The Washburn Review, Issue 19

February 26, 2020

Social media engagement civic discussion sheds light on issues Matt Self

Washburn Review

A social media and civic engagement discussion occurred on campus hoping to shed light on some issues.

The discussion took place at 1 p.m. on Monday Feb. 24. A group of panelists met in the Rita-Blitt art gallery to discuss the future of journalism, the impact of incivility on social media and the topic of false news reports.

The panelists discussed a variety of topics related to journalism and its future.

They included Maria Stover, Ashley Muddiman and Joseph Kendall-Morwick.

The discussion began with Maria Stover, the chair of the mass media department at Washburn.

Growing up in a country where free speech was stifled, Bulgaria, Stover related the benefits of having the ability to write and publish without fear of reprisals.

“I told my grandparents that I wanted to be a journalist,” said Stover. “Journalists, as a professions, a lot can be said of the importance of free media and free democracy. We have a role to keep things like the government in check with our reporting.”

Stover then began to address some of the major issues facing journalism and the news industry today.

Chiefly concerning sensationalism. Stover related how less research was being conducted for articles and how they are mainly relying on eliciting an emotional response from their viewers.

“The word of the year in 2016 was post-truth,” said Stover. “We have bad manners, fake news, incorrect facts and a president who

openly disagrees with the media. All of these challenge basic democratic norms and undermine clear communication among citizens.”

Following Stover was Muddiman from the University of Kansas with her presentation on the civility of people on popular social media platforms. Muddiman’s recent study mainly focused on the comment sections of news pieces on the New York Times’ website. What she discovered through her research was a trifle unsettling but not wholly unexpected.

“Many people engage in political discussions on social media, it’s not all bad stuff but the bad stuff is pretty bad,” said Muddiman. “The downsides to this language hasn’t been fully studied yet.

The risk of participating in these discussions is that you could get some things thrown back at you. We’ve found that women and people of color tend to get the brunt of the damage from uncivil comments.”

Muddiman’s research found that uncivil comments not only hurt the targets of them, but also the reputation of the news site. She found that if a news article had negative comments on it, the people reading it would garner negative feelings towards the site itself. A correlation can also be made with these findings with political candidates who garner negative feelings with the comments they post online.

However, her research did find that some good came from political discussions online. Those who participated in uncivil discussions were more encouraged to interact and participate.

Continued on page 2

Volume 146, Issue 19

washburnreview.org

Puppies invade Washburn’s Coffee Talk

WASHBURN REVIEW - Lou Collobert

Ready for my close up: Estes stops to pose for the camera. Estes is a 2-year-old border collie.

‘Pet me’: Achheta Shaleya, a sophomore computer science major, takes a study break to pet a puppy. Shaleya stopped by the Union Underground after a computer science class.

Chihuahua: Tomoka Komiya, freshman business major, snuggles Prissy, a chihuahua mix. Both enjoyed the much needed affection.

Open education week offers scholarship opportunity Alyssa Storm Washburn Review

Washburn University will be promoting open education resources week next week, March 2 through 6.

Open education week is an international awareness week to inform the academic community about what open education is and how it can be accessed.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation defines Open Educational Resources as teaching, learning and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing.

OER includes course materials, textbooks, videos, tests and any other tools, materials or techniques used to support access to knowledge. OER are online, easy to access and always free to use by yourself or in a classroom setting.

“Open Educational Resources can be easier to get in a practical sense; for instance, not having to order a book and wait for it to arrive,” said physics professor Brian Thomas. “It is a better way for students to get correct information by possibly making your course materials cheaper.”

Students can access any OER at any point in time – it works throughout the whole year.

ONLINE

There are textbooks, videos, podcasts, scholarly articles and much more that are available for use. Licenses allow for full printing access to all articles.

“There’s just a lot out there so I’m trying to educate the campus community about it,” said Amanda Luke, open access librarian at Mabee Library. “Once you know about it you can use it and explore it and even add to it.”

There are hundreds of websites and topics that are offer OER, but it might not go in depth as much as it is needed for some upper level courses. Thomas uses what is called a “hybrid” in his classes.

“I also like using a ‘hybrid’ model, where some resources are open, but some are not,” said Thomas. “That allows me to lower cost but still get functionality that isn’t possible for me to reproduce.”

Along with a week’s worth of fun activities, there is a chance to win a $250 scholarship that will be going on throughout the week. It is a six-picture story contest; there will be six different images and students will write a one-page story, including the pictures into the story in some way.

For more information on OER week events visit https://libguides.washburn. edu/open/OEWeek2020 For more information about OER visit https://libguides.washburn.edu/Open.

Article: Who’s Who at Washburn Brief

Article: Does Washburn need more counselors?

photo courtesy of Mabee Library

Weekly schedule: This has all the events for open education week. This is the fourth year Open Educational Resources has been modified to fit into Washburn University’s community.

