Full Issue 08/31/2020

Skills students learned during quarantine

P6

Sun Belt opener rescheduled for Dec. 5 at Troy P 8

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

VOLUME 98 ISSUE 2

www.ulmhawkeyeonline.com

August 31, 2020

Take Black Lives Matter further than a hashtag P 2

COVID-19 tests available on campus P 5

ULM faces aftermath of Hurricane Laura

P4

Chadwick Boseman inspires black community P 7

PAGE 2

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

August 31, 2020

BRIEFS CALENDAR Monday, August

31

National Panhellenic Conference meeting, 7 p.m., online via Zoom

Tuesday, September

1

CPFI general meeting, 12 p.m., online via Zoom

Wednesday, September 2 Phi Lambda Sigma chapter meeting, 12 p.m., online via Zoom

Thursday, September 3 Southern COMs for Southern Schools, 11:30 a.m., online via Zoom

Friday, September

4

Stampede at the Ike, 7:30 p.m., Ike Hamilton Expo Center

Saturday, September

5

No event planned

Sunday, September

6

No event planned

QUOTE

Hong Kong

Louisiana

Louisiana

Nevada

Entergy working to bring power back

Trump visits state after hurricane

Man infected with coronavirus twice

Protestors adapt to new security laws

KNOE- Entergy continues to restore power in Northeast Louisiana.

Many Louisiana residents lost power on Thursday, Aug. 27, when Hurricane Laura rolled through the state. That resulted in the loss of power for 130,000 customers in North Louisiana along with widespread damage to Entergy’s power infrastructure.

As of Aug. 29, at 3:45 p.m., 80,000 customers in Northeast Louisiana remain without power.

Entergy crews are still assessing damage in most parishes. At their last online update at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, the Entergy website said 70% percent of Ouachita Parish had been assessed. Power has been restored for about 16,000 Ouachita customers out of the original 60,000 that lost power.

MCT- President Donald Trump traveled to Texas and Louisiana on Saturday to survey the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, which caused billions of dollars in damage when it slammed into the Gulf Coast as a Category Four storm this week.

Trump is scheduled to spend time in the communities of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Orange, Texas, before returning to the White House in the evening.

Laura made landfall on Thursday morning packing winds of some 150 miles per hour, some of the strongest to hit the region in more than a century. The death toll in Louisiana and Texas is at least 14, the Associated Press reported. Hundreds of thousands of residents are still without water and power.

MCT- A Nevada man has become the first person in the United States to be diagnosed with coronavirus for a second time amid similar reports of reinfection out of Hong Kong.

The 25-year-old from Reno initially tested positive for the virus in April. He later recovered, but was again diagnosed in June _ this time with significantly more severe symptoms, according to a new study from the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine.

From there, he came down with pneumonia, which required hospitalization and oxygen treatment.

One of his parents, who he'd been living with at the time, also became sickened with coronavirus in June. Doctors have speculated this is how the 25-year-old caught the virus a second time.

During his first bout with the illness, he had a sore throat, cough, headache, nausea and diarrhea, researchers wrote in a preprint study published Thursday.

MCT- Last summer Hong Kong's protesters called for a revolution as they occupied the city's international airport, marched in the millions and mocked Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "Game of Thrones" villain.

This year's different. A sweeping national security law imposed by China in June and COVID-19 restrictions have rendered the pro-democracy movement's tactics illegal, from public gatherings to certain online comments.

That has left demonstrators seeking more creative methods, like supporting sympathetic businesses.

Last week's arrest of pro-democracy activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai was a case in point. Instead of flocking to the streets after police frogmarched him in handcuffs through the office of his flagship Apple Daily newspaper and rummaged through files, protesters bought shares of its parent company Next Digital Ltd. to fuel a 1,100% rally.

TODAY IN HISTORY

HURRICANE AFTERMATH

"You have to cherish things in a different way when you know the clock is ticking, you are under pressure."

August 31 1888: The first victim of Jack the Ripper, Mary Ann Nichols, is found mutilated and murdered in London's East End. 1997: Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in a road tunnel in Paris.

Chadwick Boseman, American actor

1999: A Boeing 737 Flight 3142 crashes in Buenos Aires killing 69 of the 90 passengers and crew.

