1.26.17

THE ’BIRD THE VIDETTE PRESENTS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017 Vol. 129 / No. 35

INSIDE: Governor calls for ‘bipartisan cooperation’ in third State of the State address news page 3 Should Barb Smith stay or go? sports page 8

videtteonline

Red Hot! Senior point guard breaks steals record, leads ISU to best league start in program history

Paris Lee leads Redbirds to 9-0 in MVC JOSH TOLENTINO Sports Editor | @JCTSports

T

he heart of the Illinois State men’s basketball team knows his days are limited.

So senior Paris Lee is making the most of them.

Lee, a four-year starter for the Redbirds, has improved in every aspect of his game since his arrival to Normal. He is a hawk on the defensive end and continues to improve his jump shot and be the veteran voice ISU relies on.

A Proviso East graduate and Maywood native, Lee has climbed his

way up many categories in the ISU record books. After a six-steal effort last week at Bradley, Lee upped his career steals to 225, becoming ISU’s all-time steals leader, surpassing previous record holder Ron Jones (222).

Since then, Lee has increased his pickpocket tally to 227. He is also in first place among active NCAA players for career steals.

It is the latest, and possibly the most hallowed record in school history. Lee now holds the record, and he continues to add to it.

“Defense has always been so natural to me,” Lee said. “I built lots of repetition pressing and playing

tight on guys in high school. That’s when guys started to respect me ... It’s crazy because here at ISU, I wasn’t really paying attention that I was getting that many steals.

Until after the season, I looked at my numbers and I’m like, ‘man!’

Honestly I’m just trying to play basketball.”

ISU coach Dan Muller knew what Lee was capable of when he recruited him out of high school. Muller imagined Lee might break the steals record, but he never really thought it might come to fruition.

“When I recruited him, I thought he always had a chance,” Muller said.

“But I’m not totally surprised. Paris

ABOVE: Senior Paris Lee tallied 18 points, 6 assists and 2 steals during Illinois State’s 71-66 victory over Indiana State Wednesday.

Photograph by JENNA KADZILULIS | Vidette Photo Editor

is a leader and he always wants to be number one.”

A tenacious defender, Lee comes from a tough background.

“My neighborhood was rough,” Lee said. “It’s a tough place to come out of. It’s easy to get distracted in Maywood but I wanted to play basketball so bad, so that really kept me on task.”

Growing up, Lee always played with older “streetball” players. He credits them for building up his toughness. see Lee page 7

Game photo gallery at videtteonline.com

PAGE 2 | NEWS | THE VIDETTE

Editor in Chief

Ave Rio

News Editors

Ema Sasic Mary Cullen

Illinois jobless rate climbs in December CLAIRE WEINZIERL News Reporter | @ClaireWeinzierl

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Deb Bethel

Sports Editors

Josh Tolentino Beth Geistlinger

Photo Editors

Jenna Kadziulis Kelly McNamara Night Editors

Anya Malley Brigid Ackerman Social Media Manager

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Kevin Rizzo Ad Production Manager

Evan Morris Business Manager

Zach Oldenburg Office Manager

Maddillon Kenney Marketing Team Manager

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Business Adviser

Madeline Smith

General Manager

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DIRECTORY EDITOR 309.438.8745

Illinois’ unemployment rate climbed from 5.6 to 5.7 percent in December.

According to preliminary data released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), during December the state lost 16,700 jobs, which is more than it lost during any other month of 2016.

However, in December 2015 the unemployment rate in Illinois was 6.1 percent. Despite the drop, the state ended 2015 with 28,400 more jobs than it started with in 2016.

The IDES revised its November job numbers and instead of the initially reported 1,700-job gain, the state saw a 4,500-job loss.

Areas affected by the December job losses were mostly in manufacturing, construction, professional and business services, education and health services.

The manufacturing industry suffered the most with a loss of 11,000 jobs.

Construction lost 9,700 jobs, information lost 2,900 jobs and financial activities lost 2,900 jobs.

“Illinois needs structural reforms and a balanced budget to attract new jobs and investment in our state,” Sean McCarthy said in an IDES news release.

McCarthy is acting director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

The job gains in 2016 were better than 2015 when the state lost 3,000

jobs. Professional and business services gained an additional 31,600 jobs, and leisure and hospitality added 11,900 jobs.

The nation’s job rate grew by 1.5 percent over 2016 and saw an increase in the unemployment rate by 4.7 percent. Illinois’ unemployment rate is still significantly higher than that of the nation and the job-gains rate only grew by 0.5 percent.

People who are out of work and currently searching for work are included in unemployment numbers. Illinois reported 374,500 people unemployed in the state in December. This number is about 6,100 more people than reported in November, but 6.5 percent lower than December 2015.

On Jan. 12 the United States Department of Labor reported that 234,000 Americans asked for unemployment aid, making it the lowest number in 43 years, since 1973. This is also a 15,000-person drop from the prior week. The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits was 2.05 million, which is 7.7 percent less than a year before.

The nation’s unemployment rate of 4.9 percent is what economists consider “full employment.”

“I think that the unemployment rate in Illinois is mostly because of the fact that the state still hasn’t even come up with a budget,” Illinois State University sophomore Jenny Miller said. “Illinois is also spending too much money on other things that just don’t provide enough jobs for everyone.”

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Employers in central Illinois advertised for 7,100 job positions in November 2016 and approximately 82 percent were in search of full-time employment, according to Help Wanted OnLine data compiled by the Conference

Board, a global, independent business membership and research association.

“It’s the largest monthly decline we’ve seen this year and the drop was across most sectors,” IDES Director Jeff Mays said in the news release.

