Full Issue 10/26/2020

3 bone-chilling Halloween stories P6

UL System appoints female vice president P 4

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

VOLUME 98 ISSUE 9

www.ulmhawkeyeonline.com

October 26, 2020

Support abortion: Vote ‘no’ on Amendment 1

P 3

Moon Festival ignites cultural education, appreciation Cajuns cook Warhawks 2-0 P 8

Voter’s guide to understanding La. ballot P 4

P7

PAGE 2

October 26, 2020

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

BRIEFS CALENDAR Monday, October

26

Halloween Watch Party, 6:45 p.m., Cinemark (RSVP on Wingspan)

27

Tuesday, October

Spooktacular Gaming Fest, 6 p.m., The Nest

Wednesday, October

28

Halloween Bash, 9 p.m., Bayou Pointe

Thursday, October

29

Fright Night, 7 p.m., North Monroe Baptist Church

30

Friday, October Mallard Ball, 9 p.m., KA House

31

Saturday, October No event planned

Sunday, November

1

No event planned

QUOTE

Louisiana

California

Venezuela

Marshal candidates participate in forum

Opposition leader Anti-police defunding Coronavirus cases bill falls short rise throughout state Lopez flees country

KNOE- Election Day is less than two weeks away, and voters got a chance Saturday to learn more about the candidates in Monroe’s City Marshal race.

The Ouachita Parish Chapter of the NAACP hosted and moderated a public forum that featured 4 of the 5 candidates.

Each person had the chance to share their thoughts and opinions on issues affecting people here in Monroe.

Candidate Arthur Eleam (D) addressed how he would build a better relationship between MPD and improve community policing.

“The young people do not know, or have a bad idea of law enforcement because of what they see on TV," Eleam said.

KNOE- A bid to give Louisiana lawmakers more power to penalize municipalities that too steeply cut their police departments stalled in the Senate during the last minutes of the special session.

Republican congressional candidate and state Rep. Lance Harris couldn’t overcome opposition from his fellow Alexandria legislator, Democratic Sen. Jay Luneau. Luneau threatened to hold up the session’s adjournment Friday by continuing to debate rather than allow a final Senate vote on Harris' bill.

The proposal already had won passage in the House. Rather than drag out the end of the session, supporters of Harris' bill pulled it from consideration.

MCT- The number of California's confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 900,000 on Saturday, with total related deaths topping more than 17,300, public health officials reported.

Across the state's 58 counties, Los Angeles County remains by far the hardest hit, with nearly 300,000 cases and 6,989 deaths. On Saturday, the L.A. County Department of Public Health confirmed 2,173 new cases and 17 new deaths.

"As we move closer to the tragic milestone of 7,000 deaths in L.A. County and are seeing an increase in cases, please remember the choices we each make every day have a significant impact on whether we slow the spread of the virus," public heath director Barbara Ferrer said in a news release.

MCT- Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez fled the Spanish ambassador's residence in Caracas and entered Colombia, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Lopez, a political prisoner since 2014, had been taking refuge there since April of late year, following a botched uprising against President Nicolas Maduro alongside National Assembly's head Juan Guaido. His final destination will be Madrid, where his wife and children have lived since last year, according to two of the people.

Lopez's departure will deliver a blow to an already weakened opposition, which under Guaido's stewardship has failed to deliver the quick transition promised at the start of 2019.

Monroe

TODAY IN HISTORY

MOON FESTIVAL

"You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time."

October 26 1492: Lead (graphite) pencils first used.

1774: First Continental Congress adjourned in Philadelphia.

Angela Davis, political activist

1787: "Federalist Papers" published, calls for ratification of United States Constitution.

1922: Italian government resigned under pressure from fascists.

1950: Mother Teresa founded Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India.

Front page credits: Main photo: Calli Sinclair Top sidebar photo: Carley Nail Top right photo: ULM photo services photo by Calli Sinclair

Warhawks decorate masks and prepare paper lanterns for the annual Moon Festival on Oct. 23.

October 26, 2020

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 3

OPINION

Politics

Eliminate electoral college, use rank choice voting

Ashlyn Dupree The election is almost here, and it’s time to decide who you’re voting for. Unfortunately, we only have two options and they don’t impress me.

You may be thinking, “There are third party candidates too.”

And you’re right. But if we’re honest, a third party candidate will never win using the voting system we have now.

This is why we need to use the ranked choice voting system instead.

