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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 06, 2018 Vol. 131 | No. 06
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THURSDAY BIRD SPECIAL
Deets on Dietz
A one-on-one discussion with the head bird
I
llinois State University is striving to enhance diversity, enrollment and funding in the institution. In a wide-ranging interview Wednesday with The Vidette, President Larry Dietz said the institution is continuing to take steps toward increasing its numbers. Dietz also discussed the plans for meeting the university’s goals, continuing diversity and how ISU is working on its current financial issues. What follows is part of the question-and-answer session.
“My focus has generally been on the values and trying to set up ways to live into ways of the institution … We’ve had a value in scholarly achievement for faculty and also for students. So we want our faculty to be on top of their game from the discipline point of view and we want students to achieve well in the classroom. We want our students to be involved in the community and we want them to learn leadership skills while they’re here or honing already existing skills so when they get out and get a job in their field they can also be in their community making contributions.”
Q: The new strategic plan rolled out this year. Can you give us an insight as to what the goal of the strategic plan is?
see DIETZ on page 3
Story complied by BECKY FLETCHER and CINDY HERNANDEZ | News Editors Photograph by ALI RASPER | Photo Editor
PAGE 2 | NEWS | THE VIDETTE
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ISU alumna advocates drunk driving prevention GRACE BARBIC News Reporter | @gracebarbic
Every decision has a consequence and on March 29, 2014, one wrong decision changed the lives of so many people. Allison Seys was a junior at Illinois State University. She woke up thinking she was going to have a great night out with friends for their semiformal dance. After the dance, Seys and her two friends, Michael Collins and Tawni Ricketts, decided they wanted to finish the night off at the bars in downtown Bloomington. When the night was over, the friends made the wise decision to call a designated driver. Not everyone was as wise. Under the influence of drugs and alcohol and traveling over 130 mph, a woman ran a red light and hit the car that Seys, Collins and Ricketts were riding in. Ricketts suffered from severe injuries to her lower back and had to be airlifted to Iowa City, according to Seys who, along with the driver, suffered from less serious injuries. Collins passed away on April 2, 2014, as a result of the accident. Seys decided that she would not let this tragedy define her. From that day, she vowed to share her story in the hopes of educating others and putting an end to drunk driving. That is when she decided to get involved with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). “Mothers Against Drunk Driving is not just for mothers-- it’s for anyone impacted by or against impaired driving,” said Seys. “I hope I can use my voice, our story and Michael’s legacy to save someone else’s life.”
MADD has national partnerships with Uber, State Farm, Nationwide and the NFL. Its goal is to reach a future of zero fatalities from impaired driving whether through legislation, federal regulatory framework and technology in vehicles or supporting the autonomous vehicle industry. Seys is the program coordinator for MADD Illinois. She partners with K-12 schools, law enforcement and other organizations to help spread its Photo Submitted by Allison Seys mission to end drunk driving, Illinois State University alumna Allison Seys became a part of fight drugged driving, prevent Mothers Against Drunk Driving after a tragic accident. She now underage drinking and support advocates for the organization to prevent future accidents. victims of these crimes. “MADD provides a commuonly getting those impaired drivers off the road, but nity within itself of everyone impacted by these by promoting the initiative which prevented people crimes,” said Seys. “It helps ensure that those from even trying to drive impaired,” said Seys. we’ve lost will always be remembered and serve as One of Seys’ biggest goals is to build a relationmotivation to continue to fight against impaired ship between MADD, RSOs and Greek life. With driving.” the many socials and gatherings that are going The organization hosts four “Walk Like MADD” on, she thinks that their message can serve as an events each year. Seys said this gives survivors, important reminder. victims’ families and anyone who wants to supShe personally shares that she is not against port MADD an opportunity to come out to walk, drinking. She wants people to understand that pay tribute to loved ones and honor law enforce- she is not saying that going out and having a good ment for their DUI enforcement laws. time is a bad decision, but rather she is advocatMADD also partnered with local, county and ing people of drinking age to make responsible state law enforcement for a DUI enforcement decisions. initiative in August known as “Saturation SaturIf Seys’ story can stop one person from getday.” From reports that MADD received, 65 DUI ting behind the wheel impaired or give them the arrests were made that night. courage to take the keys from someone who has, “Who knows how many lives were saved by not then she has reached her goal.
State Farm closures could affect BloNo ANDREA RICKER News Reporter | @ricker_andrea
Due to State Farm growing and changing as a company, it will be closing its center in Jacksonville, Florida in 2019. This will result in several employees transferring to Bloomington-Normal. “We don’t know how the closure of the Jacksonville facility will affect Bloomington-Normal, because we don’t know the number of employees that will ultimately end up there,” states Jim Camoriano, State Farm’s Public Affairs Senior Specialist. Over the past few years, the corporation has been growing due to the needs of customers and the marketplace. Because of this, State Farm has decided to take advantage of the space it already has. This means moving centers like Jacksonville to some of the bigger centers like its Bloomington headquarters.