Gallery: Men’s tennis defeats McKendree Bearcats

Gallery: Women’s basketball vs Lincoln

2

NEWS

washburnreview.org

Continued: Discussion over social media

WASHBURN REVIEW - Matt Self

Panel of experts: Last Friday’s panelists included (from left to right) Stover, Joseph Kendall-Morwick and Kara Kendall-Morwick. They discussed the changing world of journalism and the challenges faced by those seeking civil discussions online.

“It might not be a bad thing for a small amount of incivility to exist,” said Muddiman.

The next speaker to take hold of the conversation was Joseph Kendall-Morwick from Missouri Western State University, the husband of Kara Kendall-Morwick from Washburn’s English Department.

Joseph Kendall-Morwick’s work involves the study of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it will come into play in the future.

“I think when I first started with studies on AI people thought it was more or less a joke of some sort,” said Joseph Kendall-Morwick. “In the same sense that engineers working on the atom bomb had to dis-

cuss ethics, the same thing struck me as I was doing this study.”

The discussion moved to the topic of algorithms and their presence in today’s technology. He related how Facebook algorithms can manipulate information easily now. He also spoke of how when we’re working to influence one another, we’re engaging in citizenship.

The panel discussion concluded with questions being accepted from the dozen or so attendees who gathered to listen to the conversation. Muddiman’s studies can be found online at the Journal of Communication where she discusses in depth the topic of incivility on online platforms.

Koritha Mitchell speaks at annual lecture tied to WUmester Alyssa Storm Washburn Review

Continuing the WUmester semester, Koritha Mitchell will present the Lincoln Harman Lecture “Homemade Citizenship: All But Inviting Injury” Thursday Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. in the Washburn Theater. It is a free lecture and it is open to anyone.

The Lincoln Harman lecture has been around for three decades. Annually, this lecture shines light on Abraham Lincoln, his era and the trials and tribulations that occurred throughout the time period. With it being February, Abraham Lincoln’s birth month, it is the perfect time to build upon the ongoing conversation about what Abraham Lincoln was trying to accomplish.

Mitchell will be the first African American woman to speak at this lecture.

She is going to be discussing her book “From Slave Cabin to the White House” at the event. Furthermore, she will touch on how African Americans constructed their own citizenship.

“In doing so, they created a true American Story,” said Professor Bruce Mactavish of the history department.

Professor Vanessa Steinroetter, an English professor, heard Mitchell speak

photo courtesy of Koritha Mitchell

Upcoming speaker: Koritha Mitchell is going to speak at the Lincoln Harman lecture Feb. 27. Mitchell is one on several women speaking on Campus this semester.

of several women of color who will be speaking on campus this semester,” said Erby. “Flonzie Brown spoke earlier in February, Dr. Mitchell, and Dr. Carol Anderson is coming in May.” Erby hopes students, faculty members and community members reflect on the inequality of American citizenship and its uneven availability. This lecture will elaborate on how, even when African Americans and women eventually got the right to vote, there were still certain groups that were not included in accessing those rights.

“This is a fascinating historical time period that has so much we can learn from and that is really interesting,” said Steinroetter. “It’s not just something kind of dusty on the bookshelf; it is very relevant.”

Mitchell has a personal website, www.korithamitchell.com, that has lectures, books and ways to get involved in your community to make a change.

This topic will show the relevance of history and the hope that is demonstrated throughout Mitchell’s book. It will highlight the intense struggle older generations of African Americans had to persevere through to achieve what they wanted.

at an academic conference and instantly made the connection to the Lincoln Harman Lecture and this year’s WUmester theme.

The point of the Lincoln Harman Lecture is to get people to start talking about these hard topics, to make the audience understand the relevance and think about it deeper. Having an African American woman give this lecture helps the audience get a different viewpoint of the challenges that she might have faced growing up.

“What Dr. Mitchell is going to help us think about is how those (the 13th, 14th, 15th, Amendments) have never really been delivered equally to Americans on gender, skin color, or ethnicity,” said Mactavish. “African Americans have never lost sight of that promise and have yet found themselves.”

Kelly Erby, a professor of history, along with Steinroetter and Mactavish claim that this is not going to be a dull history lecture.

“Dr. Mitchell is just one

Screening of Suffragette (2019)—Part of Phi Alpha Theta Film Series

Mabee Library reduces hours

Camp War Eagle Recruiting

Starting Monday, Feb. 24, Mabee reduced their hours to closing at 11 p.m.

There will be a public forum hosted by WSGA, tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the Kansas room of the Memorial Union. This public forum is regarding the change of hours of operation for the Mabee Library. If you believe this is something worth fighting for please come tomorrow night.

From 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26 and Thursday Feb. 27, in the Memorial Union / Stauffer Commons.

