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Tuesday, February 6, 2018

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Volume 102 | Issue 07 | Free in single copy

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Governor, candidates speak on education IN-STATE TUITION FOR IMMIGRANTS? KELLY CAMERA

Tennessee gubernatorial candidates expressed their opinions on whether non-natural citizens should be allowed in-state tuition during a Jan. 22 forum at Belmont University.

Five of the seven candidates who participated in the forum also addressed individual proposals to continue improving the education system throughout the state.

The event was sponsored by The State Collaborative on Reforming Education, the USA TODAY network and Belmont University.

While all the participating candidates agreed on topics such as the importance of giving high school students more options for education after graduation and increasing teacher pay, they did not all agree on the issue of allowing non-natural citizens in-state tuition.

“For me, it’s really just an issue of fairness,” Republican Bill Lee said. It wouldn’t be fair to offer something that Tennessee wouldn’t offer to an American citizen from Georgia, Lee said.

But Democrat Karl Dean argued that wasn’t a fair comparison.

“They’re different than Georgians, because they’re Tennesseans,” Dean said.

Some immigrants have grown up in Tennessee and are an active part of the community, he said.

Democrat Craig Fitzhugh had previously voted to pass a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to have in-state tuition. He said he would support it again.

“It is cruel that we do not let these children that have lived in Tennessee all their life not have in state tuition,” he said.

Republican Beth Hartwell said she could not support that plan because she believes it is “illegal.”

“If in-state tuition is a bad thing, then it should be bad for my two children who live in America, because I paid out-of-state tuition for all eight years,” she said.

Republican Randy Boyd also opposed the idea. “My position would be that until they are lawful, then wewould not be giving them the in-state tuition,” he said.

Bills that would allow individual institutions to determine the qualifications for a student toreceive in-state tuition were proposed in both the state House and Senate last year.

Neither passed.

Carolina Hatfield | Assistant Editor

From left to right: Karl Dean, Craig Fitzhugh, Kay White, Bill Lee and Randy Boyd speak about their stances on education.

By y Emily y Lamont

and building trades - should be more available in schools to help students graduate with better knowledge.

NASHVILLE- Four out of seven gubernatorial “Some people don’t want to continue their educacandidates vowed Thursday to continue Gov. Bill tion and they should not feel like they have to,” she Haslam’s Drive to 55 campaign if elected, includ- said.

Under the Tennessee Promise scholarship proing one Republican who wants more college satellite gram high school graduates may receive two years schools.

Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd, who helped of tuition-free community or technical college. A create the Tennessee Promise, said he wants to “put second part of the program, Tennessee Reconnect, satellite schools on every high school campus,” to assists adults in completing a postsecondary degree help further the education in Tennessee and make it tuition free.

Haslam, who is not seeking remore affordable.

I can’t really say I election, also spoke to TPA memBoyd, a first generation colbers and college journalism stulege graduate at the age of 19, adsupport Drive to 55 dents following the forum. dressed the issue during a Nash- Kay White Five student journalists from ville forum sponsored by the TTU were in attendance, along Tennessee Press Association.

He was one of five candidates to participate in with President Phil Oldham. the forum conducted before newspaper editors and Candidates seeking the Democratic nomination student journalists from across the state. include, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Boyd said he developed the idea of more satellite State Rep. Craig Fitzhugh, of Ripley, who is also a campuses after talking to citizens who said it was first generation college graduate. difficult for them to travel long distances to get a Candidates vying for the Republican nomination college education. Boyd said using high schools is a who attended the forum consist of former economic way to expand the efforts of Haslam’s Drive to 55 – a and community development commissioner Boyd, campaign to have 55 percent of Tennesseans earn a businessman Bill Lee, and White, a realtor. college degree by 2025.

U.S. Rep. Diane Black, of Gallatin and House Republican contender Kay White, however, said a Speaker Beth Harwell also are seeking the Republicollege degree shouldn’t be the only goal. can nomination but did not attend Thursday’s event.

“I can’t really say I support Drive to 55,” she said.

See EDUCATION, Page 2 White said basic skills – likely cooking, sewing

Beat Reporter

“

”

Parking spots dwindle as ticket numbers rise

This Issue:

By y Madison Potter

News - 2

Beat Reporter

Medical cannabis: Yay or Nay?

Opinion - 4

Frustrated Tech commuters say getting a parking ticket is a better alternative than being late to class or trying to find a parking space on a campus not disrupted by construction.

One of the biggest parking lots closed this semester as workers begin construction on the new science building on Stadium Drive across from Southwest Hall.

The project cost commuters 688 parking spaces, although 650 were added on the west side of the campus, Tech parking clerk Carrie Harris said.

