September 4, 2018 Issue

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Greeks unite, help at NELA food bank

Decade-old series expected to end with a bang

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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

VOLUME 96 ISSUE 3

Art students win at sandcastle competition

www.ulmhawkeyeonline.com

September 4, 2018

Opinion: #MeToo movement will remain strong

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P 8

Church organizes third annual block party P 9

Football wins season opener

Warhawks use last second field goal block P 16 to drop Southeastern

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

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September 4, 2018

BRIEFS d

CALENDAR Monday, September 3 Labor Day Holiday: No Classes

Tuesday, September 4 Regular Application Period for May commencement begins

Wednesday, September 5

Resume Writing Tips and Advice workshop from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Sandel Hall 236 RSO Fall Meeting from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Student Center 170

Thursday, September 6 "Prepared in Advance" Defense Class from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Bayou Pointe Event Center RSO Fall Meeting from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Student Center 170

Friday, September 7 No planned events

Saturday, September 8 No planned events

Sunday, September 9 No planned events

China

Monroe

Monroe

Washington D.C.

A new service that will bring grocery shopping to residents’ doors launched this week in the Monroe area. "Instacart" delivers groceries that shoppers choose from local stores online; it can serve more than 58,000 households.

Service areas include: Monroe, Logtown, Richwood, Anabel, Lapine, Brownsville - Bawcomville, Cadeville, Calhoun, Cheniere, Claiborne, West Monroe, Swartz, Sterlington, Spencer, Wham, Windsor and Collinston.

Monroe-area residents can now order online from their favorite local retailers, Super 1 Foods, CVS Pharmacy, Brookshire’s Food and Pharmacy and Sam’s Club.

First time users can also enter the code "HEYMONROE" at checkout to get $20 off an order of $35 or more, plus a free first-time delivery. For more information, visit the News-Star website at www.thenewsstar.com.

The owners of China Cafe in Monroe, Jeffery and Rachel Zheng, are slowly recovering after a recent tragedy.

During a severe thunderstorm on Aug. 20, lightning hit their bathroom and started a fire that burned their home from the inside out, destroying everything inside.

It forced them to close the restaurant Tuesday, but the Monroe community showed up the next day with concern.

From there, donations in the form of clothes, water and even a guitar for their oldest daughter started coming in. It helped them get back on their feet.

Customers and friends have also started a GoFundMe page that has raised just under $4,000, in just 8 days.

To donate, visit www.gofundme. com/china-cafe-family-fund.

A national memorial service celebrating the life of Senator John McCain was held at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Senator McCain died on Aug. 25 at age 81.

The senator's family, friends, congressional colleagues and staff, as well as U.S. and international leaders attended and participated in the service that started with his daughter, Meghan McCain, speaking.

At McCain's request, Obama, a Democrat, and Bush, a Republican, both former rivals in the senator's bids for the White House, spoke about the six-term senator during Saturday's service.

McCain is to be buried Sunday at his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy, next to Admiral Chuck Larson, his best friend from the class of 1958.

Grocery delivery China Cafe owners Senator McCain UN accuses China service arrives hit with tragedy honored in death of detaining Muslims

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QUOTE

TUNNELING ONTO THE FIELD

“Love the life you live. Live the life you love."

TODAY IN HISTORY

September 4

Bob Marley, Jamaican singersongwriter

Front page credits: Main photo: Siddharth Gaulee Top sidebar photo courtesy: Kaile Finies Bottom sidebar photo: Miles Jordan Top left courtesy: ULM Greeks Top right photo: CBS

As many as a million Uighur and other Muslim people are allegedly being held in a vast web of detention camps in western China, according to human rights activists.

A U.N. committee in Geneva examining China's record on racial discrimination rebuffed Beijing's denials of the re-education camps and called on it to acknowledge the existence of the facilities and release those who are being detained.

China tried justfying this by saying it faced a terrorist problem in the Xinjiang province which led to detaining Muslim minorities.

A bipartisan group of 17 U.S. lawmakers, meanwhile, urged the Trump administration to sanction Chinese officials and companies allegedly involved in the detention centers.

photo by Siddharth Gaulee

Sporting the new uniform, the football team thunders onto the field during the annual "Talon Tunnel" event on Thursday's first home game.

1888: George Eastman patents the first roll-film camera & registers "Kodak".

1893: English author Beatrix Potter first writes the story of Peter Rabbit for a 5 year old boy.

1923: Maiden flight of the first U.S. airship, the USS Shenandoah.

1972: "The Price is Right," the U.S.'s longest running game show, debuts on CBS. 1998: Google is formally incorporated by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two students at Stanford University.

2012: Pauline Marois becomes the first female premier, or head of government, of Quebec.

2016: Mother Teresa canonized

by Pope Francis in a ceremony at the Vatican.

2017: U.S. President Trump announces Dreamers program, The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), will be stopped.

September 4, 2018

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

Community

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BRIEFS

Student Government

Student Government Association discusses homecoming plans

photo courtesy myarklamiss

Local zoo unveils mural, receives donations The Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo welcomed a new attraction on Thursday- a multicolored mural called “Stampede” in partnership with the city and the Masur Museum of Art. This mural comes along with a large donation. The donation, which totals $150,000.00 was presented as a grant check by the Monroe-West

Monroe Convention and Visitors.

The check was presented shortly after the zoo unveiled the new mural, completed by artist Raluca Iancu.

The mural’s artist is originally from Romania and says her culture is where some of her inspiration is from, according to KNOE News.

“There's a Romanian expression which is the expression you're see-

ing, green horses on the walls,” says Raluca Iancu.

“That's kind of where this came from, and it's the idea of unobtainable desire."

The CVB also presented the zoo with a check for their new train, which will open this weekend.

The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The Student Government Association, a recognized student organization (RSO) who are the ULM students’ representatives, had their weekly meeting last Tuesday.

Here are the highlights: Freshman Senator elections will be held Sept. 12 and 13. Following the recent straw incident in the Caf, straws will still, soon disappear from Starbucks and the Student Union Building(SUB), but SGA will work on getting reusable straws for students in the future.

The phrase “Sip smarter, skip the straw” will be used to encourage students to produce less waste.

"Let's talk Warhawks," one of SGA's traditions where students have an opportunity to share their ideas for

SGA Budget

events and campus imporvements, also kicked off Wednesday.

Advisor Emily Essex discussed how the homecoming court may include a boy court as well. Two girls and two guys would potentially be picked in each class.

The homecoming pep rally will now be held on Friday night.

It will also be held by Bayou Desiard this year, and food trucks wil be set up in an attempt to include current students and alumni.

SGA has $8,000 set aside for RSOs to apply on Wingspan for scholarships (up to $500 each).

The treasurer, Caroline Edge, shared that the current budget sits at $79,688.18.

$79,688.18 $68,281.84

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September 4, 2018

OPINION OPINION

#MeToo movement isn’t going anywhere Miles Jordan On Aug. 23, 2018, TMZ released a photo of actress Asia Argento in bed with actor and musician, Jimmy Bennett. According to TMZ, the picture is from 2013 when Argento was 37 and Bennett was 17, and they seemed to be naked.

The age difference is what creates an issue, because in the state of California, the age of consent is 18 years old.

