Full Issue Jan-22-2019

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Movie review: ‘A dog’s way home’ P 12

Warhawks stay undefeated at home P 16

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

VOLUME 96 ISSUE 15

www.ulmhawkeyeonline.com

Opinion: Social media articles need to be fact checked

January 22, 2019

P 4

Daishon Smith: ‘The sky is the limit.’

P 14

Lowe releases new book P 7

Lady Warhawks learn self-defense P 8

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 2

January 22, 2019

BRIEFS d

CALENDAR Monday, January Art Exhibition, 8 a.m., Bry Art Gallery

Tuesday, January No events planned

21 22

Wednesday, January 23 RSO Mandatory Spring Meeting, 5 p.m., Student Center 170 ULM's Got Talent Auditions

Thursday, January

24

Horn recital, 7:30 p.m., Emy-Lou Biedenharn Recital Hall

Men's basketball Vs Troy, 7 p.m., Fant Ewing Coliseum Women's basketball @Troy, 6 p.m.

Friday, January

25

Mardi Gras Court applications due, Student Center 255 Track and Field @Texas Tech

Saturday, January Men's basketball Vs South Alabama, 2 p.m., Fant-Ewing Coliseum

26

Women's basketball @South Alabama, 3:05 p.m.

Sunday, January No events planned

27

Jackson Parish

Flordia

Kenya

According to KNOE, a shooting on Tuesday has left one person dead and one seriously injured.

The Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office identified the dead victim as 22-year-old Lakeidra Deontik Rodgers.

Rodgers was shot by 19-year-old Dontavious Darnell Ruck, who then turned the gun on himself.

Ruck was transported to a local hospital after sustaining lifethreatening injuries.

According to Public Information Officer Glenn Springfield, the shooting happened before 3:25 p.m. in the 100 block of Meredith Street.

The location is south of the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo in Monroe.

Authorities are not currently searching for anyone else.

According to KNOE, authorities arrested Desmond Brewster on Wednesday in connection with a rape that happened on Jan. 10 on Edmiston Road in Jackson Parish.

Brewster is charged with seconddegree rape, second-degree kidnapping, false impersonation of an officer, aggravated battery and false imprisonment.

Investigators said that the victim was offered a ride by the suspect.

According to the victim, Brewster threatened to arrest her after she got into his truck and drove her from Lincoln Parish to Jackson Parish, where he raped her.

Brewster allegedly raped, choked and pepper sprayed the victim.

He was arrested by the Ruston Police Department and Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Brewster’s bond is set for $1 million.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Susan Bucher, the longtime supervisor of elections, in Palm Beach County, Fla., on Friday after a series of post-election controversies.

Bucher came under intense criticism over her office's handling of recounts during the 2018 elections.

According to DeSantis, Palm Beach County didn’t complete the state-mandated recounts until after Christmas, creating a "national embarrassment."

Bucher was elected to the Palm Beach County supervisor office in 2008 and re-elected in 2012 and 2016.

She had already drawn one opponent for an anticipated 2020 race.

DeSantis named Wendy Link, a Palm Beach County real estate lawyer and a member of the state university system board of trustees, as Bucher's replacement.

A hotel siege in Kenya that began on Tuesday afternoon and lasted until early Wednesday claimed 21 lives.

Hundreds were forced to flee the DusitD2 hotel and business complex after a parking lot explosion was followed by a suicide blast in the foyer of the hotel.

Jason Spindler, a U.S. citizen, was among those killed in Tuesday’s attack that lasted more than 18 hours.

Al-Shabaab, a Somaliabased Islamist group, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Tuesday’s attack took place nearly three years after Al-Shabaab militants targeted a Kenyan military base in Somalia.

In 2013, Al-Shabaab militants killed 67 people in Westgate, two miles away from Tuesday's attack site.

1 dead in Tuesday Ruston man arrested Longtime election 21 confirmed deaths night shooting on rape charges supervisor suspended in terrorist attack

d

QUOTE

Ouachita Parish

MUSICAL MAGIC

January 22

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights activist

Front page credits: Main photo: Prajal Prasai Top sidebar photo: Miles Jordan Bottom sidebar photo: Prajal Prasai Top left photo: John Radcliffe Top right photo: Miles Jordan

TODAY IN HISTORY

photo by Miles Jordan

Cynthia Brown plays horn at School of Visual and Performing Arts' Guest Artist Concert Series on Friday. Brown is pursuing her Doctoral degree in Horn performance at Louisiana State University.

1946: President Harry Truman sets up the Central Intelligence Agency.

1963: France and Germany sign the Elysee treaty. The treaty required both the country to consult each other prior to making decisions on foreign policies.

1970: First commercial Boeing 747 flight, Pan American World Airways flies from New York City to London in less than seven hours.

1975: Landsat 2, an Earth Resources Technology Satellite, is launched.

2001: The British government launches pro-vaccine campaign.

2002: Kmart Corp becomes the largest retailer in United States history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

2013: The Bank of Japan doubles its inflation target to two percent and announces open-ended asset purchases for 2014 in the hope of ending deflation.

January 22, 2019

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 3

Mock Trial Team heads to Florida for invitational The ULM Mock Trial Team attended the eighth Annual Argo Classic at the University of West Florida this weekend.

Argo is a four-round tournament. The ULM teams competed against teams like Alabama, Millsaps, Florida and Florida State.

The Mock Trial Team was represented by both its Gold and Maroon Team. Twenty Warhawks attended the competition.

Jorden Johnson, captain of the Gold Team, currently leads the Mock Trial team with a point average of 8.23.

According to coach Robert Noel, the team has been competing at the Argo Classic for six years and even won the tournament in 2016.

"This is one of two tune up tournaments before our regional tournament on Feb. 7-8 at the University of Dallas," Noel said.

The Mock Trial team will be competing this week at the Kangaroo Classic in Sherman, Texas.

Last year, the Gold Team won the Nordic Mock Trial Battle at the University of Minnesota. The team faced off against local Minnesota colleges, Macalester College, University of Saint Thomas and the undefeated Carleton College.

The team also won the Jackson Joust hosted by Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., last year.

Bruno hosts roundtable, presents 'Vision 2031' Ouachita Scholarships

Verified Ouachita Parish residents: • Traditional students: meet admission to university requirements, $500-$1,000/annually • Non-traditional students: completion of 60 credit hours and in academic good-standing, $1,000 - $2,500 priority given to degree paths with high-demand • Appeal process for hardship cases • Unawarded amounts shall be carried over and available as needed • Administered by the ULM Development Foundation – a 501c3 whose board members are not ULM employees

BRIEFS

The

Job cre Parish t econom

$85K * $200K * $500K * Weekly

Weekly

$0.097

$1.22

Monthly 42

Monthly 25

$0.

$5.

Weekly

$4.10

Monthly

$17.75

On Tuesday, President Nick Bruno hosted $5 a year on an $85,000 home, $63 a year on YEARLY YEARLY YEARLY a media roundtable to present “Vision 2031,” an $200,000 home or $213 a year on a $500,000 $5 $63 $213 Enhance & Facultyparish Support home. a plan to grow ULM and Research the Ouachita • Create innovative research facilities through a property millage tax.

Media outlets were also provided with an in• Cultivate grant solicitation support for faculty researchers Parts of the plan include establishing Ouachi- fographic that showed the economic value of • Seed funding for new research projects • Matching funds for grant applications ta parish as a medical/ research hub, providing ULM for theHomeowners fiscal year of 2017-18.