The change has left some drivers facing other alternatives.

Morgan Chaffin, a junior business management and marketing major, said she is unhappy with campus parking.

“There is no parking. You either show up 30 minutes before class just to find a space 100 miles away or end up being late,” she said.

Chaffin said she does whatever it takes to avoid missing class, even if it means receiving a parking ticket.

“I’m not going to allow Tech’s fault or lack of planning for parking spaces hinder my education. So, if a $20 ticket means I make it to class on time, that’s my only op-

tion,” she said.

Bret Coy, a parking enforcement associate, is the one of the individuals responsible for ticketing drivers who do not follow the rules.

He said the decrease in parking causes some students to park in areas they are not assigned to, which results in what he perceives to be an increase in tickets.

“It has sort of pushed parking into other areas. Sometimes they kind of take the risk and park where the shouldn’t and they end up getting tickets because of it,” he said.

Campus police records, however, show

See PARKING, Page 2

Provost candidate interviews to finish this week Women’s March 2018 in pictures

Enterntainment - 5

BTS: K-pop finally get its break in America

Sports - 6

Football: New Game Plan

By y Britney y Beaty y Newsroom Assistant On-campus interviews with candidates for the position of Tech’s provost and vice president of academic affairs conclude on Friday, with a final selection expected by the end of the month.

A 16-member search committee selected five finalists after initially reviewing 69 candidates and narrowing those candidates to 12.

Committee members interviewed those candidates in Nashville before naming the finalists.

“We’ve looked at some truly excellent candidates, and we’ve had a situation where we could put together a pool of extremely qualified and diverse candidates,” said Dr. Liz Mullens, co-chair of the search committee.

The search committee is cochaired by Mullens, dean of the

College of Agriculture and Human Ecology, and Dr. Paul Semmes, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and is comprised of representatives from most of the colleges and other departments in academic affairs. SGA president Rachel Martin is the student representative on the committee.

Mullens said she hopes students will actively follow and participate in the search for the new provost.

Students have had the chance to attend open lunch forums that allowed them to question and interact with the finalists. Also, students can visit the provost website to fill out a survey the committee members may use.

“The provost is a position that touches everybody on campus regardless of where you are and what you do because this is the person

See PROVOST, Page 2

L AST PROVOST CANDIDATE INTERVIEW

CHRIST Y MCCARROLL AND CHASE HOKE

Students have one more chance to meet a candidate for provost during a forum scheduled Thursday, February 8 at noon in the Tech Pride Room.

The forum is being sponsored by the Student Government Association.

“We are doing provost search forums to make sure students are informed on who is being interviewed.

The provost deals with students and we want to make sure the students are pleased with who is going to be hired,” Mason Hilliard, secretary of internal affairs, said.

Thursday’s forum is scheduled from 12-12:40 p.m. in the Tech Pride Room at RUC. Forums are scheduled to last 40 minutes. About 20 people have been attending the forums featuring four other finalists for the position.

Complimentary pizza will be served at the forums.

For more information on the candidates, refer to the provost and vice president for academic affairs’ page on TTU’s website. There is a candidate feedback survey online, their itineraries and the letters they wrote to the committee.

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THURSDAY

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NEWS

Page 2

PARKING: Students would rather pay tickets than be late to class From Page 1

the number of tickets issued this January is lower than the same month a year ago.

In January of 2017, enforcers issued 707 parking citations compared with 656 issued last month, a decrease of about 7 percent, according to records.

Although there were two less school days this year due to snow, the daily average increased by about 2.1 percent, according to the records.

Chaffin isn’t the only displeased student on campus. Kelli Kent, a junior communication major, said finding parking is a miserable situation that is progressively getting worse for her.

Kent said she often leaves 45 minutes early to ensure she has enough

EDUCATION: Candidates visit Nashville press forum From Page 1

time to find parking and walk to class even though she only lives five minutes from campus. “I stay getting parking tickets. It’s honestly ridiculous. Typically, if I can’t find parking, I will just park in a 30-minute space. I’ve also gotten a ticket for parking in a gold space. There was no sign that said it was gold, so I’m honestly still confused,� she said.

Coy offered his advice for avoiding getting a parking ticket. “Either park in the area that’s assigned to you by the pass, or you can park across Willow.

Most of the parking is over there, but it’s not being utilized,� he said.

Tech officials previously announced plans for creating 1,057 park-

ing spaces west of Tech Village with shuttle service to central campus.

Phase one of the plan is scheduled to begin in July with modifications to North Dixie Avenue and William L. Jones Drive.

Phase 2 of the plan is scheduled to begin in 2019 and includes a parking garage with more than 600 spaces and an estimated parking pass price of $400, according to University records.

