

“Middle [Tennessee State] is a pretty aggressive team, and you want to try to take that away from them at times,” said Brownlee. “Ian [Koch], Pete [Minella] and [Colan] Borchers all did a really good job of executing pitches, especially twostrike pitches, which is why our strikeout totals were up. All three of those guys did a good job. When they got into trouble, they worked around it. They are veteran pitchers.”

Offensively for the Leathernecks, senior infielders Mitch Ellis and Jonathan Fleek, junior utility Bailey Montgomery and senior outfielder Dave Dobrinich all tallied singles in their first game of the season.

The second game of the series was played on Sunday and Western lost 11-7. The Leathernecks competed for the entire game, earning six runs in the last few innings, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.

The leaders for game two

were junior catcher C J Schaeffer with three hits, two runs and one RBI. Junior outfielder Steve McShane and sophomore outfielder Grant Hannant both had three hits and one run. Junior shortstop Deion Thompson recorded a gamehigh two RBIs. The third and final game of the series followed game two in a double-header series where the Leathernecks fell 9-3. This was another game where the Leathernecks battled until the end. McShane and Hannant both recorded back-to-back RBI singles in the ninth inning to put some more points on the board.

Senior pitcher Ryan Dunne made his debut for Western Illinois and pitched a total of 4.2 innings. He ended the game with seven strikeouts, eight hits and five runs.

The Purple and Gold will hit the road again this weekend. This time, they are headed to Murray, Kentucky to face Murray State University.

Western will play a three-game series against the Racers. The first game is set for Friday at 1 p.m. and the last game of the series will be played on Sunday.

Men seek vengence against Bison

By Brendan Reidy courier staff

FILE PHOTO

Kobe Webster eyes the defense as he crosses halfcourt.

MACOMB, ILL. — The Western Illinois University Leathernecks 11-14 (2-14) will take on the Bison of North Dakota State University 13-15 (4-8) Thursday, at 7 p.m. The Leathernecks lost the first matchup in Fargo, North Dakota by a score of 80-69.

The last time these two teams faced, Kobe Webster lit up the stat sheet. Webster dropped 24 points, along with five rebounds and two assists. However, Kobe Webster’s big game was not enough for the Leathernecks to defeat the Bison on the road. North Dakota State’s Paul Miller dropped 26 points on 11-18 shooting, and led the charge to defeat the Leathernecks.

The Bison are currently 6th in the Summit League, as the season is starting to come to a close. North Dakota State is coming off an 84-72 loss against Fort Wayne, and is looking to get back on track by defeating Western on the road.

The Bison are led by junior guard Paul Miller who is averaging 19.3 points per game this

season. Miller is a First Team All-Summit selection, and is the leading scorer for North Dakota State for the second straight year. Defensively the Bison are very sound. They are led on the defensive end by freshman guard Cameron Hunter who is averaging 1.0 steals per contest. These two will lead the way for the Bison as they look to complete the season sweep against the Fighting Leathernecks.

Western is coming off a big loss to South Dakota State University, losing to the Jackrabbits 82-62 on the road.

Freshman Isaac Johnson had himself a day, scoring 20 points to go along with 13 rebounds, earning him his first career double-double as a Leatherneck.

Despite Johnson’s stellar performance, it was not enough to take down the top ranked Jackrabbits. Summit League Player of the Year candidate Michael Daum and up and coming freshman David Jenkins combined for 50 of South Dakota State’s 82 points.

Men

page 6

Necks looking to rebound after loss

By Titus Perez courier staff

MACOMB, ILL. — The women of Purple and Gold are looking to get back on the right track after a tough loss to the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits (22-5, 11-1 Summit) by a score of 70-42.

Head coach J.D Gravina and the Leathernecks are hoping the upcoming game Thursday against the North Dakota State University Bison (9-17, 2-10 Summit) is different. Even after the loss, the Leathernecks are sitting comfortably in 3rd place in the Summit league standings as they lead the 4th place University of Denver Pioneers (16-12, 7-6 Summit) by two games in the loss column, heading into Thursday’s night game against the Bison.

At 19-8 overall, they look to take advantage of a struggling Bison team for the second time this year. In their previous meeting, the Leathernecks won rather easily, 97-72 in the comforts of Western Hall.

Western was on fire from a three point range in this game hitting on 19 of their 40 attempts. This assault was led by senior guard Michelle

Farrow, who posted career highs in points with 25 and three pointers with seven. The 19 threes the Leathernecks hit against the Bison on Jan. 27 was also a season high for the team.

For the Leathernecks to have success, the recipe should be more of the same. Get the ball to their shooters and allow them to dominate the game as they did the first time around.

Leathernecks leading scorer, senior guard Emily Clemens, never got going in the first meeting, finishing with nine points, though she did add eight assists. If she is up to her usual tricks Thursday, the Lady Bison will have a difficult time matching up with the Purple and Gold.

She’s also looking to bounce back after a disappointing senior day performance, so the Bison could be in for a long night.

Senior guard Morgan Blummer and junior guard Taylor Higginbotham will also be key factors to the game plan as they always are.

Women page 6

Morgan Blumer runs back to get on offense

BECCA LANGYS/PHOTO EDITOR