The Towerlight (May 7, 2019) by The Towerlight

Towson’s campus and community news source

TheTowerlight.com

May 7, 2019

TU’s spring musical “Merrily We Roll Along” looks back on simpler times, pg. 14

Photo by Brittany Whitham, Illustration by Victoria Nicholson/ The Towerlight

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Social

May 7, 2019

Editor-in-Chief Bailey Hendricks Senior Editor Tim Klapac News Editor Mary-Ellen Davis Asst. News Editors Keri Luise Sophia Bates Arts & Life Editor Meg Hudson Asst. Arts & Life Editors Alex Helms

RACCOON # TRENDING. BITE

TOWSON

@TUBreakingNews Breaking: Raccoon bites student, is now on the run from the law

@talia_isabel18 First bees, now raccoons. You’ve got to be kidding me, Towson.

Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editors Muhammad Waheed Jordan Kendall Senior Staff Writers Karuga Koinange Kerrry Ingram Staff Writers Jessica Ricks Anthony Petro Albert Ivory Glenn Kaplan John Hack Suzanne Stuller Cyan Thomas Aaron Thomas Marcus Whitman Brooks Warren Jalon Dixon

@kijaay_ Lmaooo towson wild as shit yo said “a single raccoon has been captured” . Acting like the raccoon a criminal or sum

Amanda Murayama Photo Editor Brendan Felch Asst.Photo Editor Brittany Whitham

Staff Photographers Liam Beard Lacey Wall Simon Enagonio Nikki Hewins Lexi Thompson Tiffany Deboer Owen DiDonna

@ifealabi63 Towson be having robberies, assaults, protests, now raccoon attacks?! Wtf is next an alien invasion?

Ryan Moriarty

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Towson’ s men’s lacrosse gathered Sunday team to await their sp ot in the NCA A nament.| Photo Tourby Tim Klapac/ The Towerlight

Proofreaders

General Manager Mike Raymond Art Director Victoria Nicholson Webmaster Circulation Staff Scott Halerz Dom Capparuccini Elssa Kenfack Kirsten Tildon

8000 York Road University Union Room 309 Towson, MD 21252 (410) 704-5153 editor@thetowerlight.com thetowerlight.com The Towerlight print edition is published by students of Towson University on Tuesdays. The Towerlight is owned by nonprofit Baltimore Student Media Inc., BaltimoreStudentMedia.com. The Towerlight’s advertising deadlines are firm: Wednesday noon for space; Friday noon for art. Classifieds appear online and in print and are self-service at TheTowerlight.com/classifieds. We encourage letters to the editor and online feedback. Commentaries, letters to the editor, editorial cartoons and other editorials express the opinions of their authors and not necessarily the views of the newspaper. The Towerlight does not discriminate based on age, color, condition of handicap, marital status, national origin, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. ©2019 by The Towerlight, 8000 York Rd, Towson, MD 21252. All rights reserved.

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Counseling Center, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Opinion

May 7, 2019

Why is Burger King stepping up? American Veterans KAYLA HUNT Columnist

May is designated as National Mental Health Awareness Month, where people raise awareness for the importance of maintaining mental health and strive on spreading resources and support to those in need. Burger King has partnered with the non-profit organization Mental Health America to promote mental health awareness through their new Whopper meal box: Real Meals. Real Meals are the antithesis of their competitor McDonald's famous product, Happy Meals. This product is launching their #FeelYourWay campaign. The product is not only a competitive marketing strategy, but it is also a statement of accepting that people are not always happy all the time and that is okay. Burger King emphasizes this in their two minute long commercial for their new campaign. The commercial depicts people feeling different emotions for a variety of

reasons and Burger King's main message is that it is okay to feel these emotions, we don't have to feel happy all the time. Real meals come in five different packaging designs to represent a range of emotions: pissed in red, sad in blue, salty in teal, YAAAS in purple, and DGAF in black. There are different angles to perceive the core purpose of this campaign. Some are praising Burger King for their acknowledgment of people's various mood swings and their understanding of the pressure put on to those to be happy. The #FeelYourWay campaign relieves that pressure and disseminates the message that feeling your way is not a bad thing. However, it can also be viewed that this is a ploy on increasing

people's poor eating choices when their mental health isn't aligned. Researchers have been studying the correlation between depression and poor eating habits, and debating which one comes first: poor eating habits leading to depression or depression leading to poor eating habits? Either way, studies have shown that your eating habits do affect your mental health. Mental health is deeper than the surface of mood swings and emotions, but it is imperative to recognize that sometimes people are not going to be okay and we shouldn't always expect them to be. The intentions of Burger King's new campaign may be blurry, but their message is important in today's society of "perfectness" and "living your best life."