Chaffin said she still isn’t impressed with the parking plans. “I didn’t even know they had plans for a garage, but I can tell you that it’ll be easy to find parking, because no one is going to pay $400. It’s outrageous,� she said.

Afterw the candidates touched upon topics about open records, empowering local government and justice reform, candidates expressed their feelings on education in Tennessee.

Dean said he believes in the importance of public education, concluding the state needs to generate more college graduates and allocate more funding to pay teachers better salaries. “We need to continue to keep this issue at the highest priority,� Dean said.

Lee agreed that strengthening early education is significant. “If we don’t create the right foundation, then everything on top of that is suspect,� he said.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Student Veterans Organization elects new president By y Ashley y Jeanette Beat Reporter Army veteran Christ Eckartz took Chris King’s place as president of the Student Veterans Organization after being elected at the semester’s first meeting conducted Jan. 25.

This is Eckartz’s third semester at Tech and he said he is very happy to be elected to this position.

He said that college is not as structured as being in the military can sometimes leave veterans feeling lost. “When you’re in the military you’re in a group where everyone’s so set on a standard,� Eckartz said. “When you get to college, it’s just the opposite.� “The SVO helps these students get back on track when they get lost,� Eckartz said. “Most of the veterans are not your average college student age, so it’s nice to have peo-

ple to share your war stories with.�

Eckartz said the SVO allows veterans to carry the same brother and sister relationship they had in the military to other aspects of their life, such as college.

Eckartz said he is planning different ways for the organization to reach out to the community, including volunteering with organizations that support the members of the community, similar to Genesis House,B Habitat for Humanity and Community for Heroes. “Community for Heroes is a tiny house community that focuses on veterans who are struggling and trying to get back up on their feet,� Eckartz said.

Anyone can join the organization. SVO meetings are conducted biweekly during dead hour in Jere Whitson room 328. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8.

Rare moon sightings

On Feb. 2, the Super Blood Moon could be seen from campus.

Steven Dorsey | Contributor

Should TN legalize medical marijuana?

THE FACTS:

TAYLOR HILL

The “Medical Cannabis Only Act of 2018� requires all qualifying patients to be registered through an online verification system.

Patients will have to present their registration card before making a purchase. If the bill is passed, cannabis establishments and law enforcement will be able to tell how much product the patient is allowed, how much they’ve purchased for the month and where the product was purchased.

Once they reach their distribution limit for the month, patients will not be allowed to purchase until the next month. If they obtain more than the allotted amount, criminal drug possession charges will apply.

Lawmakers in Tennessee are proposing a bill to legalize the use of medicinal cannabis oil for qualifying patients.

“

It is perfectly fined to be passed if it is for people who actually need the medicine.

- Lexi Smith, freshman, pre-pharmacy

�

Do you support this bill? Why or why not?

IN THE US:

83% of Americans support

This support is even greater in the millenial generation

legalizing medical marijuana Source: Washington Times

CRABTREE & CRACE JEWELERS

“ ENSO RINGS Medical grade silicone guaranteed for life

There have been studies shown that it especially helps people with cancer feel better. At the same time, people could abuse it.

- Savannah Chastain, junior, pre-veterinary

�

NEWS

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Bio-Ethical Reform club seeking new officers Newly approved club fights against the label “pro-life.”

Page 3

PROVOST: Decision has been boiled down to five candidates From Page 2 who makes decisions about academics and who provides some leadership,” Mullens said.

The finalists are:

By y Kate Trebing g

While the organization volunteers with the Genocide Awareness Project’s outreach and abortion Beat Reporter awareness posters seen on Tech’s campus, they are The newly approved Students for Bio-Ethical Re- not directly linked or funded by the GAP’s parent form, or SBR, club are now seeking applications for organization, the Center for Bio-Ethical Research. leadership positions beginning in the current se- About GAP’s controversial abortion posters, Brown mester. said, “even if they’re [viewed] in a negative light, at The organization, whose mission is to “advocate least it’s something that gets people talking.” through education for justice and the right to life One of the first responsibilities of the newly refor the preborn, the disabled, the infirm, the aged, cruited officers will be to spread awareness of the and all vulnerable people (tntech.edu),” received club’s debut open-discussion forum. This event, official approval from Student Affairs as a club in “Exhale: Voices on Abortion,” is scheduled for Feb. April 2017 and is now seeking to fill the positions of 22 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the Oakley STEM center. president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer.

The talk features the director of the Cookeville Cri“Students for Bio-Ethical Reform wants to be sis Pregnancy Center among other female profesknown for fighting for life in all circumstances, not sionals, all of whom plan to share their postabortion just abortion,” Justin Brown, founder and current experiences with the audience.

