Western Courier | November 6th, 2017

Opinions: U.N. sanctions are ineffective.

Sports: St. Pierre gives fans the fight they have been waiting for.

Sports: Western victorious in 100th matchup with Redbirds.

Monday, November 6, 2017 - Vol. 118 Issue 32

Gubernatorial candidates to host m ­ eet-and-greet

CHRIS DILTZ

Illinois Senator Daniel Biss (right) and State Representative and Western alumna Litesa Wallace (left) congegrate with minority groups as they prepare for their meet-and-greet.

By Isaiah Herard news editor

To spread political awareness, Western Illinois University’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored people (NAACP) will host Gubernatorial Candidate State Senator Daniel Biss and State Representative and Western alumna Litesa Wallace, Biss’ running mate, in a meet-andgreet on Nov. 9 in Morgan Hall

109 at 5:30 p.m.

Biss is a member of the Illinois State Senate, representing the ninth district since January 2013 while Western alumna Wallace is a democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, serving the Rockford-based 67th district. Wallace is running for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in the Democratic primary alongside Biss.

According to Naisha Joyner,

president of Western's NAACP, the meet-and-greet will raise awareness about political issues and increase political involvement on campus.

“This particular event is to help raise awareness as well as knowledge about the importance of political awareness,” Joyner said. “It helps that an alumna of the university is reaching back in efforts to connect and understand what the people that her and Daniel Biss represent need

and want. This is also a great opportunity to see the effect that western Illinois University plays in future endeavors. This event will serve as a representation of the importance of networking and so much more.”

Mercedes Joyner, presiding member of the NAACP, said Biss and Wallace will bring a level of knowledge and prestige that can inspire students to congregate and spearhead political issues.

“They serve to be very inclusive as well as empathetic with the people they serve,” Joyner said. “They are very hands on with finding out problems and coming up with solutions. I do believe that students will gain enough power and knowledge to spread their opinions and voices on topics they are passionate about.”

According to Mercedes and Naisha Joyner, the NAACP plays an active role in political activism as well as takes on the role of educating and empowering students while welcoming diversity. The event serves as a give-and-take experience.

“As a connecting organization on campus I thought it would be a great idea to have our general assembly as well as our young black students on campus to be involved in political issues,” Joyner said. “We often talk about things we are dissatisfied with on campus, and here we can put those concerns into action, which is why this will be in place of our normal meeting times. Therefore, making it more convenient. We are an organization that stands for knowledge being wealth.

What better way to educate than to stand behind something 100 percent.”

Meet and greet page 3

Western hires first-ever Academic Success Coach

By Isaiah Herard news editor

WIU.EDU

Western Illinois University hires Western Alumna and former director of academic services for Western athletics as their first-ever Academic Success Coach.

Spearheading the ongoing issue of student retention and success on campus, the Western Illinois University Advising and Academic Service Center hired their first-ever academic success coach with the goal of improving student retention and success.

Western alumna Lisa MelzJennings is the department’s new academic success coach.

Prior to joining the advising center, Melz-Jennings directed academic services for Western Athletics for 18 years.

“Before my role as the academic success coach I was working with the Western Student-Athletes on pretty much the exact same thing,” Melz-Jennings said. “After

doing that job for so long, I was ready for a new experience and so when this job became available it was very exciting because I wanted to bring the success the studentathletes were having to the general student population at Western. I built a program in the sports department and now I want to build a program here.”

Aware of the retention decline primarily suffered at the hands of the budget impasse, Melz-Jennings said she aspires to increase Western’s retention rate by preventing students from failing the requirements of their academic probation or preventing students from reaching below average academic standing.

Coach

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Monday, November 6, 2017

NEWS

WesternCourier.com

School of Agriculture sponsors food bank

WIU.EDU

Western students of Agriculture collect over 1,100 pounds if food to kick off their food bank as a result of a survey that determined nealy 48 percent of students have gone hungry in the past 30 days.

By Matthew Armour courier staff

Western Illinois University School of Agriculture created a food drive to collect nonperishable canned foods and goods to help students and people on campus who are in need of food and resources.

“It actually began as part of a contest that the School of Agriculture was involved in called CollegeAgi’s Online ,” said Staff Coordinator for the School of Agriculture Jana Knupp..“They pose different challenges to us to help to spread the word about agriculture and advocate for agriculture.”

Initially prompted from a website organization that the

School of Agriculture is a part of, a challenge was selected to be faced head on.

“One of these challenges was a food drive; we were able to do that through some created solutions,” Knupp said.

“One of our members is Grant Reed, who is the President of the Student Government Association, and also on the Homecoming Committee, so he had the idea to pair it with that event.”

Reed and the School of Agriculture used all resources and tools at their disposal to help make sure that this event was a success.

“Homecoming Committee agreed to award organizations extra points for providing canned food items during

each of their event, so that really helped us to increase the quantity that we collected,” Knupp said.

After getting other student organizations involved with the food drive, Western’s School of Agriculture surpassed expectations and collected a little over 1,100 pounds of food.

“The intent was to have a food pantry on campus, there was a study conducted last year that over forty percent of the students on campus are food insecure and finding a location on campus is something that we are still working on, however the food is all at the Campus Students for Christ House to receive some of that food,”

Knupp said.

Results from conducting an on-campus survey clearly indicates that something is awry and students facing food insecurity is an issue that needs to be dealt with so that more students will not need to be concerned about how they will get their next meal.

“We’re aware of the need on campus and we’re confident that there will be a food pantry that is associated with WIU in the near future and therefore we could help to serve our students,” Knupp said. “We are just still in the process of trying to decide where the best location for that is.”

According to Knupp, the

goal of the food bank is to disperse over 1,500 pounds of food, exceeding last year’s goal of 1,100 pounds of food distributed.