All of this matters in the media because Asia Argento became a significant figure in the “#MeToo Movement” after her article in The New Yorker where she claimed former film producer Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her.

Media sources across the United States and

the world have had a field day since TMZ’s outing of the photo.

They have stated she abused her power as Weinstein did beforehand with her, and she has.

Argento allegedly gave Bennett alcohol, performed oral sex on him, had sex with him, and paid him a settlement of $380,000.

What Argento did was as bad as what Weinstein did to her, but where media failed is that Argento’s actions have absolutely nothing to the “#MeToo Movement” as a whole.

News sources from CNN to the New York Times, and many in between, have called Argento “#MeToo Movement leader.” The Times’ headline claims as much, and an article on CNN says so in its lede. The problem with this narrative is that #MeToo is not a movement with a leader.

The “#MeToo movement” is much like the “Black Lives Matter movement” in that it is about a topic and an issue.

The Civil Rights Movement was very much about a topic and an issue, but there were fundamental legal changes that needed to take place. The #MeToo Movement does not exist in the same way.

No one law or idea can change everything.

Mass media in the U.S. has this weird obsession with movements needing to have

leaders.

Argento being sexually assaulted by Weinstein and reporting it never made her the leader of the movement. The idea that those two things correlate is weak at best. That is not how leadership works, and that is the issue with all of these arguments.

Under no circumstance does Argento allegedlydoing what she did have anything to do with the “#MeToo movement” as a whole. If anything it just shows how widespread sexual assault is.

According to an online survey from “Stop Street Harassment,” 81% of women and 43% of men reported that they had experienced some form of sexual harassment in life.

To put that in sheer numbers alone, 81% of women would equal roughly 102 million women of the 126 million women in the U.S. That is a serious amount of people. The amount by itself should be enough to end any argument of how Argento’s act of sexual violence undermines the “#MeToo Movement.”

The issue I have beyond the vast overstatement of Argento’s importance to the movement is the general public and opponents of the #MeToo Movement using Bennett’s situation as a way to continually avoid the problem.

The rhetoric exists in a way that makes

Perfection doesn’t equal happiness Madelyn Stewart “You have to be perfect to be successful.”

Whether this comes from our professors, our parents or even ourselves, the idea of perfection is deeply engraved into the minds of college students today.

From an early age, we are taught that in order to be happy, one must succeed. And in order to succeed, achieve our most ambitious goals, every aspect of our lives must be planned and meet a certain criterion.

Such rigorous standards have caused our generation to become deeply unsatisfied with our measly achievements, associating happiness with the unobtainable quality of perfection.

Though it may be cliché and a bit overstated, the phrase, “You won’t

always get your way,” applies to all of us. Many aspects of our lives are simply out of our control, and things will not always go as planned.

However, this does not have to affect our definition of success and contentment.

Last Friday night, my friends and I went on a late-night walk around campus. Soon enough, we became tired, so we stopped and sat by the fountain, talking for hours, covering endless topics and just getting to know each other better.

I sighed and laid back on the concrete, allowing my mind to wander. I could see a few bright lights in the sky. Though I knew they were giant balls of gas floating in the universe far away from me, I couldn’t help but think of how small they looked when surrounded by the empty blackness that seemed to envelop their light.

However, after a few minutes, my eyes began to adjust, and I could see more specks of light flickering through the darkness.

The black sky was no longer empty, but filled with stars whose light reached me, even from so far away.

All of this is to say that happiness and contentment is not based on perfection or success, but it is, instead, an outlook you must acquire.

Your overall mood depends on your approach to life. Dr. Robert Merton, an American sociologist, founded the theory of the self-fulfilling prophecy, which essentially states that what one expects of themselves will become true.

When I first laid back the other night, I only saw the stars I expected to see until I allowed my vision to expand.

Likewise, you can only be what you expect yourself to be, and only feel what you allow yourself to feel, so allow yourself to feel confident.

Allow yourself to be happy.

Of course, this is much easier said than done. However, nothing remarkable was ever done overnight. Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher, once said, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

Dissatisfaction is a barrier that must be broken down one small brick at a time.

In order to spark change, you must open yourself to the idea of contentment.

In today’s society, with negativity dominating almost every aspect of our lives, we could certainly use a positive outlook. contact Madelyn Stewart at stewartmcl@warhawks.ulm.edu

any male who has been sexually abused as a way of undermining women’s experience but it should not. Bennett’s situation should show, more than anything, how widespread of a problem rape, and sexual assault is in the country and the world.

Argento’s sexual abuse of Bennett should show the problems with our system and how we view rape. But instead, it is being used to discredit a movement that conservatives and misogynists love to hate, because it calls out so many of their people. Our country and our people would be in a much better spot if we would actually listen to people’s issues instead of the controlling class creating narratives to discredit movements of genuine substance.

The “#MeToo movement” has had such a profound impact because of how many ordinary, everyday people have experienced sexual assault.

If the allegations against Asia Argento are found to be true, Jimmy Bennett will be another person who can also say #MeToo. The movement will go on because of the sad reality that many people have been sexually assaulted, not because of some so-called “leader.” contact Miles Jordan at jordanm1@warhawks.ulm.edu

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The opinions expressed in personal columns are the opinions of the author and not necessarily the opinions of the editors, staff, adviser or the university.

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September 4, 2018

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PAGE 5

Dogs are our friends, not accessories Madison Smith Dogs come in a variety of different shapes and sizes— and so do their ears, but certain breeds have them surgically altered to make them look more “pleasing,” which is just a really fancy way of saying, “I want my dog to look more menacing and tough.”

This practice is called “ear cropping” and it’s done to all of your favorite breeds: Dobermans, Boxers, Great Danes and Pit Bulls.

It’s usually done to pure breeds when they are puppies, the human logic being that they will be young enough to not remember the pain.

The ears are sometimes bandaged until they heal with the hope that they will have that distinctive pointed look.

A lot of people will chalk ear cropping up as just another surgery dogs undergo like spaying or neutering, but they’re not at all the same, and here’s why.

Spaying and neutering are completely regulated operations which means they are overseen by trained specialists.

Ear cropping is not and is often done by people with no medical authority.

Spaying and neutering has also been linked through studies to keep your pet healthier for longer as it lowers the risk of aggressive reproductive cancers. Ear cropping has no health benefits.

It only perpetuates harmful stereotypes that lead to the continued labelling of “aggressive breeds.” It also encourages mass hysteria and the euthanizing of these animals.

The myth that it lowers the likelihood of your dog getting ear infections is just that, a myth.

It is purely done for cosmetic reasons, which brings me to my next point.

Surgeries performed by unskilled hands can lead to ears that are mismatched or bent.

One reason this can happen is because there is not enough cartilage left in the remaining ear to keep the ears upright.

It can also happen because the person doing the cropping cut “too much” of the ear for the dog’s size.

To supplement this, people will pump their puppies with extra vitamins like calcium in order to get the ears to stand up.

This, for one, can lead to growth problems in dogs.

Secondly, this scientifically isn’t going to work.

And finally, why would you go to such lengths for something so incredibly unimportant? Aren’t there better things to worry about?

Either way, dogs are not our accessories. They’re not handbags or shoes. They are living beings who we are lucky enough to share our lives with as partners and friends.