Homeowners will Homeowners will • Start-up funds for new faculty givethe up one study give upconducted one night give upby a highEcoend • Administered by parish the ULM Development Foundation – a 501c3Accordingwillto scholarships for Ouachita traditional gourmet cup of at the movies for restaurant dinner whose board members are not ULM employees and non-traditional students and expanding nomic Modelling International, coffee per year. Specialists two, per year. for two, per year. doctoral programsSmall like Projects Physical Therapy and ULM contributed $566.8 million to the north• Any remaining funds after bond obligations, and overheadeast Louisiana *5 mileconomy Property Tax in willfiscal be added to each and Occupational Therapy. year 2017-18. (audit, legal etc.) related to debt service and scholarship/ property each year. Louisiana is The plan also includes upgrading the Fant-or One out of every 18 jobs inowner Northeast faculty shall be utilized for deferred maintenance to facilities which comply with Vision 2031 Ewing Coliseum toimprovements Ouachita Multi-purpose plan. (community service facilities, new health science supported by the activities of ULM and its stuprograms startup costs, quality facilities). complex for an estimated budget ofof life $32 mil- dents as stated in the infographic.

• No bonds shall be issued encumbering these funds other than lion. out an email to ULM those facilities specifically named in the Vision 2031 plan. Bruno sent With bold vision and employees a Renovations to the coliseumfor would Accountability Proper include: Use of Funds on Thursday at 6:31 p.m. updating them on the building facilities to• Construction accommodate sport medi- status of thecommitted proposal. local community projects will be managed by the Facilities Corporation Incorporated – a 501c3 affiliated organization The email also contained contact information cine programs, a full-service community pharin pursuit of excellence, whose majority of board seats are held by community macy, lab for all clinical for Ouachita Parish Police Jurors. members.programs and estabwill follow.

A • Facilities Corp. Inc. will establish a new account used lishing ADA compliance among others.

As a statesuccess employee, one can express their specifically for the purposed outlined in Vision 2031 and will provide an independentlyBrown audited report each year to stance the The plan also includes enhancing Theon the proposal but only through their decision that future Ouachita Parish Police Jury for public record. ater to accommodate audience and personal email/ social media accounts, per• Thislarger funding plan assumes that Vision 2031travis funded at levels generations one day elling theater groups.anticipated. sonal devices and outside may of work hours.

Decision to add the tax to the fall ballot will Accordingsay, to anmade attachment in the email, emall the difference! be made by the Ouachita Parish Police Jury on ployees are also encouraged to include, "These Tuesday. are my personal opinions and do not reflect If the tax is approved by the voters, according those of the university." to “Vision 2031,” property owners would pay

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VISION 2031

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1. Quali

Building a Broader Economic Base

FOR OUACHITA PARISH photo courtesy ULM Office of Marketing and Communications

2. Stron

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4. Train

PAGE 4

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

January 22, 2019

OPINION OPINION

Stop getting news only from social media Madison Smith We all have that grandparent who takes everything they read on Facebook at face value. The ones that warn you against brain damage from talking on the phone and give you bizarre health tips on how to lose weight from an “article” they read online.

It would be funny if it wasn’t so dangerous. The unfortunate truth in this age of social media is that not everything you read online is factual.

Investigations into the 2016 election have turned up alarming evidence of possible Russian interference via fake social media accounts, but it’s not only attacks from foreign countries you should be worried about. So called “fake news” is vfrequently home grown.

Just months ago in 2018, articles popped up yet again claiming the LGBTQ+ community was campaigning to allow pedophiles be added under their umbrella and accepted into society.

Twitter and Facebook made the articles go viral. Tweets containing the articles and posts from accounts were retweeted and reposted hundreds of thousands of times. You can imagine how this was hurtful to an already marginalized community, but this isn’t the first time nor will it be the last.

Snope, a news source known for its incredible skill in fact checking, debunked this quickly and thoroughly.

This misinformation campaign was a hoax that began June 23, 2016, in a thread on a website called 4chan. The campaign wanted to discredit the ongoing movement for LGBTQ+ rights, confuse supporters and even members of the community and dredge up hatred and animosity among the public.

The anonymous account gave detailed instructions on how to spread their fake poster and get it to gain traction. They told supporters to create fake social media accounts and showed them which hashtags to use to get clicks.

graphic by Prajal Prasai

One account existed on Twitter, posing as a spokesperson for an official “LGBTQP” organization. This account posted the doctored poster with the pedosexual tag. Media sources ate it up and it began to show up on Facebook where it gained even more attention.

So, if this has been debunked, why

Police shouldn’t be harmed Ashlyn Dupree In Shreveport, a female police officer, Chateri Payne, was shot and killed in her own home. This horrible incident occurred while she was getting ready to go in for her shift.

In 2018, 88 police officers were killed and in January alone, seven officers already died. So far this year, on average, a police officer is killed every two days. This already is too many officers killed and we’re only in January.

Police officers risk their lives every day to protect their city and those who live in it, but now they cannot even feel safe in their own homes.

Even though they know it is a very risky job, they still fight to protect our city.

In the recent years, there has been much controversy over police brutality. Many citizens have been angered by police brutality and started riots

in Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and many other places.

While many incidents occurred where police officers used too much force, many police officers want to protect every life. Many police officers are bothered that citizens are afraid of them, they are angry when other police officers use police brutality and they try to avoid using force.

Police officers are scared too. They don’t want to hurt the citizens of their town, but when a situation occurs that could be dangerous, they have to protect themselves and those around them.

It’s human nature to protect and defend ourselves and those around us. If we feel threatened, we fight to defend ourselves. Sometimes, police officers use their weapons to protect themselves.

Most police officers don’t want to hurt anyone. If they feel like they must defend themselves, they will protect themselves and those near them.

Police officers do care. They care for those in their city, their loved ones and getting home each night to their kids. They don’t want their citizens to be afraid of what could happen if they get pulled over. Sometimes, they just want to make sure you are okay.

Most police officers don’t want to

use force. They aren’t racist, but the police officers who are racist cast the image that they all are.

ULM police officers care for each student; they want to keep us safe from any dangers that could occur.

They immediately show up when students call. We should be thankful for police officers who do care for all students.

All lives matter in every situation.

I feel such sorrow for each person who has lost a family member from a shooting- whether it be the police officer or the citizen who dies. No one deserves to lose a loved one. Every person deserves to have a life and be able to live it as long as possible.

Be cooperative with a police officer if you are pulled over; it will make everything go smoother for you and for them. Thank a police officer for the service they do to protect your city and loved ones from danger.

Maybe by being cooperative and being appreciative, this will lessen police brutality and one day police brutality will not even exist. If we end the image of police brutality, police won’t be harmed by others who are angered by this image. contact Ashlyn Dupree at dupreeaf@warhawks.ulm.edu

does it keep appearing year after year and why do people keep falling for it?

The answer is two-fold. These people are dedicated and relentless; they are sometimes just out to make quick, easy money.

Sometimes, these fake news creators aren’t loyal to one party or ideology. They seize on whatever is the cur-

Stubbs 131 700 University Avenue Monroe, LA 71209 Editor in chief - Sisam Shrestha Co-managing editor design - Prajal Prasai Co-managing editor news - Ethan Dennis Opinion editor - Alfonzo Galvan Freestyle editor - Kaitlin Maness Multimedia editor - Samrat Dhakal Photo editor - Miles Jordan

rent topic of conversation, whatever is the most controversial and whatever is going to get the most attention from the public.

Other times, they are like the ones I mentioned above: malicious, focused and dangerously intelligent. They know what works, they know human behavior and they know we’re not going to do our own research.

They count on you to take what they say and run with it without a second thought. They know how to play on public outrage and they know just what to say and how to say it to get you to react with your emotions and not your brain.