“We do know employees will have the opportunity to compete for open positions in other locations,” added Camoriano, “We just don’t know what that number is going to be, and we won’t speculate on what it might be.” Information about the future closure is coming out now to prepare employees. Providing this knowledge a year before the close gives employees time to decide what they would like to do, if they would want to transfer to a new facility and move or not. “We decided to make the announcements now to give our employees time to make personal and professional decisions, and we will work with employees to help them through this process,” said Camoriano.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 05, 2018
DIETZ cont. from page 1
“Diversity is also important as a value. We added in the word ‘inclusion’ for the current strategic plan. Inclusion is an important addition to that and we’re living that value with the ever-increasing number of underrepresented students who are going to school here, and our international population is increasing as well. But to me, diversity is more than just the ethnicity and gender aspects, it’s also about diversity of thought and diversity of ideas.” “... We’ve added two new ones. Respect, I think that’s an important value and then collaboration. To me, we can get a lot more done if we talk about things respectively and collaboratively and bring different ideas to that mix.” “The last one, which, to me, is maybe the most important of all of them, is integrity. All those things are undergirded by integrity …”
You talked about diversity being one of the most important values of the institution, so how are you working to increase diversification? “Now this fall I would anticipate we will have over 25 percent students that are from underrepresented populations. Those numbers have gone up over the last several years and will continue to go up. The other thing we are looking at is the international initiative. We have more international students on the campus this fall than we’ve had in many years and those numbers have continued to inch up as well.” “We have a goal to also have a multicultural center on campus. Right now the effort is really trying to define what would that be: what would be in there, what would it look like, those kinds of things.”
Outside of increasing diversification, it’s also been released that freshman and graduate students have gone up as well as transfer student numbers. With this increasing number, what do you think that says about our campus? “It says we’re a quality place where students really feel comfortable here, they feel supported. We have strong academic programs, strong faculty, strong services and it’s affordable.”
Are there also disadvantages that come with increasing numbers? “I think you have to be vigilant all the time about ‘are you meeting the needs,’ and so ours is not a quantitative measure as much as it is a qualitative measure. Our numbers have increased with freshman and transfer students, we’ve maintained our academic standards that we’ve had for many, many years and so we’re not letting any of that slip.”
The Board of Trustees recently had a meeting about trying to gain more funding for the University, so what are some things that The Board of Trustees or yourself is working on to get that funding? “To do that, ultimately, it’s the legislature that has to approve that. We didn’t get in this financial predicament in a year and we’re not going to get out of it in a year. I think what we’re really striving to work with our elected officials on is an idea that would recognize the funding formula that is fair and has some criteria in it that would reward institutions like ours in positive ways.” “Eventually the legislature’s really going to be the organization that has to address the issue and so we’re trying to provide them with data.” BECKY FLETCHER & CINDY HERNANDEZ are News Editors for The Vidette. Contact them at rlflet1@ilstu.edu and cherna9@ilstu.edu.
Ali Rasper | Photo Editor
President Larry Dietz sits with The Vidette to discuss increasing enrollment, diversity, university renovations and the future of ISU.
President Dietz: ‘The future is very, very bright’ BECKY FLETCHER & CINDY HERNANDEZ News Editors
A lot goes on behind the scenes as a university president but ISU Larry Dietz takes his responsibilities in stride. Dietz’s day is an early to late regime consisting of lots of meetings and phone calls, but he said that he enjoys the day-to-day schedule. “It’s very diverse and that’s one of the things I really enjoy about it,” said Dietz. Between meetings, Dietz also spent time in a conference call with the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities out of Washington D.C. “We’ve been selected as one of the 120 institutions in the country to talk about our retention, best practice kinds of programs that we have,” explained Dietz. Dietz also spends time talking to all public university presidents and chancellors every Wednesday following more meetings before finally going to the comforts of his home. “Typically you go from pretty early in the morning to pretty late at night but it’s all good, it’s very, very diverse and I really enjoy that,” said Dietz. Dietz feels honored to be ISU’s president and to serve the campus. He said he receives a lot of great help. “It’s really terrific to work within a shared governance system to try to accomplish the mission, vision and values of the institution,” said Dietz. As busy as he is, Dietz strives to build interpersonal connections with the students on campus, Festival ISU being a peak time for him to explore and meet students on the campus. “It was a beautiful day, that helps. I think it’s that idea about coming together as groups, getting to know each other and I didn’t have a lot of time that day, but I was out there for about
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an hour, walking around, meeting folks,” said Dietz. He continued to say how humbling it is for students to want a picture with him. “Students are really what makes this place tick. It’s always a lot of fun to get out and intermingle with the students,” said Dietz. With the constant work Dietz puts in for the improvement towards ISU, he is able to provide new things. The current and physical changes taking place are the Bone Student Center and Watterson Dining renovations. “Folks look at institutions on the move in lots of different ways,” explained Dietz. “[The Bone] really, in my estimation, showcases an important part of the institution. This new welcome center’s going to be fantastic.” “The addition of a bakery and some new hot and cold preparation rooms over in Watterson is another visible sign that the institution is on the move,” said Dietz. Continuing renovations and the possibility of a multicultural center leaves new and current students wondering what the future of ISU looks like. “I think it’s very, very bright,” said Dietz. “We have terrific students that come in, we have terrific faculty, highly-skilled staff, we’ve got devoted alums, we’ve got corporate support, we have friends of the institutions and we’re in a fantastic community. So I think the future is very, very, bright here,” said Dietz. With the current uprising of enrollment numbers, the fixing of funding issues and increasing diversity efforts, the future of ISU does look bright and Dietz said he has found something he enjoys and that he never dreads coming to work. “You never really feel like you’re going to work a day in your life,” said Dietz. “You’re just going to do what you enjoy doing and you make a career of it so I’ve been very fortunate my whole career.”