Camp War Eagle is a Christian Sports and Adventure camp for kids in Northwest Arkansas. Each year, our summer staff has the opportunity to be the difference in the lives of thousands of children.

Come stop by the table for more information, or to sign up for an interview.

Event Briefs “Being Good Citizens for Community Cats” At 12 p.m. – 1 p.m., Monday, March 2, in Mabee Library WUmester Mondays at the Mabee Series: “Being Good Citizens for Community Cats,” presented by Dr. Kara Kendall-Morwick and Susan Schmitz (former president of Topeka Community Cat Fix)Mabee Library - Living Room

At 7 p.m., Monday, March 2, Henderson Learning Resources Center Classroom 107.

Part of the Phi Alpha Theta historical film series, Suffragette (2015), offers a cinematic account of a working-class woman’s recruitment and activism in the suffrage movement in Britain on the eve of World War I. Learn more at washburn.edu/academics/ college-schools/arts-sciences/departments/history/ phi-alpha-theta.html

Information only 11:48 a.m. Feb. 18. A report was made from Washburn Tech East.

A report of a possible violation of a protection from abuse order was made.

Information only 12:40 p.m. Feb. 18. A report was made from Washburn Tech. A report of harrassment by an unknown individual through email was made.

WOO WOO at WU 8:50 p.m. Feb. 18. The fire/ smoke alarm was set off at the LLC. The alarm was caused by cooking.

Medical report 10:26 a.m. Feb. 19. A report was made from Washburn Tech Building L. A student cut his hand while working in the Tech lab.

Spending spree 11:42 a.m. Feb. 19.

A report was made from Morgan Hall. An individual reported an unlawful use of a financial card off campus.

The case of the missing thingabob 12:59 p.m. Feb. 19.

A report was made from Morgan Hall. An individual reported a possible theft.

We have rules here my dude 7:58 a.m. Feb. 20. A report was made from parking lot 9 at Washburn. An individual was issued a citation.

Trying to get recruited?

5:22 p.m. Feb. 20. A report was made from the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity.

A suspicious person was reported.

Those damn elves 9:28 p.m. Feb. 21. The fire/smoke alarm was set off at the LLC. The alarm was caused by a burnt cookie.

So far this semester Fire alarms:

4

Traffic stops:

20

Marijuana calls:

9

Suspicious calls:

18

3

Opinion

February 26, 2020

Staff Review Editor in Chief Abbie Barth Arts & Living Editor and Design Editor Cody Dannar Features Editor Erica Faulkinbury WASHBURN REVIEW - Erica Faulkinbury

Why so dark WU?: Parking lot 7 shows multiple areas of darkness, especially where cars are currently parked. This photo was taken at 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Parking lots need to be safer Abbie Barth Washburn Review

Campus parking lots and sideways need better lighting.

As the editor of the newspaper, I spend a lot of late nights on campus.

Even when I get to leave by 5:30 p.m., it usually is already dark outside.

What I dread most about these late nights is the walk to my car. Most days I get to campus in the morning.

Of course, all the lots closest to the building are full.

So, I have to park in a far corner off campus.

Like most women, I have that fear of being approached by an intimidating figure while walking to my car. I’m tired of constantly scanning my surroundings, letting a

friend know when I get to my car safely and clutching my pepper spray with a death grip. Unfortunately, no amount of complaining or recognizing that this situation is unfair will ever make the problem go away.

Instead, I do want to propose some solutions that would help women, or anyone walking on campus, to feel safe at night.

First off, parking lots and sidewalks must install additional lighting so that there aren’t any dark zones on the walk to your car.

There are many patches of darkness on sidewalks and in parking lots.

According to palamerican.com, a parking lot or garage should have bright illumination for driving and pedestrian areas, but also needs to minimize

shadows beyond these areas, where attackers could hide.

To go more environmentally friendly, Washburn could also consider using solar lights. It would cut down on electricity costs, and they don’t waste energy but still keep parking lots well lit.

Secondly, it would be helpful for Washburn Police to patrol the parking lots at night more regularly and possibly park in the highly trafficked lots at night.

While WU police offer to walk individuals to their car if they are feeling unsafe, a student may feel uncomfortable reaching out or might feel silly doing so. Also, it can take upwards of 10 minutes for an officer to reach your loca-

tion. Sometimes we are so tired that we just can’t wait that long.

For individuals that do not feel safe walking to their cars, there are apps out there that will track your location and send alerts if you do not make it to your car or building safely.

Some of these apps are: Watch Over Me, Companion and BSafe.

These apps are designed to track your location and have emergency response systems dialed and ready to go if a crisis occurs.

Washburn students deserve to feel safe on campus, regardless of the amount of sunlight. It is my hope that Washburn hears these concerns and makes steps towards making our campus safer.

