Opinions: Advice for Valentine's Day.
Sports: NHL All-Star game impresses.
Sports: Basketball prepares for the weekend.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018 - Vol. 118 Issue 50
Operation ‘Icemelt’ arrest made BECCA LANGLYS/PHOTO EDITOR
Faculty Senate Chair Steven Rock speaks at SGA to clarify confusion in regards to potential academic program changes.
Faculty Senate clarifies issues at SGA By Baylee Bryntesson edge editor
MCDONOUGH COUNTY SHERRIFF'S OFFICE
Jason R. Miller, 33, of Bushnell Ill., was arrested Monday on two counts of delivery of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) after being lodged in the McDonough County jail for a previous criminal offense.
By Nicholas Ebelhack editor-in-chief
Another arrest in the multiagency undercover drug enforcement initiative “Icemelt” was made Monday. According to a press release from McDonough County Sheriff Rick VanBrooker Jason R. Miller, 33, of Bushnell Ill., was charged with two counts of delivery of a controlled substance, methamphetamine. Miller has previously been charged with possession of stolen property, for which he has been lodged in the McDonough County jail since Nov. 24. According to the press release, the delivery of a controlled substance charges were committed prior to his November arrest. The investigation leading
to the arrest took place over six months and was lead by the McDonough County drug unit, consisting of Macomb Police Department, the Western Illinois University Office of Public Safety, and the McDonough County Sherriff’s Office. Miller ’s bond has been set at $10,000 and ten percent to apply. This bond is in addition to his previous bond, which was set for possession of stolen property. “Icemelt” is a continuing eight-month undercover drug enforcement operation that has resulted in multiple arrests. According to the Sherriff’s Office, more arrests are anticipated to come. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Faculty Senate Chair Steven Rock attended the SGA meeting on Tuesday night to address some rumors and misunderstandings regarding major-minor policy changes. Earlier last week, there was talk that the Faculty Senate had made a proposal to vote on the major-minor policy change. This change would stop students from being able to minoring in their same academic college. There was fear that if this
change was approved, many students who are currently at Western would be pushed to continue their major-minor track at different schools. Rock made it clear that, of now, there will be no as changes to any major or minor programs at the university. He stated that there are no plans to make any changes to any of these programs any time soon. “There are some faculty on campus that feel that some major and minor combinations don’t fit,” Rock said. “And there was a discussion at faculty senate but there
was nothing in the CCPI report that came to senate that talked about that issue. And no proposal in senate that would make any changes, so as things stand now you can major in whatever you want to major in and minor in whatever minors are available for that particular major.” While there will be no chang to the major-minor policy es at this time, the General Education requirements are being under review.
SGA page 3
BECCA LANGLYS/PHOTO EDITOR
Student Government Association President Grant Reed and Senator Elizabeth Swan discuss legislation on Tuesday.