We do not get the right to put them through unnecessary slicing and dicing, because we want them to look a certain way.

Dogs are worth much more than their looks and deserve to be appreciated for their personalities and their capacity to love unconditionally.

Ear cropping has been banned in Canada and Australia and, it’s disappointing that the U. S. is lagging behind.

We need to collectively come together as pet owners and make it clear we value our pets for who they are and not what they look like.

contact Madison Smith at smithmm@warhawks.ulm.edu

Graphic by Siddharth Gaulee

Living on-campus is more beneficial for personal growth

Chelsea Terell Many changes occur when a fresh out of high school student begins their new college experience.

Your parents no longer wake you up for school, the classes aren’t the same everyday, there is no dress code and you are ultimately independent. Not to mention, you now eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at school.

Several students let their nerves get the best of them and let the stress of college consume them. However, others may adapt to the changes and enjoy the many things college has to offer to its’ students.

For freshmen moving far from home onto campus, they must adjust to being away from their families every night, especially people like myself who live two and half hours away from campus.

Many new students also have to adapt themselves to living with people they have never met before. However, roommates can become some of the freshmen’s first friends made on-campus.

Living on-campus can be very beneficial for freshmen, because it gives them the opportunity to meet new people and get involved with students who are in the same “struggle bus” as them.

Roaming the dormitory halls or even walking to different classes and buildings can help introduce many resident freshmen to other students at the university.

It is hard for many to make new friends or even acquaintances but for others, it is easy when you join different clubs and organizations around campus. As a freshman myself, I can say it is very difficult to meet new friends if you are only on campus for classes and then leave to go home off-campus. On the other hand, freshmen living oncampus may not have as much trouble getting involved because they are always around other students.

Even going to the cafeteria or Student Union Building (SUB)and food is an opportunity for many to mingle. Everywhere on campus, students are willing to talk and help freshmen adjust to the totally different lifestyle they have become accustomed to.

Not only do students living on campus have more chances to meet new people around the university, they also have more of an opportunity to know about things going on around campus.

There are always events going on and on-campus residents get to experience those events, because they are always on campus and able to easily go to them.

For example, many of the socials and workshops are advertised throughout campus through fliers and many commuters may not view it when getting on and off campus. Even for the freshmen that live close to the university and who commute back and forth between classes, spending most of their time on-campus can be very beneficial.

I believe living on campus can only have a positive effect on a freshman’s college experience and I highly suggest any freshman that have the opportunity to live on-campus without troubles should do it.

Freshmen year only happens once and you should live it like it is one of the best years of your college experience. contact Chelsea Terrell at smithmm@warhawks.ulm.edu

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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

September 4, 2018

NEWS

Hurricane in Hawaii brings back memories of Puerto Rico

by Crystal Mathews Hurricane season is back in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Nobody knows this better than the people of Hawaii. The island state of the U.S. recently went through a scare with the threat of Hurricane Lane off its coast.

As tropical storm Lane approached the Hawaiian shore, the usually sunny archipelago began to experience torrential rains and strong winds. On Aug. 22, President Trump declared a state of emergency for Hawaii’s main island. Flooding began to spread across the Hawaiian island on Aug. 24, causing water levels to rise up to three feet deep. By Aug. 28, Hawaii had experienced record rainfalls, with a total of 52 inches of rain.

The damage of tropical storm Lane is reminiscent of past hurricanes like Hurricane Maria, the storm that ravaged the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico in September of last year. That hurricane is regarded to be the deadliest natural disaster to effect Puerto Rico on record. The estimated death toll has risen to almost 3,000 causalities, which is 46 times larger than the original estimation.

With Puerto Rico in mind people feared for the worst when Hurricane Lane approached Hawaii.

Atmospheric science students at ULM kept an eye on the hurricane nearing Hawaii. Students observed various similarities between the recent storm in Hawaii and previous ones like the one to hit Puerto Rico last year.

“Hurricane Lane and Hurricane Maria are both powerful, category five hurricanes that have impacted communities that don’t normally get hit by hurricanes,” said Lyli Frazier, an atmospheric science major.

Frazier says the lack of experience when it comes to dealing with hurricanes makes a huge difference in how a certain group of people deal with the hurricane. Their lack of experience with extreme weather left them unprepared for the strong winds and rain.

This isn’t where the similarities between the storms end. According to Gregory Melo, a sophomore atmospheric science major, both storms underwent a process known as “rapid intensification.” This occurs when a storm intensifies drastically over a short period of time.

“Rapid intensification has been a frequent

photo courtesy weather.com

occurrence in the past few years,” Melo said.

The time between the emergence of the storm and its upgrade to a category five hurricane, in both instances, was very short. This left the islands with little time to prepare for the oncoming storms and the flooding that came with them.

Vanelis Rivera, an english professor at ULM and her family who lived in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria have plenty experience with big storms. Having gone through hurricane Hugo, a storm that hit their residence on Saint Croix, her family knew what to expect from a category five hurricane. Unfortunately they weren’t counting on the devastating impact Hurricane Maria had on the island. “[in Puerto Rico] We deal with not having

power, but not for this long, for months even,” Rivera said after seeing her people go without power for a long time.

The island-wide black out following hurricane Maria made it hard to for residents to keep perishable food. With no goods being imported due to the damaged airports, the food drought worsened. The scarcity of resources led to a rise in looting.

“That was when neighbors really stepped up to help,” said Rivera, whose mother had taken care of Rivera’s grandmothers during the aftermath of Maria.

Today, Puerto Rico is beginning to look like its old self again. Power has been restored to most of the island, and life is starting to get back to normal. However, the new hurricane

season has filled Puerto Rican citizens with a sense of fear and anxiety. Many are wondering what would happen if the island gets hit again.

Flooding from Lane has left Hawaiian citizens stranded among the high rising waters. While still being pelted with rain, two new tropical storms began making their way across the Pacific on Tuesday, one of which is predicted to undergo “rapid intensification.”

While Hawaii was spared from most of Lane’s power, a new hurricane could be heading their way. Humanitarian aid efforts are preparing to respond if Hawaii is hit again. contact Crystal Mathews at mathewca@warhawks.ulm.edu

September 4, 2018

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 7

NEWS

graphic by Prajal Prasai

Greek Life takes a trip to NELA food bank Students come together to set an example, build over 1000 boxes

by Alfonzo Galvan It was a day of charity for the various Greek organizations on campus last week. All the councils representing the different fraternities and sororities on campus sent representatives to the Northeastern Louisiana Food Bank to build boxes.

Last Tuesday, the Greeks came together for a common goal, to help the food bank. For two hours, the students gathered at the food bank and built boxes that are to be used to pack food at the bank.

Allison Crotwell, the coordinator of Student Development, said “It’s often easy to focus on the negative headlines associated with Greek life on campus, but the nice things have to be highlighted as well.”

“These young adults are leaving lasting positive impressions on the communities they serve, and I am proud to be their advisor,”

photo courtesy Allison Crotwell

HELPING HAND: ULM Greeks pose for a photo after volunteering at the food bank.

Crotwell said.

The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana supplies food to those in need in the area. According to them, over 71,000 people struggle with hunger in Northeast Louisiana alone. The food bank specifically prefers to combat children’s hunger. According to their website, Northeast Louisiana has 28 percent of food-insecure children by parish.