Anna-Marie spills the tea: Astrology Anna-Marie Lauppe Washburn Review

Hi I’m Anna-Marie, I’m an Aries, and I think astrology is bullsh*t.

Astrology, as most know, is a pseudoscience. Astrology, as defined by Wikipedia, is “a pseudoscience that claims to derive information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the movements and relative positions of celestial objects.”

It is a pseudoscience because people mistake Astrology as an actual science that is grounded in scientific theory, which it most obviously is not.

Some people I know fully believe in all things astrology. They believe it can guide your life and that it should be regarded seriously. I believe they are kidding themselves.

Don’t get me wrong, as I mentioned in the very beginning. I know what my zodiac sign (the star sign one is born under) is, and I wouldn’t want to be anything else than the Aries I am.

I am one day removed from being a Pisces (that would have been a disaster), and when I look at the personality traits of both zodiacs side by side, I tend to lean very heavily towards the Aries side of things when it comes to how I judge and how others judge my personality traits. With that being said though, I still don’t use my zodiac, and the traits and advice which accompany it to explain my behavior or guide my life.

I will state that there isn’t anything inherently wrong with using astrology to guide one’s life. I just think one should take astrology for what it is: over-generalizations that could apply

to anyone. These over-generalizations are represented by a psychological phenomenon called the Barnum Effect. According to Brittanica.com the Barnum Effect is “the phenomenon that occurs when individuals believe that personality descriptions apply specifically to them (more so than other people), despite the fact that the description is actually filled with information that applies to everyone.”

Sound familiar to anyone?

This effect is important because it sheds light on the truth of this pseudoscience. Again, I’m not saying turning to one’s horoscope for advice is inherently bad or good. Before people put so much stake into this idea, they should know what they are putting stake in.

I find it silly when people say they are feeling a certain way because celestial body x is behaving a certain way. For example, Mercury has been in retrograde this month since Feb. 17 and will continue to be until March 10. Apparently, people have been having a rough time since this retrograde period started. A planet being in retrograde is just a matter of its rotation going the opposite direction than normal. Being greatly affected by a planet 59+ million miles away is taking this whole astrology thing too far.

Astrology and one’s horoscope can’t be an excuse for a bad attitude, crappy behavior or anything else.

Though I must admit, it would be nice to have something to blame for those random mood swings we all are privy to every once in awhile.

Joshua Irsik Online Editor in Chief Joelle Conway Chief Copy Editor Adam White Advertising Managers Lexie Longbine Amanda Zoetmulder Assistant Editor Nicholas Solomon Reporters Matt Self Kodee Christensen Alyssa Storm Kellen Simoncic Sambridhi Regmi Kelan Chapagain Photographers Lou Collobert Derek Blanchard Copy Editors Wesley Tabor Jada Johnson Jason Morrison Hannah Alleyne Diana Martinez-Ponce Freelance Reporters and Photographers

WASHBURN REVIEW - Abbie Barth

Spilling tea: Anna-Marie Lauppe is the Editor in Chief of the Kaw Yearbook and a senior psychology major. She wrote this column to share her beliefs with the Washburn community.

If you are one of those people who lives your life by horoscopes, I hope I didn’t burst your bubble. Just because I find them to err on the side of bullsh*t, doesn’t mean you must.

On that note, I also hope I gave you something interesting to think about.

For those of you who don’t care about horoscopes but didn’t know about the Barnum Effect, you learned something new. Finally, for those of you out there like me who enjoy a good personality comparison, and wouldn’t want to be any other sign, but deep down know it’s all kind of bullsh*t, congratulations you’re not alone. In the end we all want to hold on to things that give us an “identity.”

Who am I to judge?...and that is a little bit of celestial tea from me to WU.

Corrections and clarifications

Have an opinion?

Please, let us know!

Abbie Barth (Editor-in-Chief) abbie.barth@washburn.edu or wureview@gmail.com

Corrections should be emailed to wureview@gmail.com If you have other concerns please call us at (785) 670-2506

1. Come up with a topic you have feelings about 2. Write down your thoughts in a well worked and respectful way 3. Include a picture of yourself and some basic information 4. Email your work to the editor-in-chief for a chance to have your opinion appear in the next issue

Did you find a mistake?

Sports Editor

How to submit a letter to the editor Deadline for submissions is every Friday by 5 p.m.

John Burns Bailey Longstaff Savannah Workman KAW Editor in Chief Anna-Marie Lauppe Bod Mag Editor in Chief Hailey Mann Bod Mag Assistant Leah Jamison Office Manager Melissa Kern Director of Student Media Regina Cassell JOIN JOIN OUR OUR TEAM TEAM

We’re Hiring!

Washburn Student Media is hiring for all positions!

Benefits of working for us · On Campus · Paid positions · Flexible scheduling Apply online washburnreview.org/apply

4

PUZZLES & ENTERTAINMENT

washburnreview.org

The Washburn Review was established in 1885. This section shares snapshots of coverage from the Review’s more than 130-year newspaper.