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Wednesday, January 31, 2018
NEWS
Nicholas Ebelhack editor-in-chief
As a part of an initiative to recruit and retain students to the residence halls, University Housing and Dining Services (UHDS) is introducing and continuing proposals to make living on campus more attractive. According to Director of Residential Facilities Joe Roselieb, UHDS developed a committee and utilized a survey to analyze what they could do in order to make on-campus housing more competitive with off-campus housing options. “Obviously we don’t have the capability to put tanning beds in the residence halls and we aren’t going to put in gyms because we have the student rec center,” Roselieb said. “We had to look at other things in our advantage, and that was space.” Much of that space comes
WC
from Lincoln and Washington halls, which are dedicated to single rooms only. But starting next semester, those halls will open up to students interested in living in a double at that corner of campus. Additionally, for upperclassmen students, they will also receive a $500 stipend each semester so long as they sign up before Aug. 17. These initiatives come from five focus areas that Roselieb said his committee focused on when creating these new initiatives. “One of the biggest concerns was independence, students maybe don’t like the rules or they don’t like that an RA is over their shoulders,” Roselieb said. “Then there is cost, which is something that is going to be a factor to every student.” Both of those are being addressed in the now 21+ only Washington Hall, where residing students will receive
STAFF MEMBERS proofreader Alexis Lowe AL-Lowe@wiu.edu editor-in-chief Nicholas Ebelhack NA-Ebelhack@wiu.edu news editor Isaiah Herard IA-Herard@wiu.edu opinions editor Ryan Zurek RP-Zurek@wiu.edu sports editor Devon Greene DJ-Greene@wiu.edu
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the stipend and have more independence than other residence halls. “We are going to look at our policies and procedures can be relaxed on over the next couple of months to make that 21+ community work over there, but that is tying in our theme of independence while still maintaining the benefits of living on campus,” Roselieb said. One potential idea that Roselieb mentioned was reducing the number of RA’s in the building to one per every other floor. Other options are still being explored as this idea develops. Additionally, other options are also being made available, such as open housing which will enter its second year as a program at Western. “Open housing was designed for people looking at that independence and community piece for people who want to live with oth-
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 Tacuma Venzant T-Venzant@wiu.edu photo editor Pedro Avila PJ-Avila@wiu.edu assistant 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
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ers of the opposite gender, and Corbin-Olson was the perfect fit for that because of the bathrooms on both sides of the floor for each gender. We developed open housing so that regardless of sex or gender identity people could share a space.” Other factors that Roselieb said were considered were dining options, convenience and community. He said that UHDS has attempted to connect with student groups in order to show them the benefits of living on campus with options to live together. “We have reached out to our veteran’s programs for those individuals to let them know about these opportunities,” Roselieb said. “We have also talked to some of our Greek communities since not everyone can live at the house but we can make it so a group of their members can live on a single floor, so we want to be more target direct on some of
those options.” Another thing Roselieb mentioned was that UHDS is going to promote some of their current programs that might not be as well known, such as for half-year housing contracts. “We don’t tout often is that the leases off campus is generally for 12 months,” Roselieb said, “but we want to promote that we can do special leases for study abroad or early graduation or student teaching to let people know that we can do semester contracts if you only need the contract for the semester, which is easier than trying to get a sublease or maybe negotiation with your landlord.” Housing renewal has already begun for same hall/same room and same hall/different room, with group moves opening today. Contract renewal is open until Feb. 28, with March 1 being the last day to cancel a contract.
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•On Jan. 22 at 1:24 p.m. a student reported at Mowbray Hall the theft of a parking hangtag, valued at $114, from a vehicle. The incident is under investigation. •On Jan. 22 at 4:34 p.m. a University employee reported the theft of her purse, containing $140 cash, a cell phone, an electronic tablet and credit cards, from Knoblauch Hall. •On Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. a student came to Mowbray Hall to report the theft of $275 cashby someone known to him. The incident is
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
under investigation. •On Jan. 22 at 9:51 p.m. three students in Q-Lot were judicially referred for possession of cannabis. •On Jan. 22 at 11:54 p.m. OPS and the Macomb Fire Department responded to a fire alarm in Tanner Hall. The alarm was activated by burned food and no injuries were reported. •On Jan. 23 at 9:46 a.m. a University employee reported the purchase of $50 Rocky Dollars with a stolen credit card. The incident is
under investigation. •On Jan. 24 at 4:41 a.m. nonstudent Mario Leon, 19, of Maywood, IL, was arrested in Olson Hall for domestic battery. He was lodged in the McDonough County Jail at 4:51 a.m. pending bond. •On Jan. 24 at 10:15 a.m. Wesley Julien, 25, of 615 N. Avery, #3, was arrested in Simpkins Hall on a Warren County warrant for failure to appear. He was transported to the McDonough County Jail at 10:46 a.m. where he was lodged pending bond. •On Jan. 24 at 9:12 p.m. one student in L-Lot was judicially referred for possession of cannabis. •On Jan. 26 at 12:28 pm. Jeanell Harris, 20, of 302 Henninger Hall, and Tatiana Glenn, 18, of 1123 Tanner Hall, were each given a notice to appear March 6 for a Macomb city ordinance violation for fighting outside of Morgan Hall. •On Jan. 26 at 9:28 p.m. three students in Q-Lot were judicially referred for possession of cannabis/ drug paraphernalia. •On Jan. 28 at 1:55 a.m. non student James Jordan, 20, of 930 N. Albert St., was arrested at Western Avenue/Riverview Drive for driving under the influence of alcohol, disobeying a stop sign and illegal transportation of alcohol. He was transported to the McDonough County Jail at 3:10 a.m. where he was lodged pending bond.