2013: A chemical leak in the Chinese city of Shanghai killed 15 people and injured another 26.

Front page credits: Main photo: Kaitlin Maness Top sidebar photo: Pixabay Bottom sidebar graphic: Kaitlin Maness Top left photo: Pixabay photo by Kaitlin Maness

Top right photo: Getty Images

A tree was snapped in half by Hurricane Laura in front of Madison Hall.

August 31, 2020

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 3

OPINION

Activism

Black Lives Matter is more than a trend

Ashlyn Dupree George Floyd. Trayvon Martin.

Tamir Rice. Breonna Taylor. These are names you probably recognize as victims of police brutality. Let me rephrase that—These are names you should know as victims of police brutality.

Black Lives Matter started in 2013 in response to Trayvon Martin’s murder, according to the Black Lives Matter website. In recent years, the BLM movement has grown vastly as the hashtag #blacklivesmatter has been tweeted around 48 million times, according to Pew Research Center.

In the past few months, nationwide

Stubbs 131 700 University Avenue Monroe, LA 71209 Editor-in-Chief - Kaitlin Maness Co-managing Editor Design - Sunil Bishwokarma Co-managing Editor News - Loryn Kykendall Opinion Editors - Loryn Kykendall, Kaitlin Maness Freestyle Editor - Uchechi Owunna

protests have broken out over George Floyd’s horrendous death. Many who couldn’t attend the protests donated to Black Lives Matter organizations.

Over a million people participated in an Instagram blackout on their feeds “to highlight racial injustice and give attention to black voices that have not been heard,” according to Independent.

But what’s happening now? I remember when different races came together and fought for racial injustice right after George Floyd’s death. Now, it seems the only group who is actively fighting for racial injustice still is the African American community.

I won’t lie. I have not posted against police brutality as much as I did when the movement was at its peak.

And that’s wrong. Police brutality and racial injustice should continuously be fought against.

We shouldn’t just post about the Black Lives Matter movement or go to protests because it’s a trend. These are people’s lives we are talking about.

They deserve to be heard. They deserve to be fought for. We have failed the voiceless.

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.

Unsigned editorials represent the collective opinion of The Hawkeye’s editorial board, but not necessarily the opinions of the adviser or the university.

The Hawkeye (USPS #440-700) is published weekly except vacation, exam & holiday periods

by The University of Louisiana at Monroe, 700 University Avenue, Monroe, LA 71209.

Annual subscription price is $15.00. Periodicals Postage Paid at Monroe, LA 71203.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Hawkeye, 700 University Ave., Stubbs 131, Monroe, LA 71209-8832.

The protests haven’t stopped.

According to the Associated Press, on Aug. 29, protests were still happening in Portland, Oregon, at the Portland police building and mayor’s condo.

It’s not like police brutality ceased.

According to the New York Times, Trayford Pellerin died on Aug. 21 in Lafayette, Louisiana, during police gunfire at a convenience store. This year, Black people have been 28% of those killed by police, despite only making up 13% of the population, according to Mapping Police Violence.

We can’t keep acting like the BLM movement is a trend for us to be a part of.

Police brutality and racial injustice affects our friends. Our family. Those we should consider our brothers and sisters.

We have to stand up now. 2020 is the time for more people recognize the injustice our African American friends experience.

There is so much more to fighting racial injustice than posting a black screen on your Instagram feed. contact Ashlyn Dupree at dupreeaf@warhawks.ulm.edu

Local

Stop panhandlers: You can help in other ways

Circulation Director - Ashlyn Dupree Multimedia Editor - Saugat Shrestha Ad Director - Chelsea Terell 318-342-5453 ulmhawkeyead@gmail.com Faculty Adviser Dr. Christopher Mapp 318 342 5454 mapp@ulm.edu Assistant Director: Courtney Collins 318 342 5450 ccollins@ulm.edu Feedback 318 342 5453 newsroom 318 342 5452 fax ulmhawkeye@gmail.com

Don’t agree?

Let us know!

Contact the writers or the editor at manessk@warhawks.ulm.edu

graphic by Sunil Bishwokarma

Carley Nail The City of Monroe has teamed up with United Way of Northeast Louisiana to put out signs that say not to give money to panhandlers, and rightfully so.

