Western Courier| January 29th, 2018

Opinions: College is not all it's cracked up to be.

Edge: Of Mice and Men rock from California.

Sports: Brady shoots for sixth Super Bowl victory.

Monday, January 29, 2018 - Vol. 118 Issue 50

Farrow leads with career record

By Michael Harms courier staff

Michelle Farrow shoots a three againsts North Dakota State, sinking seven of her 11 attempts Saturday.

STAFF

In a strong showing at home, the Western Illinois University Leathernecks recorded their 6th conference win of the season with a 97-72 win over the North Dakota State University Bison. The Leathernecks solidify their record of 16-6 and 6-2 in The Summit League while the Bison drop to 8-13 and 1-6 in conference.

This Saturday match up came off of a record-breaking performance as Western defeated the University of Denver Pioneers in a highlight reel game, when they broke the NCAA single game record of most combined threes made. The Leathernecks didn’t stop their roll and started off hot, scoring four three-point baskets in only six minutes. The Bison were able to keep up with Western’s offense and closed out the first quarter shooting 60 percent from the field, trailing by only six.

The second quarter, Western went on a 10-3 run and never looked back. This run started

off with the defense from the Leathernecks tallying up a total of 14 steals and forcing 21 turnovers. The Leathernecks never stopped being aggressive and continued to shoot beyond the arc. Blumer went 5-10, Pryor 2-5, Braun 2-2 and finally the offensive player of the night Michelle Farrow shooting 7-11 beyond the arc and tallying up a total of 25 points. This sets a new career record for Farrow.

To close out the game, Western finished shooting 3 after 3 and despite breaking the record once last Wednesday, the Leathernecks were not satisfied with just 18 threes, but instead decided to drop 19.

This offensive performance once again broke the record for Western Illinois in the most attempted threes made in one game. Leatherneck head coach JD Gravina was pleased with the pace and efficiency that the Purple and Gold played with all night.

Basketball page 3

JIMMY PIERSON/PRODUCTION MANAGER

By Devon Greene sports editor

The Macomb Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority is beginning their latest philanthropic initiative this spring with an inaugural cancer walk/run fundraiser for the American Cancer Society on Sunday, March 4.

Tri Sigma Philanthropy Chairman, Lindy Geisler organized this event with a com-

munity effort in mind.

“My sorority is putting this event together for the first time ever and we are looking to get the community involved.”

Giesler said.

Geisler has been personally affected by cancer along with other women in her sorority which is one of the many reasons they have decided to host the event.

“Personally, my father was

recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and many women in my chapter have been affected by the disease,” Giesler said. “I also know many people in the community have been effected by it.

The American Cancer Society is an organization that touches many people, not only WIU or Tri Sigma, but the entire community.”

The run will be two miles

long and will begin 11 a.m. in Chandler Park where it will also come to a close.

Registration for the race is $20 per person and is open until Feb. 15. The Sports Corner is also co-sponsoring the event and they will announce the winners at the conclusion of the race. The event will also host motivational speakers for those that are going through tough times with cancer. Only one

confirmed speaker has been named at this time and it is a member of the Tri Sigma sorority who has recently undergone surgery due to her battle with cancer.

All proceeds for the event will be donated to the American Cancer Society who funds research, supports patients and spreads information about how to prevent the disease across the world.

2

Friday, January 26, 2018

NEWS

By Ryan Zurek opinions editor

Last Wednesday, members of the WIU Dance Marathon organization held a fundraising event at the west McDonald’s, as well as a Spring Miracle Jeans Day in anticipation of the upcoming Dance Marathon.

According to Dance Marathon Vice President of External Relations Mark Lahtinen, they raised over $10,000 throughout the day by allowing WIU employees to dress in casual jeans for a minimum donations of $5. They also partnered with

WC Located on the third floor of the Heating Plant Annex on the south end of campus across from Sherman Hall.

Mail: 1 University Circle, WIU, Macomb, IL 61455 Phone: 309-298-1876 Fax: 309-298-2309 Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays E-mail: micour@wiu.edu Member: Illinois College Press Association, National Association College Press

a local Mcdonald’s restaurant to donate 15% of each order to the organization.

These events are part of a national effort to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. The culmination of this effort will be on Feb. 24, when WIU students and participants from the Macomb community will come together for 12 hours in support of sick children, their families, as well as the doctors and nurses that care for them.

According to Dance Marathon

articipants can dance, sing, or just socialize, as long as they stay on their feet for the whole time. If you can’t dance, don’t worry! Dance Marathon president Mackenzie Lyons says, “Many people when the hear the words ‘Dance Marathon’ get scared because they can’t dance. But little do they know, when it comes to Dance Marathon, bad dancing saves the lives of so many kids.”