Phillip Vu-Nguyen a senior health studies major and Interfraternity Council (IFC) vice president of community relations was one of

those in attendance at the food bank. He was representing the IFC. “We were able to form over 1000 boxes in two hours, the boxes will be used to pack food in for the elderly,” Vu-Nguyen said.

Greek Life’s visit to the food bank was intended for volunteers; nobody was required to go. Hearing about the opportunity to help their community, students flocked to the food bank. One such student was Regginald Good, a junior pre-pharmacy major, who heard about the event at the Nation Pan-Hellenic

Council meeting and was onboard from the beginning.

“I want to uphold my fraternity’s mission to provide service for our community,” Good said.

Outside of doing community services, Good was inspired by the sense of unity garnered by the event at the food bank.

“It was encouraging to see students from different organizations and backgrounds working together towards one common goal,” Good said.

Unity and lending a helping hand were also reasons sophomore communications major Brooke Keen went to the food bank with the rest of Greek Life.

Keen’s journey to the bank was a little different than the rest of her peers. A friend of hers couldn’t make it to the event so Keen went in her place.

“I went in the place of someone who couldn’t make it to help her out,” Keen said.

Although replacing her friend, Keen still enjoyed her time at the food bank.

“It was a great experience. I didn’t realize how much I could actually do for others with only an hour of my time,” Keen said.

It was her first time at the food bank. Keen said she usually likes to volunteer at an animal shelter, but she enjoyed the new experience.

According to Crotwell, Greek Life has various plans to do community services throughout the semester. Among these plans, trips to the food bank are included. contact Alfonzo Galvan at galvana@warhawks.ulm.edu

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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

September 4, 2018

NEWS FREESTYLE

GAME OF LIFE: The winning project was based on a gameboard with pop culture references.

First time playing in sand

by Alfonzo Galvan It’s the game of life, for the new generation. That was the theme for a group of ULM students’ sand castle at the 32nd Annual AIA Sandcastle Competition in Galveston, Texas.

Art professor Brooke Foy led a team of current and past art students to Galveston for a sandcastle build off.

According to their website the AIA SandCastle Competition is a fund-raising event for AIA Houston and ArCH Foundation, as well as one of the top five revenue generating events for the City of Galveston. Finies For this year’s event, over 60 teams participated in the build. The building of the sand sculptures went on for five hours.

Foy took three of her current art students to the competition to help her and her team out.

Kaile Finies, a senior art major, was among those selected to go to Galveston with Foy. According to Finies, none of the three current students that went on the trip had experience with sand sculpting.

“We participated with the Hensel Phelps Group. We were taken along to be a part of the sculptors’ team, although

none of us had sculpted sand before so it was a great learning experience,” Finies said.

Finies along with her two classmates and professor were joined by two ULM art graduates, Accie Sullivan and Ashlyn Thompson.

“We were taken along to be a part of the sculptors' team although none of us had sculpted sand before...”

Kaile Finies, senior art major The team of students and their professor were part of the Hensel Phelps Group who Foy has been a part of for several years.

ULM’s group of students participated in the “Best Pop Culture” category and finished in first place. Their design was based on a table game of “The Game of Life” but with a twist. The game board was meant to reflect the new generation of young people.

The game board sculpture titled “New Gen Life” was comprised of various sym-

photos courtesy Kaile Finies

bols and logos all related to pop culture.

Fortnite, Twitter, Snapchat and a fidget spinner were some of the symbols seen in the sculpture.

Inique Harris, a senior art major, also made the trip to Galveston for the competition. Same as Finies, Harris had no prior experience with sand sculpting but was willing to take on the challenge and learn.

“I knew absolutely nothing about sand sculpture, so to prepare myself, I watched a few YouTube videos about sand sculpting and then practiced by carving soaps,” Harris said.

Harris and her peers did exceptionally well for first time sand sculptures.

A learning experience turned into a fun experience for the Warhawks.

“It was wonderful and eye opening,” Harris exclaimed.

“I found it fun to work on a project with all my peers.”

The sandcastle competition isn’t the last activity Foy and her students plan to attend this semester. Foy encourages community involvement from her students and routinely offers her students extra credit opportunities for helping her out in her various projects around town. contact Alfonzo Galvan at galvana@warhawks.ulm.edu

POP CULTURE: ULM students carve out the Twitter and Snapchat symbols out of sand.

September 4, 2018

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 9 FREESTYLE

Block party provides summer getaway

by Madison Smith Food trucks, shiny red fire trucks, bouncy house and a free photo booth? First Monroe Baptist Church had it all at their third annual Downtown Block party on Wednesday. Nestled in downtown Monroe, Anna Gray Noe Park was jam packed with family fun.

Bradley Bridges, a Christian singer-songwriter, and his band provided live music at the event. Bridges said that he enjoys the event every year.

“It really showcases the heartbeat of First Baptist which is stepping out into the community and doing outreach outside the church walls,” Bridges said. He had nothing but kind words to say about the church’s lead pastor James Doughty who made his rounds during the event, greeting attendees and thanking them for coming.

Senior nursing major, Hannah Logan said the party was “a good break in the middle of the week.”

“It’s definitely family-oriented and relaxing. I can come here and meet some friends and take my mind off of school for a minute,” Logan said.

A Smile More photo booth, manned by Steven Meyers, was located inside the First Monroe church where attendees could get their pictures taken and printed free of

DOWNTOWN FUNROE: (TOP) Attendees enjoy free snow cones at the Downtown Block party. (MIDDLE) A kid gets ready to take a picture in the Monroe Fire department's fire truck. (BOTTOM) Attendees wait for food from "The Cookout."

charge.

“I love coming here and doing this event every year,” Meyers said.

The photo booth had a plethora of props to choose from including sunglasses, boas, and of course a couple outlandish wigs.

The Monroe fire department also appeared with two gleaming red trucks standing guard, citing their presence as one of safety and just public community involvement. Kids were allowed to take pictures hanging on and off the truck as well as with the local firefighters.

Many took advantage of the free snowballs and plentiful flavor options. There was also an opportunity to enter into a drawing to win prizes, sponsored by church members.

One of the more popular sites was the food truck . "The Cookout," with its friendly staff and fresh chicken wings, was never without a line. Next to it was “Two Dude’s Barbecue,” which featured made to order barbecue sliders and French fries.

Although the weather was a concern for a while, the event continued on even under darkening skies. ULM students and community members of all ages were in attendance, eating and enjoying the free events that the church block party had to offer. contact Madison Smith at smithmm@warhawks.ulm.edu

photos by Miles Jordan

PAGE 10

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

September 4, 2018

NEWS

Monroe 8th worst in country for raising kids

by Ashlyn Dupree The city of Monroe is in the national spotlight once again and not for a good reason.

On Aug. 9, 24/7 Wall Street released an article stating that Monroe was ranked the eighth worst city to raise a child. According to their article, for every 100,000 residents there are 1,187 crimes reported as well as 958 aggravated assaults.

While this may be shocking to some, others found the information to be in line with the town they live in.

Annabeth Seal a sophomore dental hygiene major and Monroe native said, “Honestly I wasn’t really surprised. The crime rates are horrible. I thinkthe reason why most of the crime is going on is because they aren’t being taught values.”