Facebook and Twitter are a cesspool for these types of false information to be spread quickly and easily.

It only takes a few seconds to hit the share or like button, but it takes years to undo the damage.

So, getting all your news from social media is a terrible idea. It’s almost designed to keep you misinformed and ignorant. Be sure to double check the things that you read. Do your own research and you won’t fall for headlines and scams explicitly formulated to get you to react. contact Madison Smith at smithmm@warhawks.ulm.edu

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.

Sports editor - Nate Nasworthy Copy editor - Ashlyn Dupree Circulation director - Emerald Singh 318-342-5453 ulmhawkeyead@gmail.com Faculty adviser Dr. Christopher Mapp 318 342 5454 mapp@ulm.edu Assistant director Kristin Nieman 318 342 5450 nieman@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 galvana@warhawks.ulm.edu

January 22, 2019

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 5 OPINION

Government shutdown: Bad bargaining tool Cameron Ott If you keep up with the news regularly or even just slightly, it is almost impossible to not know about the most recent government shutdown that began in late December of 2018.

This specific shutdown which has now become the largest in U.S. history, has been highly criticized by several politicians and citizens alike due to the number of repercussions that have begun to have a profoundly negative effect on federally-run services. Some of these services include no paychecks for federal employees and maintenance for national parks.

Due to these factors, it has become obvious now that the people of the U.S. just want the shutdown to come to an end and most are asking the question: Why is it still ongoing? The answer is obvious. President Trump is using the shutdown as a political bargaining tool.

From the beginning of Trump’s presidential bid in 2015 to his tumultuous first two years in the Oval Office, the president has, time and time again, promised a border wall between Mexico and the U.S. in order to deter illegal immigrants.

At the end of 2018, Trump finally acted on this promise and asked the House to provide a budget for the government that would allot $54 million in funding for his proposed wall.

Now that the Democrats have taken control of the House following the 2018 midterms, things did not go as planned and the funding was not included in their budget.

Since that proposed budget has hit Trump’s desk, he has continually vetoed every effort the House has made to revise the budget, effectively shutting down the government.

Trump will stop at nothing to get funding for his wall obviously at the detriment to the U.S. government and it looks as though he is using the situation as a bargaining tool with Democrats who are not budging on their stance.

Here is why this strategy is problematic.

First, the majority of Americans do not agree with the president that a wall is necessarily the answer.

According to polls from major research groups including Pew and Gallup, a majority of Americans are completely opposed to the wall even being built and have trouble seeing how effective it will be. Despite the glaring numbers and research poured into the issue, Trump continues to neglect the data before him.

Second, the standoff between the president and Democrats is hurting the country. As mentioned previously, many federally funded employees and departments are not working or running currently.

Many of these employees cannot last much longer and soon must seek some form of help to provide

comic courtesy MCT Campus

for their families. Not to mention, our nation’s beautiful parks being trashed and looted by irreverent citizens.

Just last week, several of the iconic Joshua Trees from Colorado’s Joshua Tree National Park were chopped down by trespassers. Soon, things like the government’s Food Stamps program will be unable to run if the shutdown continues.

Eventually, someone is going to have to give in and provide a solution for the shutdown.

One solution would require the Democrats to give in to Trump’s demands and pass a budget allotting

funds for Trump’s wall which would satisfy Trump and reopen the government.

The second solution would require Trump to concede to the House’s vote on the new budget and abstain from vetoing the next proposal.

Despite the repercussions of a partly-closed government and the majority of the House representing the people of the U.S. not agreeing with his wall plan, it does not look like Trump will be giving in any time soon. I think this says a lot about his character.

As one can see, the polls and ghastly repercussions of the

shutdown say everything, yet the president continues to be nonnegotiable.

Trump’s usage of the government shutdown for bargaining is not worth it and will soon begin to hurt not only his public approval, but his chance at the presidency in next year’s race. As the president continues to veto the budget when he does not get his way, the American people become less understanding and Trump just drives another wedge into his political coffin. contact Cameron Ott at ottcw@warhawks.ulm.edu

Time to start writing again

How many of you at one point in your life or another kept a diary or a journal? Nowadays, as students or professionals, we’re always busy.

Nobody wants to waste precious free time on something like writing.

Keeping a journal or writing,

from time to time, is a great stress reliever and an even better thought organizer. Good writing skills are an amazing asset to have and everybody should be writing.

A few semesters ago, I took an English composition course and enjoyed doing my writing assignments, but wished I had more time to dedicate to the craft. The urge grew even more once I started writing for the student newspaper.

Yeah, I was writing more, but something was missing. Late last semester, I began journaling and couldn’t recommend it enough for others to try.

Now, you don’t have to write much for it to help. An example of this is the ULM planner the

university hands out every year to students. As soon as you walk in the door, the university is encouraging you to write and stay organized with those planners. Ask any advisor; they do it for a reason, especially if they know you haven’t been the most organized person up to that point. It’s never too late to get organized and start writing things down.

Also, if you’re one of those people that throughout the day has a million thoughts going through their head, then writing can also help. Instead of overthinking, write it down in a journal or type it into the notes app on your phone.

It helps you not forget things throughout the day. Being able to

organize your thoughts is a reward in itself.

Apart from being organized, multiple articles mention communication as one of the most looked for skills in job candidates.

The basis of good communication is writing. Practice makes perfect.

Since writing is a crucial part of communication, it would be hard to find a job where you wouldn’t have to write.Check your school syllabuses, email etiquette is a requirement when communicating with your professors.

Writing can even help you stay healthy. The Positive Psychology Program has an article on their website with a list of 83 benefits journaling has for dealing with

depression, anxiety and stress management. If you struggle with any of those, then that’s another reason to start writing.

Journaling is often recommended to patients by counselors. For me, it helps me not overthink as much and organize my thoughts. It also keeps me organized throughout the day with a to-do list I can check things off of.

Like I stated before, you don’t have to do it often or much, but you should give it a try. If you’re a student at ULM and want to try some different forms of writing, give Student Publications a try, they’re always a big help. contact Alfonzo Galvan at galvana@warhawks.ulm.edu

PAGE 6

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

January 22, 2019

NEWS

Library lines up lavish upgrades

InfoCommons computer lab starts innovations

by Miles Jordan

Christmas came and went over break for everybody, but ULM students returned with the library’s gift of a newly renovated second floor of the campus’ focal point called the InfoCommons.

The new second floor is a grand remodeling with 60 new computers as well as four additional Macintosh computers coming soon.

There are more printers, both new and additional seating, new carpeting for a fresh new look, both group and individual seating arrangements, mobile whiteboards for studying and most importantly, many more outlets for students to plug their electronic devices into.

The tech friendliness is a byproduct of necessary renovations as the library passes into its 20th year of existence in April as well as needed weeding of the library’s collection of books.

“We got rid of over half the collection which was 300,000 titles. There was a legitimate need to purge the collection,” Megan Lowe, the library director and associate professor, said.

Beyond the lack of weeding, some

books that came over from the previous library in Sandel Hall needed to be thrown out due to leaking ceilings in Sandel.

“Being that the books stacks were eliminated, it gave us a clean slate for the whole floor,” Chance Eppinette, the director of information technology, said.

The library is the gift that keeps on giving as the renovations are set to be done not only on the second floor.

“The key thing is to step back and see what [students] like [and] what they’re using because we have more money to add to the second floor and also to the first floor and other spaces,” Thomas Hoover, the dean of the library, said.

Through collaboration with the Student Governemtn Association and the Student Technology Assessment Plan committee, the library tried to listen to the needs of the students- one of those being more collaborative space for students. The library is attempting to create this with easily accessible whiteboards all throughout the second floor and plans for many of the areas to have access to screens, so students can work together more effectively.