According to Lahtinen, Dance Marathon has already made an impact on many students here at Western. The reason he is involved is because “of the

STAFF MEMBERS editor-in-chief Nicholas Ebelhack NA-Ebelhack@wiu.edu opinions editor Ryan Zurek RP-Zurek@wiu.edu sports editor Devon Greene DJ-Greene@wiu.edu assistant sports editor Haley Richards H-Richards@wiu.edu edge editor Baylee Brynteson BM-Brynteson@wiu.edu copy editor Brie Coder B-Coder@wiu.edu proofreader Valerie Clemens VN-Clemens@wiu.edu

proofreader Alexis Lowe AL-Lowe@wiu.edu proofreader Tacuma Venzant T-Venzant@wiu.edu photo editor Becca Langys RE-Langys@wiu.edu production manager Jimmy Pierson JM-Pierson@wiu.edu business manager Faith Rucker F-Rucker@wiu.edu advertising manager Patryk Mazur P-Mazur@wiu.edu adviser Will Buss WJ-Buss@wiu.edu

WesternCourier.com

hands on connection we are able to have with the kids.”

Others, such as Lyons, say that they have been able to meet and talk to children who were personally influenced by this program.

Students around campus may have already seen t-shirts and hats with the slogan “For the Kids” representing Dance Marathon’s children oriented purpose. New clothing will be available for purchase over the next course of the next month, with proceeds going directly to the charity.

This will be Dance Marathon’s

fifth year at WIU, and their goal for 2018 is to raise $150,000.

This is following last year’s success, where they surpassed their goal of $100,000 with a record-breaking $123,200.

If this year's goal is reached, WIU Dance Marathon will have raised a grand total of $419,000, nearly half a million dollars. Currently they have raised approximatley $40,000, twenty-six percent of the total goal.

Students still looking to get involved can sign up for the event or make a donation by visiting tinyurl/yc4oe9dr.

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UNITED STATES — Fitness app producer Strava launches data on all fitness routines logged on their service. U.S. military analysts come out and say that the maps possibly identify military bases.

Friday, January 26, 2018

NEWS 3

MEANWHILE...

ICELAND — A man attempting to board a plane is turned away on a Brittish Airways’ flight after attempting to board the plane while wearing 10 layers of clothes to avoid baggage fees.

JAPAN — Nissan Motor Co. releases their newest product, driveable slippers at a number of hotels.

The slippers are designed with small wheels to transport themselves around the lobby so that they are readily available for use.

CANADA — Students across Canadian Universities have reportedly been shipped mass quantities of Amazon packages, including kitchen scales, electronics, and erotica.

CANADA — An Alberta police dog accidentally fired a handgun while tracking two suspects. The dog had found the gun behind a bushy area and inadvertently bit down on the trigger, no civilians nor the dog were injured.

UNITED STATES — A lone donkey was seen leading a herd of goats and sheep through residential areas in suburban California early Wednesday morning.

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Basketball

from front page

“I thought we did a very good job of keeping the pedal to the metal,” Gravina said. “Our offense was really clicking, and we did a much better job with our spacing and making more quality movements. We were making the right read and made the right plays for some good scoring opportunities.”

Despite the loss, the Bison had a standout performance

from Sarah Jacobson who scored 26 points and got 7 rebounds. As one of the tallest teams in the conference, it came as no surprise that they out rebounded Western. Their tall forwards tallied 7 blocks in this matchup and they rank first in that category.

Western just couldn’t be stopped after their explosive win in Denver and look to continue their offensive power into the next matchup facing the Summit League leaders South Dakota in Vermillion.

Monday, January 29, 2018

4 OPINIONS

WesternCourier.com

College life has its own challenges

As I write this and you read this, I am sure there are several different aspects of college life coming to your mind. As we have been told, high-school was supposed to be the best four years of our lives.

Wrong, they were way off. Now is the time for a second chance to make that claim true, although there are many perks to going to a university, there are many things that take a little bit of getting used to.

Dining hall food. Does that bring up any repressed feelings? I can go on and on about the food that is

served in dining halls, but luckily the options here at Western are not too shabby. As a freshman living on campus, it is required to purchase a meal plan. This rule does not help a lot of us students who do not find dining hall food very appetizing. Many people who have strict diets may not appreciate the options typically served in these dining halls as the options do not vary, at all. Several students have started their new years resolutions involving a healthy diet. This is beyond difficult when the healthy options at the dining hall rarely

ever change.

The changes you will endure as college student involve your daily routine. Is it normal to shower during the day? Who knows but when you’re in college, it is normal to shower or even do laundry at 2 a.m. or even 6 p.m., nobody will question it. When we all were young children naps were a necessity, as we have gotten older we have only realized that this repeats later on in life. Setting your alarm to take naps for either 12 minutes or four hours, it is not unusual for your friends to not answer your texts or calls only for them to wake up hours later and reply, “Sorry I was asleep.”

A part that you probably are not used to since you came to college are the random, obscene things you will witness. Now these most-

If all professors had their textbooks available on reserve, then students may be more inclined to read the chapters versus if they just choose to not even purchase the book at all.

If the books were available on reserve it would also eliminate the beginning of the semester when many students have to wait for their textbooks to arrive in the mail.

There has been many times that my textbooks have not arrived until we are already on chapter two or three in the class. This can make the homework for the earlier chapters difficult, along with confusing when you have to later go back and read the information from prior weeks.

According to the National Association of College Stores, the average college student spends $655 on textbooks each year. The College

Board however puts the average annual cost of all textbooks and materials at $1,168 for each student.

This is a ridiculous amount for college students who already have to take out loans to pay for school. I’m not saying that this would make it so students no longer have to buy any textbooks, but it would make it an alternative option for students who simply cannot afford a $200 textbook.