24/7 Wall Street also shared that these crime stats were the highest for any metropolitan area in the U.S. According to them, the crime rates aren’t

graphic by Prajal Prasai

the only astonishing numbers in Monroe.

Graduation rates are below the country average. Preschool enrollment is bellow 48 percent and the rate for graduating high school is at about 81 percent.

With such low performance percentages from schools, LaTronna Hill a senior psychology major says it can’t be the parents fault Monroe is ranked among a list of worst places to raise a child.

“I blame the government and the city officials. Growing up, my family has always pushed me so that I won’t get stuck here. I love my city, but I wouldn’t raise my child here. Just because I know how it is being a child and being limited to opportunities,” Hill said.

Articles like the one posted by 24/7 Wall Street do worry the citizens of Monroe but such information has to be taken with a grain of salt.

The information regarding enrollment in preschool, and graduation from high school came from the 2016 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau. It’s a two-year-old survey. Crime rate stats are from the FBI’s 2016 Uniform Crime Report. They are also two years old.

Other students like Morgan Yelton a freshmen pre-occupational therapy major commented that she has lived in Monroe for 12 years and has never felt in danger. Yelton states that each city has good and bad parts and there are many places that are safe and numerous good people in the Monroe area.

“I feel it’s all on how you take care of your city and home, if it wasn’t safe do you think we would walk around at all hours of the night on campus?” Yelton questioned.

While this new information about Monroe’s violent crime rates, low graduation rates, and low enrollment rates might be upsetting, the city has made progress in recent years to better these numbers. Crime rates around campus are fairly low for the area according to the University Police Department. contact at Ashlyn Dupree dupreeaf@warhawks.ulm.edu

courtesy by ULM Photo Services

Atmospheric science program recieves federal grant

by Miles Jordan On Tuesday, Aug. 21, Louisiana congressman Ralph Abraham announced that the University of Louisiana at Monroe would receive a nearly $275,000 federal grant.

The grant’s purpose is for the university to purchase new weather satellite equipment.

ULM was given this equipment after a long term grant process.

“The grant proposal was completed over 6-7 months during Summer 2017 and the Fall 2017 semester. It was officially submitted to NSF in February of this year,” said Dr. Todd Murphy an assistant professor and program coordinator of the department of atmospheric science at ULM. The university submitted the grant to the Major Research Instrumentation program at the National Science Foundation.

According to Murphy, the NSF received over 900 submissions.

Of the 900 submissions, 130 of the submissions were funded. That is only a 15 percent funding rate which is an astounding accomplishment for ULM. The funding is to buy new weather satellite equipment, more specifically a portable Doppler wind lidar as well as computing infrastructure and a portable generator.

According to Murphy, the new equipment will be used for curricular and research reasons, “the mobile lab will be heavily integrated into the ATMS curriculum, including the development of at least one new course dedicated to its use.

It will enable experiential learning opportunities for a variety of students. The mobile lab will allow us to participate in new research areas, and complement current research.”

A further benefit of the new equipment according to Murphy is that the university will have more opportunities to get funding.

“It should make us much more attractive for additional external funding opportunities. We

also anticipate it will increase the visibility of our program. It will be used heavily in new student recruitment, and I anticipate that outside collaborators will want to utilize the lab in their own research,” Murphy said.

The recruitment for the atmospheric science major will nearly do itself, as the major will now be one of the best undergraduate programs for atmospheric science in the nation.

“There are only a handful of comparable mobile labs across the country, all of those residing in programs with a heavy graduate emphasis, there are very few programs like ours which allows undergraduates to gain experience using such a wide variety of meteorological Murphy instruments,” Murphy said.

The addition of the new equipment is already exciting current junior atmospheric science major Dakari Anderson.

“As a student, having the opportunity to use this data in our classes as an undergraduate is a unique and valuable experience. On top of the previously acquired radar, the addition of the new mobile lab will greatly improve the program,” Anderson said.

The purpose of all of the new equipment extends beyond just glitz and glamor and will have real research purposes.

Murphy said the equipment will be used to improve our understanding of a variety of atmospheric processes, including those that lead to the development of severe weather like tornadoes.

The main benefit of the equipment in a research capacity is that it lets the university move to the weather and not wait for the weather to move to it.

contact Miles Jordan at jordanm1@warhawks.ulm.edu

September 4, 2018

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 11

FREESTYLE

NEWS

Award winning sitcom comes to end

by Raven Adcox Revered as one of the best shows on primetime television, “The Big Bang Theory” will be coming to an end after its 12th season.

“The Big Bang Theory” is a sitcom based around roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, played

by Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons, respectively. Leonard and Sheldon are both physicists at the California Institute of Technology. The audience follows along as they deal with all the different issues and complications that come with being socially inept geniuses.

The show, which first aired in fall 2007, was initially met with some criticism over the stereotypical nature of the characters. However, by season three, audiences had come to enjoy the show and wanted to follow the journey.

“The Big Bang Theory” is shot as a traditional three-camera sitcom with a live audience to boot. The creators of the show, Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady are also executive producers, along with Steven Molaro.

The first episode of the final season will air on Sept. 24, the same date as the season one pilot aired.

With the help of strong characters like Penny, the neighbor/aspiring actress, Raj, an astrophysicist who is unable to speak to women for most of the first season and Howard, the outspoken aerospace engineer, the show gained traction and fanfare.

Later, side characters were introduced to the show, which only made the show more successful. Mayim Bialik was cast as Sheldon’s love interest and neuroscientist, Amy Farrah Fowler. Melissa Rauch played the loveable Bernadette

Rostenkowski, a microbiologist who eventually marries Howard. The juxtaposition among the characters also made for wonderfully awkward, yet funny and endearing at the same time, moments.

“The Big Bang Theory” may be a show about “geeks,” but the beauty was that anyone could enjoy it. Altogether, the show has won 56 awards out of 216 nominations.

Specifically, Jim Parsons has won several awards for his portrayal of Sheldon Cooper. His witty one-liners and matterof-fact way of speaking won the hearts of audiences everywhere. Parsons played the role of Sheldon so well, in fact, that a spin-off show called, “Young Sheldon” aired last year.

IMDb gave “The Big Bang Theory” a rating of 8.5/10, which is no easy feat.

Rotten Tomatoes, another popular entertainment reviewing site, gave the show an 82 percent rating. Overall, the show has maintained fairly good ratings and viewership since its time on air.

At the end of the day, for all its clichés and cringe-worthy moments, “The Big Bang Theory” did more to challenge the idea of what a “geek” looks like through the show. And, as it was discovered, geeks, the Leonards and Sheldons of the world, are just like everyone else. We all have room to grow, and that fact is made known, throughout the sitcom’s run.

Plus, regardless of any critiques of the show, that Barenaked Ladies song, “Big Bang Theory Theme,” is a classic.

Catch the 12th and final season of “The Big Bang Theory” on CBS, this fall.

contact Raven Adcox at adcoxrv@warhawks.ulm.edu

Pujan Dahal Computer Information Science Senior

I never get tired of the show. Literally watched the same four episodes back to back in my 16.5 hours long flight to Nepal last Christmas!

graphics by Prajal Prasai

Greg Sova Atmospheric Science Senior

I thoroughly enjoyed the show, especially from season 2 to 6. After that point, however, the show started to lose its identity.