The Vidette The Vidette is published Monday and Thursday every week, except for final examinations, holidays, and semester breaks. The Summer Vidette is published every other week. Students are responsible for the content of the Vidette. The views presented do not necessarily represent, in whole or part, those of the Illinois State University administration, faculty, and students.

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THE VIDETTE | NEWS | PAGE 3

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017

2017 ILLINOIS STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS

Gov. Bruce Rauner held his third State of the State address Wednesday in Springfield. He highlighted many of Illinois’ accomplishments, while also discussing many of the things that have to change moving forward.

Rauner remains optimistic about Illinois’ future

G

STORY BY EMA SASIC NEWS EDITOR | PHOTOGRAPHS BY JENNA K ADZIULIS PHOTO EDITOR

ov. Bruce Rauner held his third State of the State address Wednesday in Springfield where he pushed for a “compassionate and competitive” Illinois.

Throughout his 35-minute speech, Rauner held a deeply optimistic tone. However, he shared that he is “frustrated by the slow pace of change in Springfield.”

“Through bipartisan cooperation, Illinois can once again be the economic engine of the Midwest and the home of innovation and prosperity,” Rauner said. “We — Republicans, Democrats, and everyone in between — have a moral obligation to work together to bring change. We, together, can return Illinois to a place of hope, opportunity and prosperity.”

While Rauner drew attention to his accomplishments — signing a bill to test drinking water for lead on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and progress toward making it easier for nonviolent offenders to return to work — he discussed several of Illinois’ low points.

“We haven’t had a full-year budget of some kind in a year-and-a-half, and we haven’t had a state budget that is truly balanced in decades,” he said. “We have more than $11 billion in unpaid bills, a $130 billion unfunded pension liability and the worst credit rating in the nation. We have the fifth highest overall tax burden and one of the lowest rates of job creation of any state.”

Rauner drew attention to how lack of funding for education affects future generations.

“For years Illinois has provided the lowest percentage of education financial support from any state in the country. This is wrong,” he explained. “It denies the American dream to low-income kids.”

He also said progress on reducing crime throughout the state is overshadowed by events taking place in Chicago.

“The violence occurring in Chicago every night is intolerable; we’ve got to bring it to an end,” Rauner said. “Violence experts say there’s no single cause and no single solution.

But with the right mix of policies — with a joint commitment between the city, the county, the state and the federal government — we can and must find solutions to curb the

“I’m cautiously optimistic.

I think the rank and file will continue to push the leaders much like we did for the six-month stopgap budget and come up with a full year’s budget.”

Rep. Dan Brady 105th District

“So we’re going to continue to work in the Senate, we’re going to negotiate with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle and hopefully come up with a final product that is real and has real momentum behind it when it hits the House.”

Sen. Jason Barickman 53rd District

violence.”

Rauner went off script at one point to thank Senators present for “working so hard on a bipartisan basis.” Sen. Jason Barickman (R-53rd District) said the recognition is a hopeful sign for Illinois’ future.

“I was encouraged that the governor seeks bipartisan compromise,” Barickman said.

“He broke from his script to talk about the movement that is being energized in the Senate, and so all of that gives me some hope that maybe we’re on the path here that could break the jam.”

Barickman explained that although the General Assembly is still not ready to vote on a budget for fiscal year 2017, both the House and the Senate have what it takes to approve it.

“I think we have a framework that we can work with, but that framework is not ready yet. We’re not ready to take a vote on anything because there’s no final product yet,” he said.

“So we’re going to continue to work in the Senate, we’re going to negotiate with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle and hopefully come up with a final product that is real and has real momentum behind it when it hits the House.”

Rauner highlighted many goals he hopes to accomplish. One goal he thoroughly stressed was getting jobs in every neighborhood in Illinois, not just certain areas.

“As my good friend Rev. Marshall Hatch has said, nothing stops a bullet like a job. And so we are focused on building opportunity in every community in our state so that every resident of Illinois can share in the American dream,” he said. “That’s our single greatest priority: growing more good-paying jobs everywhere in Illinois.”

He praised efforts made to save employment in the Quad Cities and Clinton and the company Amazon for creating thousands of new jobs, and he remains optimistic other

employers will come to Illinois.

Efforts to expand research with universities across the state to compare with Ivy League universities is another task he has in mind.

“Our goal must be for our great research universities to drive the same stunning level of company formation, entrepreneurship, innovation and wealth creation as Harvard and MIT have done for New England and Stanford and Berkley have done for California,” he said.

Other goals include making the state competitive and attractive as well as passing a bill on term limits.

While several members of the General Assembly praised the governor for speaking highly of the state’s achievements, Rep. Dan Brady (R-105th District) said he remains “cautiously optimistic.”

“I think overall the State of the State is dismal ... The hard thing to do is to pick some of the positives, which [Rauner] did,” Brady explained. “When you look at what’s been done for K-12 education … jobs and the Clinton power plant and the Exelon bill for the Clinton power plant for the Quad Cities, that saved jobs. That put people’s fears to ease — to rest — and so these things can be done and have been done, so why can’t we move forward with a budget process in which to do more and get a full year’s budget?”

“I’m cautiously optimistic. I think the rank and file will continue to push the leaders much like we did for the six-month stopgap budget and come up with a full year’s budget,” he added. “But right now we need to have more action in the House, similar to what is going on in the Senate.”

In his closing remarks, Rauner expressed the same optimism that he began his address with representatives and senators.

“Illinois is home. All of us love it here.

