OCTOBER 30, 2013
Illustration by Jonathon Waters, Graphics Manager
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ISSUE NO. 10 VOL. 50
CAMPUS EVENTS Wednesday, Oct. 30 • Music & Medicine Symposium: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Creative Arts Center • “Oklahoma!”: 7 p.m. Festival Playhouse Thursday, Oct. 31 Halloween • Nightmare on Springwood Lane: 8 p.m.-12 a.m. Woods Clearing Friday, Nov. 1 • Deadline to apply for study abroad travel assistance scholarships • Women’s Soccer v. Cleveland State (conference): 2 p.m. Alumni Field Saturday, Nov. 2 • Wright Top Model: 7 p.m. Med Sci 120 Sunday, Nov. 3 • Daylight Savings Time begins: set clocks back one hour
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Monday, Nov. 4 • Spring Early Registration begins • Native American Stories by Lloyd Arneach: 12:15-1:30 p.m. Multicultural Lounge Tuesday, Nov. 5 • Annual Kristallnacht Commemoration: 7:30-9:30 p.m. M252 Creative Arts Center Wednesday, Nov. 6 • Fire Starting: 5-7 p.m. Outdoor Resource Center Thursday, Nov. 7 • Fireside Chat with President David R. Hopkins: 7 p.m. Hamilton Hall Friday, Nov. 8 • NEOMED speaker: 10 a.m. 286 Millett Monday, Nov. 11 • Veteran’s Day holiday, university closed
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PHOTO Editor-in-Chief Phone: 775-5534 Brandon Semler News Editor Leah Kelley
Features Editor Hannah Hendrix Sports Editor Andrew Smith
Photography Editor Michael Tyler Web Editor Aaron Schwieterman News Writers Benjamin Virnston Michele Crew
Features Writer Adam Ramsey Sports Writer Justin Boggs
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Photographer Brittany Robinson
Graphics Manager Jonathon Waters
Marketing/Promotion Eli Chizever
Business Manager Jared Holloway
Distribution Manager Joel Gibbs Advertising Representatives Phone: 775-5537 David McNeely Joseph Craven Zach Woodward Fax: 775-5535
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The Guardian is printed weekly during the regular school year. It is published by students of Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Editorials without bylines reflect the majority opinion of the editorial board. Views expressed in columns, cartoons and advertisements are those of the writers, artists and advertisers. The Guardian reserves the right to censor or reject advertising copy, in accordance with any present or future advertising acceptance rules established by The Guardian. All contents contained herein are the express property of The Guardian. Copyright privileges revert to the writers, artists and photographers of specific works after publication. Copyright 2013 The Guardian, Wright State University. All rights reserved.
Accountant Kegan Sickels
A new fashion segment of The Guardian is now online! Check out Campus Couture at www.theguardianonline.com to see what students like you are wearing.
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Still no decision on student organization housing
Michele Crew Staff Writer Crew.3@wright.edu
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ver the past 16 years, Wright State University has been looking into housing for student organizations. The university has not yet made a decision on the matter. “I think it’s been a matter of interest for not only Greek, but for other groups,” said Dan Bertsos, director of residence services and housing. Two years ago, the owner of Cimarron apartments suggested that the university purchase their apartments and use them for organization housing. However, it was too costly and renovations were necessary to make the housing accessible for disabled students. Forest Lane apartments have been previously suggested because of the meeting space, but fell through due to some who believed that it would not have been enough space for the organizations. “If a chapter believes they need meeting space, Forest Lane would be best,” said Bertsos. Some universities, such as Eastern Kentucky and Miami, have used dorm buildings for sororities and fraternities, where each floor would belong
to a different chapter. This has presented another option for The Woods or Hamilton Hall. Residence services are still discussing College and University Park apartments. However, previously the apartments were not suitable for student organization housing due to the lack of room the organizations would need to gather. Though it remains in discussion, if student organization housing were to come to Wright State’s campus, there would be no problem with housing options for students who are not involved in the organizations, Betros said. “Students live with their friends, so I don’t think it will make a difference,” said Bertsos.
Should there be student organization housing on campus? Vote in this week’s poll at theguardianonline. com
Student dies of medical complications related to disability Hannah Hendrix Features Editor Hendrix.16@wright.edu and
Adam Ramsey Features Writer Ramsey.55@wright.edu
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right State student Brant Isaly-Johns died in his College Park apartment early Sunday morning from medical complications related to a disability. The liberal studies major died from complications of spinal muscular atrophy type II, according to a Busch Funeral and Crematory Services obituary.