First, let me share what our voting system is now.

So, when we vote for president, our votes are considered the popular vote. For presidential elections, the electoral college is used. To win the presidency, a candidate must receive a majority of electoral votes, according to USA.gov.

Each state has a certain number of

electors. In Louisiana, there are eight electors.

Many of these electors are supposed to follow their state’s popular vote because their laws require them to.

However, some electors challenge these laws and vote for someone else.

The Supreme Court ruled in July 2020 that electors must obey the state’s popular vote if the state has a law like this. This isn’t fair, because if your state doesn’t have a law requiring electors to select the popular vote, then your vote doesn’t mean much.

I want my vote to matter. That’s why the ranked choice voting is the best option.

It's a fair voting system that allows voters to rank their candidates in order of their preference, according to Fair Vote.

Similar to the electoral college, the candidate must receive more than half of the first choice votes to win.

If there is no majority candidate, the winner is determined by an instant runoff. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. The voters who chose that candidate as number one will have their votes count for their next choice.

This is ultimately the fairest system.

Everyone would get to have their voice heard.

Plus, the ranked choice system allows for third party candidates to win. We’ve never had a third party candidate win the presidency. If you vote for one, it’s viewed as a waste of a vote because the majority of people aren’t voting for that person.

With this new system, every candidate would have a fair shot at winning the election. It’s not fair to only have two options either. There are many third party candidates that would be right for the presidency.

But they will never have their shot because of how we created the voting system.

According to AP News, Maine has switched to ranked choice voting and it will be used for this presidential race. If we want to have a change like Maine, we have to petition for the ranked choice voting system. Make a petition on change.org and make it known you want a fairer vote.

Let’s make the United States a better democracy through ranked choice voting. contact Ashlyn Dupree at dupreeaf@warhawks.ulm.edu

graphic by Sunil Bishwokarma

Politics

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

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.

Vote 'no' on Amendment 1, support abortion rights

Circulation Director - Ashlyn Dupree Multimedia Editor - Saugat Shrestha Ad Director - Chelsea Terrell 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

Kaitlin Maness Imagine this: You’re standing in a voting booth. You’ve just selected a presidential candidate, a senator, a representative and a few other government officials—All of which you were prepared for.

But now, it’s time for you to go over the seven proposed amendments to the Louisiana constitution. You had no idea these were on the ballot. You begin reading Amendment 1: “Do you support an amendment declaring that, to protect human life, a right to abortion and the funding of abortion shall not be found in the Louisiana Constitution?”

Before you make a split decision, I urge you to consider what this amendment truly means. Amendment 1 means no exceptions in any case, according to Ballotpedia.

There are no exceptions for people who’ve been raped, no exceptions for incest and no exceptions if continuing

a pregnancy means certain death for the mother.

Yet, the amendment falls under the guise that it was written “to protect human life.” But sometimes an abortion can protect the life of a human who is already here. How can human life be protected under an amendment with no exceptions? It can’t.

Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, there is no denying that abortion is protected by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade. Amendment 1 would overturn that ruling.

With Roe v. Wade, a “strict trimester framework” was designated to guide state policies on abortion. According to that framework, states are prohibited from banning abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy.

However, states can decide what they please on the matter during the second trimester. So, there is no reason to completely get rid of the practice when it can still be regulated within states.

And let’s be realistic. Amendment 1 will not stop abortions from happening in Louisiana. Many women will travel out of state while others without that privilege will attempt unauthorized abortions.

Hundreds of women died each year in the U.S. from illegal abortions before Roe v. Wade, and this amendment would have a similar effect in our state today, according to the Guttmacher Institute. contact Kaitlin Maness at manessk@warhawks.ulm.edu

PAGE 4

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

October 26, 2020

NEWS

Campus Politics

Valerie Fields becomes VP for Student Affairs

by Loryn Kykendall

Valerie Fields has been chosen as the new vice president of Student Affairs. The UL System board of supervisors made the decision at their Oct. 22 meeting.

Fields is the first female vice president in the history of ULM and she began serving as the interim vice president on July 1, following the retirement of Camile Currier.

“On this great ‘talons out Thursday,’ I am humbled and excited to be appointed to the position of vice president for Student Affairs,” Fields said.

Usually, there’s a required national search for positions like this, but President Ronald Berry requested that the board waive that requirement because of Fields’ wealth of experience and qualification.