Ultimately, we all want the same things for our home — good jobs, strong schools and safe communities. It’s just a question of respecting each other’s views on how we get there,” he said. “If we negotiate in good faith, we can move Illinois forward as a state which is both competitive and compassionate.”

“Now, let’s work together to get the job done.”

Viewpoint

PAGE 4 | THE VIDETTE

VIDETTE EDITORIAL

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017

Trump’s first acts as president confirm nightmares

P

r e s i d e n t Trump has signed a handful of executive orders since his inauguration Friday, many of which are pissing off large sums of his opposers.

For starters though, we need to know what exactly an executive order is.

An executive order is a document signed by the president that declares government policy. It gives government agencies and departments rules on how to operate in certain areas.

These orders are legally binding but also allow a president to overturn a previous president’s executive orders — note the sense of foreshadowing here.

Thankfully, executive orders cannot reverse a law passed by Congress. Unfortunately, we have an astonishingly one-sided government.

“Global Gag Rule” First called the “Mexico City Policy” when it was written by then-President Ronald Reagan, this policy prohibited international abortion counseling.

The order reinstated by Trump prevents foreign organizations that are even slightly U.S. federally funded from “providing counseling or referrals for abortion or advocating for access to abortion services in their country.”

Disgustingly enough, the signing of this order went viral after people noticed something crucial missing from the room — a woman.

Someone with a uterus who is even capable of potentally having an abortion.

Unfortunately, this trend is

nothing new to the American people.

This order does not directly affect abortion services in the U.S. However, Trump is an avid supporter of banning abortion and doing away with Planned Parenthood all together. He is too one-sided to notice that Planned Parenthood does a lot more than provide abortions to those in need.

Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines Two separate orders were signed on the advancement of both hotly contested oil pipelines. Considering the possible implications on global warming, the debate is more than warranted.

The Dakota Access pipeline

Affordable Care Act One of Trump’s first executive orders was aimed at weakening his arch nemesis: Obamacare. His order directed the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies to “waive, defer, grant exceptions from or delay the implementation” of the Affordable Care Act that creates a financial burden on states, individuals or healthcare providers.

The Trump administration has yet to propose a replacement to Obamacare and dismantling it will leave the 6.4 million Americans who signed up for the coverage in 2017 without any healthcare.

crosses a Native American landmark in the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Protesters and tribe members argue that the near $4 billion pipeline would destroy ancient tribal artifacts and trample their lands.

Before Trump became president, the Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) was tasked with finding an alternative route for this pipeline.

Trump is saying screw that, after all, it would take too much time when there is money to be made so he has asked the CoE to give the Standing Rock location another look.

Keystone XL will run from Canada all the way down to the U.S. Gulf Coast refineries. Obama stopped construction on this

Editorial Cartoon by Ashley Brown | Vidette Editorial Cartoonist

project in 2015 due to the message it would send about climate change.

Trump ignores climate change entirely in both of these cases. But how can we blame him? The man just learned what climate change even is.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership After bashing the partnership since the start of his campaign, Trump has signed an order doing away with one of Obama’s brainchildren: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

TPP allows for trade between Pacific Ocean bordering countries — 12 of them to be exact. This project was geared toward deepening economic ties between nations and using this trade to boost their growth.

Trump has called it a “horrible deal” from the start and insists it is merely sending jobs out of America.

Vowing to put “America first” in his inaugural address, Trump believes doing away with U.S. involvement in the TPP will do just that.

Federal hiring freeze No federal agencies or departments can fill vacant spots or open new positions other than military or critical public safety roles.

This is Trump’s first step towards “draining the swamp” that is our federal government.

One question, though, Mr. President. Do you plan on stepping down yourself, or are we in charge of draining the swamp that has recently moved into the White House?

Editorial written by MARY CULLEN, a member of The Vidette’s Editorial Board. Editorial policy is determined by the student editor, and views expressed in editorials are those of the majority of The Vidette’s Editorial Board. Columns that carry bylines are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Vidette or the University.

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‘Hidden Figures’ should not be hidden

MY VIEW KEVIN SCHWALLER | Columnist

A

s much as I love a trip to the movies, I’ll admit few leave me feeling the way “Hidden Figures” did. Based on the lives of three African-American women who once worked for NASA, the film left me feeling determined and hopeful. In today’s political climate, those two concepts keep me positive.

The only problem is, I should have known who these women were and what they did long before I saw the film. Going into the theater, I had no knowledge

of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, or of what they did.

Johnson, who is still alive, was the first African-American woman to climb the ranks at NASA, due to her mathematical excellence.

She calculated trajectories for astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit the planet, among other space missions.

Vaughan was the leader of a computing team, and the first African-American woman to supervise a staff at NASA. She also taught herself how to use a new computer software.

Jackson became NASA’s first African-American female engineer; to receive this title, she had to request special permission from a judge to take classes at a segregated high school.

Unfortunately, history treated these women unfairly. They were not mentioned in any of my his-

tory textbooks growing up, and based on similar reactions from a plethora of people, it’s safe to assume they weren’t in anyone else’s, either.

The space program was, and still may be, considered a man’s world. Women, especially women of color, were not praised for their work. NASA is much more than the famous astronauts you know; it was built on the behind-thescenes work of its unsung heroes, and several of them happened to be African-American woman.

This concept left me troubled.

How many other people of color have contributed to the success of the country without getting the recognition they deserve?

I can’t help but wonder if American history lesson plans and textbooks celebrated and credited more figures like Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson, there would be less tension and judge-

REDBIRD RUMBLE or FUMBLE Redbird Rumble:

To ISUPD for renovating a room specifically designed to make crime victims feel more comfortable and encourage victims to speak with law enforcement in a non-threatening environment.

ment in today’s society.