Director of Residence Life & Housing Dan Bertsos said Monday that the circumstances of the death were still being determined. Isaly-Johns spent Saturday evening with some friends, and they went to his apartment later in the evening. “There he experienced some medical problems,” according to Bertsos. Emergency medical services and Wright State police were contacted and arrived promptly, but were unable to help him, Bertsos said. Isaly-Johns was from Avon Lake, Ohio, near Cleveland.
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Forest Lane apartments
Photo by Megan Waddel: Contributing Photographer
Men’s Basketball to air on BIG 106.5 Adia Lane Contributing Writer Lane.53@wright.edu
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right State men’s basketball games will now air live on BIG 106.5 FM with Chris Collins, the Raiders’ on-air voice for the past 17 seasons. With the end of the two-year contract with previous carrier WBZI, the athletic department sought a larger station with a Clear Channel signal that offered a greater number of listeners. The new signal will offer complete coverage to all of the Dayton area, most of southwest Ohio and even western Indiana, according to Assistant Athletic
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Director Robert Noss. “This new deal with 106.5 puts our signal out there further,” said Noss. Noss also said coverage was available through an iHeart Radio application online. “We have former players that play in Europe right now who listen to the games through the app or watch it on Horizon League Network,” Noss said. Assistant Athletics Director Mark Gazdik said he believed the change was beneficial to the Athletics department. “This is just the step the department has been looking for,” said Gazdik.
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Where can I listen? • BIG 106.5 FM • www.1065.com • www.wsuraiders.com • iHeart Radio app • WWSU 106.9 • www.wwsu1069.com
October 30, 2013
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Letter FROM the editor: yes, we will be changing some things Brandon Semler Editor-in-Chief Semler.4@wright.edu Hello Wright State,
You might have noticed some slight changes in the format and style of The Guardian this week. There will be many more to come. We have decided to begin work on a re-vamped version of The Guardian newspaper in order to keep pace with the current media atmosphere and to make the publication more appealing and interesting to our audience. Details of the re-vamp project are still being discussed, but you can expect to see gradual changes for the remainder of the semester, and a massive change at the beginning of
spring semester. So if you see some new things in the paper from week to week, it is not that we are being inconsistent. We are trying new things. We will continue to update you on our progress, but we will certainly not reveal all of the changes being made until our new product debuts in Jan. What fun is spoiling the surprise? We love surprises. Though big changes will be coming, some things will not change. The Guardian will still strive to provide news and entertainment to the Wright State community, both online and in print. You can count on that. We can’t wait to see what you think. But we will for a few more months. Sincerely, Brandon Semler P.S. Keep reading.
Dear Mandy
My girlfriend’s mom grabbed me and planted a wet one on my lips the other night. I pushed her away. If I tell my girlfriend, it will change the entire dynamic of their relationship. What should I do? It was only a kiss, but I don’t want to do anything to ruin my current relationship. -Desperate Dear Desperate, Run.
You cannot keep this a secret. If this is a serious relationship, then you will not be able to keep it quiet. What’s the atmosphere going to look like on your wedding day if your new mother in law is jealous of her own daughter? Think of the drunken confessions at Christmas five years down the road! But seriously, why on earth did your girlfriend’s mother think it was okay to kiss you? Were you somehow egging her on? Did you tell her how much you loved her chicken breasts for dinner last night? I feel like the blame cannot be completely one sided. You need to tell your girlfriend. Yikes.
Love, Mandy
Send your anonymous questions to Mandy at: Ask.fm/mandyadvice
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Rest in peace, autumn Elizabeth Turner Contributing Writer Turner.227@wright.edu
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e barely knew ye. Summer overstayed his welcome, and just when you thought it was your turn to get into the club, Al Roker looks up and says, “Sorry, not on the list,” as that fabulous ice drag queen Winter waltzes right past. I promise this will be my only weather-related column. I don’t care if we get a monsoon of baby Red Pandas (that’d be deadly and adorable) or if hot fudge erupts out of volcanoes (deadly and delicious). I will not write about the weather again. I will not complain. It’s been almost 21 years; I should know how Ohio works by now. I just wish we got more of a taste of
Fall. It’s going to be one of those Halloweens. The ballerinas and the WWE wrestlers are covered up in coats, while that weird kid that dressed up as an Eskimo is mushing her Golden Retriever to the next house, laughing derisively. The pumpkin latte machines are just now kicking up and this year’s yoga fashion line hit the stores, and now it’s all for naught. Those poor sorority girls are going to freeze to death, clutching their $4.99 Venti and whispering “I…said…. one...percent!” Haunted House? No thanks, I need to build my winter blanket fort. Rake leaves? HA! Gotta get new tires. Want to go get a costume? I’M ALREADY BEHIND ON MY CHRISTMAS LIST! Go into any store and you
can see that the autumn vibe is being shuttered to the clearance aisle (Nov. 1st, half price candy!) to be replaced by those strange wire reindeer, faux trees that shed more glitter than real trees shed needles and dancing yard Santas. I think it’s a commercial marketing conspiracy. Somewhere the CEO of Walmart has a giant evil weather generator that he paid China to make with the paychecks of his workers. I’m in a dark place here. I can’t even chuck any pumpkins, because they’ll be frozen and I will knock someone’s window out if I can pick them up off the ground at all. Here’s to a nonexistent fall, chocolate lava, corporate meteorology takeover and skipping the cover charge.