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VIDETTE EDITORIAL
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Nike continues unphased
O
n Monday, Nike announced Colin Kaepernick as one of its athletes alongside Serena Williams and Odell Beckham Jr. to help commemorate Nike’s thirtieth anniversary of the brand’s slogan: Just Do It. Kaepernick is famously known for his kneeling protest during the national anthem at NFL games. Nike’s advertisement contains a closeup of Kaepernick’s face with the words, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” The quote refers to Kaepernick’s lawsuit against the NFL for allegedly conspiring to keep Kaepernick out of the league over his protest against police brutality. Many NFL players in support of Kaepernick have maintained that kneeling during the anthem alludes to police brutality towards unarmed African Americans. People against Kaepernick have argued that his protest is disrespectful towards the flag, the country and what it means to play professional league sports. With Kaepernick as the face of Nike, opposers were quick to log on to Twitter to share their disappointment with Nike’s choice. User @sclancy79 tweeted,
“First the NFL forces me to choose between my favorite sport and my country. I chose country. Then Nike forces me to choose between my favorite shoes and my country. Since when did the American Flag and the National Anthem become offensive?” Responders were quick to ask if people opposing Kaepernick realized that the protest was about the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality and that Kaepernick’s message had nothing to do with the flag or the anthem. Quickly, the movement to burn Nike gear caught wind and soon all Kaepernick opposers were burning their Nike
gear. However, this is not hurting Nike’s company. Burning apparel already bought from a multibillion dollar company does nothing but promote the advertisement and give Nike more of a voice. While boycotting Nike, one would also have to boycott college leagues sponsored by Nike such as Ohio State or Baylor. The same goes for other brands owned by Nike like Converse or Hurley. This is not just about the Nike brand. Setting shoes on fire and cutting up clothing allows people to voice displeasure towards the company. This social media boycott brings in branding opportunities for Nike and this is what
Nike was paying for by placing Kaepernick as its spokesman. Kaepernick’s advertisement outweighs the cost of already-purchased shoe burnings, social media discussions and making Kaepernick part of national conversation. The reward will outweigh any potential stock downfall Nike has received by media attention alone. One person burning shoes potentially inspires another to go buy Nike gear. Again, for burned gear already purchased, this does not affect Nike, but the media attention drawn from it, inspiring someone who supports Kaepernick to buy Nike, only contributes to Nike’s worth. Reportedly, Kaepernick’s advertisement with the company also includes a contribution to his charity, Know Your Rights Camp. Vox.com’s Alex AbadSantos stated the contribution “counts for something, even if it loses Nike some fans along the way.” Let’s reiterate – no matter what social justice people feel is being spread by burning prepurchased Nike gear, it continues to support the old saying that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Whether for or against Kaepernick and Nike, they are making money either way.
Editorial Cartoon by Flynn Geraghty | Vidette Art Director
EDITORIAL POLICY Editorial written by BECKY FLETCHER, 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.