Brown describes the name Stupresident of the organization, dents for Bio-Ethical Reform as said. This could include those It’s just about ina “reform of mind.” Club advisor born with disabilities, comatose Michael Phillips expanded on this patients or the elderly. “We still forming people. definition: “I think people look at want to fight for life in all cir- Justin Brown this, bio-ethical reform … [and cumstances,” Brown said. assume] we’re just talking about Brown said one of the club’s abortions, or the killing of premain goals is to unite organizations on campus through the support of common born babies. But it’s not just even that. We’re talking principles. “In the future I’d love for a lot of differ- about the aged, and the elderly, people who have a ent campus organizations to all feed into one… all hard time caring for themselves.”

Brown said, “the reason why I wanted to start an those have different minor beliefs as far as religion goes, but they can all connect on a pro-life message. organization like this was because I believe there If all those [organization] members came together was a need. There are TTU College Democrats, TTU and talked about the importance of the sanctity of College Republicans … but there’s no one particulife, and the importance of that message, I think that lar group dedicated to the pro-life movement. Our would be really huge here in the city of Cookeville,” organization is not exclusive to one political party, or one religious organization or anything like that.”

Brown said.

Phillips shared this sentiment. “It’s just more SBR also plans to partner with the Cookeville Crisis Pregnancy Center as a liaison on campus. about educating people, more than anything,” he According to Brown, the Crisis Pregnancy Center said. “I don’t think we’re necessarily trying to slam plans to hold more on-campus outreach, “and our our opinions down people’s throats. It’s just about organization will be a direct connection between informing people.” them and the student body.”

“

“

”

It would be a decent idea to try. It seems like other states have tried it and it’s worked out well.

- Corrine Cheatham, sophomore, exercise science

”

“

“

This is a good way to regulate it, medicinal marijuana is a good way to relieve pain in different situations.

- Branston Carnahan, freshman, undecided

Putting a cap is okay, but I don’t think you should charge them if they use excess.

- Thomas Perez, sophomore, psychology

”

”

Altarriba

Dr. Jeanette Altarriba currently acts the vice provost and dean for undergraduate education at the University at Albany, State University of New York.

Altarriba has her doctorate in cognitive psychology.

Dr. Lori Mann Bruce currently acts as the associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of the graduate school at Mississippi State University.

Bruce has her doctorate in electrical and computer engineering.

Dr. Lesia Crumpton-Young currently acts as vice president for research and Institutional advancement and chief research officer at Tennessee State University. CrumptonYoung has her doctorate in philosophy in industrial engineering.

Crumpton-Young

Dr. Charles A. McAdams currently acts as the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Delta State University. McAdams has his doctorate in musical education.

Dr. Mark Stephens currently acts as the interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at Tech. He is also the senior associate provost and dean of the College of Graduate Studies at Tech. Stephens has a doctorate in ecoStephens nomics.

WHAT IS A PROVOSTʼS JOB DESCRIPTION? According to Making Harvard Modern: The Rise of America’s University, while the specific duties vary, generally a provost is in charge of overseeing curricular, instructional and research affairs.

They need to be able to meet with deans, faculty and staff to ensure proper communication between them and the board of trustees.

OPINION

Page 4

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Trump’s State of the Half-Truth By y Marcelo Gonzales

Managing Editor

Last Tuesday, President Trump gave his first State of the Union address to the entire country. In it, he talked about his policies, his first year in office, of the trials and tribulations his administration had faced in recent times.

There was a lot of comments surrounding President Trump’s speech, but the most important one was that he looked more ‘presidential.’ It reminded many people of inauguration, of Election Night. Like in those other examples, he looked more poised, calmed, stuck to the teleprompter, didn’t act aggressive or angry. Happening once in a blue moon, he sent a very different message to homes all over the country.

This change of attitude might seem surprising, even positive, but I believe this is all but true. Every word in that speech was carefully constructed for America to believe him. Believe that he has changed.

But he has not.

During the speech, while he was listing his ‘numerous’ accomplishments, he kept treading the line between truth and lie so often even fact checkers had to do double takes on his statements.

“Unemployment is the lowest it has been in the last 20 years,” attributing this truth to his newborn presidency. While it is true that unemployment is historically low, this trend started during Obama’s administration and his policies. It’s not like Trump was elected and everyone was immediately hired.

This is more dangerous than outright lying, since it has parts of truth in it that challenge the claims of falsehood from mainstream media. Now Trump - and his supporters - can claim that “fake news” is lying again, when these half-truths do nothing but muddy the waters of understanding.