Is Wikipedia becoming a valid academic source for research? Brandon North Contributing Writer North.23@wright.edu
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ive years ago, the idea that Wikipedia could be used as a source for research was staunchly opposed. It was unthinkable that an internet encyclopedia, subject to the editing of anyone from tech savvy teenagers looking for a laugh to a sober professor hoping to educate the masses on how flagella allow cells to move, could possess anything close to academic integrity. But what constitutes academic integrity? Peer reviews? And who qualifies as a peer? Only those lucky enough to travel through academia and have the economic stability to write an article that will be relevant for only a couple years? (By the way, a Wikipedia page on education citing the Census Bureau states that only 3.07% of US citizens hold a Ph.D.). I believe that there is an integrity in offering free information through Wikipedia as opposed to the restrictive nature of academia. Granted,
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the types of information may be different, but this is all the more reason for a website like Wikipedia to exist. It serves as a forum between people with multiple types of perspectives. The argument at this point against using Wikipedia as a valid source is that information—accurate or not—is often not cited; that if information cannot be verified from outside the article, then the article can’t be verified. But the internet has a different method of verification: ubiquity. The more something is spread, the more opportunities people have to refute or accept the validity of a piece of information. And though this creates a different type of accuracy when contrasted with the more scientific methods of academia, it is not any less a force in shaping the world. The reason a Wikipedia model is important is that if offers insights into information that is widely spread enough to be accepted by a large percent of readers. Whether or not a piece of information is true is not as important as how or why
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it is perceived to be true. I think Wikipedia is both liberating and dangerous, and so consequently research about it is crucial for how to handle specialized knowledge in the face of a free, open source of information that generalizes something even as specific as critical thinking itself.
What are your thought on the academic use of Wikipedia? Should professors allow it? Should it be banned? Let us know at guardianeditorial@ gmail.com
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Colonel Glenn to undergo renovation Adia Lane Contributing Writer Lane.53@wright.edu
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olonel Glenn Highway will receive street repairs, new sidewalks, improved crosswalks and three 250foot islands in a new city project titled ‘Colonel Glenn Improvements.’ The City of Fairborn’s estimated $1.5 million project is scheduled to begin in March 2014 and finish in Nov of that year. To help with costs, the city was awarded a $400,000 grant from Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC), District 11. The project is hoped to increase the college atmosphere as well as increase the safety of both pedestrians and motorists. “It’s our busiest road in the city. We get approximately 22,000 vehicles per day on that road,” said City Engineer Jim Sawyer. “It’s in very poor
condition right now with bumps, cracks and the curbing on the north side is crumbling and deteriorated.” Over the years, many layers of asphalt have been applied over the original concrete road. The plan is to mill up the existing asphalt, repair or replace the concrete slabs beneath, and then apply a Stress Absorbing Membrane Interlayer (SAMI) between the concrete and the asphalt. This will absorb stress, disperse it horizontally, and lengthen time between cracks forming on the surface. The result will be an increase in the longevity of the road and a decrease in the number of repairs needed over the years. “We should get 18 to 20 years of service life out of that pavement and then we won’t have to be back out there for another 20 years” said Sawyer. Sawyer believes that the cracks in pavement are inevitable.