If all textbooks were on reserve at the library it would also help students immensely with doing homework in between classes. On days when I have breaks in-between multiple classes, it’s a pain to carry my book bag around with three big textbooks in it, just to be able to go to the library and do homework between my classes. If the library already had all of them it would take a lot of weight off of my shoulders, literally.

If professors want their students to read the required text, I truly believe that they should help make it as accessible. The library reserve is a wonderful resource for that.

Go to the library to save money on your textbooks

No one likes spending money. There is nothing worse than spending money on a textbook only to later realize you didn’t even need to open it at all during the semester. College is an expensive investment and spending hundreds on textbooks is far from enjoyable. I truly believe all professors should be required to have their textbooks on reserve in the library.

If all professors had their textbooks on reserve it would not only be beneficial to all of us students, but to the teachers as well. First off, students would have no excuse for not reading the material. I know a lot of student's who don’t even get their textbooks for a majority of their classes because, they don’t think they will need it, or they simply don’t want to spend the money.

ly take place out at parties, but from time to time you will find the strangest things on campus. For example, do you ever see people showing up to your local gym in a hot dog costume? Probably not. In college there are so many strange things that are thrown your way, you don’t even question it. When you go to the library during finals week, you will find students napping on couches but is it even questioned? Not at all. Sleeping in a public place that who knows has been there, is becoming the norm.

Not to mention, the party scene deserves to be brought up.

Now we have all been to those high-school parties in someone’s basement, trying to be quiet enough to not disturb the parents of your friend’s upstairs, but the parties at college are nothing com-

pared to those. During those times, if you attended a party that was anything like what you experience now, that party would go down in the books as being the best thing you have ever been to. The crazy drinking games that get too out of hand, the groups of people that just start randomly screaming, it is all strangely normal.

The intelligence and common sense in people just happen to disappear when there is a party. You'll find people on the roof of a house attempting to jump onto other surfaces while their peers are hyping them up, it is all a part of the scene.

I’ll admit I am slightly entertained by these strange occurrences that happen from time to time while being on a college campus, but it is the cherry on top to this chapter to our lives we call college.

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 News Editor - Isaiah Herad

Edge Editor - Baylee Bryntesson Opinions Editor - Ryan Zurek

January 29, 2018

Page 1

‘Of Mice & Men’Release New Album

Brie Coder

Copy Editor

The past two years have been a roller coaster for the band Of Mice & Men. In 2016, lead vocalist Austin Carlile left the band due to

health issues, as well as song writing differences. This left the metalcore band with a dark cloud over their heads, wondering what will happen to their future music.

Cont. on E2

Want to write for EDGE? Contact bm-brynteson@wiu.edu

E2 EDGE

Album from E1

Bassist Aaron Pauley decided to take it upon himself and become the new vocalist for the band.

What was once a quintet has now become a quartet band, and the sound is still phenomenal.

On Jan. 19, Of Mice & Men released their fifth studio album “Defy.” This album alone rebuilds the band and their new future together.

“Defy” delivers the sound fans have enjoyed over the years such as sing along melodies, big hooks, and monster grooves.

Pauley has incorporated a new sound to the album, but not in a drastic way.

There are 12 songs on the album, and it lasts 45 minutes.

Though each song sounds different from the other, it all correlates together.

“Vertigo” features all the melodic singing you’d expect to hear from an Of Mice & Men album.

“How Will You Live,” sounds like a song we’d hear on the radio.

It has a crisp sound, yet gives a taste to those who have never listened to metalcore music before. The song doesn’t have a lot of screaming, but enough to keep the song divergent.

My two favorite songs off the album are “Unbreakable,” and “ M o n e y. ” “Unbreakable” has that hard edge that I enjoy in most

Monday, January 29, 2018 metalcore artists.

It has moments of the tempo increasing and decreasing towards the chorus. The guitar and drums together make the song heavier, along with Pauley’s vocals.

Pauley has a way with his vocal range. His screaming and normal sounding vocals make it sound as if Carlile never left the band.

Now “Money” on the other hand is a great cover to Pink Floyd’s original song.

We all know as fans and musicians, that Pink Floyd’s music was way ahead of their time.

For another artist to cover their original content is saying something. The question is, did they pull it off? Of course they did!

Concluding the album

WesternCourier.com

is “If We Were Ghosts.”

This song was a tribute to the late lead vocalist of Linkin Park, Chester Bennington.

Bennington passed away in July of 2017 from suicide.

The song is haunting, because it informs the listener on how valuable our lives really are, and not to take our lives for granted.

Overall “Defy” is a great album to listen to. The album provides the loud, identical sound that fans heard when Carlile was lead vocalist. Pauley did a great job maintaining the same sound from their previous discography.

As of January, Of Mice & Men began their North American tour. They will be performing in Chicago on Feb. 11, at the House of Blues.