Quickly, through asking and seeing, it became clear that the library recognized another large need- more outlets and more power for students to charge their devices. “[Students] really wanted more power. Students wanted more powered furniture. When we started rearranging the space in anticipation of doing a lot of these things, we noticed a lot of students sitting on the floor near the outlets,” Lowe said.

Eppinette said, “It was 20-yearold technology. 20 years ago, we didn’t have USB for devices. That was one of the key things to make it more convenient to plug in your personal devices.”

The technological upgrades are a huge plus for students, and many students are thankful for them.

“It’s life-changing. It’s good to see the college constantly change and continue to change ULM to a more tech-friendly college,” Nate Perdue, a sophomore psychology major, said.

The library, though, is showing that it is not going to wait another 20 years to make technological changes, but will soon add a virtual reality lab for students.

“We’re adding a virtual reality center and innovation space that will be in the bell tower in that back corner.

There will be a 3D printer, high-end Macintosh and PCs in there,” Hoover said.

The virtual reality center will be a cross-disciplinary space meant to take ULM and students’ ability to learn into the future.

photos courtesy ULM Library

TECH ADDITIONS: Bibek Bhandari (Right) explores the new InfoCommons computer lab. This lab has 64 new computers, including four Macintosh computers.

GROUP LEARNING: Kathryn Bryan (Left) and Caitlin Walker (Right) effectively use their study time on the newly renovated second floor of the library.

The center will be the first of its kind in the state of Louisiana.

Students studying geography will be able to experience the Great Wall of China from the library. Anatomy students will be able to experience the body and construction management students will be able to be inside of a building before the building is even made.

The current renovation is just a stepping stone for the library and the university as both journey down this path of making ULM an even more one-of-a-kind institution. contact Miles Jordan at jordanm1@warhawks.ulm.edu

January 22, 2019

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 7

NEWS

Librarian Lowe releases new book Research explores emotional side of librarianship

by Miles Jordan ULM library director and associate professor Megan Lowe has a new book out for public consumption.

“Examining the Emotional Dimensions of Academic Librarianship: Emerging Research and Opportunities,” is Lowe’s new book, co-written with University of New Orleans’ acquisitions librarian and subject liaison Lindsey Reno.

The book, as explained by the title, is a deep dive into the emotional side of librarianship that very few get to see and that even fewer have done research upon.

“I don’t think librarians always give themselves a chance to think about how emotionally taxing their job can be, but essentially librarian work is people work and there are few things as taxing as people work,” Lowe said.

Lowe asks people to think of what nurses, teachers and service industry people do on a daily basis. Lowe does this as a way of showing people how similar a librarian’s work really is.

Reno, too, agrees citing the importance of this unexplored idea.

“We actually had to look in the literature of other professions like nursing and hospitality where research into emotions was al-

Lowe acknowledges that public librarians also experience this, maybe even to a larger degree, citing public librarian’s role in more of the population’s lives.The emotional taxation on both public and academic librarians is a slippery slope that leads to burnout for many.

“As a profession, we haven’t exactly acknowledged that dimension of what we do. We haven’t really attempted as a profession to acknowledge or to address the problem and I wanted to understand the problem by way of exploring what we have written in our discipline about the emotional aspects of our job,” Lowe said.

Lowe wants both the public and librarians themselves to view their work in this light because like much of society, librarians have historically dealt with expressing themselves when they struggle. Lowe does not pretend that it’s an easy answer, admitting to her own struggles.

“There have been points where I was far more functional as a professional than as a person and that balance was tricky because I’m a workaholic,” Lowe said.

What Lowe does offer, though, is a three part idea of how to do better. The first idea is understanding one’s own limitations.

“I think as librarians we must also recognize how much we can do. Sometimes, we want to do as much as humanly possible, but there are limits on our resources,” Lowe said.

The second point is about being open about their struggles.

Struggling in silence does no good for anyone.

“How does it benefit me to not talk about it? It doesn’t,” Lowe said. photos by Miles Jordan Civility is her final solution.

“Most people don’t think of how they treat people in the workPOWER OF WORDS: Pictured is Megan Lowe and Lindsey Reno’s book entitled “Examining the Emotional Dimensions of Academic place, much less how they treat people in the wild world, but in the workplace, civility is really the only way you’re going to be Librarianship: Emerging Research and Opportunities.” able to work together,” Lowe said. ready happening. For the most part, librarians don’t really talk Lowe and Reno’s book is ground-breaking research for a proabout how emotionally laborious our jobs can be,” Reno said. fession that really needs it.

Lowe, though, makes the distinction that the book is specifically about academic librarianship because that’s where her contact Miles Jordan at experience and expertise lies. jordanm1@warhawks.ulm.edu

left photo by Siddharth Gaulee

PUBLISHED: Megan Lowe is pictured holding her book which is about the emotionally complex side of being a librarian.

PAGE 8

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

January 22, 2019

NEWS

photos by Prajal Prasai

STAND TALL: Meghan Olinger, assistant director of Bayou Pointe Event Center, discusses the importance of the Equalizer Women's Self-defense Program.

Equalizer clinic starts with lecture

by John Radcliffe

Not even a week into the semester and ULM has already made efforts to enrich the lives of the women on this campus.

On Jan. 15, the Equalizer Women’s Selfdefense Program had a second wind and is eager to prepare even more women on how to stay alert, escape and survive threatening situations.

There will be more sessions for this class during the 2019 spring semester. Sessions are held at 5:30 p.m., on Tuesday nights in Bayou Pointe Event Center and are led by Meghan Olinger, assistant director of Bayou Pointe, and Sonni Bennett, director of student life and leadership.

These two ladies were chosen by the ULM Police Department and were trained in a 40-hour course called Strategic SelfDefense and Gunfighting Bennett Tactics. Their sole purpose is to make sure that every woman who walks through their doors feels safe and comfortable.

Ten years ago, when Olinger was a ULM student, she faced her own complications with a stalker. She always had her suspicions of who the creep was, but it was the ULM police who caught the suspect and took care of the situation.

ALL EARS: A soon-to-be-trained Warhawk listens intently to Meghan Olinger share a memory of someone stalking her when she was at ULM.

“The ULM Police Department were top notch at the time,” said Olinger, but she went on to explain that, “It takes only five seconds for a situation to go bad, however, through this course, four weeks can earn you a lifetime of

confidence.”

“The point of the course isn’t to defeat or overcome the attacker, but to be able to get away and survive,” Olinger said.

From the second class on, each week will get

more physically demanding as women will practice defending themselves even when they are scrambled on the ground.

Ariana Brown, a freshman speech and lanBrown guage pathology major and returning self-defense student, calls this “shrimping,” which is a practice known to help a women escape the pressures of anyone who pins her down.

“It is beneficial to refresh the course, because it gives you a sense of protection when walking around campus,” Brown said.

Olinger offered a final piece of advice. “"Learn it in the class, practice it at your dorm and always be prepared, because within an instant, you’ll need to put the skills to use.

For anybody to say they are 100 percent confident in walking down a dark alley would be foolish,” Olinger said.

She encourages all women, students or teachers to come to the class and remember their training because only through practice, do the skills become second nature.

At the end of the course, women who successfully complete the program will get a certificate of completion that thanks them for their participation. contact John Radcliffe at radclijp@warhawks.ulm.edu

January 22, 2019

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 9 NEWS

Dawson wins national award

by Madison Smith

Katie Dawson, interim director of ULM Online, was nominated and awarded the 2018 Post Secondary Teacher of the Year Award for Region 8.