“We are very fortunate to have a Student Affairs leader with Dr. Fields’ experience, intelligence and passion for student success,” Berry said. “She brings a level of success and professionalism to the leadership team that will be impactful for us all.”

Before her successful career in higher education, Fields earned her undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood and

Elementary Education from Southern University Baton Rouge. Her Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction was earned from Louisiana Tech University.

She then earned two degrees from ULM, a Master of Education, Administration and Supervision and an Education Specialist, Administration and Supervision in 1992 and 1997.

Fields was also the director of Student Development from 1996 to 2003, and was then appointed dean of Student Life and Leadership.

She worked at other schools later on, and ULM is not the first school to select her as vice president.

Fields was the associate, interim and vice president for Student Affairs at South Carolina State University from 2006 to 2012.

From 2014 to 2016, she was the chief academic officer and vice president of Academic Affairs, and chief Student Affairs officer at Denmark Technical College.

Then in 2016, Fields founded an education management consulting company called Valiant Achieving Leaders. photo courtesy ULM photo services

contact Loryn Kykendall at kykendalllk@warhawks.ulm.edu

LIFELONG LEADER: Valerie Fields is the first female vice president at ULM and has served in this position at other universities in the past.

Election Day

LOCAL OFFICIALS

7 AMENDMENTS TO LOUISIANA'S CONSTITUTION SOURCE:COLLEGE DEMOCRATS

U.S. PRESIDENT

U.S. SENATOR

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE graphic by Sunil Bishwokarma

What you need to know about Louisiana’s ballot

by Morgan Andrews

Savannah Jones sat outside the SUB last week asking passersby, “Did you know we’re voting on more than just president?”

Jones is a sophomore and is not affiliated with any political organization on campus, but wanted to share information about what we’ll be voting on this Election Day. Spots for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Representatives and local officials will be on the ballot.

And for Louisianans, seven new proposals to the our constitution are going to be on the ballot.

Amendment 1 is about the right to abortion and funding for abortion.

Amendment 2 presents the issue of whether or not the presence or production of oil or gas should be taken into account when determining the fair market value of an oil or gas well.

Amendment 3, if voted through, would permit the use of the state’s Budget Stabilization Fund for costs associated with a disaster declared by the federal government.

Amendment 4 will ask whether ot not you support limiting the growth of the expenditure limit for the state’s general and dedicated funds. It will also ask if you support removal of the calculation of its growth factor from the constitution.

Amendment 5 is about local governments and their ability to enter into cooperative endeavor agreements with new or expanding manufacturing establishments and allowing the manufacturing establishments to make payments to the taxing authority instead of paying property taxes.

Amendment 6 will ask voters to support or oppose an increase in the maximum amount of income a person can receive and still qualify for the homestead exemption, which shields homeowners from creditors when a spouse dies or they declare bankruptcy.

Amendment 7, if passed, would allow the creation of the Louisiana Unclaimed Property Permanent Trust Fund, which would preserve the money that remains unclaimed by its owner or owners.

Campus organizations like College Democrats and Feminists in Action are trying to get the word out about the information that will be presented to voters come Nov. 3.

Whitney Kwentoh, president of Feminists in Action, said that voting is important because, “While it won’t fix the systemic problems we face, voting can give us a chance to have our voices heard especially on a local level.” contact Morgan Andrews at andrewmr@warhawks.ulm.edu

October 26, 2020

PAGE 5

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

NEWS

Blood Drive

Battle of the Bayou to be held this week

by Loryn Kykendall

The thought of donating blood makes some people squirm. Others don’t even think about it at all.

Passing the blood drive bus on your way to class without a second thought is easy. But health facilities and organizations like Life Share depend on donations from these blood drives.

There’s one this Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 28 and 29 in Warhawk Circle from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. And this one is different than any blood drive ULM has had before.

It’s called Battle of the Bayou Blood Drive and it’s a competition between ULM and LA Tech to see who can donate the most.

ULM, ULM Medical Laboratory Science and LifeShare Blood Center came up with this idea so that students have an incentive to take a little time out of their day and donate blood.

Debbie Wisenor, the blood drive coordinator, said that the drive was planned to happen last semester and was going to be a weeklong event, but ended up getting cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

And due to the many blood drive cancellations recently, Wisenor said

graphic by Sunil Bishwokarma

there is a critical shortage of blood products.

“This is an opportunity for Warhawks to step up and give the one

thing we all need—Lifesaving blood,” Wisenor said.