By using rhetoric like this, Trump is making sure headlines are full of his statements, broadcasting his message to the American public, and since these statements are not entirely false, calling them false would be mischaracterization, something our president is very familiar with.

MS-13, a very dangerous gang with ties across the entire continent, is being used as a scapegoat and as a red herring to talk about all illegal immigrants as if all of them were drug-dealing, would-be-assassin morally corrupt creatures.

Having personally seen effects of MS-13 in my home country, it’s truly infuriating how quick Trump is to find a place to shift the blame. This gang is certainly criminal and the world would be a better place without it, but to extend a blanket with the word “MS-13” over all illegal immigrants, especially those in the DACA program, is unreasonable, misguided and narrow-minded.

When Trump talks about the opioid crisis, he labels it as simply a byproduct of illegal immigration and ties it strongly to his wall. You would think no drugs are produced in the US and the only reason 115 Americans die of overdose everyday is because of Mexican gangs smuggling millions of pills over

across the border. This is obviously not true, since most of these opioids are perfectly legal and addicts obtain them from their healthcare programs, incentivized to sell as many drugs as the deductible will let them.

These are just some of the points he brought up in his two-hour speech. Many others can be quickly disproven with a simple Google search, or with some common sense, but the fact that he says them with such patience and conviction you’d believe them.

And what if this is all you know of him?

How many Americans do you think follow him on Twitter? How many people are up to date on the scandals, the conversations, the investigations? Your average American that watches the news only a few times a year probably has a very different mental image of Trump.

Because that’s not who he is. Twitter gives a better image of who he is. Someone crass, someone who doesn’t care about if people like him or not.

It almost makes me angrier to know that he is boldly lying about his character and his attitude, that a podium is needed to make him behave. I would’ve rather seen him stand there and make another one of his populists speeches, calling for people to get fired or punched. It would’ve come out as less disingenuous.

A president that needs to have two faces, one for the internet and his cabinet, and the other one for the cameras. Only to turn around and lie again.

That’s no president.

Nashville Women’s March 2018 in pictures

Above: An all-female band performs while the crowd starts to congregate for the main event.

Below: Various signs and prostest had Trump or his likeness represented, some more tactful than others.

Above: More than 15,000 people gather to march across the streets of Nashville while holding signs, protesting a variety of things from reproductive rights to government corruption.

Below: Women marching with signs alluding to fourth wave feminism goals, including the #MeToo movement, which protests sexual harrasment of people in different industries. The hashtag went on to become one of the most widely spread around the world, reaching 1.7 million in less than a month.

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VOICE YOUR OPINION mgonzalez42@students.tntech.edu

TTU Box 5072 Managing Editor- Marcelo Gonzales Asst. Editor of Layout/Design- Carolina Hatfield A sst. Editor of Social Media- Cameron Fowler Asst. Editor of Social Media- Miranda Maynard Business Manager- Lauren Herrera Distribution Manager- Abbey Markus Copy Editor- Emmerson Meurett Sports Editor- Nick Rogers Entertainment Editor Editor-- Beth Biles Faculty Adviser- Vanessa Curry Thanks for reading The Oracle!

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Opinion: 931-252-7459 Marcelo Gonzales

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DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of Tennessee Tech University’s employees or of its administration.

ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Page 5

K-POP in America

Korean boy band BTS defies odds, overcomes language barrier By y Beth Biles

cess of crossover hits tried their hands at a like Luis Fonzi’s “Despa- U.S. career with little to cito ft. Justin Bieber,� I no success. think yes.

Yet, they It has along with shown that other acts like The real Americans EXO, BigBang as a whole question is: and Got7 have are more is America had immense receptive to success tourn o n - E n g - ready to eming. lish mu- brace K-pop?

These groups sic and it have huge and opens the loyal fan basdoors for artists across es but yet they somehow the world to attempt to lacked the crossover appeal break into the Western to attract casual U.S. listeners. market.

Enter BTS, the sevenOver the last ten years, many Korean acts member boy band creathave made an attempt ed by Big Hit Entertainto break into the U.S. ment in 2013.

From their debut, scene.

Artists like BoA, the septet’s mischievous Wonder Girls and Girls’ charms, sharp dancing Generation have all and hip hop style quick-

eEntertainment Editor s Opinion l You may not have noticed it, but Korean pop p is creeping its way into y the mainstream music e scene. h It is no longer an underground fad that is considered a joke, m thanks to PSY’s 2012 vie ral hit “Gangnam Style.� r With Korean acts w performing on stateside l award shows and climbing up the music charts, 2018 could be a lando mark year for the genre.