Movie About A Book, About A Making of A Movie: What Could Go Wrong? movie, you see Tommy and made Tommy upset. The Greg making the movie. movie was supposed to be There were many ups and serious, but instead downs between the turned into a comedy. friends. Between Greg Greg talked to Tommy and having a girlfriend, and insisted that it wasn’t a bad “losing” his movie; everyone was enjoyTo some “The Room” was a off with Greg at an improv Tommy the duo goes ing themselves. By the end disaster, and to some it was class, where he finds Tommy friend, art; but to all it’s a classic. being nothing but himself. through many hardships. of the movie you see how Greg got his foot in the door life was for both of them “The Room” is a movie Greg asks Tommy for during and that leaves the audience acting lessons, and in nor- with a hit TV Show, but before, “The Room”. wondering, “What in the mal Tommy matter, it Tommy being petty; didn’t after Their dream did come full world were these was weird and eventful. let Greg miss a day of people t h i n k i n g ? ” As the movie goes shooting for the TV Show. circle this January, because This leads to a break in both of them made it to Lucky for us “The Disaster on, their friendship Golden Globes for Artist” captured all the grows stronger.

That the friendship that was the Disaster Artist.” behind the scene moments leads them to moving going to be hard to fix. “The Go behind the camera with portrayed from the book to L.A. to become actors Months go by, and Greg happened to drive past Mr. Sestero. See where he written by “Mark” in big movies. billboard with started, where he ended himself, Greg Sestero.

As a year goes by, nothing a The Franco Brothers starred has happened for either of Tommy’s face on it. It’s and everything in between.

The audience gets the in the infamous behind the friends. Tommy is slow- a billboard for the preof “The Room.” chance to see how an unexthe scenes remake of ing Greg down, and Greg miere Greg, who is sick of pected friendship began the Cult Classic. is starting to have resentA story based on broken ment towards him. As time Tommy and the way he was and how fast they create an Hollywood dreams and ambi- goes on, Tommy start- treated, did not want to go unbreakable bond. Travel San Francisco tion, leads them down a ed writing his own movie to the premiere. Tommy from L.A. on an winding road full of betray- to stick it to the ‘man’. though, found Greg and to that he come. journey with Greg al, laughs, and “oh hi mark.”

Thus bringing us the insisted Tommy that The movie is seen from Cult Classic “The Room.” At the premiere, every- and unlike any other.

Greg’s point of view. It starts The second half of the one started laughing which is

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E3 EDGE

Monday, January 29, 2018

WesternCourier.com

XFL To Return In 2020 JIMMY PIERSON

The XFL only lasted through the 2001 season.

Though it did change things, some of which we see in the NFL to this day.

It was deemed a failure.

On January 25th, 2018 it was released that McMahon was going to announce the return of the XFL later that afternoon. It was announced

by McMahon that this would be a separate entity from the WWE. McMahon is self-funding the project through his new company Alpha Entertainment.

During his press conference on Thursday McMahon said that they were going to

give the game of football back to fans.

He stated that “We are going to ask a lot of questions and listen to players, coaches, medical experts, technology executives, members of the media, and anyone else who understands and loves the game of football.”

McMahon said that more importantly, they are going to listen to fans. With some of the ideas released during the press conference, the potential to be a lot faster and have simpler rules.

McMahon says that they “will present a shorter, faster pace, family-friendly, and easy to understand game.” The league will start out with eight teams each with a 40-man roster, 13 less than a regular NFL roster.

It will be a 10-game regular season with two semi-finals and a championship game.

McMahon also says that “the quality of the human being is going to be as important as the quality of player.” According to USA Today McMahon said “We want someone who does not have any criminality associated with them whatsoever. In the XFL even if you have a DUI, you will not play in the XFL.” The XFL is going to be multiplatform to engage with the audience and customize the viewing experience.

A big switch from the original XFL is that there will be no crossover of WWE talent. McMahon also stated that he is planning on hiring people

that know what they are doing.

They have yet to make any decisions on what cities they will choose to host teams.

McMahon said emphatically that their league will have absolutely nothing to do with politics or social issues they are there to play football.

According to ESPN despite the fact that the season is only 10 weeks McMahon said the contract will be a 52-week job, so players can work in the communities where they play.

I think that if they remember the mistakes of their past and do what they are planning to do it will be a success.

The XFL Kicks off 2020.

Jan. 20 for Women’s rights.

Many celebrities took part in the protest, such as, Amy Schumer, Whoopi Goldberg, Adele, and Jennifer Lawrence.

Though there were many people, speakers, and performances, a few have spread through online media into the hearts of many.

The Women’s March has become a very impactful movement in the fight for women’s rights and equality.

Halsey, an American singersongwriter, performed an extremely impactful poem at the Women’s March Rally this year.

This poem, titled “A Story Like Mine”, instantly caught fire on the internet. “A Story Like

Mine,” details Haley’s personal experiences with sexual assault, as it has occurred both to herself and to her best friend.

This heart-wrenching poem hits home for anyone who has experienced sexual assault or who knows someone who has experienced sexual assault.

Even for those who are not familiar with the effects of sexual assault can feel the hurt and desperation from her voice and through her words.

Sexual Assault is never an easy thing to discuss, but it is a vital conversation to have.

Natalie Portman, an American actress and an avid supporter of the Time’s Up Initiative, gave an extremely impactful speech at the Women’s March Rally.

In her speech, Natalie Portman outlined her experiences being sexually objectified in the film industry, and stated

that she “understood very quickly, even as a 13-year-old… that men would feel entitled to discuss and objectify [her] body to [her] great discomfort.”