“Our goal is always to beat last year so we would love to get to a goal of 1,500 pounds of food,” Knupp said. “The School of Agriculture were the ones that coordinated it, but we could not have done it without the generous donations of student organizations, the Greek life on campus so they really came through, to help us meet our goal. ”If you or someone you know is in need and facing food insecurity, visit the Campus Students for Christ house located at 1545 Riverview Drive, Macomb, Illinois.

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Academic coach from front page

“I think the Academic Success Coach is just one more way that the university is putting resources toward the students,” Melz-Jennings said.

“We are very student centered here at Western, and so this position is just one more way for students to get the help they need. Between the First Year Experience program, the University 100 courses, the building connections mentors and now the academic success coach, this is just one more tool to help with that retention issue.”

Melz-Jennings explained the virtue of accountability to students, allowing students to

Meet and greet from front page

The NAACP’s ultimate goal of the meet and greet is to understand the power and impact of being politically sound. Mercedes Joyner

Monday, November 6, 2017 reflect on all of their inhibitions, a personalized approach to improving their academic success, including working on skills like time management, goal setting, study habits, class attendance and steps to improve grade point averages.

“I plan to meet with students one-on-one and we’ll key on three to five different areas that the student feels they need to improve on to improve their grades,” Melz-Jennings said.

“That’s really working with the student and personalizing that approach. We then create this plan that says I’m going to do XYZ, whatever it is, and then that student will hopefully see success by executing the plan and then I hold them accountable to do that.”

academic success coaching at Western, Melz-Jennings said her passion to help students succeed stems from her mentorship while she was a student-athlete at Western.

As the founding mother of

“I have been very pro-student,” Melz-Jennings said. “I had a mentor when I first started here that hired me and they basically said, ‘We want somebody that cares.’

So, ever since she told me that 19 years ago, I’ve always lived every day that way; to care about every student I come across.

There are so many students here who have gone through different trials and tribulations and it’s just amazing how resilient our students are here at Western. My passion comes from wanting to see young people do better and achieve more.”

Melz-Jennings academic suc-

emphasized the importance of understanding the role that black students can play as well as the effect that they have.

“The role that we as black students hold is not only be educated but to educate,” Mercedes Joyner said. “This

includes taking advantage of opportunities such as this to learn the process of effectiveness. Its starts with us as students and we don't always wonder how much influence that we hold as students. We have great responsibility and effect that is associated.”

NEWS 3 cess plan not only offer students counsel ship, but also a sense of hope, and a better belief in themselves that will lead to prosperity.

“It’s situations where students weren’t taught how to use a planner, they weren’t taught how to study and don’t know how to manage their time,” MelzJennings said. “With my academic success plan, we would talk about goals and what they would need to do differently.

We then devise a contract to say they’re going to meet with the coach and go to class. In the following semesters, I want to show that everybody improved, but there are some things out of my control.”

In addition to working with students, Melz-Jennings is also meeting with other campus sup-

port services so she can offer a balanced approach to student success and have as many options as possible available to students.

“I think I can teach some academic success skills that will help academic advisors on our campus,” Melz-Jennings said.

“Right now, we have advisors with really large caseloads and they might only get to talk to a student for 20-30 minutes max and maybe only one time.

I would love to talk about some easy things they can do in five minutes just to see if their students may need some extra help.”

For more information about the new advising program, contact Melz-Jennings by email at LA-Melz@wiu.edu or by phone number at (309) 298-3750.

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Monday, November 6, 2017

4 OPINIONS

UN sanctions cause more harm than good

The U.S., as with many other western countries, leans too heavily on economic sanctions to protect the world from nations deemed dangerous. These sanctions, while on paper appear to be a solid solution, in fact promote greater discord within the civilized world.

Historically, sanctions are a mixed bag; while they weaken dangerous entities, they also have large butterfly effects on the global market chain. Most recently, and especially so, our sanctions on North Korea exemplify this.

The economic sanctions imposed by the UN have had destabilizing effects on the global economy.

Countries like China, which has an intimate trade relationship with North Korea, feel these effects in spades.

“The Japanese side, in disregard of China’s stern stance, goes so far as to follow some countries to impose unilateral sanctions on the Chinese enterprises and individuals. We are strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, according to a CNBC report.

She added, “the past has proven that pressure and sanction only will not fundamentally settle the issue.”

There are also concerns for other countries including Russia, a nation still displaying symptoms of economic recession. Reuters reports the Russian oil company Gazprom has voiced concerns in investor relation reports, saying, “Gazprom warned investors last month that the sanctions ‘may result in delays, or otherwise impair or prevent the completion of the projects by the group.”By this they mean a

massive pipeline that has been under construction for years. Our relations with Russia are already strained. The economic sanctions imposed against North Korea and other affiliate nations has stirred US foreign relations.“France’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said new U.S. sanctions against Iran, Russia and North Korea appeared at odds with international law due to their extra-territorial reach,” a report from Reuters said.

“The US bill could have unintended unilateral effects that impact the European Union’s energy security interests … if our concerns are not considered sufficiently, we stand ready to act appropriately within a matter of days. ‘America First’ cannot mean that Europe’s interests come last,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, regarding a series of economic sanctions imposed in July.

These sanctions are clearly unpopular and threaten to undermine U.S. foreign relations with Europe and Russia. Some of these countries, especially Russia and China have been uncooperative with our nation’s geo-political agenda in the past, but nations like France have continually stood by us for several decades as a close a valuable ally in global politics. Straining relations with these nations may prove to be destructive to our future goals.

Perhaps, as a capitalist nation in an ever-narrowing global economic environment, we should attempt to promote a more libertarian stance on such issues. While sanctions can be effective at times, our overuse of them has proven counter to our stance as a global political, cultural and moral leader.