Wisenor said that fear of COVID-19 shouldn’t stop anyone from coming

out to donate.

Social distancing will be enforced and they will be limiting the number of people allowed on the bus at once.

They also ask that anyone who has symptoms or has had symptoms within the past 14 days not to come.

Usually, you just show up to the bus, wait in line and eventually donate blood. But at this drive, you can schedule an appointment online.

While this isn’t required, it’s recommended.

It will let LifeShare know about how many people to expect and will allow donors to get in and out quickly.

The pandemic has made people wary of coming out to donate because they’re trying to be cautious.

But LifeShare has updated their procedures to make it safe.

Paige Wilson, account manager at LifeShare, said that they don’t get a lot of people who donate regularly.

“We get a lot of those who donate when we have a cry for help, and it’s popular,” Wilson said. “But then they don’t do it again for a few years.”

Because so many people only donate when hospitals are low on blood and desperately need it, the amount of blood that health facilities have is constantly fluctuating.

“Donate regularly, because we need blood regularly,” Wilson said. contact Loryn Kykendall at kykendalllk@warhawks.ulm.edu

Health

Pharmacy students give free flu shots

by Loryn Kykendall

While COVID-19 may be your biggest health concern right now, that doesn’t mean you should forget about the flu.

It’s that time of year again, when everyone around you is coughing and sneezing. You can almost see the virus in the air.

But that’s why there are flu shots. And if you’re a student, faculty or staff member you can get one for free this Wednesday, Oct. 28. Pharmacy students will be administering shots under the SUB overhang and the library overhang between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Lauren LaForge, member of the American Pharmasists Association, said that it’s imperative for everyone to get their flu shot.

“When you get vaccinated, your immune system produces the antibodies to protect you from the viruses that are inside the vaccine,” LaForge said. “You have to get a flu shot annually because those antibody levels decline and new strains evolve.”

If you’re worried about having to go around a

lot of people in order to get the vaccine, the vaccinators will be taking safety precautions.

LaForge said that vaccinators will be wearing masks and gloves, and they’ll be sterilizing before and after each patient. And patients will be socially distanced.

She also said that it won’t take very long to re-

ceive the shot, so you won’t have to take a lot of time out of your day to get vaccinated.

But if you are at high risk of contracting COVID-19 or the flu and think it’s too risky to go around others to get your vaccination, you can always go to a doctor’s office, clinic or pharmacy to get it.

According to the CDC, “Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing the spread of respiratory illnesses, like flu, this fall and winter is more important than ever.”

They recommend getting vaccinated whenever you can, but it’s best to get vaccinated during September or October.

If you do get sick, the CDC said that the symptoms for flu and COVID-19 can be similar, so it’s important to get tested as soon as you can.

Don’t just assume you have one or the other, because you could also have both at the same time.

The CDC also said that it’s a misconecption that getting the flu vaccine will increase your chances of contracting COVID-19.

There was a report released earlier in the year which claimed there was association between the flu vaccination and four different types of coronavirus diseases, but that report was found to be incorrect. contact Loryn Kykendall at kykendalllk@warhawks.ulm.edu

PAGE 6

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

October 26, 2020

FREESTYLE

Film and Literature

Review

'I'm Thinking of Ending Things'

Catahoula's: Restaurant for patriots

Does the movie adaptation do the book justice?

by Kaitlin Maness

Iain Reid’s debut novel, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” is a testament to the abundant possibilities within the horror genre. Reid tells a complicated story through a simple plot. An unnamed female narrator is going on a road trip to visit her boyfriend Jake’s family.

Throughout the trip, the girlfriend is contemplating breaking up with Jake while also dodging calls from an anonymous caller. The horror in “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” stems from the uncertainty of what is going on—You will be scared but you won’t quite know why.

After Reid’s novel was named NPR’s Best Book of 2016, a director and screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman, developed an interest in it. He quickly began adapting it into a script. The script was picked up by

Netflix and released in 2020.

Kaufman’s adaption of “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” perfectly complements Reid’s book. To be immersed in this particular story, it is best to read and watch it. Otherwise, you will miss out on some of the most unique takes ever seen in horror history.

One of the creepiest things about Reid’s book is the anonymous caller. Most of the book takes place in the car. The girlfriend continuously keeps ignoring a call on her phone and flashes back to eerie voicemails she had received over the past few weeks. Sometimes, she only heard breathing. Other times, the caller left cryptic messages she couldn’t understand.