Micro-aggressions against women are still extremely prevalent today, and Portman’s speech outlines what these microaggressions look like.

Portman shares her story living in an “Environment of Sexual Terrorism.” Pointing out that men are still the dominant nominees and winners in award shows, to sharing her own experiences with body shaming, and threats toward her, Portman joins the other strong woman who stood up for women worldwide.

The Women’s March has become such an iconic movement in history. As a nation there is so much progress being made when it comes to the battle against sexual assault.

From hashtags on social media such as #metoo and #timesup, to marches and rallies and worldwide movements such as It’s On Us. There is no doubt that this attention is changing the way that society sees sexual assault.

Both Halsey and Portman illustrate that sexism and sexual assault has no color, no body type, and no Activists like Halsey continuously speak out against sexual assault, and there will be no rest, because “Lord knows there’s a war to be won.” A war against sexual assault, and a war for the equal treatment of women.

Halsey states in the second to last stanza of her poem, “It’s 2018 and I’ve realized nobody is safe as long as she is alive, and every friend that I know has a story like mine… and that’s why we’re here, and that’s why we rally.”

Evan Williamson

staff writer Rumors have been circulating for a couple months that Vince McMahon, chairman, and owner of WWE and founder of Alpha Entertainment was going to bring back the infamous XFL. The XFL was an attempt

by WWE and NBC, who had lost the rights to show NFL games to CBS, to change the game of football.

In the middle of the Attitude Era, a period when WWE had more adultoriented content on their programs, the XFL was sold with an emphasis on sex and violence. It was hyped as “real” football with fewer penalties.

The Women’s March is a worldwide display of empowerment and activism for women of all identities. The mission of the Women’s March is to end oppression against women and to demand the equality and respect that all human beings have the right to.

The second annual Women’s March was held on Jan. 20, 2018 in multiple cities around the globe, such as New York, Honolulu, and San Carlos, Mexico.

These marches attracted hundreds of thousands of determined participants, who all share a common goal. Women (and men) of all shapes, sizes, and identities marched on

E4 EDGE

Monday, January, 29, 2018

WesternCourier.com

Has Apple lost it’s appeal?

JIMMY PIERSON

Loyalty. It is likely that the majority of Apple customers are simply devoted.

Apple used to be the leading computer manufacturer in the world and made state of the art machines. For the most part, they still do.

However, they make things differently.

Apple has escaped the period of exclusivity, to mainstream.

Since the iPhone was first introduced in 2007, people have jumped on the smartphone train. Over a billion units have been sold since its introduction and numbers don’t seem to be falling.

This poses a problem.

The problem doesn’t occur in the technology itself.

P ro c e s s o r s , s c re e n s , and interface are all top-notch. The problem is the appeal. Apple seems to make their products as attractive as possible.

For instance, their television ads for the new iPhone X flash close-ups of the screen (which is amazing) animating colorful, live images. While it is incredible, is it what Apple is about?

Currently, yes.

Some people will agree, and others won’t. Apple changed their target demographic from professionals, to consumers. Reason being they need

to compete with competitors such as Samsung and Google.

Apple used to be a computer company who happened to make cell phones. Now it’s the other way around. Their sales in iPhones have dwindled versus sales in Macs and other products.

Let’s face it; Apple bit themselves in the butts. They introduced something so amazing and capable, and made their other amazing products obsolete.

Other companies caught on to the smart phone revolution, and have seemingly left Apple in the dust.

As an Apple fan-boy, I can see where they are better. Their interface is more intuitive to the artist or musician. Their products all harmoniously sync up with each other.

I love how the iPhone feels in my hand, and I

love Mac’s interface.

However, the issue at hand is not whether Apple is better, its whether or not Apple has lost its identity.

Professionals, like video editors and photographers, used to prefer Final Cut Pro. It was designed with professional, Hollywood-grade usage in mind. The first seven versions of it were widely regarded as the best editing software available by professionals.

Then there was Final Cut Pro X. This version of Final Cut Pro took away the adaptability of the interface. It made it difficult to idealize the screen depending on what a given person was working on. The flow for effects editing, and color correction no longer made sense.

These are just a couple of issues.

So, what happened?

Apple followed the money and appealed to the consumer, rather than the professional. Its machines have reflected this character.

The new MacBook Pros lack SD card slots, USB ports, and even auxiliary jacks. This is simply appalling for a company who calls its product MacBook “Pro.” Not a single professional videographer or photographer uses a professional-grade camera without an SD card.

Apple has abandoned the exclusivity of its products.

They used to captivate users with ease and help produce amazing content.

Not that they still don’t, but they seem to ignore the justified pickiness of professionals by taking away basic features that are useful.

Apple is no longer the professional’s PC. That happened as soon as they betrayed the professional.

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OPINIONS 5

Ask before you judge We need more parking space Last week was a very interesting week for me with many firsts as a writer for the Courier. This semester is the beginning of my fourth semester writing for the opinions section of the Courier. For the first time though, I had someone come up to me and ask me questions about my views.