Pelosi: the Democratic problem MY VIEW ANDREW DOUGHERTY | Senior News Reporter
W
ith the 2018 congressional midterms right around the corner, the looming question for both Democrats and Republicans has been, who will be the next Speaker of the House? A quick reminder: the Speaker is the most powerful member of the U.S. Congress and third in line to the presidency should anything happen to the vice president. It’s a pretty powerful position, to say the least. Our current Speaker, Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), has already announced his retirement from Congress and his most likely successor, if Republicans can hold onto their House majority, will be Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) who currently holds the title of majority leader. A quick reminder: Ryan was the
youngest member of Congress since 1875 to be elected as Speaker. His predecessor, John Boehner (R-Ohio) pleaded with the congressional republicans to vote Ryan in because he believed he could bring the various GOP factions together. I’d like to state the importance of this line of succession: Republicans do quite an excellent job when it comes to organizing leadership roles and preparing younger generations of conservatives for those roles. The Republican Party knows that in order to sustain itself, receive support and continue to win elections, they need young, charismatic and effective leaders to take the reins of power. This is where the Democratic Party finds their problem: the old guard is too stubborn, too egotistical, too power hungry to let the younger faces of the party to hold powerful roles in congress. During the 2016 presidential election, it was obvious from the get-go that Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic nominee no matter what; and she lost to Donald Trump. When Chris Rock appeared on Saturday Night Live after the election, he put it
perfectly when he said, “You’re replacing a charismatic 40-year-old black guy with a 70-year-old white woman.” Ironically, it was an old Jewish senator who gained the most support of young people. You’d think a party which had lost both the presidency and Senate would probably consider changing who it selects for leadership roles. Nope. If the Democrats somehow end up retaking the House in the midterm elections, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has already stated she wants her old job back. Nancy Pelosi is the democratic problem. A Gallup Poll in June found that only 29 percent of the nation has a favorable view of her. Over 20 candidates for House races have already stated they will not or are still debating on whether they would vote to put her back on the gavel. A quick reminder: Pelosi chooses who gets to join the ranks of leadership and has not chosen any clear successor. Her two lieutenants are minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), 79, and Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), 78. Don’t get me wrong, Pelosi made his-
tory by getting elected as the first female Speaker of the House. She is a fundraising juggernaut, hauling in nearly $91 million through July. She is a master politician and effective legislator. She showed the country that a woman can hold the same positions of power as any man. But when you’re in power for that long (she was elected to the House in 1987 and served as minority whip in 2002), you want to keep that power at the expense of your party. This is the democratic problem. There is an insurgency within the Democratic Party, as there was with the Republicans in 2010. This insurgency consists of younger generations of progressives who want to see change, who want to be leaders, who want the chance to be Speaker. Pelosi has done a great duty to her party, that much is obvious. But now it is time to pass the gavel onto the faces of the democratic party. ANDREW DOUGHERTY is a senior news reporter for The Vidette. Contact him at vidette_addough@ilstu.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @addough.
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Editorial: Why we should show prisoners more concern Mendoza: New enrollment numbers means new opportunity Letter-to-the-Editor: Response to ‘‘It isn’t an immigration problem’ Visit The Vidette’s website or mobile app for complete details on these web-only opinion pieces by Vidette Editorial Board
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EDITORIAL BOARD MONICA MENDOZA Editor-in-Chief | @coolstorymonica BECKY FLETCHER News Editor | @becky_ fletcher ANDREW DOUGHRETY Senior News Reporter and Columnist | @addough TYLER SMITH Columnist | @incognegro
THE VIDETTE | NEWS | PAGE 5
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
ISU consulting community helps students gain progress on careers GRACE BARBIC News Reporter | @gracebarbic
The Illinois State University Innovation Consulting Community (ICC) is looking for students eager to build their resumes and position themselves for a better internship or job. The ICC is a program that gives students an opportunity to get a head start on their career while helping the community. “No matter your major or interest, there’s a project for you at the ICC,” said participating student Jeremy Tang in a testimonial. “I recommend it to any student who wants a challenge or wants to be pushed out of their comfort zone.” The ICC is open to all majors at both undergraduate and graduate levels. The projects are designed to provide
students with the skills that employers are looking for post-graduation. The projects help teach students professionalism, work ethic, oral and written communications, teamwork, collaboration, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The program is entering year three. Last year they had over 60 students from over 20 disciplines on 17 different client consulting projects. They hope that this year they can increase that number. Students worked with clients ranging from Habitat for Humanity Thailand to Advocate Medical Complex. This year students will have an opportunity to work with Starbucks, Jewel Corporate, an NGO in Indonesia, the Chicago Bears and more. This program gives students a chance to use what they have
learned in the classroom in the real world. Students will collaborate with each other and take real-life problems that an organization may face and propose a solution. “The ICC has no grade,” said Tang. “The hard work you put in manifests a genuine accomplishment.” Students take full control of their projects and ICC coordinators help guide the program. Although this experience is extracurricular, it looks great on a resume and the skills learned from participating could be key to landing that dream job. For more information on how to get involved, those interested can visit their website at http://innovationconsulting. community/contact-us/.