Dan Robison, above right, is shown receiving some pointers from James K. Van Slyke, Washburn University band director...

Feb. 26,1954

Assistant turns preparator: Michael Allen took the job of exhibition preparator when Michael Hager decided to teach full time. Allen is a graduate of Washburn University.

Feb. 22, 2012

Mulvane welcomes ‘new’ exhibition preparator Finding a job after graduation and finding a job that you love are two challenging and sometimes difficult tasks to achieve after college. Luckily for Michael Allen, he has killed two birds with one stone.

Born in Wichita and raised in Plainville, Kan., Allen graduated from Washburn University this past fall with bachelor of fine arts degree, and was appointed the position of exhibition preparator for the Mulvane Art Museum on Jan 2.

“It takes a variety of different types of talents and skills in order to do this job,” said Cindi Morrison, director of the Mulvane Art Museum. “[Allen] was the one that suited our needs as the permanent preparator.”

Excerpt from Feb. 22, 2012

Mulvane Art Center Welcomes Members The Mulvane Art Center welcomes the following new members into membership: Dr. and Mrs. Robert Cotton, Dr. and Mrs. L.E. Eckles, Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Foth, Miss Luverne Jorgensen, Mrs. Harry Logan, and Dr. and Mrs. Gardner Murphy Excerpt from Feb. 26,1954

“I put a desk at both ends of th’ classroom—confuses heck out of those students who always sit on the back row.”

Feb. 26,1954

5

ARTS & LIVING

February 26, 2020

Von Hansen to perform: ‘There is No Place Like Home’ Kodee Christensen Washburn Review

photo courtesy of Von Hansen

Homecoming recital: Von Hansen will be performing his first faculty recital since his return to Washburn as faculty. Hansen was once a student at Washburn.

It’s not every day that one gets a chance to perform at the school where they mastered their skill.

This opportunity has come about for Washburn alum Von Hansen, assistant director of bands and director of percussion at Washburn University.

“I have a real strong connection to Washburn,” said Hansen. “I feel strongly about the school. I had a great time here and feel like I got a really good education. There are several professors here who were teachers when I was a student. And I think that the faculty gets along really well. With my family here and everything, it just feels comfortable. I’m really happy being here teaching so, it’s nice to contribute to building the program from my undergraduate.”

Hansen’s return to Washburn has resulted in his first faculty recital, “There is No Place Like Home,” happening at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at White Concert Hall. The recital will include familiar pieces as well as original compositions, each being intentional and exciting.

“There are over fifty different instruments that will be on the stage,” said Hansen of the upcoming performance. “There’s one piece that has nine drums and three wooden boxes that I play on. I played one of the pieces in my masters and another in my doctorate, and then I wrote the other one last semester. The other two are brand new to me. It’s a mixture of pieces that I’ve done before and then a few new pieces I’ve never played, like

the ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ arrangement.”

One of Hansen’s students says he feels that Hansen treats him as a colleague, and has learned a lot about percussion from him.

“I’m just really excited to see him go and shred some seriously difficult music,” said senior music education major Daniel Albertson.

“As a department, I see a lot of value in the teachers showing the university and their own students what they are capable of, as it gives students a level to look up to. Not to mention, it backs up their credibility in that they can demonstrate the techniques and skills they are trying to pass onto their students,” said Albertson.

Hansen’s skill, mixed with his creativity, will be showcased at the recital through the various unconventional instruments he will be using. From rice packets and paper clips, to car brake drums and a doorstop, there are no limits to how a percussion instrument is defined.

“I don’t think people quite understand what they’re getting into with percussion,” said Hansen.

“They think it’s going to just be somebody up there playing a snare drum, but there’s variety and the multiple instruments. I think people really respond to percussion concerts because there’s always something for everybody in there.”

For a unique concert experience and a chance to welcome back a Washburn alum in his faculty debut, be sure to attend Hansen’s recital on Feb. 26. Attendance is free and open to the public.

By Kodee Christensen

Do you believe in any natural remedies?

Cassidy Precht Junior Political Science and Religious Studies

“When I was little my mom would make me gargle salt water when I was sick, and I remember that working really well.”

Boaz Drain Dual credit student

“A few different ones, like hot tea, drinking more water and different diet cleanses like whole 30.”

Amanda Anstett Senior Accounting

“I think the use of steam when you’re sick is better than anything else.”

Jason Guerra Freshman Business

“Coconut oil is good for a lot of different things... hair, skin, I think you can drink it too.”

Jessica Stewart Senior Forensic Anthropology

Tsubasa Mori Senior Finance and Economics

“I don’t. They’re not really my thing.”

“I’d just say protein, for working out and muscle gain.”