Understand that I’m not talking about this because it bothered me, I actually rather enjoyed it. The conversation lasted around 15 minutes and he asked me about my views that may not always be represented in my articles. I try to discuss current events and my views on them in my articles, because current events are usually what’s most revalent to us when we sit down and read the paper.

That being said, my opinions of an individual or a group as a whole are not always reflected in my articles, only my opinions of what’s happening in that specific situation. I really don’t have any concrete political affiliations; my views vary from issue to issue and they fall on both ends of the political spectrum at different levels. I also believe that a person is not defined by the political party they are a part of and a

political party is not a reflection of one individual. Political parties sticking together even if they don’t have the same views on an issue creates most of the problems in government.

Political parties give us an idea of what kinds of views a person may have, but not all members of a party feel the exact same way, and with the exact same intensity on every issue. I don’t take the time to criticize a party for the sake of being a specific party, but rather a decision they make that I don’t agree with or I feel is unnecessary.

Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the student I spoke with, but I would like to thank him for taking the time to talk to me and ask me about my views instead of just assuming or labeling.

Politics is not my favorite thing to talk about, but it’s most of our current events nowadays, so that’s what I address.

The other interesting development for me came from a former professor. A few of my fellow peers are currently enrolled in a class I had previously taken with that professor. I was told that they were reading articles from the Courier and

discussing them and that my name had come up.

When I was enrolled in the class, I remember that the professor knew I wrote for the Courier and had always seemed excited to read my articles. I was told that their recollection of me was not favorable or at least came across in that manner. I’ve never been the type to pat myself on the back or to take criticism too harshly, but I was a little surprised and a little confused.

I’m not sure whether those comments were directed at my writing, or my class performance. That would make a big difference on how I interpreted that response.

If it was about my writing then I’m really not too concerned as everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I realize not everyone shares my views and that leads to the point I want to make.

If it was about my class performance then I’m a little concerned as to why that was brought up in a discussion about the Courier. Also the fact that not only did I earn an A in that class, but I was part of a group who was exempted from the final because of the grade we had in that class.

All in all what I’m trying to say is to not assume or judge someone based on what you think to be true. If you don’t know, ask them. You might be surprised as to what you learn.

How is it that there are more students who go to Western than there are professors, yet they have more access to parking spaces than we do?

I recently brought my car to campus this past semester with the idea that it would make commuting to campus a bit easier. Trying to find a parking space that doesn’t make me feel as though I’m walking from another continent is way more than what I bargained for.

We as college students pay our tuition and take our classes only to be bombarded with tickets for parking in locations that we should already have access to. What sense does that make?

We’re encouraged to get jobs on campus for our own convince, yet all the parking spaces are reserved for faculty and staff. Am I not considered a part of the staff by working on campus?

Then, if I receive a parking ticket I have seven days to appeal it. I can’t appeal a ticket if it’s work related.

Shouldn’t I only be allowed to appeal the ticket if it is work related?

Parking should be included in tuition fee’s just as room and board, not as a side fee.

I understand that rules and regulations must be in place so that there is no confusion, but this is one of those concepts that I will always fail to comprehend.

I consider Hanson Field below sea level when it comes to parking. I travel up one set of stairs, and then another set of stairs to be considered on college grounds, and the winter months

don’t make the situation any better.

Why can’t we share? This campus is too big to receive the little amount o spaces made available to the students.

Wanting to go and visit a friend in the dorms becomes questionable, because students can only park anywhere they want after 5 p.m., but must ensure that their cars are moved before 7 a.m. to prevent being issued a ticket.

Parking at the meters isn’t better considering that I must save my change to park rather than for more necessary things like laundry.

So before I can tell someone to keep the change, I reconsider the idea that I might need that quarter in hopes of adding an additional thirty minutes to my meter.

For students like myself who commute to campus, trying to catch the bus is not as convenient as it was my freshman year. Buses only come at certain times and that doesn’t tie in with my class schedule.

It’s not as if I can just walk outside and every five minutes a new bus appears as they do for the residence halls.

All I ask is why can’t there be as many parking signs for students as there are for faculty and staff?

Equality is what I desire and having to wait until after 5 p.m. to choose where to park, does not make the situation any better for us students.

Seriously, is more available student parking too much to ask for?

Monday, January 29, 2018

6 SPORTS

Track

from back page

Milliseconds separated 9th, 10th and 11th in the 400-meter dash.

Kyle Mason of Barton County Community College recorded a time of 49.963, followed by sophomore Justin Montalto with 49.965, and freshman Dylan Smerillo at 49.966. Smerillo also placed 11th out of 18 in the 200-meter dash at 22.63.

The Leathernecks also had their best indoor times at this invite for both the men and women’s 4X400. For the men’s, Smerillo, Montalto, Norman and freshman Corey Moody came in at 3:29.42.

The women’s running team with Reed, senior Jamieria Stennis, freshman Hailey Tranchitella and sophomore Rachel Hilton finished at 4:09.45. Stennis also set a new personal record in solo com-

petition in the 600-meter run with a time of 1.39.86.

Fourth, fifth and sixth place finishes were crowned by Moody at 1:56.80, Cayson Frerichs at 2:00.74 and Quintin Thurman at 2:05.31 in the 800-meter run. The women’s final would also finish in the same way with Tranchitella (2.30.72), and sophomore Jacey Roper (2:36.16), placing them each at 6th and 7th. Sophomore Abigail Richter concluded the running events in the 3000-meter run with a time of 10:37.24, creating a new record performance in 4th.