K-pop has long been s ready to embrace Amert ica but the real question e is: is America ready to e embrace K-pop? t With the recent suc-

“

�

ly gained them a massive following, whom they call ARMYs, in Korea and around the globe.

In fact, it was the ARMYs who helped BTS gain recognition in the states.

In May, the group won the Top Social Artist Award at the Billboard Music Awards, against the likes of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, thanks in part to their fan base furiously voting online.

The award win and vocal fan support caught the eyes of the music industry and led to the group being invited to perform at the 2017 American Music Awards, a first for a Korean pop group.

This led to a media tour where the group appeared on “Ellen�, “The Late Late Show with James Corden�, “Jimmy Kimmel Live� and a performance on “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve,� allowing the group to showcase their personalities and performance skills to the general public.

The group released their first U.S. track “MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)� in November, a new version of a previously released track that seamlessly blends Korean and English lyrics with a brand-new intro rap by hip-hop artist Desiigner.

The track peaked at No. 24 on the U.S. Bill-

board Hot 100 chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on Feb. 3.

This makes BTS the first K-pop group to have a song gain this distinction.

Korean Pop is only becoming more diverse and I predict because of BTS’ success so far that there will only be an increase of Korean acts trying to gain traction in the states.

U.S. listeners as a whole are becoming more receptive to international music and if the right song comes at the right time who knows what may happen?

r r

Houston Housley | Contributor

The McCain Due perform arrangements of music by American composers, including Anthony Plog and George Gershwin on Jan. 30 in Wattenbarger Auditoriam. Dr. Martin McCain is an associate professor of trombone at Texas State University. Dr. Artina McCain is an assistant professor in piano at TSU

‘Boy Meets World’

Show still relevant 25 years later Beth Biles | Entertainment Editor

Amanda Seals entertains a Tech audience with “Beats, Rymes and My Life’� at Derryberry on Jan. 22.

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By y Beth Biles

Entertainment Editor It’s been almost 25 years since the both annoying and lovable Cory Matthews first graced our television screens.

A former pillar in ABC’s TGIF sitcom lineup “Boy Meets World�, earned its way into the hearts of America, among other hits like “Saved by the Bell,� “Full House� and “Family Matters.�

It has cemented itself as a classic 90s sitcom.

I remember fondly watching the show with my mom every day after kindergarten and looking forward to find out the adventures Cory and Shaun would get into next.

That sense of fondness and nostalgia is what Disney Channel tried – and failed – to recreate with 2014’s “Girl Meets World.�

TV streaming service Hulu recently added the original series to its library so I decided to give it a re-watch and see if “BMW� still lived up to my memories.

Most sitcoms these days rely on emotional detachment for their comedy, whereas BMW wears its heart on its sleeve.

The characters feel very realistic and the humor comes from the sense of familiarity.

It’s easy to imagine Cory as a real classmate who is stumbling through adolescent life one hilarious misstep at a time.

The characters feel real and the relationships feel sincere.

Cory and Shaun are best friends and that’s it.

There is no special circumstance that brought them together, no gimmick, just two brothers that are there no matter what, in spite of their obvious differences.

Re-watching Cory and Topanga fall in love was also refreshing.

It wasn’t sudden. At the beginning of the series, you can see the potential feelings; however, it takes several seasons for the pair to actually act on their feelings.

The viewer gets to feel as if they are almost growing up

with the characters of the show.

Each episode teaches the viewer a lesson and covers issues that are still relevant today like racism, sexism, peer pressure and sex.

It wasn’t afraid to push the boundaries and let the characters have flaws.

It had edge. Remember when Shaun blew up a mailbox or Cory accidently burnt down the chemistry lab?

In today’s sitcoms that are geared towards young adults, it’s hard to find a protagonist that does something worse than cheat on a test.

And how could I talk about BMW and not mention Mr. Feeny?

George Feeny is arguably one of the most iconic mentor figures of the 90s.

As a kid, I wanted a Feeny in my life.

While Cory, Shawn, Topanga and Eric were the characters that drove the plot of the show; Mr. Feeny was the guiding force that helped them figure out their issues.

He was the character that was always there to listen and to help them learn.

He was so important, he got the last line of the series, “Dream. Try. Do good.�

A fitting summarization of all the values he instilled in his students throughout the show’s run. “Boy Meets World� is a classic sitcom that is surprisingly relevant to today. Re-watching the show opened a floodgate of memories and nostalgia.

I found myself laughing out loud and crying at times all over again.

It is still an enjoyable watch and I think it has re-cemented itself as one of my favorite sitcoms of all time.

So, if you need a good show to binge watch, maybe give the kids from John Adams High a chance?