In a press release by ULM, Eric Pani, the vice president of academic affairs, commented on Dawson’s award, saying, “Katie Dawson’s commitment to online learning has made her one of our state’s leaders in distance education. She has worked with ULM Online since its inception and was involved in online learning before that…As interim director of ULM Online, her performance has reached an even higher level of achievement, and her influence in making online learning better has expanded."

“I feel she has earned this award and want to congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition,” Pani said.

Dawson and all who work for online learning are striving to adapt and cater to the needs of nontraditional students and are dedicated to helping those with challenging circumstances receive a college degree.

Dawson said she is proud of the things ULM does and the students it serves.

“Most of our online students are adults.

It's super fulfilling to help someone get something that's going to make a difference in their lives."

Katie Dawson, interim director of ULM Online photo courtesy ULM Photo Services

They didn’t have the chance to finish college at a traditional age. They’ve had some college or maybe they didn’t even get to start, and they’re coming back. It’s super fulfilling to help someone get something that’s going to make a difference in their lives,” Dawson said.

Dawson was nominated by James Boldin, an associate professor of music, at

ULM. She was presented with a certificate in Nov. 2018 at the Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators yearly conference in downtown New Orleans.

Dawson has been a faculty member of ULM for almost 10 years, but has had a hand in ULM online education since 2013. She came to ULM from Western Kentucky University and has a

Bachelor of Arts degree in corporate/organization communication as well as a Master of Arts degree in communication.

“I nominated Ms. Dawson for the Louisiana Post Secondary Teacher of the Year award, because she has been a driving force in developing and expanding online education at the University of Louisiana Monroe. In her role as interim director, she coordinates and leads a diverse group of faculty in a variety of disciplines,” Boldin said.

Boldin said Dawson’s “enthusiasm and innovative ideas” set a “wonderful example for our faculty and students.”

He had not heard from other faculty before his decision to nominate her, but he is “sure they would concur.”

This level of achievement doesn’t just show that Katie Dawson is a dedicated faculty member. It also reflects the growing trend of ULM being recognized for its students, faculty and staff.

“It shows that while ULM has already earned several accolades, we continue to strive every day to be the best university we can be,” Boldin said. contact Madison Smith at smithmm@warhawks.ulm.edu

MARDI GRAS COURT APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE IN THE SGA OFFICE! APPLICATIONS DUE: JAN 25TH ELECTIONS HELD: JAN 30TH-31ST

PAGE 10

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

January 22, 2019

FREESTYLE

Chi Alpha helps students make friends

by Kaitlin Maness

Speed-relating, much like speeddating, is an activity invented to meet many people in a short amount of time.

According to Tyler Gerfers, the director of Chi Alpha, their reason for holding the event was to give students an opportunity to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones.

The students participating were supposed to find a partner and start a conversation with them.

To achieve this goal, Chi Alpha gave out slips of paper with icebreaker questions on them to everyone at the event.

Students having a hard time coming up with conversation topics were supposed to use the questions provided as a prompt.

Every 10 minutes the participants had to switch partners.

Gerfers set up this time frame to make sure stu- Gerfers dents got to talk to as many of their classmates as possible.

“It allows [students] to acclimate not just to campus, but to their classmates,” Gerfers said.

At first, people used the questions given by Chi Alpha, but soon conversations began to form naturally.

The 10-minute intervals stopped being used as students started to find people they connected with.

Across the SUB ballroom, students could be seen scanning each other’s Snapchat codes, sharing Instagram handles and making plans

photos by John Radcliffe

SPEED-RELATING: Students like Brittany Thurman (above) meet new friends and enjoy refreshments provided by Chi Alpha during speed-relating on Tuesday.

to hang out again.

Over 50 people participated in speed-relating last Tuesday. Gerfers said he was pleased with the success

of the event.

He understands that it is difficult to come back to school after the holidays. Losing motivation after winter

break is not an uncommon problem.

Gerfers hopes that Chi Alpha can provide encouragement to ULM students with more activities

like speed-relating during future spring semesters.

Gerfers used this event as a test run for any possible “Welcome Back Weeks.”

He said, “I’m really going to be pushing to do an official ‘Welcome Back Week’ next spring.”

One student who enjoyed speedrelating is second semester freshman Brittany Thurman.

Since Thurman is a pre-pharmaThurman cy major she doesn’t know many people outside of health sciences. She attended the event hoping to become acquainted with students from other majors.

Thurman is from a small town south of Lafayette. The event gave her a chance to make friends in Monroe.

She hopes Chi Alpha will be able to give students a “Welcome Back Week” next spring. She thinks events like speed-relating are good for students to experience.

“It gives students the opportunity to meet people that they’d probably never see on campus otherwise.

It gets you out of your comfort zone,” Thurman said.

Thurman met two people she plans on being friends with. One even lives in the same residence hall as her.

Despite their close proximity, the two new friends might not have ever talked without speed-relating. contact Kaitlin Maness at manessk@warhawks.ulm.edu

Start spring semester with positivity a chance for us to redeem ourselves, our GPA and probably our self-confidence.

It’s also the start of the new year which brings a sense of a blank slate. Here’s how to put that energy into having a good spring semester.

1. Self-reflection Madison Smith Some of us are looking at our fall semester grades and saying “YIKES.” Maybe we didn’t study enough, get enough rest or we couldn’t recover from post-Thanksgiving burnout.

The start of spring semester is

The first step requires some introspection. Ask yourself some easy questions to start.

What went right? If you can’t come up with a lot of answers to this, move on to the next question: What went wrong?

This could be a number of things.

Not properly managing one’s time is a common one. Maybe it wasn’t a particularly great idea to agree to

go out to eat with your friends when you should have been studying.

This isn’t the time to berate your-

perceived failures.

You can only accomplish so much with a heavy mind and spirit.”

Next is to make a plan that’s tailored to your needs, wants and feelings. Come up with some goals and break them down in your mind.

Be very specific as to not overwhelm yourself. Make sure they’re actually something achievable.

Putting down “getting straight A’s” is one thing, but it’s important to plan out exactly what steps must be done to accomplish your overall goals.

Try not to tell anyone about your goals.

In our minds, just telling someone about it gives you a premature feeling of success and complete-

self and mope over the things you didn’t do.

Focus on the new opportunity in front of you, instead of your

2. Detailed planning

ness. You feel a sense of pride in letting someone know your intentions and that pride can be detrimental later on.

3. Self-care Lastly, make sure to implement some self-care in whatever form that means to you.

Sometimes, it isn’t always bubble baths and buying yourself something nice. Sometimes, its cutting off negative friends or setting yourself up with a counselor to talk about bigger issues. Whatever it is, be sure to do it. You can only accomplish so much with a heavy mind and spirit. contact Madison Smith at smithmm@warhawks.ulm.edu

January 22, 2019

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 11

FREESTYLE

Apple Music or Spotify: Which is better for you?

Ashlyn Dupree Over the years, music has become more accessible to us through our phones and computers, compared to iPod and radio eras. We have so many music-streaming apps like Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.

Instead of waiting for our favorite song to come on the radio, we are now able to choose what to listen to whenever we want.

Music is an important part of a college student’s life. We listen to it heading to class, doing homework and any time we possibly can.

However, most college students

don’t have much money to spend on paying for music apps. So, out of Spotify and Apple Music, which option would be the best for a college student scraping money up week by week?

Well, the first thing to compare is the prices of each. Apple Music is $4.99 a month for college students while Spotify is free. However, even though Spotify is free, there are limitations to its features.

Spotify can play any song, make playlists and shuffle those playlists, but you have a limited number of skips- skipping songs you don’t want to listen to. There are also ads that play after every few songs.