BroMenn names new VP MIKE SMITH News Reporter | @Agora_180
Advocate BroMenn Medical Center promoted Tim Bassett to an executive position in the company. Bassett will be the new Vice President of Support and Ancillary Services for Advocate BroMenn in Normal and Eureka facilities. Bassett’s new job at the hospital put a lot of responsibilities on his plate. He will manage and oversee several services at the facilities, including radiology, facilities, construction, biomedical services, environmental and food services, safety management and supply chain. Bassett began working with Advocate BroMenn as a construction manager in 2011. His work has lead to over $120 million for the company as well as an overarching vision for the organization. President of Advocate BroMenn and Advocate Eureka Colleen Kannaday told the Pantagraph that Bassett proved himself through his time with the organization. “Tim’s unique background and his passion for partnership, service and excellence make him an excellent fit for this new role at Advocate BroMenn and Eureka,” Kannaday said. “He has a proven track record of success and will bring new ideas, energy and thoughts to our everchanging health care environment. I look forward to partnering with Tim in this new role.” Bassett is an alumnus from the Department of
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Tim Bassett was named the new Vice President of Support and Ancillary Services for Advocate BroMenn Medical Center.
Technology at Illinois State University. He graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s in construction. He also earned a master’s in business administration from Southern Illinois University.
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PAGE 6 | THE VIDETTE
Features
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
School of Communication professor Brent Simonds poses by his awards. His documentary “Sweet Dreams Do Come True” has added to his collection, including winning Best Feature Documentary at the Red Dirt International Film Festival in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Samantha Brinkman | Vidette Photo Editor
Lights, camera, acclaim
Brent Simonds reflects on ‘Sweet Dreams Do Come True’ STUART STALTER Features Editor | @VidetteStuS
T
he life of a documentary maker can be plagued by many strikeouts. However, School of Communication professor and mass media program director Brent Simonds, of Holdenville, Oklahoma, hit an unforgettable home run with “Sweet Dreams Do Come True.” The documentary/music performance film will screen at 7 p.m. Thursday at Normal Theater. The documentary’s subject, decorated musician Verlon Thompson, 64, of Binger, Oklahoma, will perform a live set afterward. The event is free of charge. “Sweet Dreams Do Come True” tells Thompson’s life story. Active for over 35 years, Thompson’s work has been covered by a myriad of country music superstars, including Randy Travis, Alan Jackson and Keith Whitley. Though Thompson and Simonds’ relationship sparked off an Oklahoma connection, the roots of this documentary lie in Lake Bloomington. Simonds and Thompson’s mutual friend, financial adviser Jack Secord, holds an annual acoustic jam that Thompson attended in 2012. The previous year, Simonds produced a mini-film of the acoustic jam that Secord passed to Thompson. The Oklahoma connection Thompson and Simonds made for an easy introduction. Simonds recalls his strong first impression of Thompson. “He [Thompson] was an incredibly nice, successful man and a crazy good guitar player,” Simonds said.
In spring of 2014, Thompson returned to Bloomington. Upon listening to Thompson’s “Live at the Ivey’s” CD, Simonds recognized a golden opportunity to capture on film the life story that Thompson’s music tells. “If I could capture some of his performances, interview the people close to him, and visit the places he vividly describes, I could create an interesting blend of concert film & biography,” Simonds said. Though Simonds identified a great opportunity, he notes that ensuring access and feasibility are other critical aspects of documentary making. Access was challenging for Simonds. A film of this nature requires a great deal of negotiation. Obtaining musical clearances and striking deals with publishers, songwriters and navigating that process was the hardest part of the process. “It is like a labyrinth,” Simonds said. Turning to crowdfunding, Simonds started a Kickstarter campaign with a $20,000 goal. Fortunately, people pledged $20,273. The documentary was filmed in Oklahoma, Illinois, Tennessee and Missouri. Overall, Simonds traveled over 8,000 miles to ensure Thompson’s story was well told. The memories made the miles worthwhile. Simond’s fondest experience was meeting Thompson’s parents. Though they never met previously, Thompson’s parents didn’t feel like strangers, due to the regional connection. “I didn’t really know them, but they reminded me of my aunts and uncles,” Simonds said. “I knew them culturally.” “Sweet Dreams Do Come True” has produced rewards beyond lasting memories for Simonds. The film won Best Feature Documentary at the Red Dirt International Film Festival,
an Award of Excellence from the Broadcast Education Association, and was nominated for Best Music Documentary at the Bare Bones International Film and Music Festival, among other accolades. Simonds is grateful that Thompson’s story has struck an emotional chord, from critics and fans. As a filmmaker, receiving strong responses from outsiders is particularly rewarding. “I show my family and friends and of course they will say nice things,” Simonds explained. Considering Simonds’ individual efforts and the size and scope of this film (the length is just under 94 minutes), Simonds ranks this at the top of his works. That said, Simonds knows the ultimate result from “Sweet Dreams Do Come True” is not an award, but a friendship that will last beyond the screenings. “I think better than the accolades, I got to meet an incredible human being,” Simonds explained. Soon, the rest of ISU will have the chance to meet Thompson as well. He will visit Illinois State University from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Friday in Fell Hall 280. Thompson hosts a series called Barnegie Hall where he interviews and performs with friends and colleagues. Series producer Demetria Kalodimos will join. Demetria has over 35 years experience as a journalist, news anchor and documentary filmmaker. She has won numerous awards, including 16 regional Emmys. Kalodimos and Thompson will show clips and explain the behind-the-scenes process of creating and distributing independent productions. All ISU students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend.