Sheldon changed drastically, Raj became able to talk to women, Penny was no longer the dumb waitress that the group relied upon for social lessons, among other changes. Everything that made the show what it was and made us fall in love with, it was no more.

Manahari Dahal Computer Science Junior

Having been a fan of the show for many years, I am glad it’s coming to an end “finally”. The show lost its touch after season 6.

The quirkiness and humor degraded tremendously. I completely stopped watching after season 10. It became more of a money-oriented show and I can understand why people started disliking the show.

PAGE 12

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

September 4, 2018

FREESTYLE

Top 4 books to screen on Netflix

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

This adaptation of the 2008 novel of the same name by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows features Lily James and Michael Husiman.

The plot revolves around Juliet, a young writer who embarks on a journey to Guernsey for a book club. Juilet uncovers secrets, makes new friends and finds true love in this romantic drama film.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

The high school romance is based on Jenny Han’s 2014 novel of the same name.

Lara Jean (Lana Condor) has five letters, which she’d never posted, for all her serious crushes. One day, when the letters accidentally get posted, the quiet Lara Jean suddenly finds herself in the center of a high school drama and possibly bad blood with her sister.

The Kissing Booth

Mindhunter

This secret romance, featuring Joey King, is based on a novel of the same name by Beth Reekles.

Having been best friends their entire lives, Elle and Lee have no secrets between them.

However, things start going downhill when Elle gets in a relationship with Noah, Lee’s older brother, behind Lee’s back.

Based on John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker’s “Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit”, the plot revolves around FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit.

FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff), along with his fellow agents, interview real serial killers to gain insights on a criminal’s mind.

Tri at the MAC 3801 Chauvin Lane, Monroe

Brown Bag Concert Series 1700 N 7th St#B, West Monroe

Driven Desires 2018 Goat Yoga at the Farm 401 Lea Joyner Memorial Express- 1816 Stubbs Vision Road, Monroe way, Monroe

Think you have it in you to swim for 300 yards, bike for 10 miles and then run a 5K? If so, be there at the Monroe Athletic Club (MAC) as they organize the 5th annual triatholon this Monday.

Registration is open for both members and non-members of MAC. Spots are open for the first 75 people only, so make sure to reach out to them as soon as possible.

The September Brown Bag concert series begins with The Josh Love Duo this Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Admission is free to this kid friendly event.

Newk’s Eatery will be on site offering $5 bag lunches with complimentary tea and lemonade.

The 9th annual Driven Desires is back in town this Saturday at the Monroe Civic Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature local car, tuck and bike enthusiasts. Pre-registration is $30 whereas the day of price is $35 in the arena and $20 outside.

Admission is $5 only and kids under 5 get in for free. Proceeds from the event will help local families affected by muscular dystrophy.

Want to be fit but can’t encourage yourself to even attend the class? Well, how about some baby goats to help you with your fitness journey?

Double BB Farms is hosting yet another Goat Yoga this Saturday at 4 p.m. Registration is $20 per person and attendees are required to bring their own yoga mats. The classes are for people of all skill levels. Make sure to pre-pay and reserve a spot, since the last class was a full house.

September 4, 2018

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

Crossword

Horoscope Aries A bouncy moon is inspiring you to take a risk.

You could go out on a limb and ask a sexy stranger out for a date. Or you might decide to call up a former lover and see if the two of you can reignite that old spark of attraction. Shake things up.

ed kitty 2 Great Wall setting 3 Deliver a tirade 4 Sometime soon 5 “Let’s Make a Deal” selection 6 __ Dhabi 7 Emerald, e.g.

8 Slip by 9 Texas city of 1.3 million, familiarly 10 Consecrates with oil 11 It may be unearned 12 Compadre 13 Clinch, with “up” 19 Mythical Himalayan 21 Singer Fitzgerald 24 Feline feet 25 Brunch servings 27 Ill-tempered Looney Tunes character 28 Persuaded 29 Week or rear addon 30 “My bad!”

31 Needlefish 32 Scottish denial

33 Nearly boil 37 Long March leader in 1930s China 38 Tylenol target 39 One may be stubbed 42 Retirement fund 44 Belligerent god 46 Chimney part 47 Word processing category involving page dimensions 48 Moves smoothly 53 Lodes and lodes 54 Patch up 55 Hershey’s caramel candy 56 Modern-day carpe diem spelled out at the starts of 18-, 30-, 45- and 57-Across 57 Black __: covert missions 58 D.C. ballplayer 59 Spy novel org.

60 “¡Viva el matador!”

61 __ Scully, Dodger announcer for 67 seasons

Courtesy of MCT Campus

Libra Your mind has been expanded recently. You may have taken up a new fitness plan and started to work on getting into better shape. Or you might be exploring a fresh philosophy or religious outlook.

Venus will continue to inspire you this week.

Scorpio

You’ll have a good social flow this week. Communicator Mercury will be in a friendly sign for several weeks, helping you to feel more confident.

It’s a great time to expand the amount of people on your friends list and professional networking list.

Try to avoid getting into senseless spats with your honey. A moody moon could exaggerate your irritation about minor nonsense. Seek a positive release through working out, meditating, or visiting a friend you haven’t seen in a while.

You could hit a rare state of balance in a relationship. Or if you’re single, you’ll experience a greater sense of peace than you have in a while about your current condition. Venus is bringing some nice healing energy in your personal life.

41 Yoga position 43 Conservationist’s prefix 44 Part of 14-Across: Abbr.

45 Eschew modern conveniences 49 Worrisome grades 50 Misplace 51 Tennis do-over 52 Open house offering 54 Great suffering 57 Like the child of your first cousin, to you 62 Great Lakes’ __ Canals 63 Baseball legend Satchel 64 Dior skirt style 65 “__ the President’s Men” 66 Does’ mates 67 Cares for 68 Sound on Old MacDonald’s farm Down 1 Sound of a content-

FREESTYLE FREESTYLE

Taurus

Gemini

Across 1 __ for the course 4 Proverb 9 Wire fence stickers 14 Winner of the most 2016 Olympic medals 15 Prize founder 16 Accustom (to) 17 __ Tin Tin 18 “We’re done here.

Please leave” 20 For mature viewers 22 Foot prettifier, briefly 23 Miss. neighbor 24 Grape-Nuts cereal brand 26 Big Board letters 30 Lone source of local entertainment 33 Pop in a glass 34 Wonder 35 Longtime name in Syrian leadership 36 Prereq for a lifeguard 37 Fred Flintstone’s boss 40 CBS logo

PAGE 13

Cancer The moon in your sign is making you reflective.

You’re replaying past incidents in your mind, sorting out stuff that still puzzles you. You could gain some insight about a romance that didn’t work out.

Or you might experience clarity about someone you are involved with now.

Sagittarius A brief moon opposite your sign could create a temporary blackout with communication or travel for you. Maybe you and your date will miss getting together because of unexpected work obligations that suddenly come up. Be patient.

Capricorn Two planets are increasing your ambition. As an Earth sign, you’ve always been willing to work hard.

But right now, a lot of intriguing opportunities could be coming your way. Don’t miss out on them by letting petty personal problems distract you too much.