While Reid chose to focus on the calls, Kaufman chose to pull away from the caller and use visuals to his advantage. In both the book and the movie, the audience finds themselves uneasy once the couple reaches Jake’s parent’s farm. The girlfriend is anxious and confused around Jake’s parents because of their strange appearances and contradicting conversational

pieces. You see into her thoughts as she becomes even more unsettled through the night. Something is wrong but neither the girlfriend nor you know what.

In the film adaptation, the girlfriend’s confusion is delivered visually instead of through her thoughts. One scene shows Jake’s parents old and in another they are young. Nothing adds up visually as things change from scene to scene.

Neither the girlfriend nor the viewer knows what to believe.

Reid’s final chapter opens with the girlfriend locked in a school running from a janitor who she believes killed Jake. The point of view then begins switching between the girlfriend, Jake and the janitor yet all of their thoughts are the same.

By the end, readers realize all three characters have been the same person the whole time. Jake is the girlfriend. Jake is the janitor.

Although viewers of the movie reach the same conclusion as Reid’s book, Kaufman tells Reid’s story through his own unique lens. In the movie, there are scenes of the janitor spliced throughout yet viewers

by Mitchell Raley

don’t know what role he plays until the very end. In the book, the janitor does not become essential to the plot until the final chapters.

Both the book and the movie find ways to horrify their audience through the anxiety about what is unknown. Jake’s deteriorating mental state will be nightmare fuel for days whether you read or watch “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.” contact Kaitlin Maness at manessk@warhawks.ulm.edu

Recommendations

3 spooky Halloween reads

Edgar Allan Poe's short stories

"The Year of the Witching"

"Frankenstein"

If you are in a rush, like most college students are, this collection of short stories by Edgar Allan Poe is the way to go. You can read as many or as little as you want. It only takes about 5-10 minutes to read most of them. You can read these short stories for free on poestories.com.

One of Poe’s stories is “The Tell-Tale Heart” in which a man admits his murderous deeds.

This short story will make you want to lock your doors at night.

In this book by Alexis Henderson, the main character, Immanuelle Moore, has been born into a religious community called Bethel.

While giving birth to Immanuelle, her mother died and left her with a gift she never knew she had—And what many believed to be a curse. Eventually, Immanuelle discovers her gift of witchery. She travels into the mysterious Darkwood around her community to explore herself and the powers she has.

“Frankenstein” is a classic novel by Mary Shelley. If you read this in high school, let the memories of the past rekindle in your life.

For those who have never read it, it will spook you and leave you wanting to read more. You can purchase “Frankenstein” on Google Play for $3.99. The story is told through letters between Captain Robert Walton and his sister.

When Walton travels to the North Pole, he finds Victor Frankenstein and his monster.

Catahoula’s, a new restaurant on the outskirts of ULM’s campus, was nothing like the dog breed it is named after.

The restaurant tastefully merges the fancy environment of Parish with the affordable prices of Fieldhouse.

The restaurant opened over the summer and is a 14-minute walk or a two-minute drive from campus.

When you walk into the building, you are immediately surrounded by a unique color coordination of white, yellow and brown.

Hanging on the right wall, are gold, black and white paintings of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson.

There was an unreasonable 45-minute waiting time, but once I got seated the food came out faster than expected.

Catahoula’s menu does not have tenthousand items to choose from_It is just one page. The menu is similar to that of Fieldhouse, both in the options and the prices.

I started with their signature appetizer, Catahoula. It is made with andouille sausage, braised collard greens and mixed with cheese served with house-fried tortilla chips.

The food portion was generous with the chips piled to the roof. The dip, on the other hand, failed to satisfy my taste buds. This was mainly because of my aversion to collard greens. The appetizer costs $8, which is extremely reasonable for the quality and quantity I received.

For the main course, I ordered the Catahoula Burger with house fries. It was a basic burger with jalapeno peppers and a special Catahoula sauce. The burger was really tasty and tender, and the fries were crunchy. The best part of ordering and eating the main dish was knowing that it only cost $10.

Overall, the food at Catahoula’s was worth the waiting time and I would recommend the restaurant to the rest of ULM’s community. The atmosphere of the restaurant seemed a lot similar to Fieldhouse, but cheaper.