ISU ponders if Illinois is the state for students KYNDSIE HUSTON Features Reporter | @kyndsie_h
L
iving in Illinois has its pros and cons. When thinking of your ideal place to live, it may or may not be surrounded by cornfields, livestock and farming. Here is what some students at ISU have to say about their favorite and least favorite aspects of living in Illinois. Junior Kyle Genis voices mixed opinions on Illinois. “My favorite part of Illinois is by far the fact that it’s centralized in regards to the rest of the country, either coast is a relatively short plane ride away,” Genis said. “Also, the safe areas of Chicago are absolutely amazing. My least favorite aspect is a toss up between how corrupt the government is (even down to the most local levels), and how unnecessarily high taxes are.” Two students, freshman special education major Sammy Miller and undeclared sophomore Matt Donley, both said they really enjoy being close to Chicago and all the metro areas have to offer. Chicago really is a breathtaking place to see. With the
shopping, the art and the broadway shows, Chicago is a city that will never age. Miller and Donley’s least favorite aspect of living in Illinois is the notorious weather. Illinois seems to be able to have all four seasons in one day. With the harsh winters and extreme summers, there is a rare happy medium with the temperature outside. However, on the days Illinois does present nice weather, students concede that nothing beats sitting outside and enjoying the view of Central Illinois. From California, Terry Douglas offers a unique perspective as a student who absorbed slightly too much of the Sunshine State. “My favorite part of Illinois would be the change of
scenery,” Douglas said. “Growing up in humid California, you really don’t even take in the beach and its scenery when you have lived by it your whole life.” That said, just like other students, Douglas’ least favorite aspect of Illinois was the weather, specifically the foreign feeling of freezing. “I do like the change of scenery, but I do NOT like how cold it gets here,” Douglas said. Love it or hate it, Illinois will always be an impressionable place to live.
Illustration by Flynn Geraghty Art Director
THE VIDETTE | SPORTS | PAGE 7
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Men’s, women’s hoops announce MVC schedules KADE HEATHER Sports Editor | @kade_heather
Men’s basketball
Monica Mendoza | Editor in Chief
Senior Keyshawn Evans clutches his fists during the Redbirds’ victory over Indiana State to advance to the second round of the MVC tournament last season.
Women’s MVC schedule
at 7 p.m. Jan. 4 at Redbird Arena. ISU dropped all three of its games against UNI last season, with its last being a 56-36 loss in the first round of the MVC tournament, and finished 8-10 in MVC play. The Redbirds’ longest home-stand of the season is from Jan. 18-26, when they play Southern Illinois, Missouri State, and Bradley at Redbird Arena. With Hannah Green graduating and four other Redbirds’ scholarships not being renewed, ISU has
The Illinois State men’s basketball team will begin its quest for a Missouri Valley Conference regularseason championship when it travels to Valparaiso on Jan. 2. The MVC home-opener will be Jan. 5 against the Evansville Purple Aces, followed by Northern Iowa at Redbird Arena Jan. 9. The Redbirds will rematch with last season’s champions, the Loyola Ramblers on Jan. 12 at Gentile Arena in Chicago and Feb. 2 at Redbird Arena. The Ramblers won all three games against the Redbirds last season, with a one-sided, 65-49 MVC tournament championship win. The other two matches between the two both resulted in 68-61 Loyola wins. The I-74 series will be Vidette Archive renewed Jan. 23 at Bradley ISU women’s head coach Kristen Gillespie addresses the Redbird Arena and then will shift back to crowd for her first time during ISU’s annual hoopfest scrimmage last year. Redbird Arena on Feb 16. Illinois State and Bradley split their two games last season, with each team gained six players, five of them freshmen. winning at home. Therefore, it is up to seniors Katrina Beck, Viria March 2, the Redbirds will wrap up their regular Livingston, and Simone Goods to be the leaders season at Southern Illinois, with the MVC tourna- of the team, in addition to sophomore point guard ment commencing March 7. Paige Saylor. The seniors will be honored senior day at 3 p.m. March 3 against Valparaiso. Women’s basketball As the Redbirds begin their MVC schedule against Precisely where the Illinois State women’s bas- UNI and Drake, they conclude the regular-season on ketball team ended its last season, the Redbirds the road at Drake March 7 and at UNI March 9. will begin their Missouri Valley Conference season The MVC tournament schedule has yet to be attempting revenge on the Northern Iowa Panthers announced.