WesternCourier.com

A meme can‘t run the White House Looking back on these past few months, a friend and I have been discussing the exit polls from 2016. When Donald Trump was first elected president, it circulated online that there were a significant amount of voters who voted for a dead gorilla named “Harambe.” But that turned out to be false as the Washington Post reports that 32 states require that writeins file paperwork in order to be valid.

I don’t deny that some would have gladly done this and I honestly really hope this statement isn’t true for the sake of our generation, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Our generation currently doesn’t seem to care about our nation. Everything seems to be more important than our future and we often don’t take things seriously.

You can identify this by just looking on Twitter and going through your feed about the honesty of others and how they feel or think about certain things going on in the world.

We just are not phased by the fact that if we really wanted a change for the better in our country then we could no doubt accomplish it, just as long as we set our priorities straight.

I’m not saying that we aren’t good enough as a generation but we could definitely be better. It’s one thing to want better for yourself but it’s another to want a better world for everyone else too. That’s a trait that has somehow been lost down the line. It’s quite sad, especially since a serious election couldn’t even sway the minds

of our generation. Knowing that some did actually vote for “Henessy” or “Harambe” was such a waste of a vote in my opinion.

The outcome of votes that could’ve been taken seriously might have changed the election entirely but we’ll never know.

“” Knowing that some did actually vote for ”Henessy” or “Harambe” was such a waste of a vote in my opinion.

–Joy Beckett

Voting for an internet trend that seems funny at the time is silly in itself, but it undermines the respect that voting has to do with becoming older and more responsible. It really shows the maturity level of our current generation and upcoming generations and so forth. And even that hasn’t ignited some serious change in us.

Perhaps we could’ve changed the entire election with the numbers who voted for internet trends, leading to a new possibilities for our nation or perhaps not. Those votes could’ve still not been enough and Trump would still be president but we’ll never know due to the lack of maturity and misplacement of priorities in our generation.

So, we’ll just have to see what happens in the next three years and where this type of mindset leads our generation to.

November 6, 2017

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E2 EDGE

Monday, November 6, 2017

Stranger Things from E1

There are a few new characters who are introduced that seemed to have weak character development, though. Two of these characters are Billy (Darce Montgomery) and Max (Sadie Sink), an abusive brother and his younger stepsister who recently moved to

Hawkins from California. It is a bit unclear as to why Billy is so abusive to his younger stepsister, and we only see their parents once in the whole season. Some suspect that there has been some indication that Billy’s father is abusive as well, but the character of Billy himself is a bit of a mystery. Max is a bit more developed; she joins the boys’ group

and while Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughiln) want Max in their group, Mike is weary and does not really accept her as a member, maybe a result of a fear of her [Max] replacing Eleven.

Something that season two has also struggled with is the monster element. The big unknown figure that appears to Will and his mother later on, and seems

WesternCourier.com to be the source of all evil in the town, does not get much focus. The focus is thrown instead on the “demo-dogs” as Dustin calls them.

They are smaller versions of the creatures in season one, and while scary and significant to the plot, they have less of a role in the evil than the major monster in the sky. The figure isn’t really talked about but is made

out to be a huge force of destruction and evil.

All in all, season two has captivated the audience and kept them intrigued with character development, new and fascinating plot lines and the novelty of a really welldone science fiction show.

“Stranger Things 2” has hit the nail on the head and kept the viewers who loved the first season coming back for more.

Avenged Sevenfold to Perform in Peoria this January

WIKIMEDIA.COM

American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold recently announced to fans that they would be back on tour starting this January. The group recently finished their tour co-headlining with Metallica. However, this time they will be the only headlining band with special guests Breaking Benjamin and Bullet For My Valentine. They will be performing at the Peoria Civic Center on Thursday, Jan. 25.

Avenged Sevenfold has released seven studio albums, and have sold over eight million albums worldwide.

Known for their diverse

rock sound and dramatic imagery on their albums, Avenged Sevenfold began their music career in 1999.

Lead vocalist M. Shadows, guitarist Zacky Vengeance and former percussionist Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan recorded their first album “Sounding the Seventh Trumpet,” while finishing up high school back in 2001.

During their second album “Waking the Fallen,” bassist Johnny Christ and lead guitarist Synyster Gates were added to the lineup in 2003.

“Unholy Confessions” was the first song off the album that received mainstream

exposure from many music outlets, including MTV2’s Headbangers Ball.

“City of Evil,” the band’s third studio album, received high praise from critics and their fans in 2005. With over 30,000 copies sold, this landed the group a contract with Warner Brothers Records.

“Bat Country,” one of three singles off the album, captures Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” storyline.

“Burn It Down” and “Beast and the Harlot” were the other two songs that gained popularity.

It was their fourth studio album that the band decided to name after themselves. “Avenged Sevenfold” came out in 2007 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America

(RIAA).

As of 2014, the album sold nearly one million copies in the United States.

What made “Avenged Sevenfold” their greatest album off their discography were the lyrics behind the songs. Percussionist Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan contributed to many of the songs listed on the album.

“Critical Acclaim,” for example, is about those who criticize the military, and instead of disliking them, help them get out of war. Other songs off the album include “Afterlife,” “Almost Easy,” “Scream” and “ Dear God.”

When The Rev passed away from an overdose in 2009, many fans thought the albums plummeted in quality. Fans thought that the band lost their heavy metal sound and creative

content. Some critics even thought after The Rev’s passing, the band should’ve parted ways.

M. Shadows broke his silence after many fans criticized their albums “Nightmare,” “Hail to the King” and “The Stage”, which came out in 2010, 2013 and 2016 respectively. Shadows stated, “We play music for the sake of music, not so that we can be labeled a metal band.”

What matters the most is the contribution that they have made to the music world. Some artist’s only care about the money. Avenged Sevenfold on the other hand, cares about their fans.