NEWS 3
SGA
from front page
According to Rock, it has been approximately 12 years since the general education requirements at Western have been looked at and reviewed. Colton Markey, student representative to the Council for General Education, further explained the general education review. “The change that was discussed was about comprehensive majors.
There is a general education review every 10 years, which is where we go through the catalog, and determine how many credits a course should require.” Each department head determines what needs to be changed. The council for general education will be reviewing the criteria for each comprehensive major’s general education classes. They will try to review and decide what changes need to be mad in order to benefit the students in those majors.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
4 OPINIONS
WesternCourier.com
Stop auctioning off political offices It is no secret to those who know me that I lean very far to the politcal left. It is also no secret that I am very critical of our current administration, as well as many of the leading members of Congress. What a lot of people don't know about me is that I am also very critcal of the Democratic party. The specific criticism that I have for the Democratic party right now is
that they simply cannot learn a lesson. For some reason, the Democratic party feels the need to pander to the richest person they can find in order to win an election. There are certain members of the party who pander to bankers and Wall street, instead of listening to the average middle class voters. Now, people who know me may realize that this is the ex-
act same criticism I have of a lot of Republican politicians, and it's true. The issue of money in politics is a bi-partisan issue. It affects both sides of the aisle. But the difference is that one party purports to be better. One party campaigns on the idea of a fair and just democracy, but then will turn around and auction off the election to the highest bidder. At least when the Republicans do it they aren't being hypocritical. If you've been keeping up with semi-local political news, you may know what I'm talking about. Or if you've recently turned on a television or seen an ad on the internet, you
Letter to the Editor Dear Courier Editor, As the Chair of the Faculty Senate, I would like to take this opportunity to correct the inaccuracies being circulated in response to your recent article “Major problem with minor policy,” published in The Western Courier on January 24, 2018. In September 2016, the Faculty Senate asked its Council on Curricular Programs and Instruction (CCPI) to conduct: 1) a review of the existing definitions of academic terms 2) an examination of the comprehensive major, to include: • whether the understanding of a comprehensive major as a broad-based unit of instruction has changed to now prevent students from getting sufficient exposure outside their major disciplines • a consideration of the restrictions placed upon comprehensive majors due to accreditation requirements 3) an examination of majors and minors within the same discipline 4) a review of the process by which departments are applying academic terms, such as the creation of emphases or options that later evolve into minors or majors 5) an examination into what constitutes a discipline, a program, and a core and consideration of adding these to the definitions of academic terms
6) a discussion of and examination into any relevant issues that arise from the review process After extensive discussion between CCPI and the Faculty Senate, the final report was delivered last October. CCPI proposed slight changes to the definition of a comprehensive major, simplified the definition of an “option,” and suggested definitions for the terms “discipline” and “core.” These changes are fairly minor and have no effect on students, their choice of majors and/ or minors, or their courses of study. CCPI is still working on the definition of “program.” While there was discussion on the Senate floor about the appropriateness of certain minors paired with certain majors, there was nothing in the CCPI report, and no proposals on the Senate floor, that would make any changes. The CCPI report will come back to the next Faculty Senate meeting to clarify the definition of a program. I will be attending the SGA meeting this week to provide any further explanations or answer any lingering questions. The article also offered complaints by some students that some faculty include class participation and attendance in determining a substantial portion of the course grade. Most faculty are very accommodating to students who have legitimate reasons for missing