Men’s MVC schedule
*Home games highlighted in red.
Jan. 2 - @ Valparaiso Jan. 5 - vs. Evansville Jan. 9 - vs. Northern Iowa Jan. 12 - @ Loyola Jan. 15 - vs. Southern Illinois Jan. 19 - @ Evansville Jan. 23 - @ Bradley Jan. 27 - vs. Indiana State Jan. 30 - @ Drake Feb. 2 - vs. Loyola Feb. 5 - vs. Valparaiso Feb. 10 - @ Missouri State Feb. 13 - @ Northern Iowa Feb. 16 - vs. Bradley Feb. 20 - @ Indiana State Feb. 24 - vs. Drake Feb. 27 - vs. Missouri State March 2 - @ Southern Illinois March 7-10 - MVC Tournament @ St. Louis *Home games highlighted in red.
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2018 1st Place
FRI. THURS. WED. TUES. MON.
Jan. 4 - vs. Northern Iowa Jan. 6 - vs. Drake Jan. 11 - @ Indiana State Jan. 13 - @ Evansville Jan. 18 - vs. Southern Illinois Jan. 20 - vs. Missouri State Jan. 26 - vs. Bradley Feb. 1 - @ Loyola Feb. 3 - @ Valparaiso Feb. 8 - vs. Evansville Feb. 10 - vs. Indiana State Feb. 15 - @ Missouri State Feb. 17 - @ Southern Illinois Feb. 22 - @ Bradley Feb. 28 - vs. Loyola March 3 - vs. Valparaiso March 7 - @ Drake March 9 - @ Northern Iowa MVC Tournament @ Moline, Ill.
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Sports
PAGE 8 | THE VIDETTE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Passing tradition
Redbirds gear up for 107th Mid-America Classic against Eastern Illinois, revisting MVC rivalry KADE HEATHER Sports Editor | @kade_heather
“Malachi Broadnax played well, for a guy that hasn’t played long in a secondary. He’s a pretty good llinois State football (No. 19 player,” Spack said. “He seems to FCS) is riding high off its seahave fun and have a good attitude son-opener lopsided victory about [position change].” over Saint Xavier, but is immediThe Redbirds defense allowed ately met with a tough assignment a net total of -30 rushing yards in the Mid-America Classic. against Saint Xavier, and allowed 60 ISU toppled Eastern Illinois last passing yards. They also recorded season, 44-13 in Charleston, but three interceptions and three sacks. head coach Brock Spack insists that As for the offense, junior Brady has nothing to do with this season. Davis will once again command the “It’s a great game between two first-team Redbirds, while senior good football programs and it’s one Jake Kolbe is still planned to split of those deals [when] you want to time under center. throw the records out and don’t look Spack also commented on the at the games being played before this offense using all four running backs one, and move on because a whole this week, as Jordan Birch, Markel different team shows up sometimes, Smith, James Robinson, and Nick on either side,” Spack said. Kielbasa combined for 185 yards This season is especially different and five touchdowns last week. because of the change in offense for “We’ll play as many backs as we the Panthers. have to. That’s a position, boy, those “They’re [an] Air Raid offense, guys only got so many hits in them. it’s a lot of 10 personnel, which is They take a lot of shots,” Spack said. four wide [receivers], they use a big If there was one thing Spack was receiver in the backfield sometimes, mostly surprised with about SXU, it it’s up-tempo, it’s different from last was its hard-hitting defense. year,” Spack said. “I told their [SXU] coach after the Just like the Redbirds, the Pangame [that] I was impressed with thers also feature a two-quarterback how physical they were. They hit us offense with John Brantley and pretty good, our backs got whacked Harry Woodbery. pretty good a couple times, [and] our Brantley passed 18-for-25 for 134 backs are pretty big guys,” Spack yards and one touchdown last week said. in EIU’s 55-20 loss at Arkansas, Illinois State holds a 55-42-9 allwhile Woodbery finished 9-for-15 time record over EIU, while Spack is for 96 yards and two touchdowns. 5-4 in his nine seasons at the helm. Spack described both of the PanISU finished at a mediocre 6-5 ther quarterbacks during his weekly and 6-6 the past two seasons. press conference Tuesday afternoon. Hoping to avoid another year of According to what he has seen in heartbreak and frustration, and by film, Woodbery (No. 8) is more of a defeating Saint Xavier, the ’Birds’ Samantha Brinkman | Photo Editor drop back guy who throws the ball biggest test not only lies in proving well downfield, and can throw a lot Running back James Robinson carries his first rushing touchdown of the season against Saint Xavier, Sept. 1. their toughness, but conjuring conof fades toward out of bounds and sistent play in every facet of their playing more defensive backs this