Tickets for the event are currently available on Ticketmaster.

The prices range from $46.00-301.00.

Want to write for EDGE? Contact am-hohman@wiu.edu

Edge 3

Monday, November 6, 2017

@WesternCourier

Decade old “November” pokes fun at current issues.

WIKIMEDIA.ORG

“This play is a farce … At times during the course of the play, many of these fictional things collide with some very current realities, and maybe it’s good for us to realize that some of the issues facing our country aren’t new, but are continuations of problems that Mamet thought worth poking fun at over a decade ago” is the message from the director DC Wright, found within the program for the most recent studio production put on by Western Illinois University’s theater department.

“November” is a play written by David Mamet that

takes place in the first few years of the twentieth century. The play features President Charles Smith (Keaton Fahnstock), his lawyer Archer Brown (Brandon Herring), his speechwriter Clarice Bernstein (Emery Lade), Turkey Guy (Warren Freeland) and Dwight Grackle (Diego Hernandez).

It is a few days before the election that will determine if President Smith will serve another term and things do not look good.

Smith’s numbers are so low, Brown jokes that Smith broke the machine. As Smith’s lawyer puts it, the country hates Smith. Brown

explains how Smith has done nothing to help the country and has made everything into a bigger mess than when he came into office. The rest of the play takes place over a course of two days and is chalk full of action and fast-talking.

The Blackbox Theater in Simpkins was set up in an arena style seating with the stage in the middle and audience on all four sides of the action. The stage was simple oval office set up.

There was the president’s desk, the seal on the floor, a couch, small table and two chairs. The actors did a phenomenal job utilizing all of the different aspects of the set as well as making sure they projected to each side of the audience.

Each of the actors did a wonderful job with their roles. There were aspects of

each character that were almost cartoon-like yet they all portrayed them wonderfully. Fahnstock did an excellent job being the over-the-top president, making wildly inappropriate comments and jokes, despite his staff advising him not too and ignoring nearly all advice given to him. Herring also did a great job with his role, especially when reacting to Fanhstock.

Herring’s role was a slightly less obnoxious version of Fanh-stock’s character and was very much so the devil on Smith’s shoulder.

On the flip side, Lade’s character was the voice of reason. She balanced out the men in the show and tried to keep the men calm and rational.

The audience was laughing hysterically throughout the entire performance. Like the

directors note said, a lot of the play was very relatable to the world today.

President Smith was obnoxious, wildly sexist, and a tad out of control. He rarely listened to his advisors and found a way to blame everyone else for his problems. I think the whole show struck such a cord with the audience because so much of it was so relatable to today. It is really so interesting because the play was written over a decade ago and was supposed to be a dramatization of what the worst we could see in office.

The play was fantastic and I was really impressed with the performance. Based on the reactions of the audience, I would say they all enjoyed it too. This is by far one of my favorite plays put on by Western‘s theater department.

New games offer anti-Nazi relief.

FLICKR.COM

The election of President Donald Trump has spawned some of the most uproarious politically charged writing and media in recent memory. Saturday Night Live has had a months-long field day with Alec Baldwin’s Trump

impersonation. Other shows like The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver have also seen their fair share of receptivity from lethargic liberals and disheartened

Democrats clinging to any and all pieces of antiTrump messaging.

The realm of video games, however, has seen far fewer anti-Trump figures to put on any type of pedestal. Two recent titles, though, will give liberal gamers relief.

“Call of Duty: World War II” and “Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus” deliver on many anti-Trump and anti-Nazi criteria; however, “Wolfenstein II: The New Co-

lossus,” is the far more entertaining choice in terms of gameplay mechanics, plot and messaging.

Let’s start with Call of Duty. “World War II” is the 14th title in the Call of Duty series. It’s also the first to be set during World War II since 2008’s “World at War.” The gameplay is like any Call of Duty title released in the last 10 years.

Players have to go from level to level to follow a

loose plot. There are some marked differences, though.

Not since 2005’s “Big Red One” has a Call of Duty title featured no health regeneration, giving way to a more difficult gameplay experience. Players must rely on finding health packs in the field or on their medic squad mates for health.

Video Games page E4

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Monday, November 6, 2017

@WesternCourier

St. Pierre cements his legacy

For a while now, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fans have been waiting for a blockbuster match. With Ronda Rousey’s last defeat in 2016 and Conor McGregor stepping into the boxing ring just a months weeks ago, there haven’t been many big matches since.

On Saturday during the UFC 217, three-time former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre answered the call and gave fans what they’ve been waiting for. After retiring four years ago St. Pierre (262) stepped back into the octagon and won the middleweight championship against Michael Bisping (31-8).

The Canadian martial artist St. Pierre was the crowd favorite during the main event match.

His mental and physical shape was by far the best shape he ever has been in. It was the third round that the veteran took Bisping down with a technical submission and finished him with a rear naked choke.

In round one, St. Pierre began with an inside kick, an overhand right followed the kick, a

back spin kicked came next but missed. Bisping ducked out of a possible punch and attacked with a counter-left. After a few jabs between the fighters, St. Pierre went in for his first takedown, snagged a single leg and put Bisping down against the cage. There were less then 15 seconds of control before Bisping was back up.

The round concluded with St. Pierre throwing a Superman punch that put Bisping off balance. MMA Fighting scores concluded St. Pierre won the first round.

Round two started off with St. Pierre beating Bisping to the punch. This didn’t last too long when Bisping came back with a counter-punch. Bisping then caught a leg and land a left hook, St-Pierre came back with jab-leg kick combo. After some big hand punches from Bisping, the power was back on his side.

The champ, Bisping, looked steady. St. Pierre was having a tough time at the end connecting, which led to Bisping winning the second round score.