class, such as sanctioned athletic events or medical reasons. Instructor grading policy is set out in the course syllabus which is distributed the first week of classes. Students who are not comfortable with the instructor’s grading policies should consider another section or a different course. Trustee Gradle allegedly stated: “professors excessively use videos and presentations to teach students the material as opposed to traditional lectures.” I surmise that most undergraduate students actually find videos and presentations a welcome method to present course material. In today’s best practices for teaching, a variety of approaches are suggested rather than just lecturing to accommodate students’ different learning styles. Finally, I want to reinforce the fact that faculty have student success upmost in their minds and we work hard to earn student trust and provide an excellent education. We appreciate that you are here. While I am sorry that inaccurate information has been disseminated to the student body and the community, I hope that by this letter I can state the facts. If you have any further questions I encourage you to reach out to a Faculty Senator or to me at SM-Rock @wiu.edu. Steve Rock, Ph.D. Chair, Faculty Senate
might have a clue as to what my current issue is. Recently, the airwaves have been filled to the brim with ads for JB Pritzker, who is running for the the Democratic endorsment for Governor, and he has a lot of support. Why are Democratic voters supporting him? There are people who will (rightfully) condemn Trump's presidency for his lack of political experience and then in the same breath endorse Pritzker, a man whose only qualification seems to be having been the heir to the Hyatt fortune. Working in business is not the same thing as working in
government. We should elect leaders from the ground up. If you want to become governor, perhaps you should start out working as a leader in your town. Our political leaders should work their way up from the bottom, so that our governors know how to work with our legistlators and our city leaders. We need to stop selling our poltical offices to the highest bidder. There needs to be legislative campaign finance reform. But there also needs to be a paradigm shift among the American people. We need to start realizing that you shouldn't have to be rich to be a politician.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
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Valentine’s Day advice As we leave the cold and unforgiving month of January, we look ahead to February and its shorter and easier expectations. February brings a very exciting day that everyone looks forward to. That day is Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, and the only three day weekend we have in the spring semester. The next popular day (for some) in February is Valentine’s Day. This is a day where you and your significant other show affection towards each other, unless you’re single in which you show your affection for Ben and Jerry’s. Whether or not you consider it a Hallmark Holiday, you will most likely have to participate in some form or another if you have a significant other. All those who fall under the ice cream lovers category have to do is not ruin it for the ones in relationships and get as much ice cream as you think you need. So while you’re pre-
paring for the second Wednesday of February (remember to wear festive colors), there’s just a couple things to keep in mind. Valentine’s Day is about you and your significant other (if applicable). Other people’s relationships or plans shouldn’t affect yours, unless it affects you directly which is highly doubtful, shouldn’t be a concern of yours. This extends past Valentine’s Day and should be your mentality year round. Someone’s relationship status or choice in partner does not affect you unless that partner is you and is making you uncomfortable, but I’ll get to that later. The biggest issue with this is that some people are not okay with or feel comfortable with the LGBTQ community and my big question for this is why? Whoever someone wants to date or be with doesn’t really concern you. You can’t deny someone their happiness because you don’t believe in what
they’re doing. Everyone is entitled to the pursuit of happiness and love despite what your opinions are. I think the biggest issue in society is that we are so quick to put labels on people and have preconceived notions about those whether or not it’s true. Some people put entire groups of others into a negative category when they’ve never even talked to a person in that group. Instead of categorizing people, I think we need to make our judgements one person at a time. A simple philosophy that I try to follow is to be nice and respectful to others. It doesn’t matter who or what you are, what matters is how you treat others in general. One final note that applies to the entire year but especially on Valentine’s Day. If you are in a social situation or on a date where you start to feel uncomfortable, say something. You don’t owe anyone your time and your safety is the most important thing. If you’re afraid to say something to the person you’re with, tell someone can you trust that can help you get out of that situation. Remember your safety is your main priority.