Children are influenced by who they watch on television and in movies, and by what they read and learn about in classrooms.

When people of color have achieved such greatness, there is no reason why their work should not be recognized in modern-day history books.

It’s important for youth to see themselves represented. Not many Hollywood period dramas explore empowerment and success, but “Hidden Figures” does both, while also focusing on African-American women in the 1960s and maintaining an overall positive tone.

Despite the situation they were in, the women in the film didn’t live in fear or trivialize themselves in the face of discrimination.

They had to work twice as hard to acheive respect in the workforce.

There is an undeniable impor-

tance of this movie, as it successfully paints the achievements made by women of color onto the screen. Now, young women who possess a sense of galactic interest can look back to these women who made history.

Since Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson’s stories are left out of textbooks, this film should be shown in classrooms everywhere.

It makes a terrific point about the ability to shatter glass ceilings and opens our eyes to incredible people that did incredible things.

It is up to us to tell these stories to make sure no one remains hidden.

Kevin Schwaller is a news reporter and columnist for The Vidette.

He can be reached at vidette_ kschwal@ilstu.edu. Follow him on Twitter @kevschwa.

Compiled by The Vidette Editorial Board

Redbird Fumble: To Gov. Bruce Rauner for not taking more

responsiblity for the ongoing budget stalemate during his State of the State address Wednesday.

THE VIDETTE | NEWS | PAGE 5

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017

Illinois may raise taxes on sugary drinks KEVIN SCHWALLER Senior News Reporter | @Kevschwa

A new bill named the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Act in the Illinois Senate may affect soda drinkers by implementing a penny-per-ounce tax.

The Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Act would impact any beverage with at least five grams of caloric sweetener sold by a retailer. Sweetened syrups and powders are also included.

According to a press release by Pepsi MidAmerica, there would be a nearly 70-cent increase for two-liter soda bottles and a 12 pack of soda could increase by $1.44.

Introduced by Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights), the bill could bring in $560 million annually, according to The Southern Illinoisan.

While retailers would face a costly upcharge, there is a chance it could help lower obesity rates and improve health.

Illinois State University junior and family and consumer science major Christina Delach said she supports the idea, but does not know how effective it will be.

“In theory it’s a good idea. However, most sugary foods and drinks are less expensive when compared to healthy alternatives. Putting a tax won’t change the sticker price, which might be what people make their decision off of,” Delach said. “If someone truly likes a specific drink, a tax probably won’t stop them from purchasing it. It’s like tobacco products; people who like to or want to smoke are going to continue to smoke.”

According to a synopsis of the bill on the Illinois General Assembly website, 98 percent of revenue gathered from the tax would be deposited into the state’s General Revenue Fund.

Cook County agreed upon a similar plan in November that will go into effect July 1. If the new bill is passed, Chicago residents would have to pay even more taxes on sugary drinks.

Pepsi MidAmerica Executive Vice President and General Manager John Rains expressed concern for the future of retailers.

“It’s a senseless tax since it will drive down the volume upon which it depends to raise revenue,” Rains said in the Pepsi MidAmerica press release. “Not only will this affect the liquid refreshment companies, but as it depresses sales, it will pose a significant impact

$0.70

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2 Liter Cola

STEPHANIE RODRIGUEZ News Reporter | @StephanieRoddd

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increase per 12 pack of soda

12 Pack Cola $560,000,000 of tax revenue for the government from the increase on sodas and any other sugary beverages.

Illustration by Nicholas Buegel

on convenience stores, restaurants, grocery, schools — basically anyone serving liquid refreshments.”

President of Borowiak’s Independent Grocers Alliance Trevor Borowiak said the taxes will have a negative impact on families already struggling to pay for things.

“The burden of this regressive tax on liquid refreshments will affect Illinois families who are already paying too much of their income on taxes,” Borowiak said in the press release. “Consumers do not need the government telling them what to put in their shopping cart.”

Delach said sugar is a major contributor to poor health.

“Sugar causes an increase in body fat. If it’s carried around the abdomen it can have greater health consequences than fat carried in other places in the body,” Delach explained. “[It can also] cause dehydration and poor oral health.”

“These drinks also set kids up for poor dietary habits that can be carried over into adulthood,” she added.

If passed, the bill could be imposed sometime in May.

Burger Baskets:

Milner Library received the largest grant in its history earlier this month when the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) announced it will give Milner $268,000.

The money Milner will receive is going towards the digitization of more than 300 circus route books dating from 1842-1969.

Head of Special Collections at Milner Library Maureen Brunsdale will spearhead the effort that will include working with two other institutions.

“Here in Milner the grant covers our digitizing of over 350 route books,” Brunsdale said. “There are probably about 400 route books that are known to exist, not all of those route books are here in Milner however, they are held collectively by Circus World in Baraboo, WI and the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Fl. Together we were all awarded this grant — it wasn’t just Milner — but we took the lead on it,” Brunsdale said.

Route books, which Brunsdale described as essentially circus yearbooks, are items most do not even know exist. However, the large sum of the grant shows how important route books are to the CLIR. “[The grant is] a way of providing funds to bring to light something that otherwise would be hidden and while we — the three of our institutions — know about the beauty of route books and the value of them for historians, researchers and genealogists, no

one else really does,” Brunsdale said.

After hearing about the shutting down of the Greatest Show on Earth, Brunsdale said she was upset but felt it adds more value to the work she and her collogues do. “[The circus closing] is devastating. It’s heartbreaking to learn about the decision to close the Greatest Show on Earth: the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and in some ways it makes what we do here and at other institutions even more important,” Brunsdale said.