Health Benefits of Coffee and Tea 1. A potent source of healthful antioxidants

1. Revs up your metabolism

2. Caffeine provides a short-term memory boost

2. Anti-inflammatory 3. Reduces the risk of dying from certain chronic diseases

3. May help protect against cognitive decline

Information courtesy of /www.onemedical.com

4. Healthy for your heart

4. Reduces the risk of dying from certain chronic diseases

5. May help curb certain cancers

5. It's good for your brain

6. May lessen your risk of developing type 2 diabetes

6. It may help prevent cancer

7. Your liver loves coffee

7. It's good for your mouth

graphic by Erica Faulkinbury

Information courtesy of www.mindbodygreen.com

6

FEATURES

washburnreview.org

photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Breaking the curse: While not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, “Sonic the Hedgehog” manages to be up there as one of the best video game movies I’ve seen.

Pictured is Sonic the Hedgehog, voiced by Ben Schwartz.

‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ brings charm and cringe

Nicholas Solomon Washburn Review

I was not expecting “Sonic the Hedgehog” to be a good movie for several reasons.

Firstly, it has the stigma of being a video game movie. The only experience I have with the games themselves is a level from a SEGA Dreamcast demo disk and I am simply not the target audience. It is for fans and kids. Nevertheless, part of my job is watching movies, so I made the two hour sacrifice to help people decide whether to see it or not.

The main appeal of “Sonic the Hedgehog” is its charm, which is really all it has going for it.

It is the story of the titular alien talking blue hedgehog, voiced by Ben Schwartz, who comes to earth through a portal and lands in a rural town in Montana. He lives deep in the woods, and his only human contact is police officer Tom, played by James Marsden, who can do much better, along with his wife and dog.

While once incognito, he inadvertently draws

the attention of the US government, who deems him a threat and enlists the help of mad scientist Dr. Robotnik, portrayed by Jim Carrey.

That is the first thing that I love about this movie: Jim Carrey is peak Jim Carrey. He is having so much fun in the role, bringing me back to his older movies like “The Grinch” and “Liar Liar.”

Being wonderfully outrageous and cringey, this is a role that only Carrey could pull off.

Other than that, the casting is strange. James Marsden, a fairly underrated actor, is out of place. His role is that of a “straight man” to Sonic whom he is basically buddy buddy with. Both the reaction I and the friend with had was “why is Marsden in this?” His part would be much better for a vanilla actor like Chris Pratt, who is venturing for more serious roles even when he is naturally better at comedy.

The interactions between Marsden, Sonic and Carrey are what make this movie. Everything else takes a back seat, and this is where that charm comes in. As much as I am puzzled by

the presence of Marsden, it does a serviceable job, and doesn’t pull you out of the movie.

One thing that I really disliked about this movie however was the incessant pop culture referencing and product placement. There’s lots of name-dropping like Zillow and Olive Garden multiple times, Sonic doing the floss dance from Fortnite and mentions of Keanu Reeves, just to name a few examples. Every time, I would either glare at my friend or groan. While I expected this, and it sort of fits with the outlandish charm, cringing in a movie in most cases is never good.

I didn’t drop money to watch a groan fest like a network cop show or “The Bachelor,” I wanted to be entertained!

Overall, “Sonic The Hedgehog” is a consistent movie: consistently dumb and wince inducing, but charming as well. Despite being that way, I still had fun with it. Will I ever see it again voluntarily? Absolutely not, but nonetheless, it’s pretty good for a video game movie, and that’s a rarity.

HIRING MASCOTS ARE YOU: Currently a Washburn student with at least a 2.0 GPA Between 5’8” and 6’2” in height and below 190lbs (per costume requirements) Able to perform occasionally in excessive heat Responsible and timely This is a paid position If interested, contact: wurelations@washburn.edu 785-670-1154

CAN YOU: Wear a costume that limits hearing and vision Interact and express yourself without using words Perform at athletic, campus, and community events Represent Washburn positively at all times

7

FEATURES

February 26, 2020

Math professor

from students

gets positive feedback

Sambridhi Regmi with assistance by Abbie Barth Washburn Review

Professor Stephanie Herbster has been working in the mathematics department for 6 years at Washburn and she has been in this profession for 11 years.

She taught high school math prior to teaching at Washburn University.

Herbster completed her undergrad studies from Washburn University with a Bachelor of Arts in 2007 and she got her graduate degree from Emporia State University in 2009 for Masters of Science. “[I came] back to Washburn because I did not want to leave Topeka and wanted to be with my family. And since I went to school here, I knew some of the faculty already and I really liked them so I thought it would be fun to work with them,” said Herbster.

Herbster currently teaches College Algebra (MA 116) and Applied Calculus (MA 141). This summer she will teach a Preparation for College Algebra course.