So if you are on a budget or like to save a little cash, check out Catahoula's for a tasty yet affordable meal with an atmosphere to match. contact Mitchell Raley at raleym@warhawks.ulm.edu

October 26, 2020

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 7

FREESTYLE

International Event

Warhawks celebrate cultural differences at Moon Festival

by Calli Sinclair

As the sun went down, Warhawks sent paper lanterns with wishes scribbled on them soaring through the sky. The lanterns rose in the air with fire lit beneath them. This was ULM’s way of celebrating the ancient tradition of the Moon Festival.

The Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, originated in China during the Zhou Dynasty.

Over 3,000 years ago, it was custom in Chinese culture to embrace moon worshipping. The Moon Festival was just one of the many ways ancient Chinese people honored the moon.

Today, the festival is observed in many Asian countries, and all over the world.

Each year, the International Student Association hosts the Moon Festival at ULM to intertwine the diverse cultures on campus. “[The Moon Festival] is a big opportunity for us to come together

and learn,” said Raphael Akinpelu, ISA president.

Students, faculty and staff celebrated together by decorating masks, eating traditional Asian foods and listening to music before the lanterns were released into the night sky. A presentation about the cultural significance of and the story behind the Moon Festival was also given on a projector by Vivian Tsai.

Phan Ngoc Tram, a sophomore marketing major from Vietnam, said she found friends from similar backgrounds during the festival.

“It was a wonderful experience and I was able to make new friends,” Tram said. “I thought the event helped broaden the knowledge of students about the Asian culture and I noticed the domestic students really enjoyed it.”

Phan said that ISA could ask international students about events particular to their different cultures and try to do something similar to the

Moon Festival with them. Because it would be an amazing way for domestic and international students to be exposed to other culture.

“Although the school, especially the International Student Association, is doing a great job helping the students engage with school and their cultures, we still have a lot of international students from other countries who have not been able to connect with events,” Phan said.

Some similar events hosted by ISA are movie nights, scavenger hunts and ULM’s International Week where students get to immerse themselves in other cultures through food sampling and watching the flag parade.

“It’s great to learn about other cultures, not just American culture,” Akinpelu said. “When someone steps out of their bubble, they get to learn from others. It’s beautiful.” contact Calli Sinclair at sinclac@warhawks.ulm.edu

photos by Calli Sinclair

WISH UPON THE MOON: Students celebrate the Moon Festival with painted masks and paper lanterns.

Feature

Students establish campus gaming community

by Mitchell Raley

Brittany Williamson, the assistant coordinator for intramurals, noticed that gaming was stepping away from being a spare time activity and becoming more competitive. So, she discussed purchasing GEEX with the Activity Center staff.

GEEX is a software that helps organize and host Esports tournaments.

“With the major shift to online courses and the ever-growing gaming community, we wanted to create a safe and fun gaming environment for students,” Williamson said.

The current pandemic has reemphasized the importance of clubs and events on campus. Now, students can take advantage of the opportunity and join ULM’s newest student organization called Retro, Electronic, Arcade,

Lagniappe, Mobile for Students or R.EA.L.M.S for short.

R.E.A.L.M.S was formerly known as Warhawk Gaming before Liam Morrison, a senior psychology major, and other students brought it back to life after the club disbanded.

“I asked my friends and I decided to gauge the interest for a gaming club at ULM by asking people to sign an interest form just to see if this was going to be a good idea,” Morrison said.

R.E.A.L.M.S has teams for Overwatch and League of Legends.

They are looking to fill up the spots for LoL and Overwatch. Once they get a full team, R.E.A.L.M.S will start streaming and practicing for tournaments.

If the competitive side is not your cup of tea, there are tabletop games for R.E.A.L.M.S members to play.

Ethan Mcneely, a junior political science major said, “I’m just in it for the community. When you can get together with a group of random people but you all have one commonality, it makes things easier. Especially at a time like this where it’s easier than ever to feel isolated.”

If you are uninterested in the usual tabletop games then you might enjoy Dungeon and Dragons, a role-playing game.

R.E.A.L.M.S has an experienced dungeon master, English graduate student, Helen Landry. She has been a dungeon master for over four years. Her expertise makes it easier for newcomers to learn the mechanics of the game.