Leo

Aquarius

There have been a lot of changes in your personal or professional life, courtesy of Mercury recently passing through your sign. It might take you a while to adjust to your new situation. Maintain a positive frame of mind as fun things start to happen.

The new moon is encouraging you to do something different with your financial situation. Maybe you need to work harder to pay off some debt. Perhaps you have some ideas for a side business of your own. Focus on increasing your net worth.

Virgo Mercury is entering your sign, and for the next few weeks, you’ll enjoy many creative challenges.

Allow yourself to express yourself in inventive ways.

Do creative writing, play music, experiment with art or schedule an impromptu getaway with your sweetheart.

Pisces Don’t take it personally if your significant other is annoyed or out of sorts. As communicator Mercury moves opposite your sign for a while, don’t obsess over every little thing. Try to be loving and empathetic instead of getting emotionally triggered.

PAGE 14

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

September 4, 2018

SPORTS Player Spotlight:

Football Schedule:

photo by Siddharth Gaulee

Quaterback on the rise

by Nathaniel Nasworthy

Going into Thursday’s game against Southeastern Louisiana, a lot of pressure had been placed upon ULM’s starting quarterback, Caleb Evans’ shoulders. After a rough quarter and a half that included an interception, Evans took control and gave the Warhawks a two point lead with a short touchdown pass to Marcus Green. That was all it took.

Evans started the second half with a 79 yard touchdown pass to Green and continued to control the rest of the game. And with 37 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Evans ran 11 yards for the game winning touchdown. He ended the game with 346 passing yards, 62 rushing yards and three total touchdowns. However, his incredible game management skills are only a small part of the fabric that makes up the story of a young and humble man.

Starting with his father and followed by his brothers Jerod and Lance, Evans is continuing the family football tradition. Hailing from Dallas, TX, the junior kinesi-

ology major has found his way to the starting quarterback position for the ULM Warhawks.

While in high school, Evans was recruited by Coach Matt Kubik, who was offensive coordinator at Stephen F. Austin at the time. Evans originally committed to Stephen F. Austin, but when Kubik was offered the same position at ULM, Evans stayed loyal to the coach and made his way to Monroe.

After splitting time in 2016, Evans was handed the reigns to the offense in 2017. Exploding onto the scene, Evans threw for 2,878 yards, rushed for 573 yards and had a combined 30 touchdowns.

Because of his extraordinary statistics, Evans was named to the Maxwell Award watchlist this summer. The award is given to the college football player of the year.

And Evans will tell you he was a little surprised. “Yeah, it kinda caught me off guard. I didn’t really know my numbers were extraordinary.

But, it’s just a humbling experience honestly,” Evans said.

A humble and composed young man, Evans isn’t really feeling the pressure. “People think I did really

well last year. I feel like it was good, but not up to my standards of what I feel like I can do.” And Evans is always looking to improve his game.

“I have my goals written out in my locker. Every day before practice, I look at it and remind myself this is how I need to get it.” Ultimately, Evans knows the team is looking for a win in a bowl game.

Even during the tough times, Evans is looking to improve. “It’s going to be a better day tomorrow.

You can always improve.” And he’s always looking at the big picture, hoping to make it to the NFL one day. “But, if that doesn’t work out, I can always fall back on my degree.”

After all that he’s accomplished, Evans still knows where he came from. “I learned the mental toughness from my dad. Quarterback wise, I learned it all from my brother, Jerod. He taught me everything I really know.” Even with everything surrounding the young man from Dallas, Evans knows where his head is at. “My main love is football of course.”

contact Nathaniel Nasworthy at nasworna@warhawks.ulm.edu

graphic by Suvash Gupta

September 4, 2018

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

SPORTS

Athletic Director steps down

by Miles Jordan On Monday, Aug. 20, 2018, the athletic director(AD) for the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Nick Floyd citing a health issue, announced that he would be stepping down. Floyd’s departure, effective Sept. 4, creates an opening for the fourth athletic director since ULM president, Dr. Nick Bruno, began his tenure.

“Since this past winter, I have been dealing with a physical health issue that I believe can be more effectively addressed by cutting back my schedule and taking time to focus on getting well and feeling better,” Floyd said in a statement made by the university.

Floyd will stay on in an administrative position until the end of the calendar year.

The day-to-day job will be handled by ULM’s chief administrative officer Scott McDonald. Floyd will leave the program after a little over a year but with success in his short tenure. The first step of the $5 million renovation to Brown Stadium and Groseclose Track finished during his time as the AD. Floyd was also directly responsible for bringing the university $1.4 million from the rescheduling of the away game at Florida State. Floyd had also presented the

idea of offering cost-of-attendance for students. With ULM ranking near the bottom in both budget and revenue among Divison 1 Football Subdivision (FBS) schools, this wasn’t a bad idea With all of the success ULM has had under Dr. Bruno, athletic success has been fleeting still. Floyd’s departure adds to that disappointment for a university that has had little athletic success in major sports like football and basketball with the respective teams finishing 4-8 and 16-16 last year. More disappointing about the timing is that some media outlets have ULM projected to make a bowl game in their preseason predictions, which would be a revelation for a ULM team that has only made one bowl game in the history of the program. Bleacher Report, one of the larger media sources for sports, predicted that ULM would play Marshall in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl in their prediction article.The disappointment becomes more compounded when you look in-depth at the program.

With soon to be four AD’s since 2010, one has to ask how hard it will be to find a candidate that has ULM as its first choice.

The sparse budget and attendance do not help that either. As mentioned ear-

lier, ULM has a low operating budget in the FBS with a measly $15.5 million, ranking 164th out 230. To put that in perspective other Louisiana schools like LSU and ULL have budgets of $131 million and $27 million respectively. The reigning Sun Belt champions, Troy University, has a budget of $29 million, according to the NCAA finances. Further compounding this is ULM’s putrid attendance last season, ULM ranked 123rd out of 131 in attendance during the previous five seasons with 1402 attendees per game, this stat falls to saddeningly low numbers in the 2017-2018 season with ULM only having 9928 attendees per game which were last in attendances last year, according to College Football News.

Floyd’s absences alone will not cause any of these issues to become worse, but the fear has to be that without an AD and a soon-to-be fourth in eight years how will athletics continue to grow? Floyd’s stepping down seems to be another step backward in what appears to be a historic motto of one step forward, two steps back for the athletic department. contact Miles Jordan at jordanm1@warhawks.ulm.edu

photo by Siddharth Gaulee

Volleyball strikes out

by Kris Albert The Warhawks fought hard but went winless at the Redhawk Invitational. ULM went 0-3, starting with game one against host-team Southeast Missouri.

Defensively, the Warhawks excelled, out-blocking Southeast 13 blocks and seven team blocks. Compared to eight blocks and four team blocks of the home team.

Offensive execution separated the teams with the Redhawks engaging in 103 attacks while doubling ULM kills as well. Missouri took better strikes and that gave them an edge over the Warhawks.

ULM put up a better fight in a more exciting game against the Demons of Northwestern. The in-state rivals battled in a five-set game filled with some nice back and forth. NSU was coming into the game with momentum, beating then-undefeated Radford. ULM comfortably won the first set (25-17) coming out hungry after the loss.