week, as college you’re a starter, you have to play. Somethe field side. He thought Woodbery game. they elect to play a lot of nickel defense, which times even the backups play more than the has a better arm and nice touch. The 107th meeting between the Redbirds starters do, but you have to have 22 for sure,” and Panthers is scheduled to kickoff at 6:30 Whereas Brantley (No. 11) is a much better requires five defensive backs. Since it requires five, Spack said ISU would Spack said. athlete who runs the ball well and throws a p.m. Saturday at Hancock Stadium. need 10 defensive backs then because of the Therefore, expect to see more Malachi good quick, small-pass game. “It’s a little different than what we do, so amount of players who get knocked around Broadnax in the defensive backfield, especially KADE HEATHER is Sports Editor for The after leading ISU in tackles last week with five Vidette. He can be contacted at vidette_kfthat makes it a challenge,” Spack said of EIU’s and then need to sit out some plays. “A lot of people do no-huddle now, so if solo and seven total in his first game ever on heat1@ilstu.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @ offense. The Redbirds, however, plan to continue you’re in a top-22 [players] on defense in defense, since transitioning from quarterback. kade_heather
I
Vidette staffers see Redbirds over Panthers in week 2 bout
BEN ADKINS | Reporter The Illinois State Redbirds were able to shove it to Eastern Illinois, 44-13, last year in Charleston. This year, the teams will be facing off in Normal. Home field advantage will play into the Redbirds defeating the Panthers again this year. This should not be a close game, as the offense should produce as much as last week.
JONATHAN BARLAS | Sports Editor As the Redbirds come off a rather easy win against the NAIA Saint Xavier Cougars, ISU’s first test in Valley play presents itself in the form of the Mid-America Classic. Eastern Illinois (0-1) boasts a sneaky yet formidable offensive front, regardless of last weekend’s blowout against Arkansas. Expect the newly seasoned Brady Davis to take full command of his offense, as running backs James Robinson and Markel Smith look to complement Davis’ passing game. Nevertheless, the ’Birds will come out of week 2 victorious and on a win-streak.
ISU 35, EIU 14
ISU 35, EIU 14
ISU 35, EIU 17
Running back Markel Smith celebrates after his two-yard touchdown run against SXU, Sept. 1.
KADE HEATHER | Sports Editor ISU and EIU have split its last 10 meetings, with the Redbirds blowing out the Panthers last season. I think it will be much closer this year, as EIU’s offense has changed, but ISU will pull off its second-straight win this season against EIU.
Samantha Brinkman | Photo Editor
REDBIRD
REPORT
Follow us on Twitter @The_Vidette and @Vidette_Sports
TYLER JACHNICKI | Reporter Last season, the Redbirds traveled to Charleston and routed the Panthers 44-13. This year, expect another heavy rushing attack from ISU lead by star running back James Robinson and a much more settled in Brady Davis at quarterback. It will be a tighter matchup than ISU’s 46-0 rout against St. Xavier last weekend, but still anticipate a high-flying Redbird offense that will get the best of Jimmy Garoppolo’s alma mater.
ISU 28, EIU 24
UPCOMING: Volleyball
ISU continues its road stint attending the Cougar Challenge hosted by Washington State, Sept. 7-9. The ’Birds are currently 5-1 heading into tournament play, their best starting record since 2013.
Soccer
NICK HONEYSETT | Reporter ISU’s defense looked unstoppable holding the Cougars to a scoreless game and negative rushing yardage. The Redbirds’ backfield seems to be poised to have a great upcoming season. As Eastern Illinois recovers from a disheartening loss, it will be the Redbirds’ defense that needs to step up again.
MATT KALINOWSKI | Reporter Eastern is coming off of a tough matchup against Arkansas, losing 55-20 to one of the most famous programs in the nation a part of the incredibly tough SEC. From ISU’s success last year against Eastern, the ’Birds will prevail with their seemingly steady, if not improving, system.
ISU 38, EIU 10
Illinois State (2-2-2) will face the Wisconsin Badgers (4-1) tonight, traveling to Madison to extend the team’s long away series. The Redbirds put out the UIC Flames 5-2, Sept. 2.
Men’ / Women’s Golf Illinois State women’s golf is hosting the Redbird Invitational at the Weibring Golf Club Sept. 9-10. Also in tournmanent play, the men’s team travels to Madison, Wisconsin to play in the Wisconsinhosted Badger Invitational Sept. 9- 10.