However, to remove the ads and to have unlimited skips, you can pay $9.99 a month. Like Apple Music, college students get a discount and can have Spotify premium for $4.99 a month.

For Apple Music, you are capable

graphic by Prajal Prasai

of playing your music not only on your iPhone, but also your Apple Watch, PC, Amazon Echo and many more options. Spotify also has these capabilities and can be played on game consoles, smart displays and other devices.

One nice feature about Apple Music is any music that you have downloaded on iTunes can automatically be put on your Apple Music. Spotify has something similar where you can add your local files from your computer or phone, but it

isn’t automatically added; you have to download it.

Spotify is very creative in making playlists for a specific listener based off the music they frequently listen to. Spotify creates a Daily Mix which is a playlist of songs Spotify believes you would like to listen to.

Spotify also makes playlists like, “Your Top Songs 2018,” and “Your Summer Rewind.” While Apple Music has a similar feature, it isn’t as detailed as Spotify and doesn’t provide as many playlists.

One cool feature for Spotify is the ability to access Hulu and Showtime if you have Spotify premium. Apple Music doesn’t have a feature like this, but can play some of your favorite radio stations like CBS, ESPN and others.

Apple Music is able to find what song you are looking for just by typing in the lyrics. With Spotify, it is a bit more difficult to find the song you are looking for this way.

With each app’s unique way of displaying music for its users, there is no wrong or right option here. It all depends on what you think is the best option for you and what fits your style.

I think Spotify is easier to use than Apple music.

While Apple music does have great features, I think it is a bit more complicated. Spotify seems to be better at finding what’s right for you and making it simplistic. contact Ashlyn Dupree at dupreeaf@warhawks.ulm.edu

PAGE 12

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

January 22, 2019

FREESTYLE

ON MY CUE: Professor Richard Seiler (left) plays piano with Centria Brown (right).

Hornist blows away Biedenharn Recital Hall

by Kaitlin Maness

Hornist Centria Brown performed in the Emy-Lou Biedenharn Recital Hall last Friday. She was accompanied by professor Richard Seiler on piano.

ULM’s school of Visual and Performing Arts invited her to play as part of their Guest Artist Concert Series.

However, this was not Brown’s first performance at ULM. In 2017, she had a recital as part of the horn quartet, Allumer Quartet, from Baton Rouge.

The recital began with “Scherzo Concertante” followed by three

other pieces. Both “Horn Concerto in E-flat Major, K. 495” and “Concertino, Op. 45, No. 5” consisted of three movements.

Before performing “Laudatio for Solo Horn,” Brown said, “I encourage you to close your eyes and become one with the piece.”

Professor Seiler played piano alongside Brown except during the horn solo.

Although Adrianna Chavarria, a freshman kinesiology major, was required to attend the event for a music appreciation class, she said she was glad she came.

In high school, Chavarria played the clarinet. She said her prior

experience with music helped her appreciate Brown’s horn playing.

Brown is a graduate student at LSU. She is working toward her doctorate degree in horn performance.

Brown was a part of an awardwinning woodwind quintet, West Chimes Winds, in the 2016 NOLA ChamberFest.

She is also a founding member of the horn quartet, Allumer Quartet.

Their goal is to add new music to the horn quartet repertoire.

Currently, Brown is a band director at a middle school in Gonzales. photos by Miles Jordan

contact Kaitlin Maness at manessk@warhawks.ulm.edu

MUSICAL GUEST: Centria Brown plays the french horn as part of the Guest Artist Concert Series on Friday.

Message of endurance, hope shared in ‘A Dog’s Way Home’

Kaitlin Maness “A Dog’s Way Home” is more than just another film about the bond between man and man’s best friend.

It also serves as social commentary on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and homelessness within the veteran community.

The film is a book-to-screen adaptation of W. Bruce Cameron’s novel of the same name.

Despite such heavy topics being covered, “A Dog’s Way Home” still manages to be the lighthearted film many viewers expected.

The film does a great job of balancing the main plot of Bella’s journey and the underlying message about the veteran community.

It begins with Bella, voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard, narrating the story of her early puppy years.

Lucas, an aspiring doctor, finds Bella beneath an abandoned house that is about to be destroyed.

He decides to take her home. He hopes that a puppy will cheer his mother up.

Lucas’s mother is a war veteran.

She is unable to work because of her PTSD, but by taking care of Bella, her mood improves greatly.

After a year, Bella gets caught by animal control and is separated from her family once again.

She embarks on a 400-mile journey to be reunited with Lucas and his mother.

Along the way, she meets people and other animals. Coincidentally, she enters their lives when they need her the most.

A homeless veteran spots Bella and keeps her with him for a little while.

Even though she wants to go home, she is glad to give him even the slightest bit of happiness while she can.

“A Dog’s Way Home” message isn’t that dogs can cure the effects of war; it is that veterans are suffering and need our compassion and friendship. contact Kaitlin Maness at manessk@warhawks.ulm.edu

January 22, 2019

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

Crossword

Horoscope Aries You’re learning in great strides. The next two days get especially busy. Pace yourself. Balance work with physical exercise and rest. Study health and wellness.

68 Whirling current 69 Pretended to be DOWN 1 Cabinet div.

2 Biting 3 South __, 2018 Olympics site 4 Boxing legend 5 2016 Olympics city 6 Colonial news source 7 Capital of Cyprus 8 Old Rom. ruler 9 Airport screening org.

10 Greeting mouthed to a stadium cam 11 Like home-runrobbing catches 12 RR stop 13 Typical Nick Jr. watcher 18 Venison source 19 “Patience you must have” Jedi master

24 Bundestag nos 25 Tries hard (for) 26 Part of SWAK 27 Endangered Hawaiian goose 28 Bluish gray 29 Studly dudes 33 Heirloom storage spot 34 Organic fertilizer 35 Arsenal contents 36 Lumber unit 37 Bicker 39 SpongeBob, e.g.

41 What Frosty’s eyes are made of 44 Made a misleading move 47 “W” on a light bulb 48 Thick & Fluffy waffle brand 50 Like 29-Down 51 Clamorous 52 In different places 53 Mournful song

Mobile Access

Libra Good things come through communications.

Balance speaking with silence. Peaceful privacy soothes you today and tomorrow. Consider your words in advance. Plan your outreach.

Your family fortunes are on the rise. Romance blossoms today and tomorrow. Guard time for fun and relaxation. Check in with your circle.

Profitable opportunities flow through your network of friends. Focus on community projects over the next few days. Social connections present interesting collaborations.

Cancer Enjoy a surge of vitality. Exercise builds your energy, strength and endurance. Write what you’re learning. Share your discoveries. Edit, polish and publish.

Sagittarius Prepare for a professional test or challenge.

You’re especially charismatic; use that to your advantage. Turn on the charm. Smile and pose for the camera.

Capricorn Savor peaceful surroundings. You’ve got a travel bug; put on your rambling shoes and hit the road.

Keep an open mind. You’re learning fast.

Leo

Aquarius

Someone has you quite enchanted. Don’t let a profitable opportunity pass you by. Focus on making money over the next two days. Handle a deadline.

Friends bring luck. Monitor your joint finances, and adjust the budget to suit reality. Changes necessitate revisions. Make strategic plans with your partner. Determine priorities.

Virgo Consider your image and make style changes.

Clean out your closet and let go of stuff that no longer fits. Dress for the part you want.

Say Hello to Checking That Changes Everything Visa Debit Card

Courtesy of MCT Campus

Scorpio

A partner’s good luck rubs off on you. Focus on home and family. Domestic renovations merge beauty with function. Choose colors that soothe.