“It’s our job to maintain the circus’ history. There are other circuses beyond Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, but certainly that’s one of the longest lived — 146 years is more than I’ll ever see,” Brunsdale said.

According to Brunsdale the route books usually contain photos of the places the circus traveled to, a detailed list of all of the cities, what performers might have done while visiting and names of the performers.

Having the opportunity to work with the other institutions on this project is something Milner Library is looking forward to.

“I couldn’t be more excited about working with them as this is the first time that the big three institutions for circus research are working together to get something like this done,” Brunsdale said. “I think it’s a very exciting opportunity for each of our institutions. I think anytime you put minds together you’re going to come up with a greater outcome, and I think that is going to happen here,” Brunsdale said.

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Features

PAGE 6 | THE VIDETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017

Comedy and celebration highlight weekend activities Winter Carnival – National Skating Month Celebration Celebrate National Skating Month from 2 to 3:20 p.m.

Sunday at the Pepsi Ice Center in Bloomington. For the celebration, there will be games, giveaways, skating exhibitions and a free learn-to-skate class for those who are not as familiar on the ice. The admission fee is reduced by $1 for Sunday’s festivities.

Professor John McHale stresses the importance of organization and determination for a beneficial school year.

Anna Gallagher Vidette Photographer

McHale gives advice for successful semester More than just studying, being a passionate student leads to achievement JAKE PLAUTZ Features Reporter | @JakePlautz

C

o l l e g e students across the country sometimes struggle to keep good grades throughout their college careers, and Illinois State University students are no different.

For those looking for guidance, Professor John McHale of the School of Communication gave his tips to keeping high grades this semester.

“Number one: don’t procrastinate,” McHale said. “It is far better to find that you have done sufficient work early on than to realize you don’t have time to do the necessary work.”

Many students in the School of Communication have taken one of McHale’s classes — Convergent Media Writing. These tips McHale had to offer echoed what he tried to tell his students in class. Most of his

former students would say he emphasizes the importance of revising, rewriting then repeating.

McHale also offered more obvious, yet often overlooked advice. “Decide to be an enthusiastic learner,” McHale said. “As soon as I realized I was in school to learn, I became more excited about studying and writing, because it is what I wanted to do.”

And writing is exactly what McHale has been doing. After graduating with six different degrees, including a Ph. D. in Communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia, McHale has been writing, producing and directing films.

McHale has had a lasting effect on his students. ISU senior Audrey Anfield said, “The thing I remember most about McHale was his enthusiasm and energy. Everyone needs an energetic teacher.”

McHale’s energy and love for teaching can be seen in any of his classes. He engages the students in his classroom, be it asking questions or making the students laugh.

He also emphasized how important the end of the semester is. “In most classes, the last three weeks of the semester can determine a whole letter grade,” McHale said. “It is critical to convert those last few weeks of the semester.”

After giving plenty of great advice, McHale said the most important thing about academic success is not about the grades, but about challenging oneself to do better. “The grades come naturally after we make that commitment,” McHale said. “If a student commits to becoming better at whatever they do by learning from their mistakes and successes, they will be more successful in school and in life.”

“If a student commits to becoming better at whatever they do by learning from their mistakes and successes, they will be more successful in school and in life.”

John McHale, professor in the School of Communication

What did your professor do over break?

Educators continue to work, research while students relax with fewer responsibilities EMILY GRIFFITH Features Reporter | @emilygriffy

The words “Winter Break” can be deceiving to some.

While students were able to leave their classroom obligations and responsibilities behind momentarily, that was not the case for Illinois State University professors over Winter Break.

Coordinator of academic services for the Department of Geography and Geology, Paul Meister’s break did not officially start until Dec. 23.

Until then, he worked on campus in order to get ready for the new semester.

During Winter Break, Meister assisted associate professor of geology Robert S. Nelson, Ph. D., with replacing sensors in a seismograph and GPS unit to provide more accurate tracking of central Illinois movement.

Meister’s break, however, was not entirely all work and no play.

In addition to spending time with friends and traveling throughout central Illinois, Meister got to see his 40 nieces and

nephews.

Meister’s favorite thing he did over break was nothing.

“There was one day when I didn’t do anything and it was awesome,” Meister said. “My wife and I said we weren’t going to do anything that day besides hang out at home with the dogs and the cat ... that was probably my favorite day.”

As much as he enjoyed the short break he had, Meister is happy to have all the ISU students back.

“I’d look out at the Quad and there’s literally no one there, and it looked like a ghost town ... It’s more exciting and there’s more energy [with ISU students’ return],” he said.

John McHale, Ph.D., associate professor for the School of Communication, enjoyed a productive break where he worked on one of his true passions — writing.

“I do enjoy when I wake up and the only thing on my plate for the day is to write,” McHale said.

McHale is currently co-writing a full-length feature film. This break allowed him to revise the first and second draft.

The feature film called “Heartland in the Hood” is about a traditional Nebraska farmer and his family losing their farm and inheriting a corner store on the southside of Chicago.

In addition, McHale was able to chair and administer for the Broadcast Education Association’s national student screenplay competition.

“I had a wonderful break. I had time to travel and see family,” McHale said. “I was happy to get so much done during the break, but I’m excited by being back in the classroom learning with students.”

Seeing herself as a workaholic, Department of Sociology and Anthropology professor Susan Sprecher, Ph.D., enjoyed both her time spent with family and time spent working on research.

“I worked, but I took my work in various places,” Sprecher said.