Panhandlers seem to be on every street corner in Monroe. This not only makes our city look unkempt, but also increases fear among the residents. What happens if panhandlers become aggressive?

Of course, not all panhandlers are violent. Some of them really need help and are in unfair situations, but some of them can be dangerous.

I am not from Monroe, I just came here to go to school.

Since moving in, I have only left campus a few times. At every gas station I’ve been to, someone has asked me for money.

In an interview with the News Star, West Monroe

Police Chief Jeff Terrell said that public begging is an ongoing problem that has expanded in the last couple years and cash given to a panhandler could enable an addiction instead of buying them living necessities.

The signs say, “Don’t encourage panhandling.

Contribute to the solution.” I do not believe panhandling should be regulated by police, but if people would stop giving money, they would stop asking for it.

Our streets are so flooded with panhandlers that you can’t tell who actually needs help and who is just waiting for their next person to con. In Louisiana, there are several organizations that help the needy with housing and food.

Just because the city is putting up signs and encouraging people not to give to panhandlers doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t help out.

According to KNOE, you can call 211 and report the location of someone you see that might need shelter or money. The call responder will send an outreach worker from Front Door for Housing to talk to them and help them get the resources they may need.

You can also donate to charitable organizations around Monroe, such as United Way of Northeast Louisiana and Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana. United Way will use the money given for the Front Door for Housing to buy supplies for shelters. contact Carley Nail at nailcn@warhawks.ulm.edu

PAGE 4

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

August 31, 2020

NEWS

Weather

photos by Kaitlin Maness

AFTER THE STORM: Hurricane Laura hit Monroe early Thurday morning. It left behind fallen trees and limbs everywhere on campus. Many students on and off campus were left without power.

Classes were cancelled for Aug. 27, 28 and 31.

Hurricane hits campus, affects student life Storm causes mass power outage, cancels classes temporarily

by Kaitlin Maness

As Hurricane Laura ripped its way through southern Louisiana last week, ULM students prepared for the worst.

Some, like Taja Jackson, a Bayou Village Apartments resident, bought candles and groceries.

Others fled to their parents’ houses or attempted to secure themselves in their off-campus homes.

However, students’ precautions were not enough to prepare them for what was to come.

Isabel Lewis, who lives Lewis on campus, was not worried about the hurricane. Now, she, like many

others, has been without power since Thursday morning.

“I definitely did not take enough precautions as I didn’t think it would be as severe as it was,” Lewis said.

Andrew Hardee, assistant director of ULM Residential Life, said over 1,000 students in Masur Hall, Madison Hall, Bayou Suites and Bayou Village Apartments were without electricity and hot water Thursday morning.

“Entergy is aware of our situation and has promised to work as quickly as they can,” Hardee said.

Yet, full restoration to campus took until Saturday at 3 p.m. According to KNOE, about 60,000 Entergy customers lost power in Ouachita Parish during the hurricane.

ULM attempted to accommodate students as the power outages continued.

Schulze Dining Hall was among the university buildings without electricity, so the SUB took on extended hours to provide residential students a place to eat.

Also, the SUB’s second floor was available for students to connect to Wi-Fi, charge electronics

and enjoy air conditioning.

The University Library reverted back to 24hour operation until power was restored to the entire campus.

But off-campus students are still facing the effects of Hurricane Laura, with little to no accommodations from the university.

Melody Stanfield, a junior psychology major, said she is stuck at home with no electricity or water and downed powerlines blocking her only exit.

Stanfield worries for her GPA as she said her professors aren’t being lenient Stanfield with deadlines despite the hurricane.

“I have emailed professors about extensions on my assignments and have either been told no, that we should have worked on our assignments ahead of time or no response at all,” Stanfield said. “I feel extremely frustrated because I have worked extremely hard to maintain my GPA and having no electricity is beyond my control.”

Other students, like Jackson and Lewis, said their professors have extended deadlines but only until Monday.

Classes have been cancelled this Monday, but are scheduled to resume on Tuesday.

Louis Brown, a maintenance worker, has been employed by the university for over 30 years. He has helped clean the campus after storms on multiple occasions, and the day after Hurricane Laura was no different.