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“The best you can do is try to come up with the best engineering solution to provide a durable and lasting surface and as safe a surface as possible between repairs,” Sawyer said. As well as increasing the safety of both pedestrians and motorists, increasing the campus atmosphere is also an important part of the project. Like any other large campus, Wright State wants their students to have safe and easy access to nearby shopping and restaurants. “Whenever students want to go to one of the businesses that’s on the other side of Colonel Glenn, they will frequently get in a car and drive across the street,” said WSU Associate Vice President for Public Affairs Robert Hickey. “We’re a campus, and students see Colonel Glenn as a barrier, like that’s where it ends,” said Hickey. “We don’t know for sure exactly what we are going to do, but certainly
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we will have walking paths with street lamps and benches as well as steps leading up to Colonel Glenn.” Once everything is finished, the traffic will slow just enough that students will be comfortable coming and going. Plans for repairs to the Beavercreek side of Colonel Glenn are also in the works including resurfaced roadways, curb work, updating the traffic signals and additional turn lanes to help with traffic and congestion in the area. “We recently applied for the grant we need for the improvements and right now we are just waiting,” said Beavercreek City Engineer Jeff Morman. “We should find out in either January or February if we’ll get what we need to get it done.”
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International students sculpt their first pumpkins Dylan Dohner Contributing Writer Dohner.6@wright.edu
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he University Center for International Education (UCIE) hosted a series of Halloween-themed events for international students on Oct. 25 in the Wright State Community Center on. Pumpkin carving was among one of the hands-on activities. The students formed groups of three or more, chose their pumpkins and spent the next hour stenciling and sculpting. Namrata Dave and Dammy Orebiyi, graduate assistants for the Dayton International Office, attended and helped coordinate the event. “We believe the international students really enjoy it,” Dave said. “Most other countries don’t have anything like pumpkin carving. It brings them together in a group; they make friends with people they’ve never met before.” The students experienced the charms of scraping out their pumpkins and sawing through them in unique patterns. One
of the jack-o-lanterns bore “STUDENT LOANS” in place of a mouth. “We have taken students to the haunted trails before,” said Dave. However, the early chill this year warranted a schedule change. Dave said the organization planned to show a movie after the students were done carving instead. “We’ve had so much success in past years that it has become a tradition,” Orebiyi said. “They love it, from their comments and even their expressions. It is the profound experience of something they’ve never done before, one more thing to lock into their memory.” Syed Zabi, a graduate student from India, said this was the first Halloween event he and his group of friends had participated in since coming to America. Another Indian graduate student, Salman Shaikh, said, “We haven’t done this kind of activity before, so it was a very nice experience. We look forward to doing this again next year, as well as any similar events.”
Photo Courtesy of Events & Student Activities - Lake Campus
Student show off their creative carving skills. Photo by Dylan Dohner: Contributing Writer
Lake Campus student Allison Dicke with her pumpkin.
Raiders host Howloween Hoopla
Adam Ramsey Features Writer ramsey.55@wright.edu
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ostumed children got the chance to shoot baskets with the Raiders at Howloween Hoopla, a free family event offering candy, games and other Halloween activities on Monday at the Nutter Center. Howloween Hoopla held a stretch of tables set up by different organizations, like the sorority Theta Phi Alpha, which handed out candy to children in a trick-or-treat style atmosphere as they made their way around the room. Children had the chance to walk through a haunted house and go down onto the court floor which was opened up to shoot basketballs, as well as jump in an inflatable bounce house and play putt-putt golf. The Wright State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams were also present to sign autographs and meet the children. The goal of Howloween Hoopla was to reach out to the community, according 6
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to Brandon Hays, Assistant Director of Marketing for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. “We want our athletes to have that community mindset,” said Hays, “to know that it’s part of their duty to [give back to] the community.” According to Mark Gazdik, an Assistant Director of Athletics, Howloween Hoopla benefits the university as a whole, not just the athletics department. “It’s just a great opportunity to come together and really reach out to all the young kids and their parents to come out and have a good time and introduce them to Wright State University, the different groups on campus and all we have to offer,” said Gazdik. According to Abby Lewis, Junior Communications major and women’s tennis athlete, the event had a noticeable increase in attendance, describing this year’s turn out as “amazing.” Athletes and student organization members said they enjoyed seeing the children’s costumes and interacting with them. www.theguardianonline.com
Lewis said she particularly liked seeing the children’s costumes, while Theta Phi Alpha member Sloan Hoppe liked passing out candy. “It makes me feel good,” said Hoppe. “They’re so happy when they come up to talk to us.”