38 Calls on for help 40 Stash out of sight 42 Highland caps 43 Blockheads 45 “I don’t mind eels / Except as meals” poet Nash 46 __ nutshell: briefly 47 Had on 48 Évian water 49 42-7, say, in an NFL game 54 Consume 55 Eggy drink 56 Key lime __ 58 What ends many a line, and what begins each of the puzzle’s three other long answers 64 Citizenship recitation 65 Bad day for Caesar 66 Intrude rudely, with “in” 67 Cancún cash

FREESTYLE FREESTYLE

Taurus

Gemini

ACROSS 1 Senegal’s capital 6 Website for techies 10 Talk show runner 14 2018 romaine lettuce concern 15 Drinking glass edges 16 “What’s gotten __ you?”

17 Mortgage check, say 20 Italian three 21 Classified ad abbr.

22 “How exciting!”

23 Brit’s sausage-withpotatoes dish 30 Benelux locale: Abbr.

31 Furniture chain also known for Swedish meatballs 32 Wash. Nats’ div.

33 “Encore!”

36 Barbara of TV’s “Mission: Impossible” 37 Patriarch from Eden

PAGE 13

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PAGE 14

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

January 22, 2019

SPORTS

Smith brings magic, experience to ULM

by Nate Nasworthy

is given out by the Lou Henson Award and College Sports Madness.

Smith was also named Louisiana Sports Writer’s Association Player of the Week and Sun Belt Player of the Week.

“I put a lot of work in to get some of those accolades, but I’m not going to be complacent. I still have a lot more I want to do,” Smith said.

Fellow teammates know how hard of a worker Smith is and know that complacency is not an option.

“He’s hungry. He loves to win. He’s a big competitor and a hard worker,” senior forward Travis Munnings said.

Munnings’ sentiments were echoed by sophomore guard Michael Ertel.

“He’s really unselfish. He’s almost like another coach out there,” Ertel said.

Mid-Major Player of the Week isn’t the only thing Smith wants. The sky is the limit.

“I want to be conference Player of the Year. I want regular season team of the year and a tournament win,” Smith said.

Despite being such a good player and leader for ULM, Smith is humble and remembers where he came from.

“At the end of the day, I’m here to win games and get to the NCAA tournament. I’m going to keep my head down and keep working,” Smith said.

Hailing from Jacksonville, Fla., Daishon Smith had a plan from the very beginning- to play professional basketball. His love of basketball stemmed from playing outside every day and competing at a young age with other people in the neighborhood.

“I wanted to be better than them, so it gave me a sense of competition,” Smith said.

It wasn’t all fun and games though.

Trying to become the third male in the family to graduate from high school is no easy task, but with three younger sisters, an example has to be set.

“I’m the first guy in my family to actually go to college. I’ve got a chip on my shoulder. I want to set the tone for my sisters and let them know the sky is the limit,” Smith said.

He’s hungry.

He loves to win. He’s a big competitor and a hard worker.”

Travis Munnings, senior forward When Smith was deciding on colleges, Eastern Florida State College was his choice. However, after his freshman year, a change was needed. Eastern Florida State College was experiencing a rebuilding year. Smith wanted to go somewhere that had an established coach and offered numerous opportunities. Tallahassee Community College was the choice.

That’s where the journey truly begins.

During an event in Panama City, ULM head coach Keith Richard and assistant coach Ryan Cross first saw Smith play.

“I liked him then and whispered over to Ryan and said, ‘Boy, I’d sure like to have him.’,” Richard said.

ULM wasn’t the only team to recruit Smith. Wichita State was very much in play.

“We recruited him hard,” Richard added.

In the end, Smith decided on Wichita State because he felt it was in his best interests.

“They [Wichita State] had been to the tournament numerous times and the facilities were amazing. Those

He’s really unselfish. He’s almost like another coach out there.”

Michael Ertel, sophomore guard

SUPERSTAR : Daishon Smith looks toward the future.

guys were at a professional level. I knew I’d learn a lot of basketball,” Smith said.

Following his junior year, Wichita State experienced coaching changes and moved from the Missouri Valley conference to the American Athletic conference. Between the changes and not seeing enough playing time, Smith knew another change was needed to keep his dream alive.

“I knew to eventually play professional basketball which has always

been my dream, I needed to come play for a coach that really wanted me,” Smith said.

Smith made his way to Mon- Munnings roe and decided to sit for a year to become a better basketball player. When this season started and the team started to do well, Smith had a lot to do with the instant success.

photo by Prajal Prasai

“I think he’s already shown that he’s as good as I thought he’d be and I hope he can do more,” Richard said.

In the aftermath of the Georgia State game, Smith is averaging 49 percent on field goals, 46 percent on three-pointers, 87 percent on free throws, 20.8 points per game, almost four rebounds per game and has 43 assists.

Because of his great statistics, Smith was named a National MidMajor Player of the Week. The award

After college, Smith only has one dream: to play professional basketball for his favorite team, the Orlando Magic.

“I want to play in the NBA, but I know my skill level isn’t there yet, so I’ve got to keep working. But my dream team is the Orlando Magic.

It’s right up the road from where I’m from,” Smith said.

Getting to play professional basketball is difficult, but if Smith keeps playing at the level he’s at, what he tells his sisters will come true: “The sky is the limit.” contact Nate Nasworthy nasworna@warhawks.ulm.edu

January 22, 2019

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

PAGE 15

SPORTS

1 step too far

for referees

Dallon Lewis Referees Tim Fitzgerald, Landon Cammock and Archibald Whaley were suspended for their next scheduled game by the Sun Belt on Jan. 13 following the conference game between ULM and Georgia State.

In a released statement, Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson said, “When such an egregious error occurs that directly determines the outcome of a game, it cannot be ignored.”

Championships put at risk and players ejected from a game cover most factors put into suspicious calls by sports officiators. No individual that watches a television can admit seeing a coach for any sports team agree with every call made by an official. If that was the case, it would definitely impact the course of the game.

Split decisions that change the outcomes of important games should always be critically reviewed. Scoring during a controversial play is the perfect time to examine actions from all angles. Not to mention, there are always multiple officials, so problems on the court, field or wherever should be the smoothest process when it comes to a unanimous decision.

The digital age has sewn its relevance into the 2010s and “close call” situations in the pros have relied heavily on the value of instant replay.

The system for identifying and training replay officials is also less than ideal.

Sometimes, replay officials are making judgment calls just like officials on the field, but although they have the use of slow-motion video, they may not know the rules as well as those making the calls on the field.

The best solution is a happy medium between the replay value of technology and the calling proficiency of referees. contact Dallon Lewis lewisdt@warhawks.ulm.edu

Baseball swings for fences

by Nate Nasworthy Baseball has often been called America’s favorite pastime. It’s no different in Monroe. Members of the community equate a successful team to their win percentage.

ULM won the Sun Belt conference championship in 2012, but has not been able to reach a win percentage even close to that since then. After the 2017 season and only 12 wins, it was time for a coaching change. Then came new head coach Michael Federico.

Federico immediately came in with a winning attitude, building on the 2017 campaign and winning 23 games in 2018.

“Our biggest goal is to compete on a day-to-day basis and if we can do that, our ultimate goal for this year is to get to the conference tournament,” Federico said.

graphic by Prajal Prasai

The turnaround hasn’t been easy and always stays a challenge. However, a winning outlook can make the difference in a team.

“We talk on a daily basis about winning on the field and winning in the classroom and winning in the community,” Federico said.

Coach Federico and his staff have

not only put a lot of time and effort into the team, but also the facilitiespainting and upgrading as much as they can to entice recruits and encourage the team.