This Week: Friday 9

Saturday 10

Tuesday 13

Friday 16

Concert: Symphone Band

Basketball vs Belmont

District 8AA Basketball Tournament

BFA 7:30 PM

HOOP 5:30 PM

HOOP 6 PM

Last day to drop a class (‘‘W�)

SPORTS

Page 6

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

NEW GAME PLAN Doug Malone

Tre Lamb Offensive coordinator Previous position: quarterbacks coach at Mercer University

Salary: $75,000

“This is home for me. As soon as the opportunity came, I jumped on it. This is where I want to be and has been for a long time.”

Donnie Suber Defensive coordinator Previous position: head coach at Cumberland University Salary: $75,000 “I’m very loyal to Coach A. It’s exciting to see him where he wants to be, because this is his dream job.”

Jake Thornton Offensive line coach

Salary: $41,000

Previous position: graduate assistant at University of Alabama

“Coach [Dewayne] Alexander and Coach [Tre] Lamb talked to me, and it really is a great opportunity for me and my family because I am excited about the whole vibe I’m getting from Tennessee Tech right now.”

Taylor Hennigan Cornerbacks coach Previous position: assistant coach at White County High School Salary: $37,000 “It’s always felt like home. From playing here and being around here when I was little, seeing players come through and being involved in a lot of different ways, it’s always felt like home.”

Dominique Davenport

By y Garin Delon and Nick Rogers g Beat Reporters

Previous position: cornerbacks coach, Mercer University Salary: $35,000 “This place has a lot of potential and that’s our job to unlock that potential.”

Associate head coach/tight ends coach

Head coach

Figuring out all of the connections between the new Tech football coaching and his staff requires a pen, a pad of paper and a good memory.

For his new staff, Dewayne Alexander hired three former Golden Eagle players, one former Golden Eagle coach and four new faces while retaining two current coaches – one of whom later took another job elsewhere.

Of the slate of assistant coaches, one is Alexander’s former teammate, two are his former co-workers and two wanted the top job for themselves.

Alexander, himself a former Golden Eagle player and two-time coach, left the purple and gold when he was not selected for the top post in 2015.

His return to Tucker Stadium, and of those who have been here before, brings a new sense of pride for the university, he said.

“I felt like we needed an infusion of some people who really wanted to be here at Tennessee Tech and who understand Tennessee Tech,” Alexander said.

Alexander succeeds Marcus Satterfield who was fired in November after a 1-10 season – the team’s worst record since 1988. The search was narrowed to seven finalists before Alexander was selected just before Christmas.

“I thought it was a really, really good process.

We had a lot of input from a lot of people, we had a lot of interest from people who wanted to be a head football coach at Tennessee Tech,” athletic director Mark Wilson said. “We had seven candidates who we invited to campus and they were all really great candidates, but the cream rises to the top and it was great to have Dewayne Alexander come home and agree to lead our program.”

Alexander graduated from Tech in 1989 with a degree in political science. He worked at Tech in 2002 as a defensive line coach and again from 20132015 and as the acting head coach after Watson Brown retired.

Alexander now lives in Cookeville and comes to Tech from East Tennessee State University, where he served as the Buccaneers’ offensive line coach.

The Golden Eagles’ offense is set to begin the 2018 season under the direction of associate head coach Doug Malone, who also will serve as the tight ends coach.

Malone, who was a finalist for the head coach position, served as the Golden Eagles’ offensive coordinator in 2002 and as acting head coach of the team in 2006. He is from Western Illinois University.

Former Golden Eagle quarterback Tre Lamb is set to serve as the offensive coordinator. Lamb led Tech to their most recent Ohio Valley Conference championship as well as an NCAA football championship subdivision playoff appearance in 2011.

He served as the team’s quarterback coach in 2014 and most recently worked at Mercer University. Lamb also was a finalist for the head coaching job at Tech.

Adams Mims, wide receiver coach, was previously wide receiver coach at Presbyterian College

Running back coach

Dewayne Alexander Previous position: East Tennessee State University offensive line coach

Previous position: co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Western Illinois University

Tech salary: $165,000 and played in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jake Thornton, graduate assistant for the Crimson Tide at the University of Alabama, is offensive line coach.

Running back coach Dominique Davenport, previously cornerbacks coach at Mercer University.

On the defensive side of the ball, Alexander hired coach Donnie Suber from Cumberland University as Tech’s defensive coordinator, Taylor Hennigan as the cornerbacks coach, Bruce Hatfield as the linebackers coach and retained Sam Williamson as the defensive line coach.

Hennigan is the son of former Tech football coach Mike Hennigan and played for the Golden Eagles. He was previously an assistant coach at White County High School.