The Demons then came back with fire winning sets two and three by a wide margin (25-12, 25-14).

Set four had dramatic, fast-paced action with the teams trading leads. The Warhawks struck first leading the set 4-1 early, a run by NSU then tied the score. ULM then took a 9-8 lead in the set after a nice kill by sophomore Lauren Appleman. ULM took the final set (25-19) to force a fifth set. NSU took an early lead and refused to let it go, winning the final set 15-8.

ULM continued the fight on Saturday, although they lost the matchup in straight sets. The Warhawks lost set one by only three points, 25-22, showing that they came to play with the tournament favorites. Radford started great early, jumping to an 11-5 lead. The Warhawks then cut that lead to one but came up short near the end.

Set two was more of a reality check as ULM lost convincingly. Increasing the lead early in the set once again, but this time not

allowing a comeback. The Warhawk saved their best play for the last set of the game, looking to steal it. They earned a strong 12-9 lead in the third, but Radford was able to rally. The set became tied at 23, but the Highlanders were able to hang on for the win.

Multiple Warhawks had impressive weekends, Taylor Wood had 13 kills and nine blocks. Catherine Griffith led with 22 kills and also added nine blocks, Griffith was also named to the Redhawk Invitational All-Tournament team for her efforts.

Tara Jenkins boosted 39 assists and seven digs and Kate Blasingame proved versatile with ten kills, two blocks, and 25 digs. ULM has a rough 2-4 record to start the season, but look to get things going very soon. The Warhawks visit Stephen F. Austin on Sept.

4 at 5 p.m. contact Kris Albert at albertkx@warhawks.ulm.edu

PAGE 15

Center position: Thing of the past

Dallon Lewis The center position in the NBA does not have the same glory as the past. Hall of Fame greats such as Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain all held their primes when court spacing was tighter. Coaches ran offensive schemes centered for big men who did not control tremendous speed, but instead, held stout power. Guards and forwards were primarily taking shots inside the three point line. They had no choice but to come face to face with a monster under the rim.

In this new age of basketball, a term has changed the league entirely. Positionless basketball is a phrase detailing the way teams potentially can space their teams out on the court. Minimal requirements include: four players capable of bringing the basketball up the court, similar to a point guard, and possessing just enough speed and scoring ability to erase the downsides of height, weight, and defensive prowess. Modern technology has advanced training options for professional players to a level way beyond those of 30 years ago that allows players to play beyond their position. This unique style of play potentially can create a team that has never whiffed the playoffs into a championship level team.

The Golden State Warriors are currently best team in the NBA. No contest, not even a discussion. A franchise held together currently by All-stars Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green is a dream come true for any head coach in the league, especially the Warrior’s head coach, Steve Kerr. Kerr is a former champion who incorporated the positionless playstyle to enforce faster play and high paced scoring like nothing any team in the NBA had witnessed before.

The star-studded backcourt of three-point shooting elites Curry and Thompson eases the pressure off of the opposing team’s bigs as they are not primarily looking for a shot in the paint, the duo will be searching for what impossible range they can drain a 3. Durant, a four-time Scoring Champion, and Green, former defensive player of the year are congruent in their ability to play from literally any position on the court, if the situation calls for it. In certain games, Kerr will place NBA veteran and champion Andre Iguodala at the small forward position to further stretch the floor into what basketball fans begrudgingly label the “death lineup” if the team is in need of a quick burst of scoring.

Small ball will continue to encompass the league so long as the Warriors continue to dominate the league as they are the frontrunners with that playstyle. Meaning that true centers , while already are a rare sight, are becoming a shadow in the eyes of the league. contact Dallon Lewis at lewisdt@warhawks.ulm.edu

PAGE 16

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

September 4, 2018

SPORTS

RUN: Kayin White blows past a Southeastern defender on his way to a first down.

photo by Siddharth Gaulee

ULM soars past Lions in dramatic fashion

by Tristan McGowen The Warhawks came out in their 2018 season opener ready to secure their first win while putting on a show for their home fans, they did just that.

As time expired Thursday night in Malone Stadium, junior wide receiver RJ Turner made a game-sealing block on a 37-yard field goal attempt to clinch the 34-31 lead over Southeastern Louisiana for the win.

Caleb Evans had a big number game, completing 35 of 53 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns including a huge rushing touchdown in the closing minutes of the game.

ULM looked hot from the opening kick off. Rumbling down the field on 13 plays for 77 yards, senior running back Derrick Gore punched into the end zone on a 2-yard rush to put the Warhawks on the board first. After senior kicker, Craig Ford nailed the extra point the Warhawks were up seven.

The lead didn’t last too long though as the Lions answered back right away. An interesting duo quarterback game plan from Southeastern seemed to confuse the Warhawks at first as the Lions made their way down the field smoothly. 74-yards on ten plays was all they needed to tie the game back up, 7-7.

ULM looked to bounce back and stay hot as they took the field for their second

drive. However, the atmosphere in Malone Stadium was suddenly shifted when an interception by SLU defensive back, Ferlando Jordan, was returned 42-yards all the way down to ULM’s own 18-yard line. After the Warhawks managed to hit SLU for a loss of 2 yards on the first play of the drive, they waited no more time on the opportunity to take the lead. Two laser passes for five and 15 yards gave the Lions their first lead to end the first quarter, 7-14.

Things looked like they were slowing down in the second after an exciting first quarter performance from both teams. The Warhawks managed to tack on three more points on a 22 yard- field goal attempt to end a long 17 play drive.

Shutting down SLU on the next drive, the Warhawks got the ball back ready to retake the lead. An amazing 65-yard drive ending in an even better Evans to Marcus Green bullet in the back of the end-zone gave them their second touchdown of the game. After Ford missed the extra point, ULM found themselves on top, 16-14.

But, like before, SLU wouldn’t give the Warhawks a break. The quarterback completed a 70-yard drive on three passes including a 59 yarder to give them the lead right back, 21-16. The back and forth battle seemed to die down as the Warhawks defense kicked into high gear to hold the Lions scoreless until the fourth quarter.

In the meantime, ULM’s offense kept

things rolling. A huge 79-yard touchdown pass to Green gave the Warhawks the lead once again at the beginning of the third quarter. And although he missed one in the quarter, Ford managed to cap off the third with a 28-yard field goal to give the Warhawks a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter. SLU wasn’t ready to give up.

They came out quick putting up a field goal in 5 plays to close the gap, 26-24 A struggle to regain a comfortable lead for ULM wouldn’t happen for the remainder of the game. In fact, midway through the fourth SLU completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to give them the lead, 26-31.

The Warhawks knew they couldn’t and wouldn’t go down like that though. With two minutes left on the clock, ULM had a clutch drive ending in a quarterback keeper by Evans was good enough to secure the lead that would win them the game.

A nail-biting drive by SLU in the final 37 seconds of the game was their final chance to send the game into overtime. As the special teams lined up with three seconds to take the feild goal the stadium fell silent. The kick went up but didn’t go far as the ball was blocked by Turner to end it and pick up their first win on the season, making their record 1-0.

The Warhawks will look to keep the hot play alive Saturday, Sept. 8, as they hit the contact Tristan McGowen at mcgowetk@warhawks.ulm.edu