Brown and the rest of ULM’s maintenance crew arrived at school around 5 a.m. Friday to begin assessing the damage. Multiple trees fell during the storm and branches were scattered across campus.

Maintenance hauled branches away diligently until sunset. According to Brown, another day of clean-up should get the job done. Working to restore campus to its former beauty is something Brown takes pride in.

“We’ve got the most beautiful campus in Louisiana,” Brown said. “We are working hard to get rid of the branches.” contact Kaitlin Maness at manessk@warhawks.ulm.edu

August 31, 2020

PAGE 5

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

NEWS

Health

COVID-19 testing available on campus

by Uchechi Owunna

Since the university has reopened and students have been asked to return to campus, many have expressed concern for their health on platforms like the Student to Student Facebook page.

The university is doing their best to make the campus safe for students and one way they’ve done this is by introducing free COVID-19 testing on campus for students.

Yolanda Camper, a family health nurse practitioner at the Affinity Health Clinic, explained that the tests are free and efficient.

It normally takes 48 to 72 hours to get the results, depending on the laboratory and how many specimens they have to run at a time.

“Any students with symptoms of COVID-19, without any physical manifestations of any other illness, should be tested,” Camper said. “It seems like younger people have more minor symptoms, but it becomes more complicated for students with other co-morbidities.”

But it seems many students don’t even know there is testing available to them.

Braylon Fontenette, a P-1 student at the college of pharmacy, said he

graphic by Sunil Bishwokarma

STAY SAFE: If anyone has symptoms of coronavirus, they should get tested immediately. Testing is free at the campus clinic and the results come back between 48 to 72 hours.

had not heard anything about the coronavirus testing on campus.

“I think students should know about the coronavirus testing on campus,” Fontenette said. “That way, if they

are experiencing any symptoms, they can go to the testing facility to know whether they are positive or not.”

Valerie Fields, the interim vice president for student affairs,

explained the follow-up process for a student that tests positive for the coronavirus.

She said that the student will have to quarantine themselves and check

in with the counselling and selfdevelopment centers.

Their academic deans will then be contacted so accommodations can be made for these students.

Fields said that for students who stay in the dorms, there have been rooms set aside for anyone who may test positive.

Deante Stevens, a senior kinesiology major, and his friend Miles Simeon, a senior psychology major, expressed concern for the fact that the testing area is in the same place where other students come in to get checked on for other illnesses.

They felt the intermingling of students with people that could potentially have the virus puts the entire campus at risk.

Fields assured that the clinic is safe.

She said that they actively disinfect the clinic area to limit the spread of the virus.

“The only way students would expose themselves to the virus is if they do not wear their masks, keep their hands clean and maintain social distancing both on and off campus,” Fields said.

contact Uchechi Owunna at owunnaud@warhawks.ulm.edu

Academics

Lab courses modified for pandemic

by Loryn Kykendall

All of our classes have been affected by coronavirus one way or another. Many have gone online, which is fine because a lot of them just consist of lecture and discussion.

But then you have the issue of science labs.

The purpose of labs is to provide students with necessary hands-on experience.

But that has proven to be tricky during the pandemic. However, professors have managed to come up with ways to continue teaching their labs.

Dr. Cathy Newman, who teaches plant and animal form and function, has modified her lab to be as safe as possible while also giving students the chance to participate in a face-to-face lab.

Her class is usually taught through both lectures and two-hour labs. To reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission, attending the labs is not required, but still available for students who want to participate.

For students who do attend the lab, the class has been cut into two sections. Half of the class attends for the first hour, and the other half for the second hour.

Newman said that making the labs optional has reduced the number of students participating which has lessened the risk of COVID-19 exposure even more.

Her pre-lab lectures are now recorded and posted on Moodle, and lab quizzes are done online as well.

“My goal this semester is to effectively teach the course content while doing what I reasonably can to reduce anxiety in students’ lives,” Newman said.

One of Newman’s students, Raegan Abadie, feels that the class, while modified, is still just as effective as it normally would be.

“It does feel a bit rushed,” Abadie said.

“But I think it is the most effective with the circumstances.”