Photo by Dylan Dohner: Contributing Writer
Additional photos of Howloween Hoopla can be found on page 8
Photos by Brittany Robinson: Staff Photographer
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The best of Nexus: October 2013 The Devil with Three Heads By Brandon Broadwater
Abomination? by
Sarah Doebereiner
A garish sun peeked over the horizon. It sat; a tyrant upon the thrown of heaven. It rose yesterday. It had risen the day before that. Every day since its conception was the same. This sun was an ever-present burning that seared the surface of the world from where it smiled down from paradise. It was supposed to bring salvation from the dark. In the real world it never did shit anything to help anybody. A false idea of warmth, that’s all it really was. A lie.
Robin Phillips knew that all too well. On that morning, just like every morning, the heartless rays of the bastard sun where pushing though the bent places in her blinds. At rst, dim sunspots danced along the sill. Then, they crept out from the mangled plastic bars towards her fragile body. Tears welled up in her eyes. She sobbed quietly, mentally scorning the golden beams for attempting to etch cheer into her esh with their ery grin. Today was not going to be a good day. To the contrary, it was the worst day in Robin’s young life. The light touched her gently. It was an unwanted lover licking the curves of her body. The skin beneath was warmed, perverted by its touch.
There’s a demon in my room, rearing its three cackling, twisted faces. Insidiously cruel, depraved, hellish jeers, they ll my webbed, tangled thoughts like a rapidly congealing liquid. The cacophony maddens, muddles me. The grinning devil sits in my room, each head producing its own insupportable laughter. It sits curled, almost gnarled in that corner, eyes never blinking or erring from me. Skin burned, blackened, teeth gleaming in serpentine smiles, a monster sits in my corner never fading or tiring. There’s a demon in my room and I hear its howling guaw everywhere I go. Its gleeful, ghastly snickering guts me playfully so. It tears through the seams of dreams, corroding what were once lustrous towers into crumbling heaps of ash and stale smoke. There’s no exorcism or spell to cast it out of view. There’s a demon in my room and there will only ever be a demon in my room.
Cathedrals
The Nexus Staff
By Elizabeth Schoppelrei
Zach MooreLead Editor/Poetry Editor
To look upon the arctic plains The sunlight reecting a billion diamonds, Crystals forming in her lashes, Like buttery kisses, Made her forget his icy hands. She swam in the frigid waters To see the submerged cathedrals, Icebergs with columns and arches Oering sanctuary, a cool numbing of the pain Searing between her legs. She found the frost-bitten corpse— Between two glazed ridges— Blue skin like the Aurora Borealis portrait
Wyatt SchroederFiction Editor Jo BellArt Editor Alexis AlexanderAssistant Poetry Editor Thomas TalbertAssistant Fiction Editor The content in the “Best of Nexus” is intended purely for artistic purposes and does not represent the opinions of The Guardian as an organization.
Etymologist’s Nightmare by
Deborah Rocheleau
Befriending Lisa By Kalea Gore Little Lisa up in the steeple Why is it you cry? “My friend, my friend is gone again And I feel I should die.” Little Lisa up in the steeple Why is it you hide? “Without my friend I feel so alone And afraid to go outside.” Little Lisa up in the steeple What is on your dress? “My friend he told me what to do And it left me quite a mess.” Little Lisa up in the steeple What thing have you done? “My friend he said that they were wrong And did not deserve the sun.” Little Lisa up in the steeple Who is it was wrong? “The ones who laughed at little me And were cruel for so long.” Little Lisa up in the steeple What has become of them? “My friend he said their tongues were forked And should be cut o at the stem.” Little Lisa up in the steeple Why do you hold a scythe? “My friend said they would not hold still And I must make them lithe.” Little Lisa up in the steeple Are they still alive? “My friend made sure they were truly gone And would never more connive.” Little Lisa up in the steeple What friend of yours is this? “He is eight feet tall with the head of a horse And very hard to miss.” Little Lisa up in the steeple I cannot see your friend. “Then you are the same as the rest of them And now your life must end.”