“I probably worked every day, well besides Christmas Eve and Christmas.”

In addtion to preparing for the second semester, Sprecher reviewed five research manuscripts, serving as the

president of the International Association for Relationship Research. She said each took her about four hours.

“Obviously we [ISU professors] take off and relax a bit more, but we also try to get a lot of work done,” Sprecher said.

Sprecher enjoys the variety and nature of a professor’s work because they are able to take it anywhere.

“You can still feel productive even when you’re in Wisconsin,” she said.

That being said, Sprecher was finally able to visit her 90-year-old father who lives in Wisconsin after the busy semester.

She was also able to see her two daughters and three grandchildren, one of whom was born in November. Spending this quality time with her family was her favorite thing she did over Winter Break.

Being a professor is no easy job.

ISU students are thankful to have such dedicated staff who work tirelessly to provide their students with a great education.

Comedian Louie Anderson performs at BCPA Love comedy? At 7:30 p.m.

Friday at the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts, two-time Emmy Award winner Louie Anderson will delight the community with his stand up. Anderson has appeared on Comedy Central and is rated one of the Top 100 standup comics of all time. Tickets range from $28 to $35 and can be bought online or at the box office.

Community Players Theatre celebrates 95 years It’s out with the old and in with the new as the Community Players Theatre celebrates its 95th anniversary Gala and season announcement from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday at ISU’s Brown Ballroom. The night will include a full dinner, cash bar, live performances from past productions, a silent auction and more.

Along with a celebration of the theater’s rich history, the future season will be announced.

ISU Planetarium Presents “Flight Adventures” Watch through the eyes of a granddaughter and grandfather as they discover birds, planes, kites, the story of flight and what the future holds. The show will run Saturdays from Jan. 28 through May 6. Admission to the show is $4 for adults, $3 for children ages 5-12 and seniors and $2 for children ages 3-4.

Tickets can be purchased at the Planetarium Gift Shop 20 minutes prior to each show.

Chinese New Year – Year of the Fire Rooster Saturday will begin the Chinese New Year, the year of the fire rooster. The Chinese New Year changes depending on lunar cycles. This year it will begin on Jan. 28 and festivities will end Feb 2. This is a colorful holiday and means something different for everyone celebrating depending on what year they were born.

This year anyone born in 1993 should look out, as it is considered unlucky for those born in the same zodiac; but there are many ways to fight bad luck and celebrate the new year this weekend.

Compiled by Erin Aniolowski

THE VIDETTE | SPORTS | PAGE 7

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017

LYONS Continued from page 8

Although it wasn’t an official buyout, the last coach to receive money for leaving ISU was former football coach Denver Johnson, who received $200,000 after resigning in 2008. ISU last used the buyout clause when it terminated former men’s basketball coach Porter Moser in 2007, who compiled a 51-67 record in four seasons. Moser had three years left on his contract and was awarded $510,000.

When this disastrous season concludes, Lyons will have another sit-down with Smith to discuss the future of the program mov ing for ward.

Compensation for the final year is to be negotiated, but cannot be below the present figure of $225,900.

In an interview with The Vidette this week, Smith said she appreciates ISU’s patience and is “confident the winning will come.”

But what if the winning doesn’t come? ISU faces a steep challenge to recover from what Smith has done. Can fans bear another year of distress and failure?

SMITH Continued from page 8

Unfortunately for Smith, all the successes have not transferred over to ISU as she would have liked. However, there is still time for this program to resurface and get back on track with Smith at the helm.

In her first season, Smith helped the Redbirds win a total of eight MVC games, including a win over Northern Iowa in the MVC tournament. She also led the Redbirds to finish sixth in the MVC, which was two spots higher than their projected finish. Her first season also included a win over SEC opponent, Florida.

Smith took over a team which lost its offense to graduation, but she groomed Chloe Nelson to be the leader of the team before losing her that May. It was a good start and left optimism for the future.

In year two of the Smith era, the Redbirds only managed to win two games on their way to a

2-28 finish. This was a major step backward.

Year three brought a record of 8-22, and a record of 6-12 in the MVC. Improvement upon year two of Barb Smith, very similar to year one.

“The buy-in was not there, which is typical when you have a coaching change,” Smith said about her first couple seasons in Normal.

The Redbirds have had a rough go in the 2016-17 campaign to this point. They currently sit at 4-14, 1-6 MVC record.

ISU, whose roster features just three upperclassmen, is one of the youngest teams in the country.

Smith told The Vidette in a recent interview, “We’ve worked really, really hard to get our culture right and I feel like this year, more than any others, we’ve got people bought in, people working extra in the gym.”

Another change at this point might dig the women’s program into a deeper hole than it is in right now.

LEE

Continued from page 8

“It has a lot to do with the way I play,” Lee said.

“I’ve always played with older guys. A lot of the guys I played with, they weren’t really organized basketball players. I built my toughness playing outside with those guys. They pushed me around, they didn’t let me get anything easy. That’s how Chicago is.”

His mentality and success has translated to ISU. Lee, along with Tony Wills, MiKyle McIntosh and Deontae Hawkins, are part of Muller’s first recruiting class. His senior leadership has guided

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Less than a decade ago, ISU consistently competed for championships and nearly 4,000 fans packed the arena for each game. Over the last four seasons, the Redbirds have been fighting to stay relevant and out of last place; they can barely get 600 people to watch their games.

When Lyons announced Smith would return last spring, he said ISU saw improvement and progress.

It isn’t that hard to progress from two wins in 30 tries.

Enough is enough.

The downward trend needs to stop immediately and it beg ins w it h t he head coach and administration. Four years is more than enough time to establish program culture and identity.