The senior biology pre-med major chose to

attend the labs and said that there are many precautions being taken to keep herself and others safe. Students must sit in alternating seats and masks are required in the lab.

Abadie had a lab that was switched to online in the spring, and said that made it difficult for her.

“I am someone who asks a lot of questions,”

she said. “A professor can only explain so much online and I know sometimes I need guidance when doing experiments.”

While Newman’s class is a hybrid, there are some labs this semester that are 100% online.

Jasmine Brown, a junior toxicology major, is taking two of those.

She said that for her, the online physics I lab is working out. They do lab sheets and the professor posts videos explaining things the students may not know how to do. But she said she would benefit more from the organic chemistry lab if it were face-to-face.

“I think the organic chemistry lab would definitely be more effective in person,” Brown said. “We write reports for every lab so it’s nice to have seen and taken part in what actually happens in an experiment before writing the report.” contact Loryn Kykendall at kykendalllk@warhawks.ulm.edu

PAGE 6

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

August 31, 2020

FREESTYLE

Week of Welcome

CAB hosts virtual events for students

by Uchechi Owunna

On the first week of school, this time last year, Bayou Park was teeming with students.

Despite the boiling sun of Louisiana summer, a lot of students could hardly resist the urge to enjoy the events planned out by the Campus Activities Board.

Students came out in groups to enjoy the petting zoo and take cool pictures of themselves holding a snake or an alligator. Some other students had their fun in the rockclimbing section where they tried to climb as high as their wits would let them.

However, due to the coronavirus, CAB has had to make heavy changes to the fall 2020 Week of Welcome. Instead of scraping the tradition for this semester, CAB decided to preserve it and to help the incoming freshmen feel as welcome as possible despite the current situation. They were able to do this while attempting to maintain ULM’s COVID-19 guidelines.

“This year is certainly unlike any year we’ve Sinclair experienced before and because of that, universities aren’t taking advantage of vendors and companies that we use to book normal faceto-face events.” Joel Sinclair, the coordinator of student activities said. “Instead, we have

to focus more on virtual events just for the safety of the campus.”

Virtual events run themselves, according to Sinclair. Student organizations only had to book events and then market them, but they give students a way to stay engaged and safe.

When CAB hosted the virtual mind reading game, some students who participated also had their friends with them.

Kaylia Chailiah, a sophomore pre-pharmacy major, and her friend Alexis Faucheaux, a sophomore criminal justice major, both attended the virtual Week of Welcome events.

They participated in the virtual mind reading event, murder mystery game and magic show. They both agreed that they enjoyed the mind reading event the most among all the events.

“Whether or not we should keep the events depends on how the world changes.” Chailiah said. “Like if we still have more online classes then it might be something that people would be interested in, but if we go back to the way things used to be, then probably not.”

Faucheaux said having the virtual events made Week of Welcome more fun and easier to socially distance during the pandemic.

She also suggested that CAB continue to have virtual campus engaging activities throughout the semester to help students cope with the pandemic.

Sinclair also explained the process of choos-

graphic by Sunil Bishwokrama

ing the events they presented to the students.

He said that after receiving feedback from the board executives, they asked the members of CAB and the committee heads to choose what events they would like to see virtually.

Surprisingly, a lot of students chose the virtual murder mystery game probably because of the interactive nature of the event.

He went on to explain how he noticed that even during the virtual events, the students

still participated with their friend groups.

He said that with the pandemic going on, students still have the need to expereince college life with their friends by their side and knowing this is heartbreaking. So, Sinclair hopes the virtaul events will help.

contact Uchechi Owunna at owunnaud@warhawks.ulm.edu

Quarantine Skills

New hobbies to hone during coronavirus

by Ashlyn Dupree

graphic by Sunil Bishwokrama

Let’s go back to when you were stuck at home during the quarantine. You probably spent most of your days scrolling through Tik Tok, watching movies or munching on your favorite snacks.

Yet, snacking and scrolling can only last so long.

According to the Washington Post, many people experienced “quarantine fatigue” after six weeks of staying at home.

While the “quarantine fatigue” affected citizens, for some individuals COVID-19 has taught valuable life lessons.