“To read more visit our website at Nexusliteraryjournal.weebly.com to read the full version” @wsuguardian
Suicide Note in the Space of a Wooden Slat By Brandon North
I’ve undertaken the cataloguing of all the words for killing. It’s incredible how many there are, if you care to look.Eliminate. Murder. Slaughter and Dispatch. My quest has taken me far and wide in pursuit of ever more obscure synonyms. Today my search nds me in the library of an antique mansion, surveying the prized collection of a recently-dead Bibliophile. Outside the wind tosses branches against the Victorian windows, while within the silence buzzes like a swarm of cicadas. In the dead quiet, I almost expect the Bibliophile himself to pop in from the ether, come to enjoy his books one last time on a stormy night. facebook.com/theguardianonline
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I cannot un-see what I’ve seen. I’ve tried to remember how the markings looked before the laughing face appeared in the Rorschach on my living room floor. The black eyes watched me pace across the pressed wood. They’re staring up at me now, the jester half grin mocking the excited smile I’ve never had. That’s what persuaded me most, my love. He knows my lips have never twisted as I raised my mouth from your small breasts, the ones I’ve not seen and should’ve been the first. But I don’t blame you. I was self-possessed when my circular saw was cutting out all the slats. I decided to rip them up after I saw a second face in the wood. When the first wouldn’t go away, I put my head on the floor to look in the demonic eyes, thinking of you and how you’d scry in a sentimental object, and then I saw it: the mask of Greek tragedy. Its black-hole mouth is the jester’s left eye, larger, convex, as if he is leaning to wink. Do you see it? Two faces in the one veneer? An awful self-awareness is inside the Fool’s sneer.
Be careful with this when handling it. My hands are full of splinters from making the sawdust pile big enough for my head, but the deepest ones came from these edges as I scryed into the faces to nd if I truly loved you (they each had a different view). I’m nearly out of space. I hope you see what you want on this piece of wood, because I simply couldn’t. If you do, then maybe the particleboard in your end-table that holds pictures of you and your new husband won’t be how you remember me. October 30, 2013
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Men’s basketball preview: Donlon looking to motivate veteran squad Justin Boggs Sports Writer Boggs.59@wright.edu
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f Billy Donlon had his way, this print space would be used to discuss how badly his team will play this season. The fourth-year head coach of Wright State’s men’s basketball team said he is looking for any way possible to motivate his team. “I am not excited that our players are reading about themselves all the time,” Donlon said. “It is a lot harder to be the Goliath than to be the David.”
Photo by Rachael Romero Forward Jerran Young
When the Horizon League released its poll earlier in the preseason, Green Bay was picked by one vote ahead of WSU to win the conference. For Donlon, it was a blessing the squad was not picked No. 1 by coaches and administrators. Donlon’s Raiders came just minutes away from winning the Horizon League last year after being picked to finish at the bottom of the league. The team followed up the Horizon League Tournament run with a couple wins in the College Basketball Invitational. “Last year was a fluke, we’re not very good, we’re overrated, and we won’t win. That is the article I hope you come out with,” Donlon said about what he wanted this story to be about. Donlon is looking for ways to motivate a squad with 10 upperclassmen, nine of which could see significant playing time if healthy and eligible. There are two big question marks as the Raiders enter the preseason: Will Matt Vest redshirt and will Tavares Sledge be reinstated? Vest, a senior who started in all 36 contests in his junior season, is recovering from an offseason surgery. Vest is listed by Donlon as 50/50 on whether he will play this year or opt to redshirt. Sledge, a 6-foot-9 junior whose minutes were limited late last year, is facing four misdemeanor charges and has been suspended pending
a December court hearing. Donlon has said he will let the legal process play out before reinstating Sledge. Even without Vest and Sledge, the Raiders have their six leading scorers from last year available at the start of this year. For senior Miles Dixon, seeing Green Bay picked ahead of the Raiders is motivation for this season. “We have a chip on our shoulders,” Dixon said. “We had a great year last year and we hope to finish it out this year and win the conference championship.” But even with Green Bay picked ahead of the Raiders, national experts have the Raiders slated to win the conference and go to the NCAA Tournament. “We know we have a target on our backs,” Dixon said. “No matter what, we can’t go into games thinking we have a big head because we have to fight for a championship.” After this Friday’s exhibition versus Findlay, WSU kicks off the regular season against Mount St. Joseph on Nov. 10 in the Nutter Center.
Turnovers, offensive rebounds key to success in HL
After Wright State blew a six-point lead in last year’s Horizon League Championship,
Ending Rape Monday, November 4, 2013 7:00 p.m. Apollo Room, Student Union Presented by: Dr. Keith Edwards
Far too often rape is seen as a “women’s issue.” Men can be encouraged to play a significant role in ending the perpetuation of a campus rape culture. Ending Rape is a powerful presentation that identifies what men have to gain from ending campus rape, and empower college students to recognize the messages all around that foster a rape culture on campus and in society at large. Ending Rape challenges all of us– men and women– to confront and intervene in the rape culture.