OPINIONS 5
Keep up with your resolutions
Over break we all celebrated the New Year and with that there comes many resolutions people intend on doing to make sure they have a great year. Common resolutions are eating healthy, working out, keeping up with homework, reading more, stop procrastinating, and many more things that we think will make our year better than the last. But if anyone is like me, they struggle to keep up with their resolutions. The stress of school and other activities can put everything that isn’t the “norm” for you on hold. Since we are busy college students, how can we ensure our resolutions are completed and not let them get away from us? First things first, stay dedicated. I believe that the beginning of a New Year ’s resolutions is the easiest to obtain because they are new. As the weeks go on people start to lose sight of their new goals, and it slowly starts to drift away from them. Whether it has to do with physical fitness, mental health or bettering yourself overall as a person, goals can be reached through a little determination and hard work. The next thing you can do to obtain your goals is to have a friend help you. Having the support of a close friend pushes me, because I know they want me to succeed
and better myself. My new year ’s resolution was to go to the gym more, and luckily I have two friends with the same resolution that push me even when I don’t want to be pushed. This helps all of us to stay on track together. So far the support that my friends have provided has been helpful in maintaining our resolution. Once I had a friend tell me that it only takes 21 days to make a life change and I could not agree more. I have been going to the gym three days a week and I am starting to notice improvements. Staying committed to your goals is the best way to complete them. Push yourself through those 21 days and your life will be turned around. The last piece of advice I have is to make sure you can maintain that resolution all year round. Obviously the reason you picked that resolution is to help better your life style. If you truly believe it will make a difference then always maintain that goal. All in all, we create resolutions to make our new year the best one yet. We push ourselves to be the best we can be and even with it being difficult at times, we want to complete these goals to better ourselves in the long run. As we enter February, it’s not too late to make a change to your year!
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
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
6 SPORTS
Women
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Men
from back page
from back page
The biggest key of this game is containing Mooney. His perfect seven of seven from the free throw line, makes him one player Western will have to watch carefully. For the Leatherneck’s, Webster has scored 17 or more points in every conference game. He is also third in the league with four assists in a game. With it being the last month of the season, look for the Leathernecks to play energized basketball. Yes, they are at the bottom of the league, but they still have meaningful games to play this year. They are also playing four out of their seven remaining regular season games at home, where they have strived this year. If Western can find a way to beat the Coyotes, it could just get their season started. Twitter: Cre_bean
Both teams feature prolific scorers as they are the number one and two teams in the Summit League in scoring this season. Western leads the league scoring 82.7 points per game, shooting over 600 threepointers this year already. The Cougars are not far behind at 76.1 points per game. They do not seem afraid to challenge the league leaders on their home court. Coach Gravina is looking to make some defensive changes against USD to stop them from scoring as well as they did in the last matchup in an attempt to stop the number two scoring offense in the Summit League. Western hopes to keep their streak alive and prove they can break the Coyotes streak.
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For Rent
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Submit a classifieds ad to Micour@wiu.edu
1 & 2 bedroom apartments, new $250 signing bonus on 10 and 12 month leases. Two blocks from campus. Bus stops nearby. Free water, garbage and parking. Laundry onsite. Clean, well maintained and secure. Call Ted 309-837-5600 or visit markertrental.com. 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!. NICE, CLEAN, WELL MAINTAINED 1 TO 6 BEDROOM HOUSES FOR 2016-2017 Our houses have hard wood floors, ceramic tile, central air, washer and dryer and are close to campus with plenty of parking. We offer a ten month lease so you don’t pay for the months you aren’t here. Please call 309-255-1959 for a showing. 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!