The Purple and Gold will have two back-to-back meets on the road next weekend. The first will be in Carbondale, Ill. to compete in the SIU Invitational next Friday.

On Saturday they will be traveling to South Bend, Ind. to attend the Meyo Invitational.

WesternCourier.com

Swim

from back page

Freshman Chance McQuigg finished in the number two spot in the 100-meter breast with a time of 1:06.82.

Sophomore Connor Owens took second as well in the 200-meter breast event, scoring a time of 2:32.22.

Lastly, the 200-meter medley relay team of Bladel, McQuigg, Kudela and Almhiemid scored second with a time of 1:48.31. The same group took 2nd in the 200-meter free relay (1:37.84).

Head Coach Greg Naumann cut his team some slack.

“This meet was a lot tougher to judge on how we were swimming because it was short course meters instead

of our usually short course yards,” Naumann said. “The times were all slower just because the length of the pool is slightly longer, I felt like we started out a lot better than what I saw at Omaha. We had some good wins during the meet, which was awesome, but we had just too few to stay up with USD.” In the end, he was happy with his teams’ performances and reminded us that the women swam in back-toback meets, this past weekend. The final regular season meet is this Friday against the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.

Both teams hope to bounce back and finish the season out strong. The meet is set to begin at 6 p.m.

Twitter: bradjp08

FIND US ON @westerncourier THE WESTERN COURIER

CLASSIFIEDS

WC

For Rent

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Submit a classifieds ad to Micour@wiu.edu

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

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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.

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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.

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Sports 7

Monday, January 29, 2018

@WesternCourier

Best to bet on Brady in Super Bowl LII

Tom Brady passing the ball in pregame warmup.

WIKIMEDIA.ORG

Next weekend contains one of the most important events of the year. For those of you who know what I’m talking about, you have been waiting many months for this day. Not only is it anticipated by sports fans, just about the whole United States will be tuning in to watch this event. Now whether it’s for the actual game, the commercials, or the half-time show is up to you.

However, there is another reason people have become interested in the Super Bowl. That reason is proposition bets.

For those of you that don’t know what that is, a proposition bet or “prop bet” is a bet made regarding the occurrences in a game but not directly affecting the game’s final outcome.

I’m sure people have been betting on games since sports began, however prop bets have become tremendously popular over the last couple of years.

At one point, I could imagine

the Super Bowl only entertained football fans. However, this specific game attracts much more. Whether that’s sports fans, commercial lovers or gamblers, it appeals to many. According to ESPN, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook now has about 400 prop bets up. Prop bets can range from anything to the final score of the game to total yardage of all touchdowns to which team will have the most first downs.

In many of these bets, it seems as if the New England Patriots are the favorited team.

Quarterback Tom Brady is favorited to win MVP 4-5 compared to Eagles quarterback Nick Foles at 3-1.

Super Bowl 52 is a rematch of Super Bowl 39, where the Patriots beat the Eagles 24-21.

Both teams have since lost many pivotal players except one, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Brady is in search of his 6th championship ring and he currently holds just about every major Super Bowl record

for a quarterback. At the age of 40, Brady has started in 251 regular season games, 36 playoff games and will be playing his 8th Super Bowl game.

Foles is on the other side of the spectrum in comparison to Brady. Foles was the Eagles backup quarterback until starting quarterback Carson Wentz tore his ACL in December.

Foles had three regular season starts and was able to defeat both the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs. Foles resume is surely nothing near his opponent’s, but, in his last couple of games he has managed to have three touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 122.1.

The Eagles’ offense is going to give the Patriots a much harder time than the Jaguars did in the AFC championship. Foles has solid teammates, weapons and coaching around him.

Surely the favorite is set to be the Patriots, it is hard to bet against Bill Belichick and Brady. If you’re confident enough in your beliefs, you could possibly win some money. These prop bets have allowed people who typically wouldn’t watch this game to become some of the most involved fans.

Necks plummet in Summit League FARGO, N.D.— The Leathernecks couldn't hold on to a 12-point first half lead Saturday (Jan. 27) after an incredibly hot start from Kobe Webster against North Dakota State, as Western Illinois fell 80-69 in the Scheels Center.

“We try to pick up the pressure in the second. In the first half, we were in a little bit of foul trouble with Dalan (Ancrum) with two and C.J. (Duff) with three. We were very conscious of that,” said head coach Billy Wright. “Give them credit, they are a great team, a very disciplined team and they make you pay when you hiccup. We had a few hiccups defensively, but I am proud of how they fought on such a short turnaround.”

Kobe Webster began the game on fire, scoring 18 points and starting a 7-for-9 from the field and 2-of-3 in the first nine minutes of the game.

The Indianapolis native also grabbed a pair of rebounds and dished a couple of assists in the first half.

A Webster jumper with 11:30 mark caused the Bison to call a timeout and put the Leathernecks up 12 points.

The Bison went on an ensuing 8-0 run to close the gap to just two points, but C.J. Duff knocked down his first shot of the afternoon to put WIU back

up by five points.