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head coach Billy Donlon has put an emphasis on winning those close contests going into this season. Donlon said that 95 percent of games in the Horizon League come down to the final three minutes of a contest. Winning the turnover margin and the rebound battle is how Donlon expects to win tight contests. “There are only two ways to get extra possessions and that is offensive rebounding and turnovers,” Donlon said. “You get three extra possessions, that means you can score nine points. You get to score nine points before the other team gets above zero. In games that come down to five points, four points, those possessions are critical.” Last season, the Raiders had a plus 2.8 turnover margin per game. Those extra three possessions in a contest could be critical in a game decided by a possession or two. “(Coach Donlon) harps on defense every day in practice,” WSU guard Miles Dixon said. “Defense wins the games for us, our possessions really matter to us and we don’t let guys shoot any shot against us.”
Dayton on the mind of Donlon
At last Wednesday’s basketball luncheon at the Nutter Center, Donlon gave his thoughts on a potential rivalry game with the Dayton Flyers. Donlon has said that the leaders at the University of Dayton have prevented starting a home-and-home series with the Flyers and did not place blame on UD coach Archile Miller. “They want to shut us up, they want to shut the Wright State people up, play us,” Donlon said. In the 90s, Dayton regularly scheduled matches with Wright State in men’s basketball. The two teams met eight times with the Raiders winning three times. The last time the two teams met was Dec. 13, 1997 when Dayton beat WSU 94-63 in UD Arena. According to Donlon, more than 16 years between contests is way too long. www.theguardianonline.com
Photo by Brittany Robinson: Staff Photographer Guard Miles Dixon
“I want to play the game because it makes sense,” Donlon said. “The majority of the people I talk to on both sides of the aisle, they tell me they want to play the game. And the things you can do for charity, like the Children’s Hospital, Salvation Army, cancer research… The things you can do for the community, there is no excuse.” Despite not having much recent luck with Dayton on scheduling, Donlon is confident that the game will be played. “I just hope I get to be the coach at Wright State who gets to be on that sideline,” he said.
Findlay up next
WSU opens with a home exhibition Friday against the Findlay Oilers. Findlay is ranked No. 9 in the NCAA Division II poll and is coming off a 22-8 record in 2012-13. Despite being a Division II squad, Donlon expects a strong challenge by the Oilers. Donlon said he is hoping to see improvement Friday on how the offense works together and making the proper reads. “I want us to execute our system and play to the best of our ability,” Donlon said. “I want a team that converts to offense faster than we have, that doesn’t mean shoot faster, but get down there faster.” October 30, 2013
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A mid-sized, public university located in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio. Named after the Wright brothers. Known for its nursing, engineering, and psychology programs. Not known for parties. Best bang for your buck in Ohio as far as education goes. The campus is beautiful and clean and the people are friendly. By far the best school in the greater Dayton area. The air force base is nearby so there are always men in uniform around. The girls are among the most attractive college girls in the country.
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Women’s basketball preview: Revitalized Raiders seek redemption Andrew Smith Sports Editor Smith.1026@wright.edu
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peaking at the annual Wright State basketball luncheon, women’s basketball coach Mike Bradbury delivered an honest message to the crowd of media members, WSU administrators, coaches and program supporters. “12-18 is not acceptable and is not what we intended to do last year, but it’s what happened,” Bradbury said. It was a noticeable and surprising step backward for a program that posted backto-back 20-win seasons since Bradbury arrived in Fairborn in 2010. The animated coach often wore his frustration on his sleeve last season, but was helpless, at times, in being able to do anything about it. His team was besieged by early injuries and struggled to find its rhythm from the perimeter when opposing teams packed the paint and dared the Raiders to shoot from outside. WSU returns with renewed expectations, improved health and a stronger backcourt. The Raiders were tabbed to finish second in their conference behind Green Bay. The small but talented group of guards will be led by junior Kim Demmings, who was named Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year on
Photo by Andrew Smith: Sports Editor Head Coach Mike Bradbury
Monday. In 2012, the do-it-all Demmings paced the Raiders offense, averaging just over 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and one steal per game. But Demmings won’t be doing it alone. Although the dynamic guard will once again be expected to be WSU’s foremost offensive weapon, Bradbury believes that the players who logged significant minutes during meaningful games last season can be parlayed into more victories this season. “A lot of people that played last year gained valuable experience,” said Bradbury. “People had to play out of their normal roles. They played a lot more minutes than they had prior to that [time] and I only think that’s going to help us this year.” Two of those players included seniors KC Elkins and Ivory James, who started a combined 38 games. James was added to the All-Horizon League Newcomer Team in March and finished second on the team in scoring with 11.2 ppg while shooting 42 percent from the field. Juniors Abby Jump and Sarah Hunter round out the backcourt, which will seek to utilize their speed and keep opposing defenses on their heels. “I feel like we will have the best backcourt in our league,” Bradbury said. More help is on the way, too. Junior Courtney Boyd returns to the Raiders’ lineup with few physical limitations, after tearing her ACL in the preseason last year. Bradbury has said the 6-1 guard has looked “ahead of schedule” and is “full go” at practice. Joining Boyd are transfers Tay’ler Mingo and Symone Denham. Mingo, who played at Florida State, is eligible at the beginning of the season, while Denham, who played at Michigan, will be available around Christmas time, according to Bradbury. The Raiders will also enjoy added depth in the frontcourt with transfer Kourtni Perry, a 6-1 forward from Kent State. WSU lost 6-5 center Richelle van der Keijl to an Achilles injury during the preseason.