During the third round,

it showed on St-Pierre’s face that he was getting tired.

What Bisping and his fans didn’t know was the damage that came later in the round.

St-Pierre went for a takedown once more.

St. Pierre was in control until Bisping hit him from underneath, which led to a cut on St. Pierre’s face. A straight right came from the champion, a right hand followed from St. Pierre, which allowed him to stay cautious. A sidekick came next from St. Pierre, that led to a striaght left, which dropped Bisping to the mat. St. Pierre continued the brutal attack by diving in with elbows. Bisping gave up his back and St. Pierre sunk in a rear-naked choke.

Bisping refused to tap and he went to sleep. The match ended at 4:23 with a new middleweight champion, St. Pierre.

What made the match phenomenal was the connection the two fighters had, and the moves they both used against one another. Bisping stated in the post-fight press conference that St. Pierre did great with his strikes, and wasn’t surprised with the moves he used.

He also stated that it’s right for UFC fans and fighters to say St. Pierre is one of the greatest MMA fighters to ever step foot in the octagon.

Georges St. Pierre smiles in an public outing.

wikimedia.org

Volleyball dominates Jackrabbits

By Becca Langys courier staff

BROOKINGS SD. - The Western Illinois University Leatherneck volleyball team (7-18) took their second conference win of the season this past Saturday against the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits (2-23) in Brookings, South Dakota.

The Leathernecks took the Jackrabbits to four games, scores being (22-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-15).

Western, up to this point in the season, had been struggling tremendously with their record in conference. This is their second time defeating the Jackrabbits this season, and this win may just be enough to turn around their momentum in order to finish out the season strong.

The Leathernecks had a strong offensive presence on the court during their battle with the Jackrabbits. Leading the team at the net, junior outside hitter Melanie Patenaude raked up a total of 11 kills for the Leathernecks. Just trailing Patenaude was senior outside hitter Shalyn Greenhaw, who had ten kills. Leading the team in aces was junior setter Jaime Johnson who had a total of three throughout the course of the match. Johnson also had 39 assists during the match, making her the overall assist leader

of the game.

Defensively, Western had a dominating presence on the court during this match, earning high amounts of both digs and blocks. At the net, the Leathernecks kept their blocks strong which killed the momentum of the Jackrabbit offense. Red-shirt freshman middle hitter Mackenzie Steckler and junior middle hitter Emilee Dechant both earned five blocks for the Leathernecks, and just trailing behind them was Johnson who had a total of three blocks.

Defending behind the net, Greenhaw had a whopping 20 digs during the match against the Jackrabbits, making her the overall dig leader of the night.

During the first game of their match against South Dakota State, the Leathernecks came out with a five-point deficit that put them at a huge disadvantage. Western gave up this point rally so early in the match because they really struggled to pick up the hits coming from the SDSU side of the net. Western did not lose their momentum, however, and continued to battle throughout the course of the game. The Leathernecks eventually tied up the game at 21-21, then gave up three more points to the Jackrabbits to secure the first win, final score of 22-25 and match score of 0-1.

The Leathernecks really picked up their energy during the second game of the match. They came out strong, starting the game with a threepoint lead that picked up their spirits and really ignited their overall gameplay performance. Offensively, Western dominated the course of this whole game. When the score was 12-9, the Leathernecks went on a hearty nine-point run that put them into winning position. The Jackrabbits began to more consistently make errors which helped push the Leathernecks to win the second game of this match 25-15, match score now 1-1.

To start out the third game of this match, the Leathernecks had two rallies that gave them a huge lead very early on in the match. Western’s offence picked their play back up during this game, which aided the team in securing points and keeping the lead over the Jackrabbits. When the score was 20-14, the Leathernecks had another critical fourpoint run, mainly caused by errors coming from the South Dakota State side of the net, that made it impossible for the Jackrabbits to come back. The Leathernecks secured their second win of the night, score being 25-15 and match score of 2-1.

Western brought huge energy to their fourth and final game

of the night against the SDSU Jackrabbits. During the first half of this game, the Leathernecks went on point rallies almost every time they got the ball back. The Leathernecks relied mainly on kills and Jackrabbit errors during this game. As the game went on, the gameplay began to happen on a more point-by-point basis, but the Leathernecks had gained too great of a lead in the beginning for the Jackrabbits to have a chance at clawing back into winning position. The Leatherneck offense especially shined during the fourth game of this match. SDSU was unable to match the energy and momentum of Western and eventually took their third and final loss of the night, giving the Leathernecks their second conference win, final score being 25-15 and match score of 3-1.

The Leathernecks have put a huge focus on their momentum and energy this season, and they really executed that during their game against SDSU. Head coach Kelly Richardson expressed her pride in the team after the game.

“I am extremely proud of our energy, fight and finish tonight,” Richardson said.

The Leathernecks will play one of their final conference games Tuesday in Western Hall at 6 p.m.

Twitter: beccalangysxo

E4 EDGE

Video Games from E3

The story of “World War II” revolves around Ronald “Red” Daniels and the 1st Infantry Division in European theatre.

There are telltale foreshadowing events when Daniels and his Jewish-American friend Robert Zussman promise to stay with each other “’til the end.” To make a long story short, the climax of the game features Daniels rescuing Zussman from a Nazi forced-labor camp.

The experience of walking through a labor camp, seeing recently killed people who haven’t been fed in weeks is haunting. If it was Sledgehammer and Activision’s goal to show the horrors and violent conclusions of Nazi ideology, it definitely delivered.

Monday, November 6, 2017

There are many familiar locations in “World War II.” There’s the Battle of the Buldge, the invasion of Normandy and the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. There are also many “realistic” elements to the game, including era-specific weapons and vehicles, accurate terminology and even characters players will sympathize with, especially Zussman.