With the Bison up by six points with just under two minutes to go in the half, Isaac Johnson hit a midrange jumper at the top of the free throw line to pull the Leathernecks within four points. Delo Bruster then scored back-toback buckets to tie the contest before the break. NDSU made a basket with less than 10 seconds in the half to take the lead at 42-40.

Webster opened up the scoring for the Leathernecks in the second half with a jumper at the top of the key. Duff netted a shot on the elbow to halt an 8-2 Bison run with 13:52 to go in the second half.

Down by 13 with 8:34 to play, Dalan Ancrum swished backto-back trifectas that pulled the Leathernecks within seven points, 59-66. On the ensuing possession, the Bison completed a four-point play to stretch the lead back to double-digits.

Webster tallied his 24th point of the contest on a midrange bucket inside the four minutes of the game. Ancrum scored his entire 15 points in the second half of the contest, going 6-8 from the field and 2-3 from deep.

The Leathernecks return to Western Hall on Feb. 1 against South Dakota.

GoLeathernecks.com

Dalan Ancrum looks to dribble past opponent.

PEDRO AVILA/PHOTO EDITOR

Monday, August 21, 2017

Track breaks personal records

By Brie Coder copy editor

IOWA CITY, Iowa- The Western Illinois University indoor track and field competed this weekend at the University of Iowa’s Black and Gold Premier. During the competition, several Leathernecks set new personal records. This was also the first meet that new head coach Diane Wholey was a part of.

“We had some positive performances and personal bests today at the University of Iowa,” said Wholey. “We are looking forward to our upcoming meets and the athletes improving their individual performances, as we get closer to the indoor conference championships. Our next few meets will be held in facilities that are similar to what we will experience at the Summit League Championships.

The meet formats will be similar as well, which will help our student-athletes prepare.”

Western’s high jumpers were the first to compete this weekend inside the UI Recreation Building. Freshmen Jace Norman and Elliott Gongora recorded backto-back finishes with a distance of 1.88 meters (6' 2"), finishing in 3rd and 4th. On the women’s side,

freshman Claire Young jumped 1.58 meters (5' 2.25) placing 3rd overall. Sophomore Michaela Busch concluded the event in 5th at 1.53 meters (5' .25").

The action then continued in the long jump with senior Jasmine Brown taking 6th overall (5.44 meters / 17' 10.25"). Brown also recorded Western’s best effort in the event followed in order by: freshmen Amelia Peterson (4.98 meters), Victoria Adesola (4.61 meters), Allie Scott (4.57 meters) and sophomore Megan Reed (4.47 meters).

Peterson also set a personal best in the triple jump with a mark of 11.46 meters, placing her in 6th.

Her previous record was 11.25 meters, which was set at the Panther Open earlier this season. The personal bests would continue as sophomore Michael Rinella defeated Iowa’s Daniel Gaynes in a one-on-one pole vault matchup with Rinella clearing 14 feet, 3.25 inches.

In the running events, sophomore Josh Kirby and Adesola cut time off of their preliminary races by clocking in 8.36 and 9.96 in the 60-meter hurdles.

Track page 6

GOLEATHERNECKS.COM

Michael Rinella soars in the pole vault where he defeated Iowa’s Daniel Gaynes in a one-on-one pole vault.

Swim and dive flops in Omaha meet

By Bradley Piros courier staff

Erica Hagen comes up for air during her relay.

GOLEATHERNECKS.COM

VERMILLION, S.D. – The Western Illinois University swim and dive teams took to the pool last Saturday, as both the men and the women competed in a dual meet with the University of South Dakota. This was the first meet for the men since coming back from winter break, not competing since Dec. 2. The women on the other hand had back-to-back meets. Friday, they went up against the University of Omaha, losing 84-139, and then the following day they’re back in competition against the Coyotes.

Needless to say, it was a rough meet for both teams, as the men lost (191-92), and the women as well (177-103). The Leathernecks did however win in four different singles events, as well as the 200-meter medley relay. The team of Taylor Winkel, Miranda Mathus (sophomores), Erica Hagen and Marissa Purdum (freshmen) finished first by only half a second with a time of 2:05.31. These four would go on to win in individual events as well later that day.

Hagen had an easy win in the 100-meter breast (1:14.97) but

touched second in the 200-meter breast with a time of 2:53.82 as well as the 200-meter IM (2:40.63). Mathus also got on the score sheet when she won the 200-meter free, coming in at 2:13.39. She also touched second in the 100-meter fly (1:08.07).

Along with these two, many others were able to pick up some second-place finishes.

Purdum came back to get second in the 50-meter free (28.19).

Sophomore Amy Borgstede finished second in the 200-meter fly (2:40.31) and freshman Claire Straetker got a time of 2:37.05 in the 200-meter back. To finish off the list, freshman Amanda Schaefer took second in the 400meter free (4:56.46).

The men got themselves a couple of wins throughout the day as well, led by sophomore Philip Kudela as he won 400-meter free (4:15.46) and freshman Samir Almhiemid in the 100meter fly (59.44). Sophomore Brennan Bladel settled for second, but unfortunately lost in the 100-meter coming in at 1:00.67. He also finished second in the 200-meter back with a time of 2:14.80.

Swim page 6