The quarantine-15 grabbed its victims’ bellies like Chase Evans. When asked what he learned from the pandemic, the junior biology major said, “A gym membership can be expensive, but walking up the library stairs with a mask on is free.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, many people learned new skills like how to cut your hair or how to draw during the pandemic quarantine.

Zoe Madeline, a sophomore pre-speech and pathology major, said she learned how to paint and crochet.

“It gave me a peace of mind while everything around me seemed to be falling apart,” Madeline said.

Madeline also became comfortable speaking with online crocheters and painters. Many people taught her tech-

niques on how to crochet.

Using those skills she learned, Madeline gave blankets to nursing home residents. She instantly became friends with those in the nursing home. She eventually lost “her introverted shell.”

“Talking to older generations helped me find confidence within myself. I’ve never been able to hold a conversation for more than 5 minutes, but now I can approach people freely and just start talking,” Madeline said. “All it took was picking up a new hobby and going somewhere with it.”

While Madeline stuck with her endeavors, Brailyn Russo struggled to finish projects. Russo said she first started working on a dream catcher. But making a wreath seemed even better.

Eventually, decorating her new apartment and unpacking became the top priority. According to Russo, there are still boxes under her bed.

“Because you start one project and then another project looks more appealing so you start that one and you just get so exhausted and won’t finish unless you get in the artsy mood,” the sophomore psychology major said.

No matter how you spent your quarantine, learning a new skill can help discover who you are. contact Ashlyn Dupree at dupreeaf@warhawks.ulm.edu

August 31, 2020

PAGE 7

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

FREESTYLE

Celebrity News

‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman dies at 43

by Uchechi Owunna

Social media outlets were alight with the tears of their users as they mourned the sudden death of Chadwick Boseman on Aug. 28. He passed away in his home surrounded by his wife and family.

Boseman, popularly known for his role as T’Challa in the iconic movie “Black Panther,” was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2016.

Over the past four years, his ailment worsened and developed into stage four cancer.

“When I first heard the news, I broke into tears,” Queen Bolden, a junior pre-radiologic technology major, said. “He was one of the first artists to strongly support and speak out for the black community in the film industry.”

Bolden explained that with his incredible talent, Boseman was able to represent the African-American community as bold, strong and re-

silient instead of only depicting the slavery aspect.

According to CNN Entertainment, Boseman was a graduate of Howard University in 2000. While he was in Washington, D.C. he attended the British American Drama Academy at Oxford in 1998.

“No one would have thought he was battling cancer,” Solomon Abang, a senior music performance major, said.

He remembered one of Boseman’s livestreams where he looked physically smaller and people had made snide remarks about his sudden weight loss without actually knowing what he was going through privately.

“I was inspired by the movie “42,” how Boseman played the role of Jack Robinson so flawlessly.”

“Boseman displayed what it means to never give up on what you stand for. Even though he faced societal judgements and political shenani-

gans, he still stood strong to be one of the greatest in the history of baseball.” Abang said.

BBC News wrote that Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. praised Boseman for his range of roles. He said Boseman “brought history to life” in his depictions of real black men and was “a superhero to many” as Black Panther.

During his life, Chadwick Boseman contributed both money and time to the progress of the NAACP movement to help the African-American community. He was, in essence, a real-life superhero to many.

Some of his other most recognized historical movies include; “42,” “Get on Top,” “Marshall” and his most recent 2020 movie called “Da 5 Bloods.”

contact Uchechi Owunna at owunnaud@warhawks.ulm.edu

Quarantine Entertainment

Classic movies to rewatch during the pandemic

The Godfather trilogy

The Shawshank Redemption

Pulp Fiction

Outbreak

The Godfather trilogy has everything that a good film should: Love, loyalty, family and murder. The story revolves around a family in organized crime and shows how the hierarchy progresses, keeping the family business at its peak. It is unpredictable and keeps firsttime viewers at the edge of their seats. But it is never boring, no matter how many times you re-watch it. For me, “The Godfather” and its trilogy are hands down the best mafia movies ever made because of its excellent cinematography.

This movie has a simple yet amazing plot that makes it one of a kind. It follows the journey of a man struggling in prison for a crime he did not commit. His tenacity, patience and wit keep him sane throughout the years and give him a will to live. The strength of the movie is Morgan Freeman’s iconic narration. The depth of his narration hooks you, making you both laugh and gasp in disbelief. The movie teaches a story of hope friendship, patience and freedom through the two friends who find themselves in prison.