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Bradbury’s staff had high hopes for van der Keijl as a player that could improve the Raiders’ rebounding woes which plagued the team throughout much of last year. The players that will suit up for Bradbury this season face a formidable non-conference schedule. The list includes home games versus Memphis and Xavier, a tilt against North Carolina State and trips to Dayton and Louisville. The Flyers and Cardinals both made the 2012 NCAA tournament. The Cardinals advanced to the national title game and lost to UCONN. “That is a tremendous schedule. It all looks good and people get excited about it. Now fortunately or unfortunately, we’re going to go play it,” Bradbury said. His players, however, aren’t blinking at the sights of national powerhouses and BCSlevel schools. “It says a lot about our coach and he puts a lot of confidence in us,” Elkins said. “He never gives us anything he thinks we can’t handle. I think it speaks volumes about how he feels about our team and our expectations. He expects a lot and we try to give him what he expects.” “It’s going to be fun,” junior Breanna Stucke said. “We just look forward to it. It’s definitely going to be a high level [of play] and it gets us ready for conference.”
Demmings’ everevolving leadership role As the saying goes, “with great power, comes great responsibility.” No player on Mike Bradbury’s roster is that more true than Kim Demmings. Following the Raiders early exit from the Horizon League Tournament in March, Bradbury said he planned to saddle Demmings with additional leadership duties for the coming season. Demmings, in turn, responded. The Raiders coach said his star point guard has put in the necessary work during practice @wsuguardian
Photo by Andrew Smith: Sports Editor HL Preseason POY Kim Demmings
to become the leader he needs her to be when the games start to count in the standings. “She’s grown a lot from her first year to her second year, and a whole lot from her second year to her third year,” Bradbury said. “We give her a lot of freedom and we expect something in return. She’s handled more responsibility with a good attitude and work ethic like she always does.” Demmings said she thrives in the pressure-packed role of being the Raiders’ leader and understands that the role she was thrust into since her career began two years ago provides a chance to guide the program to greatness. “I’m really confident and a good kid in pressure situations,” Demmings said. “For me, it’s expected. I don’t look at it as being under pressure. I look at it as a responsibility to make this program as great as it should be.”
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The waiting is now over for Boyd. The 6-1 junior has been a nearly full participant in the Raiders’ practices during the preseason. She has made the best of her distinguishable knee brace, which, at times, has taken the form of armor. She said she has experimented with different braces and has preferred a softer version that allows for a wider range of mobility. “This knee brace is a lot more agile and is probably the one I will use,” Boyd said pointing to a brace she wore at Monday’s practice. Boyd said she has not felt limited by the injury, save for occasional soreness and tightness. On a day-to-day basis, she said a couple of Advils are all she needs to deal with the pain. “It’s getting stronger. I have my good and bad days, but overall, it’s pretty good,” Boyd said about her right knee. WSU missed Boyd’s production from the perimeter last season. During the 2011-12 season, Boyd led the team in makes (85) and attempts (276) on three pointers – nearly 100 more than Demmings, who was second on the team in attempts. “I’ve always been kind of a three-point shooter on the team and we didn’t have it last year. We kind of struggled a little bit on the outside, so hopefully I’ll be able to come back and knock down some shots,” Boyd said.
Courtney Boyd’s long road back Last season, Courtney Boyd stood on the sidelines during practices, mostly working the team’s video camera. All she could do was watch and wait. Boyd tore her right ACL on Nov. 4 during the team’s second exhibition game and missed the entire 2012-13 season. www.theguardianonline.com
Photo by Andrew Smith: Sports Editor Guard Courtney Boyd
October 30, 2013
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