“The thing I love about teaching is, I get to help people understand what they find difficult and see that they can accomplish things if they try and put effort into it. The way they succeed at the end makes me feel happy as the efforts shows up,” said Herbster.

Outside of the classroom, Herbster loves to spend time with her dog and spend time with friends and family. She also likes to

play and watch sports, specifically volleyball.

Prithvi Jung Kunwar, sophomore political science and business major, has taken both College Algebra and Applied Calculus with Herbster.

“She always kept her class as the first priority and was dedicated towards what she was teaching,” said Kunwar. “I had some difficulties with calculus, but I got to learn more about it and Herbster helped me a lot with it.”

Kunwar recommends to his peers that they take math classes with Herbster.

“I would love to take more classes with her and even recommend students to take her classes, she is really helpful and loves all the students,” said Kunwar.

Maria Laura Rivas Wright, sophomore finance and economics major, took applied calculus with Herbster last year.

“Herbster is a one of a kind of teacher who really cares about the student’s success and she actually helped me a lot when I was struggling in that class,” said Wright.

Wright added that the class atmosphere contributed to her positive experience.

“She was really confident in her teaching and always answered the questions if anyone had problem,” said Wright. “I remember she used to play music sometimes in the class while we were solving questions which I felt was really cool.”

“She always kept her class as the first priority and was dedicated towards what she was teaching,” - Prithvi Jung Kunwar

WASHBURN REVIEW -Sambridhi Regmi

Do the math: Professor Stephanie Herbster’s students recommend taking a class with her. She has been described as helpful, friendly and well spoken.

By Kelan Chapagain

What was your favorite movie from 2019 and why?

Alisha Bajracharya Freshman Bio Chemistry

Xiao Yu Han Senior Accounting

Natalia Gonzalez Senior Environmental Engineering

Rajesh Kandel Junior ACT Chemistry

Sangya Yogi Freshman Marketing

Baron Hoi Freshman Law

“‘The Farewell’ because it is really emotional and i like emotional movies.”

“‘Christmas’ because it is fun to watch.”

“‘Marriage story’ because it is realistic.”

“‘Ready or not’ as it is thrilling.”

“‘Toy Story 4’ because it was really funny to watch.”

“‘The Joker’ because it is dark and brutal.”

8

SPORTS

washburnreview.org

Ichabod women win big at senior day Eriko Hiranoi with Jason Morrison Washburn Review

A celebration is in order for the Washburn Ichabods women’s basketball team who hailed an almost 30 point victory over the Lincoln Blue Tigers.

At the senior day game Saturday, Feb. 22 at Lee arena, the victorious basketball team enjoyed a solid win over the Lincoln Missouri team and sent them away with some things to think about for next time.

There was a lot of fast-moving blue blurs when Washburn scored 85 points against the Tigers.

The Ichabods built confidence right away when Alex McAfee’s 3-point shot landed true. During the first quarter, senior Regan Phelan tossed in four 3-pointers to bring the lead over Lincoln to nine points.

The first quarter score was a respectable 33-14.

In the second quarter,

senior Shelbe Piggie made her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, proud when she shot two points after receiving a long pass from guard Regan Phelan.

“We shot the ball well early. We made that nine 3-point shoot the first half, and we did a great job of sharing the basketball. We had 16 assists at halftime so, I thought we did a great job of sharing the ball,” said Head Coach Ron McHenry.

The half ended with a score of 58 – 29, Washburn.

There was no hope for the Tigers in the second half when Washburn maintained a 20-point lead.

6’2” foward Sabela Reigosa shot for two at the end of the third quarter. If they watched the game in her hometown of Barcelona, Spain, they were cheering.

The third quarter closed at 71-44.

Junior Hunter Bentley went in for three, to make

WASHBURN REVIEW - Amanda Zoetmulder

Action-packed: Alexis McAfee works her way to the basket. McAfee averaged 13.1 points per game at Sabetha High School.

the Missouri Blues sing the blues about the 34 point lead. In that final quarter, junior guard Adyson Narber put the final nail in the Tiger coffin with a successful free-throw.

“Once we got on a roll, we were really good and made some easy baskets, then put up a fast-break layup

and some three-pointers...

We’ve done pretty well,” said McHenry.

The game ended with Washburn celebrating an 85-56 win. The Lincoln Blue Tigers fell to 3-23, while the Washburn Ichabods reached 1610. McAfee, Thompson, Reigosa, Phelan, Piggie

and Mia Castaneda are seniors who were recognized for their achievements after the game.

“It’s pretty special in my four years here I couldn’t ask for a better ending to a great four years. I’m so thankful for everything that this program has given me,” said Phelan.

Ichabods squeeze by the Blue Tigers 72-67 Lou Collobert Washburn Review

The Ichabod men’s basketball team etched out a victory against the Blue Tigers.