Ultimately, though, “World War II” is just another runand-gun addition to the Call of Duty franchise that fans will enjoy. Consider, on the other hand, a history where Nazi Germany developed the atomic bomb before the U.S. Imagine Nazi Germany dropping their bomb on New York City and taking over the U.S. You now have a grasp on the atmosphere on “Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus,” the ultimate anti-Nazi

experience in video games.

“The New Colossus” follows the events and plot of its predecessor, “The New Order.” William “B.J.” Blazkowicz falls into a 5-month long coma. He wakes up to discover the U-boat he and his ragtag band of anti-Nazi revolutionaries commandeered is under attack by Frau Engel, a sadistic Nazi commander who hates Blazkowicz with a passion of, well, an angry Nazi.

“The New Colossus” is rated “M for Mature” for a reason.

Players control Blazkowicz has he strolls from room to room, level to level, destroying any Nazi in his path. There are familiar elements from previous Wolfenstein games: weapon upgrades, weapons so powerful and big they resemble fridges more than rifles and absurd elements of science fiction like

WesternCourier.com bringing bodies back to life, head transplants and pieces of technology that are way ahead of the supposed timeframe of the game.

MachineGames and Bethesda Softworks definitely had an ideological bent when developing and producing “The New Colossus.” Creative director Jens Matthies wanted to show the juxtaposition between a “land of the free” and a land under complete control of antithetical ideology. And while the producers have explicitly stated there is no explicit commentary on contemporary olitics, it’s still nonetheless implicitly present.

“The New Colossus” pokes much fun at alt-right personalities like Richard Spencer and criticizes coverage – or the lack thereof – on the rise of ultra rightwing political factions in the U.S. The tagline for the game was even a snide, “Make

America Nazi Free Again,” a more than obvious play on Trump’s, “Make America Great Again” slogan.

Trump supporters and keyboard warriors of the altright have aired their displeasure with “The New Colossus,” especially the Advertising. They claim it’s been wrongfully associating their ideology with Nazis.

It’s almost too absurd to be real; but it’s real nonetheless.

“The New Colossus” is much more cathartic than “World War II.” Where the latter delivers on themes of friendship and the horrors of rotten ideology, the former does the same but to the nth degree. With more violence and buff blue-eyed Americans using guns as big as their chests to murder Nazis, the choice is clear for gamers. Pick up “The New Colossus” for your console or PC this gaming season.

Don’t knock the documentaries: Netflix has many to offer Most of the time that I watch Netflix I’m not actively engaged in what’s on. Although I’ve recently binged on series such as “Orange is the New Black,” American Vandal” and “Atypical,” I usually steer clear of these programs.

Why? Because I love to use Netflix as white noise, something on in the background that helps me stay focused on studying or writing articles. And while I’ll usually put on “Family Guy” or “The Office,” I’ve found that Netflix’s hidden gem does the trick a

bit better.

Netflix has an incredible selection of documentaries.

I’ve been rarely disappointed when I go to the documentary tab and look for something to put on while I grind thro-ugh a term paper or outline a speech for class.

What I like about documentaries though is that they aren’t chiefly story driven compared to a series like “Game of Thrones.” If I put that on in the background I’m going to be drawn into the story and I won’t get any work done.

But when I put on “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” I get more productive than I do when I have anything on in the background at all.

It’s just enough to make the room feel like I’m in an active environment but without being so active that it becomes a distraction.

While “Cosmos” is probably the one of the more notable documentaries Netflix has to offer, here are a number of others that I have found that work well for me.

With “Lockup: Disturbing the Peace:” part of the overarching “Lockup” series, I’ve probably watched over 50 hours of this inside look into life behind bars and the corrections system. It’s easy for me to tune in and out of it without feeling

like I missed a significant amount of information, and it’s well filmed and produced considering the locations they visit.

“Abstract: The Art of Design:” a shorter series, dives into the mind of some of the most talented artists from a variety of disciplines, it’s an interesting take on the concept of creativity. It can be a little dry at points, but I was never disappointed in a single episode’s portrayal of an artist.

“Tig:” Tig Notaro already was one of my favorite comedians before I watched this, but the story of how a woman turned her cancer diagnosis into comedy gold is incredible. This film may not be as appealing to someone who does

not follow her work, but her story is well told in this biopic.

“Planet Earth,” The granddaddy of all documentary series is one of my favorites to put on in the background. There is nothing more peaceful than just the ambiance of nature, and the combine talents of Sigourney Weaver (narrator) and David Attenborough (director) make for one of the most blissful viewing experiences on Netflix.

This is just a sampling of some of Netflix’s underrated documentary selection.

If you haven’t taken the time to consider all of what Netflix has the offer, scroll a little further through your que next time and take your pick of an unmatched bounty stunning films.

Monday, November 6, 2017

@WesternCourier

OPINIONS 5

JESSIE MATIAS/PRODUCTION MANAGER

Finals week, the week we all have been looking forward to and absolutely dreading since we moved in is now only about five weeks away, and is arriving faster than how most Physics majors can raise their GPA (not a major many can handle as well). I know I can’t be the only one that feels like finals are about to hit me like a truck. With all the stress finals bring, it makes you wonder, why the heck are we forced to bother with them anyway? I mean if you look at it having an instructor adminster a final to student is the only thing keeping us away from winter break, something I wish could arrive earlier.

If we didn’t have to take finals, a large burden would be lifted off a lot of people’s shoulders and lot more rest and relaxation could be experienced.

Now, I am not proposing we eliminate finals completely. My idea is to put into place a system that gives students the option to decide if they want to take a final. What is the point of making a student

waste time studying and taking a final for a class that they clearly know the material to when their time could be better spent studying for other classes they aren’t as confident in? For instance, if a student has gotten an A on every test in a certain class and does well on other assignments, it can be pretty confidently inferred that that student understands the course material.