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. Small 1BR apt near campus and downtown. All utilities included. (Electric, Water, DISH, Garbage) $500/month, $300 deposit. Available immediately. Also have 2BR, you pay electric. $600/month, $350 deposit available September 1st. Please contact 309-255-4367 for a showing. 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. Westen Investments has just one 3-Bedroom ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED (Water, Sewer, Trash, Gas, Electric, and Internet) Apartment left! That’s right you just pay for rent, and the rest of it is on us! Call our office at 309-833-5995 to check it out.
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. Ceiling fans and a/c. Professionally maintained. No pets. Semester leases offered. Call 309 837 4369 and leave your phone number if not there. Email: MandKhousing@gmail.com 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. Spacious 3 Bedroom Upper in Duplex close to campus and Jackson St. All utilities furnished and appliances Includes cable and internet 18/19 school year $375.00 per Br Ph 309 255 8086 Please leave message
Sports 7
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
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A look at NHL All-Star weekend
TAMPA BAY, FLA. – The NHL All-Star weekend is one of the key highlights of the season and this year Tampa Bay, Florida, home of the Lightning, had the honor of hosting the event. This is my favorite All-Star game out of the major U.S. sports leagues by far, the only one coming close being the NBA All-Star game. To me, the NFL Pro-Bowl is a joke, and I’m just not really a baseball fan. I watched the MLB All-Star game back when it meant home field advantage for the winning side, but now that’s kind of pointless too. I know what you’re thinking, “The NHL All-Star game is just as pointless,” and you’re right, but let me tell you why it’s still my favorite. If you didn’t know, the NHL All-Star game recently had a change of formatting. It used to be just two teams playing regular 5-on-5 hockey, the best of the Eastern Conference and the
best of the West. There’s been a couple of exceptions since then though, like in 1979 and 1987 when only a single team of the NHL’s best players went up against the Soviet Union National Team; or in 1998 and 2002 when the teams were split up by the players’ nationality. We’ve even seen the cancellation of the game back in the 2004-2005 season, as well as the 2012-2013 season when the AllStar games were cancelled all together due to the lockout and shortened season. The current format is my favorite; it’s four mini-teams from their respected divisions, Central, Pacific, Atlantic and Metropolitan, going up against one another in a 3-on-3 tournament. Before I start, I’ve said it before and I’ll always bring it up, I’m a die-hard St. Louis Blues fan, so I was rooting for the Central division; except Patrick Kane. All jokes aside, it was good to see Blues captain
Alex Pietrangelo and his fellow teammate, first time all-star, Brayden Schenn get voted in to play the game. I was a little bummed that I didn’t get to see my favorite player Vladimir Tarasenko, but I’ll take what I can get. In the end it was up to America to vote in the players, and I think we did a pretty good job. Now, I’ll always believe that the Central Division is the toughest out of the four, especially right now. I’ll also be the first person to admit I’m wrong. So when the Central Division went out hard and fast, I had a lot of people telling me, “I told you so.” The Central Division team, including the likes of Nashville’s P.K. Subban and Pekka Rinne, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, and Dallas’ Tyler Seguin, kicked things off against the Pacific Division, my personal least favorite to win. They had stars like the L.A. King’s Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar, Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau, San Jose’s Brent Burns, and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid to name a few; and they proceeded to take it to the central division, winning 5-2 to put them in the 2018 Honda NHL
All-Star Game finals. Following this game was the favorite, the Atlantic Division, with four hometown Tampa Bay all-stars such as: Nikita Kucherov, captain Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Andei Vasilevskiy. The Lightning was the only team to produce four all-stars this year. They led against the starstudded Metropolitan division including: the Pittsburgh Penguin’s Kris Letang, and Sidney Crosby, as well as Washington’s Braden Holtby, and Alex Ovechkin. The Atlantic division was the outright winner of this game 7-4, including a hometown Kucherov hattrick, meaning it was going to be East-coast vs. West-coast in the finals. The Pacific Division all-stars beat the Atlantic 5-2 in the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game and cash in on the $1 million grand prize. The game started off with a four goal first period, as the Pacific struck first. Anaheim’s Rickard Rakell scored the goahead rebound goal 59 seconds into the game to take the lead. They then doubled that lead when Vancouver Canuck Brock Boeser took a pass from
Gaudreau and finished into the top right corner. Detroit’s Mike Green cut the lead in half to make it 2-1, but Drew Doughty made it 3-1 to regain the twogoal lead. Headed into the second period, Gaudreau made it 4-1, followed by Green to make it 4-2. The last goal of the game came from Rakell to make it 5-2. Sadly, the hometown Lightning players couldn’t get the win in front of the Tampa Bay crowd. It was never about winning or the money, it was about the greatest hockey players in the world coming together to make something special happen. When you can see McDavid, Crosby, Ovechkin, and Kucherov, the four hottest hockey players in the world, all playing at the same time, you know you are witnessing greatness. So until next year, it’s back to business, as all great things must come to an end. The NHL All-Star Break is now over and all the teams look to get back onto the ice stronger and more refreshed from the break, to make that final push for the playoffs.