The victory occurred Saturday, Feb. 22 when the Ichabods met the Lincoln University of Missouri Blue Tigers and tamed them with a 72-67 win. This was the last home game for the Ichabods this season.

The win over the Blue Tigers brings the Ichabod’s to 16-10 overall, and 11-6 against MIAA opponents.

In the first half, the Ichabods dominated the game jumping out to a 47-24 lead. With Jalen Lewis hammering out an impressive 15 points with three 3-point shots, and Tyler Geiman knocking down 12 points himself in the first half of play, the momentum was with the Ichabods when the buzzer sounded.

The Ichabods left the court in high spirits, but the 23 point lead would not last long.

The Ichabods and Blue Tigers came back out and traded five points each at the start of the half before the Tigers made a 19-7 run against the Ichabods. Cutting the Ichabod lead in half with 11 points with the score standing at 59-48.

With only 10:12 left to play, the Blue Tigers kept working at the Ichabod lead. With eight seconds left in the half the score stood at 71-67 when Geiman sank the first of two free-throw shots. Jace Williams also made his third block in a spectacular fashion when a Blue Tiger went in for a jump shot.

The Ichabods where plagued by missed shots, a lack of rebounds, interceptions of the ball, and by fouls in the second half.

The events lead to what appeared to be lack luster effort in the second half.

“We just kind of lost our edge, kind of took our foot off the gas, which we can’t do, especially for scrappy teams like that we just got to stay on them and make better plays,” said Lewis.

Ichabod men’s tennis hosts McKendree

Joshua Irsik

Washburn Review

The Washburn Ichabods hosted McKendree University for the Ichabod’s first home match of the season, Feb. 22.

The Ichabods won two of the three matches in doubles to be up 1-0. Paul Haase and Chase Brill won 6-1 and Raul-Alin Dicu and Bradley Eidenmueller won 6-2.

Eidenmueller started his singles play with a quick 6-1, 6-0 victory

and followed it up with 6-4, 7-5 victories. Brill defeated his opponent with a pair of 6-2 set scores.

Miquel Perez lost his first set but went on to win the next two 6-3, 6-4. Haase rounded out the Washburn wins by scoring 7-6, 7-6.

The Ichabods are now 1-2 on the season.

The Ichabods will be in action March 3 as they take on Bethel College at the Washburn Tennis Complex at 2 p.m.

WASHBURN REVIEW - Joelle Conway WASHBURN REVIEW - Joelle Conway

Ready for it: Chase Brill prepares for the opponent’s serve. Paul Haase and Brill won their doubles match 6-1.

Huddle up: Before the matches begin, the team huddles up for a pep talk from Coach Price. The team triumphed over the Bearcats 6-1.

Head Coach Bret Ballard felt good about winning the game, but was concerned regarding the second half.

“We made shots in the first half and we didn’t compete the second half and when you don’t compete and you don’t play hard, you’re gonna let the team get confidence and you’re gonna let him get in a rhythm. And we were fortunate we had such a big lead. Glad we won, but not not real happy overall,” said Ballard.

Geiman lead the Ichabods with a total of 18 points scored. Lewis finished the game with 15 points and Jonny Clausing added nine with three blocks. Clausing was in the thick of it game as always.

“It’s just physical, you have be ready every night to go against big dudes,” said Clausing.

The Ichabods will be back on the road Thursday to take on the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats who are ranked No. 1 in the MIAA.

WASHBURN REVIEW - Lou Collobert

Walking on air: Sophomore guard Jalen Lewis jumps for a layup. Lewis scored 15 points and made all his 3-point shots in Saturday’s game against the Lincoln University of Missouri Blue Tigers.

Ichabod softball wins over Wildcats Lou Collbert Washburn Review

In the final game of the Emporia State University Classic, the Ichabods defeated the Wayne State College Wildcats.

The bods softball team scored two runs in the first inning, which came from a triple from Hadley Kerschen, follwed by doubles from Jenna Moore and Ashton Friend. In the third inning, Moore came across the home plate for the second time

off a double form, earning Friend her second RBI (run batted in) of the game. Raegen Hamm pitched a great game, striking out nine, with one walk, five hits and only one run.

This was the second full game that Hamm pitched on Sunday.

“I just think that it’s important to be there for your team when they really need you to be there. Coach asked me to really give us some innings and to give us a chance,” said Hamm.

Head Coach Brenda Holaday praised Hamm for her pitching performance on Sunday.

“I was really, really proud of Hamm.

I thought asking somebody to pitch 14 innings against this level of ball is quite a task. She hung in there and you know was really good all day long,” said Holaday.

Half of the games moved to Washburn due to storm damage at the ESU fields.

WASHBURN REVIEW - Lou Collobert

Safe: Freshman infielder Hadley Kerschen slides into third base for a triple. 2020 is Kerschen’s first year as an Ichabod.