Landry said that the members of the club meet online through Discord on Wednesdays. contact Mitchell Raley at raleym@warhawks.ulm.edu

graphic by Sunil Bishwokarma

PAGE 8

THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

October 26, 2020

SPORTS

Soccer

Ragin’ Cajuns cook Warhawks at home ULM misses chance, falls 2-0 to ULL

KICKING OFF: ULM’s soccer team lost to ULL 2-0 during the last home game of the season. The team plays again on Oct. 29 in Little Rock, Ark.

of the goal.

The score remained as 2-0 with five goal shots by ULM and six made by the Cajuns in the last ten minutes.

ULL saved all of ULM’s shots from going into the goal, while ULM only managed to save four of the shots ULL took.

The Warhawks did not get many chances to make any good offensive plays after ULL took the lead. All goal shots taken by ULM missed or were blocked by Starwood.

ULM seniors Taylor Altieri and Alexis Cherry were celebrated after the game for their hard work and dedication to the team.

They received gifts from their team and were recognized in front of the game spectators.

“Senior Day is Fraser always an emotional one,” Fraser said. “Taylor and Alexis have given us so much over the last few months since we arrived and have been fantastic pioneers as we look to rebuild this program.”

By the 30-minute mark, ULM and ULL were still tied with zero, but both teams had made goal attempts.

The first goal was scored by ULL

contact Carley Nail at nailcn@warhawks.ulm.edu

by Carley Nail

ULM soccer kicked off Senior Day and their last home game of the season against the University of Louisiana at Lafeyette with a hopeful start. But soon, the Warhawks fell to the Rajin’ Cajuns 2-0.

The Warhawks started off strong by controlling the play with many shots and scoring opportunities in the first half. However, they couldn’t turn this early luck into a win.

“A couple of mistakes again have hurt us and these things need to change,” ULM head soccer coach Sean Fraser said. “We cannot keep progressing if we continue taking a back step due to a mistake.”

In the 19th minute, sophomore Madi Garza took a far goal shot from 35 yards. Unfortunately, her shot bounced off of the crossbar. Not long afterward, junior Efi Brame fired a shot from nearly the same spot. ULL’s goal keeper Lauryn Starwood leaped in front of the shot and saved the goal.

photo by Carley Nail

five minutes into the second half.

The ball made its way behind ULM’s junior goal keeper Hailey Hillock, and ULL took advantage.

ULL quickly doubled their one point lead when Lizzie Mayfield passed to Una Einarsdottir, who shot the ball into the bottom right corner

Football

Missed red-zones cause loss at South Alabama

by Cameron Jett

ULM football stays winless after a 38-14 loss at the hand of the South Alabama Jaguars.

This 6-0 start to the season is the worst in Division I FBS football with no other winless team having more than three losses. This loss can be attributed to a few different areas, but the primary area was red-zone efficiency.

The Warhawks opening drive looked very promising. ULM’s defense forced a three and out and the Warhawks were poised to take the lead for the first time all season.

Unfortunately, Colby Suits would throw an interception from the fiveyard line that was returned 95 yards for a touchdown. The other error was a missed field goal by kicker Davis Hughes. Hughes would also miss his lone PAT attempt as well.

Looking past Suits’ lone interception, his performance was respectable. He had 282 passing yards and went 22-33 with a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Running back Josh Johnson struggled this game with a mere 57 yards on the ground. However, he was able to pick up a touchdown on one of his 15 carries. The passing game was balanced on the Warhawks side as three different receivers would have 50 or more receiving yards.

The defensive front was subject to long drives that left the team fatigued. “Defensively, we hung in there, but it seemed like to me we missed too many tackles,” Coach Matt Viator said. “It seems we missed some critical tackles at critical times. It was hard getting them off the field at times.”

Early on, the Warhawks allowed an 80-yard passing play that went for a

score.

This has occurred often throughout the season where the defense has given up chunk plays for a score.

The Warhawks allowed the Jaguars to convert eight of their 14 third downs, whereas the offense was only able to convert three of 10.

Despite the terrible opening to the season, Traveion Webster has continued to be a bright spot on this Warhawks defense. Once again, he posted double-digit tackles. Junior linebacker Hunter Smith also showed up with the defense’s lone interception.

The defense will be crucial in their next game when the Warhawks host conference rival Appalachian State who is coming out of a 45-17 win. photo courtesy ULM athletics

contact Cameron Jett at jettcm@warhawks.ulm.edu

JAGUARS CLAW HAWKS: ULM’s Warhawks fought hard against South Alabama’s Jaguars although they still fell short because of missed red-zones.

The next game is on Oct. 31 at home against Appalachian State.