Necks prepare for back-to-back meets By Brie Coder copy editor
ANGELICA STRACK/COURIER STAFF
Justin Motalto readies himself in starting blocks.
The Western Illinois men and women’s indoor track and field teams will have two back-to-back meets this Friday and Saturday. The first competition will be at the SIU Invitational in Carbondale, Ill. The following day will be the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind. The indoor season has been off to a good start for both the men’s and women’s divisions. Last Saturday, the Leathernecks faced off against the University of Iowa at the Black and Gold Premier in Iowa City, Iowa. Many broke personal best records. In the women’s division, freshman Victoria Adesola shaved off time in the 60-meter hurdles from her previous time with 9.96. Sophomore Abigail Richter had a fourth place performance in the 3000-meter run in 10:37.24. Her placement time was a college best overall in the competition. Continuing with the women’s division, the field events also had several new place finishes. Freshman Claire Young placed 3rd overall in the high jump at 1.58 meters. Freshman Amelia Peterson also set a personal best in the triple jump with a mark of 11.46 meters, placing her in sixth.
Senior Jasmine Brown took 6th overall in the long jump (5.44 meters), and recorded Western’s best effort in the event. In the men’s running division, sophomore Josh Kirby improved his previous time of 8.52 from the John Craft Invitational, to 8.36 this past Saturday in the 60-meter hurdles. The 800-meter run was a big win for Western with fourth, fifth and sixth place finishes from freshmen Corey Moody (1:56.80), Cayson Frerichs (2:00.74) and Quintin Thurman (2:05.31). Not only were better finishes being made on the track, but on the field for the men. Sophomore Michael Rinella defeated Iowa’s Daniel Gaynes in the pole vault matchup with 14 feet, 3.25 inches. Freshmen Jace Norman and Elliot Gongora conclude the highlights with back-to-back finishes in the high jump with 1.88 meters. Both the men and women had their best indoor times in the 4X400. Rinella, Moody, Norman and sophomore Justin Montalto came in at 3:29.42 for the men’s time. Freshman Hailey Tranchitella, senior Jamieria Stennis, and sophomores Megan Reed and Rachel Hilton came in at 4:09.45. The Southern Illinois University Salukis have also
had an impressive indoor season thus far, especially with their last meet on Jan. 19, at the Vanderbilt Invitational, in Nashville, TN. Red shirt sophomore Megan Krolak made her debut at the Vanderbilt Invitational in the 3000-meter run. Krolak finished at 10:08.84, placing 29th in a field of 74 runners. Senior Kelly O’Shea finished in 44th place in the same event at 10:23.02. These two women along with Western’s Richter will be a force to reckon with. For the Salukis, both the men’s and women’s teams placed in the top 10 in the 4X400. The women’s relay that consisted of: senior Alicia Reed, junior Tyjuana, red shirt senior Chrissa and sophomore Shafiqua Maloney, finished seventh in the contested race that featured 25 entrants. The women finished at 3:45.38, the fifth-fastest time in school history, along with best time in the Missouri Valley Conference this season. The men’s 4X400 with freshmen Johnny McGluen, Canoy Tyree, and juniors Kevin Turner and Warren Hazel, came in at 3:16.38, finishing in seventh. There will be some tough competition this weekend, but agility and dedication are what’s needed for the Leathernecks to dominate against the Salukis.