If this is apparent, why make the student take and the professor grade an additional test? From my experience there are already some professors giving optional finals, I think it is an idea that should other professors should adopt as well. The factors that determine whether or not a student should be considered proficient enough to be exempted from the test should be up to the professors.

Another option to look into is final projects, this is already something that is practiced among many professors. The advantage with projects is that they allow students another way of proving that they know

their stuff. We all know that test anxiety is all too real, so assigning projects allows students to earn their final grade without taking a test. Finally, projects are things that can be turned in ahead of time, so students can either go home early or prioritize their time working on more challenging classes. This extra time would allow students and professors to be able to get home to their families sooner.

Finals do not have to be abolished.

I understand their purpose: to make sure you have gotten what you are supposed to out of the class.

Professors don’t want you to simply memorize information for the test and then forget it. They want to make sure that you have learned.

Traditional finals could be used in conjunction with the aforementioned suggestions in order to make finals week a bit less stressful. Tests are easier to take when you aren’t stressed, so having a mix of different kinds of assessments could benefit students in all their classes. Having a few tests, a few projects, and maybe one final exemption could make for a much easier finals week than trying to cram five or six or more tests into just a couple days. I think it would benefit more students to have more variety in how they are tested on the course material.

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westerncourier

Monday, November 6, 2017

6 SPORTS

Football from page 8

Western had the first drive of the half and looked like a completely different team.

The offense found their first big play of the game when McGuire found tight end Tony Harper for a 37-yard completion, which put Western in Redbird territory. Brandon Gaston finished off the drive with a jumping catch over his defender for the 35-yard touchdown, which gave the Purple and Gold their first score of the game.

McGuire praised the team’s mentality at halftime, which brought them back into the game.

“We had a great halftime locker room and our mind was in the right spot, we’ve come back so many times and there was

Soccer

from page 7

“Obviously, I’m not ready to say bye to our seniors just yet even thought it was the last home game,” said Director of Soccer Eric Johnson. “I thought we started off a bit slow but then we brought it to them. I thought we out-

no need for panic.” McGuire said. “We just started making plays and didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot.”

Western’s next drive was just as successful as McGuire and the offense started to pick apart the Redbird defense. Senior receiver Jaelon Acklin, junior running back Steve McShane and Harper all found their numbers called on the ensuing drive which led to redshirt freshman running back Clint Ratkovich’s first touchdown of the season, which tied the game up at 14.

On defense, the Leathernecks started to clamp down on everything Illinois State was trying to do. Saunders saw the shift in the defense after the half.

“Our demeanor changed, we had a lot of respect for their running backs and all the

games which they’ve won, and they ran for a healthy amount.”

Saunders said. At halftime we came together and said ‘You know what’s coming at you, and we have to accept the challenge and beat it.’”

The Illinois State running back duo of redshirt freshman Markel Smith and sophomore James Robinson couldn’t find any lanes in the second half and the Redbird offense continued to struggle because of it.

All three of their drives of the third quarter ended in punts and Western Illinois capitalized on every possession.

The Leathernecks gained their first lead of the game after a 27-yard field goal put Western ahead 17-14. The fourth quarter continued to show the change in momentum at halftime. Illinois State encountered a 4th and 9 from their own

28-yard line and decided to fake a punt which failed and gave the Leathernecks favorable field position. Ratkovich scored once again on the first play after the failed fake punt attempt with a spectacular diving catch in the back of end zone.

The tipping point occurred on the following kickoff when Smith fumbled and was recovered by Zach Glisan in Redbird territory. McShane finished off the final scoring drive of the day with a 1-yard touchdown run which capped off the scoring run of 31 unanswered points.

The big win in Normal snapped the losing streak which plagued the Purple and Gold. They head to the Indiana State University to take on the Sycamores next Saturday.

Twitter: @devondeadlysins

played them in big chunks of the second half but didn't find a way to score. We have a good senior group, and I'm hoping that we have that chance to play Denver again next week.”

Lucky for Johnson, he does not have to say goodbye to the seniors quite yet. The Leathernecks have qualified

for postseason play and will head to the Summit League Tournament.

Western’s next stop will be in Omaha, where they will face number-three seeded University of Nebraska-Omaha. The Leathernecks faced Omaha just a few weeks ago but lost by a score of 2-0. The fourth seed is still between Eastern

Illinois University and Oral Roberts University. The fourth seed will also head to Omaha to take on Denver.

The Purple and Gold has not seen a Summit League championship ring since 2012 but we are hoping that this could be the year they change that.

Twitter: @hayfourrr

CLASSIFIEDS

WC

For Rent

For Rent

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.

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

Call 309-255-1233.

Houses for Rent 2016/2017: A&D Real Estate has several 3, 4 and 5 bedroom houses for rent, all with at least 2 bathrooms, recently rennovated and located close to campus. Call for a tour or visit our website at www.wiucollegerentals.com. Local landlord with a focus on clean and updated housing with personal service for your college housing needs. 309-313-1122.

FALL INTO SAVINGS with Charleston Boulevard Apartments! Now offering SPECIAL RATES through Dec. 2017! Call for specific details 309-833-4545!.

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Now showing for 2017 & 2018 year 2, 3, and 5 bedrooms homes all close to campus. Call 309-331-4565.

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

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WesternCourier.com

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

NICE, CLEAN, WELL MAINTAINED 1 TO 6 BEDROOM HOUSES FOR 2017-2018 Our houses have wood floors, ceramic tile, W/D, central air, and are close to campus with plentry of parking. We offer low rent and a 10 month lease to save you money! Call 309-255-1959 for a showing.