This movie might not sit well with everyone, but for those who can take it, it’s a masterclass in film making. It is engaging and entertaining showing three stories involving numerous criminals that are connected on some level.

The mixture of violence and comedy is rare, but the movie shows brutal visuals along with funny situations and dark humor, making it even more interesting. The lengthy and witty conversations between John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson are what make the movie funny and enjoyable.

If you are looking to watch a pandemic movie, I suggest “Outbreak.” This 1995 movie is based on an Ebola-like virus that originates from monkeys and spreads to be a global pandemic. The scene where someone coughs in a movie theater and particles of their spit floats through the air and into someone else’s mouth will make you want to wear a mask daily, which is not a bad habit to pick up right now. The classic good guy versus bad guy storyline and the cool stunts make it a worthwhile pandemic movie.

PAGE 8

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

August 31, 2020

SPORTS

Football

Sun Belt opener at Troy rescheduled

by Kaitlin Maness

ULM football’s 2020 season and Sun Belt Conference opener at Troy has been rescheduled for Dec. 5 at 2:30 p.m., according to the league office.

After a coronavirus outbreak on the football team, all football-related activities were postponed. The next week, the team started a return-to-play protocol with lifting and conditioning workouts. But practice had to be postponed again because of the arrival of Hurricane Laura.

According to Scott McDonald, ULM’s athletics director, the decision to push back the date of the game came from careful consideration of recent events like the COVID-19 cases and hurricane.

McDonald and Matt Viator, football coach, realized that their players wouldn’t have time to “re-establish conditioning and return-to-play protocols” in conditions such as these.

“Our initial focus was on monitoring and caring for our COVID-impacted student-athletes as well as exercising the appropriating measures to mitigate the spread of the virus,” Viator said.

Keith Gill, Sun Belt Conference commissioner,

shared a statement of appreciation for the possibility of continuing with the football season.

“I want to thank the leadership of ULM and Troy for their commitment to the health and safety of students, staff and community,” Gill said.

The Sun Belt Conference is continuing to monitor the health of members across seven states. The COVID-19 Advisory Panel as well as conference presidents and chancellors, athletics directors and medical advisors are reviewing data from the different campuses associated with the conference.

The panel is also monitoring infection and hospitalization rates in the states the teams are coming from.

ULM plans to open the football season at Army West Point on Saturday, Sept. 12.

The football team is eager to get back in the game, according to Viator.

“Our student-athletes have displayed tremendous resilience throughout this challenging preseason, and they look forward to opening the competitive season at Army West Point,” Viator said. contact Kaitlin Maness at manessk@warhawks.ulm.edu

photo courtesy ULM athletics

MOVING FORWARD: ULM athletics has rescheduled the Sun Belt Conference opener at Troy to Dec. 5 at 2:30 p.m. due to coronavirus complications.

Football

ULM completes game schedule

by Kaitlin Maness

graphic by Sunil Bishwokarma

With the addition of a home game against the University of Texas at El Paso and the rescheduling of the Sun Belt Conference opener, ULM has completed the 2020 football schedule.

The game against UTEP will be on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. It is the first game of a home-and-home series against UTEP. However, the date of the game in El Paso, Texas has yet to be decided.

Originally, ULM was supposed to play at Georgia on Sept. 26, but the athletics department had to change its plans after the Southeastern Conferenced announced that its members will only play a 10-game, league-only season due to coronavirus.

Scott McDonald, ULM’s athletics

director, found the silver lining in the change of plans.

“Given the unique circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, I couldn’t be happier with the way our final schedule came together,” McDonald said. “The challenges provided new opportunities.”

McDonald was hoping to open the season with a conference game at Troy but the coronavirus outbreak among football players prevented that from happening. Instead, the game was rescheduled to Dec. 5 to put student-athlete safety first.

Both McDonald and Matt Viator, ULM football coach, said that they prioritize the health of their players over everything else.

Revisions to the football schedule may still occur. contact Kaitlin Maness at manessk@warhawks.ulm.edu