Monday, August 21, 2017
Women’s hoops looks to halt Cougars By Michael Harms courier staff
The Western Illinois University Leathernecks have the opporitunity to tarnish the perfect Summit League record of the University South Dakota Cougars on Feb. 1. Western holds a 16-6 record and 6-2 in the conference, while South Dakota is at the top of the Summit League at 17-5 and an undefeated 8-0 in conference. Western is now on the second half of the Summit League matchups and has held their own. Coach JD Gravina motivates his team stating how excited he is for the second meeting for every conference team. In the first meeting against South Dakota, the Leathernecks got trampled, losing 82-58 in their second worst scoring performance of the season. Their biggest flaw had to be the turnovers, giving the ball up a total of 17 times and allowing USD to gain 22 points off of those turnovers. The struggling Leathernecks couldn’t shoot from the 3-point line, which caused a
36 percent success rate. Finally, the Coyotes hustled to every loose ball and outrebounded the Leathernecks 40-29, easily showcasing why they deserved the win at Western Hall. Meanwhile the Leathernecks seem to be up to the challenge, as they swept the Coyotes, and even beat them at their house 86-78, last year. The defending Summit League champions need to prove how good they are as USD hasn’t fallen in the conference just yet due to their defense. They lead the league allowing 58.7 points per game, and only averaging 13.1 turnovers a game. They are second in steals with 10.5, which seemed to create havoc in the first matchup against the Leathernecks. Western Illinois will not back down as they are coming off of two red hot performances, with over 18 three pointers, and two won games against Denver University and North Dakota State University.
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Taylor Higginbotham drives past a defender.
ANGEL STRACK/COURIER STAFF
Men’s basketball prepares for South Dakota By Christopher Bean courier staff
Delo Bruster dribbles on his way to the paint.
FILE PHOTO
MACOMB, Ill. -The Western Illinois Leathernecks 10-10 (1-6) will start their second half of the conferences looking for their second win against the second best team in the Summit League, the University of South Dakota Coyotes 18-6 (6-2). The tip-off will begin this Thursday at 7 p.m. at Western Hall. The Purple and Gold are looking to have a fresh start in the Summit, after losing six out of seven games, all by 11 or more points. Their only win came from Fort Wayne in a thrilling overtime win, when freshman Kobe Webster threw the game winning shot, with 1.1 seconds left in overtime. The Leathernecks look forward to coming back home after losing two on the road last week. Playing at home has been arguably one of their strongest suits with a 10-3 record at home this year. However, it won’t be an easy task, as the Coyotes have been a consistently tough team to beat this season. Junior Matt Mooney leads the Coyotes, averaging 17.7 points a game, and earn-
ing himself a 5th leading score in the league. The Coyotes are coming off an 84-68 loss to the University of Denver Pioneers. The 16-point loss tied their biggest margin of losses this year. The other loss was to Duke University Blue Devils earlier this season. The Coyotes have not lost any back-to-back games yet, and are 5-0 overall following a loss, making it even more challenging for Western. Both teams have faced one another back on Jan. 3, in South Dakota. It wasn’t a memorable game for either offense. The Leathernecks shot a season low of 32.7 percent (18-55) from the court, and only 16.7 percent beyond the arc (4-24). The Coyotes shot a season low of 15 percent beyond the arc (3-20), and only shot 33.3 percent (1957) from the court. Western trailed 46-42 with 4:16 to go in the game. Mooney gained 11 points, which ended up putting away the Purple and Gold. The Coyotes came off with a 62-50 win.
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