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CLEAN, REMODELED, AND WELL MAINTAINED HOUSES AND APTS FOR RENT IN GREAT LOCATIONS. UTILITIES PAID FOR APARTMENTS. RENTING NOW FOR FALL 2017.

ALSO RENTING TWO APTS FOR SPRING 2016. CALL JASON AT 309-221-3985.

Timbercrest Apartments 1587 Riverview Drive Now showing 1 & 2 Bedroom Units. Very clean, close to WIU campus with bus stop in front of building. Washer/dryer available in most units, all other appliances included, FREE INTERNET, ceiling fans in every room, pet friendly. All units have off street parking and private decks overlooking campus. Both 10- and 12-month leases are available. Openings for Summer 2017 and school year 2017/2018. Deposit required. Phone (309)833-3192 and leave message.

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

For Rent Available now: Close to campus, clean studio apartments, excellent condition, reasonable rent, and partly furnished.

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Semester leases offered. Call 309 837 4369 and leave your phone number if not there. Email: MandKhousing@gmail.com ALL APARTMENTS - ALL INCLUSIVE Get control of your budget. Know exactly what you are spending each month. Each apartment includes free a/c, free heat, free electricity, free water, free cable tv, free hi speed internet, and free off street parking. Laundry on site.

No noise policy. Bus stop across the street. Close to campus. Well maintained. Studios are $460/mo, One bedrooms are $620/mo. Call Doug at 309-255-8179 for an appointment.

Westen Investments still has affordable 1-4 Bedroom Apartment/Houses available. Be sure to check out our website (www.westeninvest.com) to see our available listings, and call our office at 309-833-5995 to schedule a showing. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to win prize giveaways!

APARTMENT FOR RENT: FOR QUIET PERSON. ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT FOR RENT LOCATED AT 314 West Carroll ST Macomb, Ill 61455. Available end of August 2017-new carpeting yearly lease SMALEST FURNISHED IN MACOMB $345.00/month - HEAT & AC INCLUDED private entrance, off-street parking included call for appointment309-837-4748 or 255-5075 woodburning fireplace, ask for Paul.

For Rent: Little Swan Lake, 30 min from campus. 2br, 2bth, heated double car garage with work area. $600 per mo.

(309) 335-2206 after 6:00 pm, may leave message anytime.

Monday, August 21, 2017

Necks win battle for the state

By Devon Greene

assisstant sports editor Playoff hopes were on the line this Saturday in the 100th matchup between the Western Illinois University Leathernecks and the Illinois State University Redbirds. After a rough first half, the Purple and Gold went on to score 31 unanswered points to bring home the victory against their instate rivals 31-14.

The first two drives of the game ended in punts on the foggy afternoon at Hancock Stadium. On the Redbirds’ second drive, junior quarterback Jake Kolbe and the offense were driving and made it all the way to Western’s five-yard line before senior defensive back Aaron Diggs snagged his first interception of the year.

The Leathernecks were unable to capitalize on the mistake and were forced to punt on their next drive. Illinois State finally got some production out of their offense on thier third drive. Kolbe found senior receiver Christian Gibbs with a 65-yard touchdown pass thatgave the Redbirds a 7-0 lead.

The momentum continued to turn in Illinois State’s favor after senior defensive back intercepted DraShane Glass junior quarterback Sean McGuire for his eighth interception of the year.

Penalties loomed huge on the Redbirds next drive. On a crucial third down, Illinois State picked up 25 yards which placed them on Western’s 11yard line after two personal fouls from junior defensive lineman Khalen Saunders and Diggs. Two plays later.

Kolbe found junior tight end Tylor Petkovich for his first career touchdown.

Western was unable to get any offense going in the first half and head coach Charlie Fisher fired up the team at halftime.

“We had to play better, with a little more energy and more fire.” Fisher said. “We just couldn’t get out of our way and we lost some energy there.

Football is a game of momentum, we have to seize it and keep it.”

Football page 6

NICHOLAS EBELHACK / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Khalen Saunders celebrates his near scoop-and-score against Illinois State University.

Soccer falls in season championship

By Haley Richards courier staff

Armel Kouassi gallops to the ball in Western’s final game of the regular season.

JULIAN SALGADO / COURIER STAFF

This past Saturday, the Western Illinois University men’s soccer team faced the Denver University Pioneers for their senior day and lost by a score of 1-0. The Leathernecks now move onto 5-9-1 on the season while the Pioneers move onto 10-6-1.

Denver is now undefeated in conference play, sitting at 5-0, and has swept the Summit League regular season title for the fourth year in a row.

The Leathernecks will take the second spot with a record of 3-2 in league play.

Denver struck early in the first half after a shot from senior midfielder Alex Underwood found the back of the net. Underwood was assisted by sophomore midfielder Ryan Barlow to give the Pioneers the advantage they kept for the remainder of the game. This was Barlow’s third goal of the season.

The Leathernecks saw a nice turnout on their home grass at John Mackenzie Alumni Field, where they closed their 2017 regular season. many came out to watch, not only for the senior class, but for a chance to see the first regular season championship for

Western since 2011.

The Purple and Gold had many opportunities to score throughout the match, ending the game with a total of 18 shots while the Pioneers finished the match with 15 shots. Western Illinois also had 12 corner kicks compared to Denver ’s four.

Offensively, the Leathernecks came out to play. In the first half, senior forward Drew Whalen had a header off of a corner kick from senior forward Fernando Pacheco that just nearly missed the goal.

In the start of the second half, senior forward Armel Kouassi almost got the equalizer off a shot which was saved by junior goalkeeper Nick Gardner of Denver.

With the game coming to a close, Whalen nearly netted a ball off of a cross from senior defender Ben Fiddes but the ball sailed wide of the goal.

Whalen totaled seven shots followed by Pacheco with four shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Tim Trilk had three saves on the day.

Soccer page 6