Hatfield was college roommates with Alexander while also playing for the Golden Eagles. He previously coached for 20 seasons at Hendersonville High School.

Williamson has coached the Golden Eagles for 12 seasons. Alexander had previously coached with Suber and Williamson.

Alexander also retained coach Dontae Wright as the special teams coordinator, defensive ends and nickels coach, but Wright has since accepted a position at Western Michigan University.

Alexander said the job offer at WMU was a “great opportunity” for Wright.

“This was one of those opportunities that came knocking, the Western Michigan coach gave me a call a couple of nights ago and we visited on the phone and he let me know that it was a name that he had gotten and that he was going to interview him and was very strongly interested in him,” Alexander said.

He said he already has someone in mind to replace Wright.

“Obviously it’s just so recently since I hired the staff, so I interviewed a number of coaches, and you’re always going to keep some of those coaches in your back pocket for these kind of what-if situations,” he said.

The new coach also has been focusing on recruiting players during his first month on the job, nabbing linebacker Michael Scavo and quarterback Cade Smith, both from Cookeville High School.

Alexander’s new staff faces their first test Aug. 30 on the road against UT-Chattanooga.

“Everything that we’re doing in the weight room, in spring practice, everything we’re doing should be a little bit toward helping win that ballgame, so we want to go to UT-Chattanooga and start our season 1-0 and then we’ll go from there,” he said.

Salary: $65,000

“It is home. Our kids grew up and graduated from high school here. Two of them still live in the area, so that makes it exciting to be back here to a place that is so familiar.”

Adam Mims Wide receivers coach Previous position: wide receivers coach Presbyterian College, former NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers Salary: $38,000 “I think what we’re going to do on offense is going to be different.”

Sam Williamson Defensive line coach Previous positions: defensive line Retained for 12th season Salary: $63,000 “I’ve been here for a long time. I enjoy Tennessee Tech, I enjoy the community I’ve been lucky – I’ve enjoyed working with every staff that I’ve been with. I fit in well with all of them.”

Bruce Hatfield Linebackers coach Previous position: coach at Hendersonville High School Salary: $65,000 “This is a special place for us and it is family. We’re going to use terms like family and love and responsibility. I can’t wait to get started. It’s been a challenge, but it’s kind of reinvigorated me.”

Dontae Wright

RED

Special teams coordinator

Head Coach Finalists 1. Dewayne Alexander – offensive line coach at East Tennessee State University 2. Clint Brown – defensive coordinator at South Dakota State University 3. Tyree Foreman – former acting head coach at Tech 4. Tre Lamb – quarterback coach at Mercer University 5. Doug Malone – co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Western Illinois University 6. Raymond Monica – head coach at Arkansas Tech University 7. Bradley Sherrod – linebackers coach at Wake Forest

Wright recently accepted a position at Western Michigan University

ER NSF

TRA

At a Glance Men’s basketball

By Garin Delon Beat Reporter Tech’s men’s basketball team is 16-9 overall, 8-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play, placing them tied for fourth in the OVC with 10 games remaining in the season.

The Golden Eagles defeated SIU-Edwardsville in Edwardsville 68-67 on Feb. 1 and lost to Eastern Illinois 79-71 on Saturday.

The Golden Eagles are scheduled to play conference

rival Belmont on Saturday.

Tech lost to Belmont 8067 in Nashville earlier this season Seniors Aleksa Jugovic and Curtis Phillips Jr. lead the team, averaging 14 points per game.

The Golden Eagles head to Jacksonville, Alabama, to take on the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Thursday before returning to the Hooper Eblen Center to host conference rival Belmont.

Women’s basketball By y Garin Delon

Beat Reporter

Kendyl Seals | Contributor

Tennessee Tech’s Kajon Mack goes up for a goal against Southeast Missouri’s Jonathan Dalton on the Jan. 25 game.

Tech’s women’s basketball team is 5-18 overall, 2-10 record in Ohio Valley Conference play, sitting 11th in the conference.

The Golden Eagles lost to SIU-Edwardsville 65-58 on Thursday, and picked up a 60-57 victory over Eastern Illinois on Saturday.

Saturday’s victory marks the

first Golden Eagle victory at EIU since 2011.

Four scorers are averaging over 10 points per gameJordan Brock, Yaktavia Hickson, Kesha Brady and Mackenzie Coleman.

Tech is back in action on Thursday, Feb. 8, on the road against Jacksonville State, before coming back to the Hooper Eblen Center to play Belmont Feb. 10.

Kendyl Seals | Contributor

Tech’s guard Jordan Brock moves through the Southeast Missouri state defensive player Carrie Shepard during the Jan. 25 game.