Smith has scarred the ISU women’s basketball program and dug a hole too deep for ISU to recover from quickly. But when will the administration realize it?

Maybe scoring zero points in a quarter will be the wake-up call they need. It isn’t too far fetched of a thought.

After all, anything is possible with Barb Smith at the helm.

Give this thing one more year – the remaining year of Smith’s contract to turn this around.

Turnarounds don’t happen overnight. When looking at Smith’s track record, it is worth giving her the last year of her contract to prove she’s got the team and the tools to turn this around.

Taylor Stewart has played all four years of her college career under Smith. Stewart approves of Smith, saying she has been upbeat and positive all season.

She has also been inspired by Smith to become a coach upon graduation.

Smith has one year left on her contract. She is a positive voice in the locker room and her resume proves she can produce and recruit winning programs.

The women on this year’s team have bought in and Smith has one more class coming in.

Keeping her at the helm for one more year and hoping for improvement is not the worst thing Illinois State could do.

ISU to a 17-4, 9-0 MVC record, its best start in decades. Lee knows ISU still has unfinished business.

Even during its toughest games this season, the Redbirds have leaned on their defense and Lee continues to pave the way.

“It’s our last go around,” Lee said. “We don’t want to let each other down. We all talked about it this summer...we have to come together and find a way to win.”

Josh Tolentino is a Sports Editor at the Vidette. He can be reached at vidette_jtolent@ilstu.edu. Follow him on Twitter @JCTSports.

Emma Horath | Senior Photographer

The Redbirds will start a four-game homestand against Evansville Friday.

Women’s basketball weekend preview MIKE MARRA Sports Reporter | @MikeMarraILSTU

The Illinois State women’s basketball team will open up a four game home stand starting w ith a match-up versus the Evansville Aces on Friday night.

Illinois State (4-14, 1-6 MVC) enters Friday night’s game having dropped six straight Missouri Valley Conference games after opening up MVC play with a victory over Bradley.

Four of the six losses for the Redbirds have come by double digits, including losses of 38 points and 51 points.

Brechelle Beachum will look to build on last week’s games where she scored double digit points in both contests and earned a start in Sunday’s game after coming off the bench Friday night.

The Redbirds’ opponent Friday, Evansville (8-10, 3-4 MVC) is 2-5 on the road this season.

The Purple Aces are coming off a 63-60 victory versus Southern Illinois on Sunday. Prior to Sunday’s win, Evansville had lost four games in a row.

Two Purple Aces come into the match-up Friday averaging more than 15 points.

Sara Dickey is averaging 15.8 points per game, while Camary Williams comes in averaging 15.2 points per game. The duo will look to score it against a Redbird defense who has str uggled

stopping opponents this season.

Evansville has used the same starting lineup in all 18 games this season. The Redbirds can expect to see that same five, should the Purple Aces stay consistent.

Matt Ruffing was named head coach of the Purple Aces on December 21 of this season. Since taking over, Evansville is 4-4.

Tip-off for Friday’s game is set for 7 p.m.

Sunday afternoon, Southern Illinois (8-10, 2-5 MVC) will pay a visit to Redbird Arena.

Southern Illinois will wrap up a three game road trip when they come to Normal. The Salukis lost the first game of three straight road games to Evansville on Sunday and take on Bradley Friday night in Peoria.

Southern Illinois will be led by three players who are averaging double figures. Rishonda Napier is averaging 13.2 points per game, Kylie Giebelhausen comes in averaging 12.6, while Kim Nebo is scoring 10.3 points per game.

Southern Illinois is 0-3 this season in MVC games played on the road.

Sunday’s tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.

Mike Marra is a Sports Editor at the Vidette. He can be reached at mmarra@ilstu.edu. Follow him on Twitter @MikeMarraILSTU.

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Sports

PAGE 8 | THE VIDETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017

On the hot seat: Barb Smith

Lyons needs to make big changes

MY VIEW JOSH TOLENTINO | Sports Editor | @JCTSports

A

t some point this season, the Illinois State women’s basketball team will win another game. Or will it?

It was perfectly reasonable to ask when, or if, the Redbirds will ever pick up another victory after ISU scored just three points in the first quarter during a 38-point loss to Northern Iowa Sunday at Redbird Arena.

Sure, it was a wake-up call, but how many disasters will ISU Athletics and Director of Athletics Larry Lyons need to witness until they make necessary changes to a program sitting at an all-time low?

Following the Northern Iowa loss, the Redbirds were run out of the gym in another blowout, this time a 51-point defeat to Drake. ISU averages 18 turnovers per contest and has lost 11 of its last 12 games.

On April 15, 2013, ISU Athletics hired Barb Smith to take over the women’s basketball program, which was coming off four straight Women’s National Invitational runs and a NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008. Smith (24-84) has ran a once glorious program into the ground.

Smith is making $225,900 this year and has received a raise after each season -- all losing records.

Smith was hired as the thirdhighest-paid coach in the Missouri Valley Conference.

In a recent interview, Lyons said

24 WINS

18

VS

Women’s coach deserves one more year

84

LOSSES

TURNOVERS PER GAME

33.2

MY VIEW

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

MICHAEL MARRA | Sports Reporter | @MikeMarraILSTU

T

here is no secret. It has been rough.

Barb Smith was brought into Illinois State with 27 years of experience at the Division I level. ISU in is her second head coaching job and MVC she is currently in her fourth season at the helm of the Redbird women’s basketball team.