“We’ve literally been the ones painting and been the ones ripping up carpet and there’s been some local people that have donated some

money which has been huge to do that,” Federico said.

Not only were people in the community behind the team, so was ULM. “Dr. Bruno and the school were able to help us out with the padded wall last year which dressed up the place,” Federico added.

Coach Federico was also able to bring in 27 new players this year, adding to the depth of a team that was depleted at the end of last season due to injuries.

Because the baseball team is dear to so many in the community, one question remains fresh in everybody’s mind: Is this team ready for another conference championship?

Coach Federico believes so.

“Yeah, I do believe we can make a run,” Federico said. contact Nate Nasworthy at nasworna@warhawks.ulm.edu

Freshmen foursome

by Miles Jordan

Seven freshmen, five sophomores, one redshirt sophomore, four juniors and six seniors makeup this season’s Warhawks softball roster. The balance of old and new makes for a compelling roster, especially at pitcher.

As the season begins, all four

pitchers on roster are freshmen who dominated in high school. The four freshmen, Blaire Wilson, Karly Taranto, Murphy Williams and Adrianna Chavarria are joining their first-year head coach Molly Fichtner this season.

Blaire Wilson

Karly Taranto

Murphy Williams

Adrianna Chavarria

Blaire Wilson is a 5’7” pitcher native to Savanna, Okla., where she lettered in four sports, including softball. As a senior, Wilson went 20-4 with a 0.78 ERA and striking out 161 over 134.2 innings. Over her career, she went 8323 with 709 strikeouts and a 0.71 ERA. She also won at the Class 2A District, Regional and State level. Wilson was the Pitt 8 Conference Player of the Year, the McAlester New Capital AllArea Player of the Year and was on the South Eastern Oklahoma All-YPE team.

Karly Taranto is a 5’5” right-handed pitcher from Louisiana. She pitched for Hahnville High School and is from Paradis. Taranto pitched all four years at Hahnville on an especially dominant team that won four consecutive district championships. While at Hahnville, she made First Team All-District from her sophomore year to her senior year. As a senior, Taranto was named District Co-MVP, LHSCA All-Star and earned All-Metro and All-State recognition.

The third pitcher of ULM’s freshman foursome is Murphy Williams.

Williams is a 5’6” pitcher from Gladewater, Texas. She was an Academic All-District player her freshman, sophomore and junior years at Gladewater High School. She was District 15-4A Pitcher of the Year as a freshman. As a senior, she was an honorable mention for the All-East Texas and All-State teams. Williams was also a fearsome strikeout pitcher with 572 Ks from her sophomore to senior year.

The final pitcher of the quartet is Pearland High School alumna Adrianna Chavarria. Chavarria was a part of three district championship teams her freshman, sophomore and junior years. She earned All-District honors three times and was a TGCA All-State pitcher both her junior and senior year. In her career, Chavarria won 36 games with 346 Ks. Chavarria projects as another good punchout pitcher for the Warhawks as of her high school career, she averaged 1.32 strikeouts per inning.

From now until the season begins on Feb. 8, the Hawkeye will be spotlighting women’s softball. The first week focuses on the roster’s construction and the pitcher position, in particular, projects for the season.

The four freshmen are expected to perform this season and if their high school career is anything to go by, then this season’s Warhawks are in good hands.

contact Miles Jordan at jordanm1@warhawks.ulm.edu

PAGE 16

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE

January 22, 2019

SPORTS

Men’s basketball roasts Ragin’ Cajuns at home

by Kaidan McGowen After a 17-6 run ended in a monstrous alley-oop slam from junior guard JD Williams, it was clear that the Warhawks were going to put on a show for the packed stands of Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Despite the game coming down to the final seconds, ULM was able to shut the door on ULL with a 99-95 victory. The much-needed win comes off consecutive heartbreaking road losses that saw the Warhawks lose in the final seconds of both games.

Sophomore guard Michael Ertel, responsible for 23 points, two rebounds and two assists of his own, said the win was big for the team.

“You know after those two buzzer-beater losses last weekend in Georgia, we were itching to get back on the court and get a win under our belt,” Ertel said.

The win comes off the back of good games from multiple Warhawks. Shooting nearly 50 percent from the court, ULM was putting on a scoring clinic the entire game.

Guard Daishon Smith led the way with 27 points, seven rebounds and eight assists while knocking down four 3-pointers of his own. Williams was also everywhere on the court, scoring 15 points while leading the team in rebounds with nine.

“I think we are really deep,” Ertel said after the game.

“We’ve got about four or five guys that could be the photo by Miles Jordan leading scorer on any given night, so I think that makes us really hard to guard.”

SLAM IT DOWN: JD Williams completes a dunk at Saturday’s game against ULL. While ULM did score 99 points, ULL was able to tack The Warhawks won the game 99-95. on 95 points of their own. The Cajuns managed to string

graphic by Prajal Prasai

together a late comeback in the second half despite being down by as much as 22 points to the Warhawks.

The gap began to close in on the Warhawks with under two minutes left when the Cajuns went on an 8-1 run that brought them within three points, 87-90.

It wasn’t enough in the end though as the Warhawks tacked on nine more points behind a big 3-pointer from Ertel and six free throws from Smith to put the nail in the coffin.

The Warhawks will look to keep the hot play going as they host conference rivals, the Troy Trojans. The game is set to tip-off on Thursday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. in FantEwing Coliseum. contact Kaidan McGowen at mcgowetk@warhawks.ulm.edu

Women’s basketball falls in Lafayette

by Kris Albert

ULM’s women basketball team lost a hard-fought contest in enemy territory, losing to the Ragin’ Cajuns 52-45.

ULM’s loss comes down to one thing, offense. The ball seemed to stick and not move around consistently. ULM fought hard on the defensive end, but the effort was not enough to pull out a road win.

Defensively, the Warhawks had a solid outing and were able to do good things on that side. ULM had five steals as a team with three coming from Tiara Malone.

Lafayette was held to a poor shooting afternoon, shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from behind the arc. ULL’s leading scorers both had only 12 points and ULM forced 18 turnovers.

Arsula Clark led the team in points and rebounds with 16 and 11 respectively.

Diamond Brooks tied her season and career high in points with seven.

Unfortunately, this is where the positives end for the team. While she did have seven points and three steals, Malone only hit two out of her 12 shots.

Clark shot a decent 41 percent going 7-17 from the field. However, she managed only a single assist in her 35 minutes, finishing with more turnovers than assists.

ULM struggled mightily with scoring this game. ULM shot a very low 28 percent from the field (18-64) and eight percent on 3-point shots (2-24). Both are a season low for the Warhawks. This signaled the end from ULM as they were never able to take the lead in the second half.

“It’s hard to fault the effort defensively, we held them to 52 points on their home floor… if you’re going to struggle offensively, there’s very little margin for error on the defensive side,” head

coach Jeff Dow said in an interview with ULM athletics.

At the end of the day, basketball is about putting the ball in the basket, something ULM was not able to do.

Making threes, getting easier shots and spreading the ball around more may help with the offensive effort in future games.

ULM cut the gap to three once again in the fourth only for ULL to go on another run as they scored eight of the next 10 points to put the game away.

“You go two out of 24, that’s going to make it tough. A lot of those were pretty good looks…but if you’re not hitting threes, then how else can you impact the game,” Dow said.

The Warhawks are now 7-9 overall and only 1-4 in the Sun Belt. ULM continues its road trip as they visit Troy on Thursday with tip-off at 6 p.m. contact Kris Albert at albertkx@warhawks.ulm.edu

photo courtesy ULM Athletics

RIDE IT OUT: Amber Thompson takes the ball at Saturday’s game against ULL. ULM lost the game 52-45.