Smith came to ISU having played Illustration by Nicholas Buegel | Vidette Art Director and coached teams that made the before ISU hired Smith, it was lookcourt. Even Lyons admitted winning NCAA Tournament multiple times, ing to continue to move forward is the only thing that will turn this while also winning multiple conference championships. with the women’s basketball proprogram around.

Smith walked on the basketball team at Ohio State her gram and “there was no indication Someone needs to be held acfreshman year. Entering her sophomore season, she earned a that wouldn’t be the case.” countable for this mistake. scholarship and the starting point guard position. As a member There was a clear indication the Former Athletic Director Gary of the Buckeyes, Smith won four Big Ten titles and made it to program could head south fast, as Friedman hired Smith, so her hiring the NCAA Tournament three times. Smith played under current evidenced during Smith’s lone head- does not fall totally on Lyons’ shoulStanford head coach and Hall of Famer Tara VanDerVeer. coaching stint prior to ISU, when ders. But, what she has done at ISU, In 1988, Smith joined the University of Colorado coaching she was the head of another train or lack thereof, is totally on Lyons staff as the lead assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. wreck at San Diego State. Smith and his administration.

She worked under Hall of Famer Ceal Barry. Smith produced went 49-86 in five seasons at SDSU After this year, Smith has one three top 10 recruiting classes at Colorado, which led to five before her contract was terminated year remaining on her five-year Big 8 Conference regular-season championships, four Big 8 in 2002. Not only has her lack of contract. A buyout would cost ISU tournament titles and a Big 12 tournament championship. success mirrored from SDSU to ISU, $250,000.

Smith went on to receive her first head-coaching job at she is on pace to do much worse Lyons maintains the buyout cost San Diego State, where the Aztecs had their highest-ranked with the Redbirds. has “not been a factor” in retaining recruiting class in program history. Outside of a few positives, While Lyons and Deputy Director Smith the past three years. there isn’t much else to say about her tenure at SDSU. Her of Athletics Leanna Bordner -- who However, a source within the ISU contract was terminated in 2002 after she garnered a 49-86 played a lead role in Smith’s hiring Athletics Department, who works record.

-- claim academic success, citizenclosely with Lyons and requested Prior to ISU, Smith had assistant coaching stints at ship and the fact Smith is a woman anonymity, said the decision to not California, Minnesota and Saint Louis. are factors ISU considered, winning fire Smith is “absolutely a money Smith has been places that have won and has shown that she is one requirement that cannot be decision.” can be a major part of a winning program. She has had more ignored. Whatever off-court success A coaching buyout has yet to octhan 10 top-20 recruiting classes and an ability to do good Smith has achieved, not even a fraccur under Lyons’ administration. things for a basketball program. tion of that has translated onto the See SMITH on page 7 See LYONS on page 7

LAST PLACE

Redbirds keep on rolling, sweep series vs. Indiana State to stay perfect in MVC NICK DAMIANI Sports Reporter | @nGdamiani

Illinois State continued its perfect season in the Missouri Valley by defeating Indiana State, 71-66, Wednesday night in front of 5,738 at Redbird Arena.

It was far from an easy night as the Redbirds moved to 9-0 in conference play. In the first half the Sycamores held the Redbirds to 32 percent shooting, while causing seven turnovers. Senior forward Deontae Hawkins felt it was going to be a tough night right from warmups.

“We were kind of sluggish in warmups, I felt it and coach felt it,” Hawkins said. “We knew it was going to be a grind tonight.”

Hawkins and Phil Fayne paced the Redbirds’ offense in the first half. Fayne started off red hot scoring seven of the team’s first 10 points. Yet, the Redbirds found themselves down 30-28 at the break.

In the second half the Redbirds turned to the leadership of senior Paris Lee. After just a 3-point first half, Lee exploded for 15 in in the second. His maturity was

on display in the game’s final minute, when he stepped to the free throw line and drained a pair to seal the win. Lee answered the call of his teammates in the second half.

“Deontae, Tony and D.J. told me, we’re not going to win unless you pick it up,” Lee said, who finished with 18 points, six assists and two steals in 29 minutes. “So when my guys needed me it made me step up”.

Hawkins and Fay ne led a ll scorers with 19 each while D.J. Clayton chipped in six points and Deontae seven rebounds Hawkins off the bench.

The Sycamores came out determined to stop MiKyle McIntosh, this time around as in the teams’ first matchup in Terre Haute, Ind., McIntosh went off for 31 points. Wednesday night he was shutout in the first half and finished with six points and three turnovers.

Coach Dan Muller acknowledged McIntosh seemed slowed

by a knee injury he was dealing with earlier in the week.

Brenton Scott led the Sycamores with 15 points, while T.J. Bell chipped in 12 of his own.

Indiana State shot 48 percent in the second half, but struggled to stay in front of the Redbirds, committing 17 fouls. Indiana State coach Greg Lansing sang high praise of the Redbirds calling them “one of the better teams in the country.”

The Redbirds’ ninth straight conference win and 17th straight home victory tied the school records.

Illinois State’s defensive mentality all season has been to hold opponents under 40 percent from the field. The Redbirds were not able to do that on Wednesday evening, allowing the Sycamores to shoot 42.1 percent (24-of-57).

But the Redbirds buckled down defensively at the end of the game finishing the contest on a 9-3 run.

The Redbirds will look to go 10-0 in conference play at 3 p.m.

Sunday when they take on the Evansville Purple Aces. ISU won the first meeting 62-50 on Dec. 29th.

Kelly McNamara | Vidette Photo Editor

DJ Clayton scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds during Illinois State’s 71-66 win over Indiana State on Wednesday at Redbird Arena.