Courtesy of The Los Angeles Times

Burger King, in partnership with Mental Health America, launched ‘Real Meals’ this month to raise awareness for mental health. Each meal contains a Whopper, fries and a drink and are available now.

in the workplace As spring semester comes to a close, many graduating students will be entering the workforce. In the workplace, individuals will encounter people of all backgrounds and experiences, including veterans. Based on information gathered from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2018), an estimated 9 million veterans are employed in the United States. Research has shown that approximately 14% of post-deployment veterans suffer from symptoms related to traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of their service. PTSD is a condition of mental and emotional stress that results from a traumatic experience or injury, while TBI is a neurological condition that occurs due to a damaging impact to the brain. These diagnoses can have a significant effect on a veteran’s experience in the workplace, though employers and even the veteran employees themselves may not immediately recognize the impact. Some of the common symptoms of these conditions include challenges with memory, concentration, and physical health. Civilian employers and coworkers can support veteran employees who might be suffering with these symptoms to transition into the workplace by being aware of available resources and regulations and providing reasonable accommodations. Resources are available from organizations such as the Veterans Association (VA), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), America’s Heroes at Work (AHAW), and the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). The Job Accommodations Network (JAN) provides information and accommodation suggestions for many diagnoses, including PTSD and TBI. Employers and coworkers can also inform veteran employees regarding the existence of these resources to encourage them to request and use the resources to support their work performance. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides regulations to ensure that individuals with disabilities are given equal work opportu-

nities. It mandates that employers must provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities, including PTSD and TBI. Accommodations may include options such as modified work schedules, decreased distractions, rest breaks, positive feedback, schedule predictability, written instructions, job sharing, or assistive technology adaptations. Assistive technology can include the use of cell phone applications, a screen reader, voice recognition software, electronic reminders, or personal digital assistants. Veterans bring many positive attributes to the workplace, and as such, they greatly benefit the organizations for which they work. Due to their military experience, veterans often demonstrate discipline, organizational skills, and a strong work ethic. Veterans bring considerable personal talent and experience to the workplace, as well as leadership and team building skills that can greatly enhance an organization’s culture and productivity. It is imperative that employers and coworkers promote the success of veteran employees. Our veterans have given much to our country in their service and this can be recognized by creating a welcoming workplace. Through awareness of the various symptoms, resources, and regulations applicable to veterans with PTSD or TBI, everyone can support and advocate for the needs of returning military veterans who served our country. - Rebecca Blavin and Bracha Waldman

Opinion

May 7, 2019

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Ignoring climate change has a direct impact on minorities NIC KOSKI Columnist

After attending the #NotatTU Community Teach-In and reading the Social Justice Collective’s letter in last week’s issue of The Towerlight, I was glad to see so many students and faculty calling on administrators to start taking real action against white supremacy on our campus. White supremacy not only poses a threat to our university’s ideals of inclusivity and diversity, but it also stands in the way of addressing urgent environmental issues, such as climate change, which disproportionately affect minorities. Turning Point USA, the organization with connections to white supremacists that the Social Justice Collective spoke of in their letter, has also been known for supporting climate science denialism and climate inaction. To name just a few examples of this, they have made a video claiming that NASA scientists are “wrong about climate change,” and they have also organized opposition to fossil fuel divestment campaigns on college campuses. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Turning Point USA supports Trump and his own efforts to rollback on climate action. Underlying this air of climate science denialism and climate inaction is the privileging of the lives of white people who are less directly impacted by the effects of climate change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report on the impacts of global warming, disadvantaged populations and indigenous peoples are at a far higher risk of facing the consequences of climate

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Nic Koski attended the #NotatTU Community Teach-In last Monday. He argues that climate change imacts minority people.

change. “Limiting global warming to 1.5°C, compared with 2°C, could reduce the number of people both exposed to c l i m a te - re lated risks and susceptible to poverty by up to several hundred million,” the report said. Continuing to deny the reality of climate change and blocking climate action puts the lives of minorities at risk while prioritizing the lives of white people. At an event I helped put together this past week called “Climate Justice at Towson University: Fossil Fuel Divestment,” students discussed why Towson University should stop investing our endowment in fossil fuels. Part of that discussion involved talking about how addressing structural racism is a prerequisite for climate action. In order for our university and other institutions to take bold action on climate change, the white supremacy that prevents action from happening needs to be challenged.

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News

May 7, 2019

Towson holds teach-in after protest

Students express concerns about administrative support MARY-ELLEN DAVIS News Editor @Mel_Davis_1998

Towson University students and staff expressed concerns that the administration is not doing enough to support minority students during the #NotatTU Community Teach-In event April 29. The Teach-In was organized by the University in response to the protesters that came to campus April 18 to “preach” to students while shouting anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-Muslim rhetoric. It was meant to act as a space for students and staff to discuss what had happened at the protest with members of administration. TU junior Leah McLean said that she feels as though the administration has not always had a lot of transparent conversations with minority students, but that they are trying to build that relationship. “I feel as though they don’t necessarily always have conversations with minority students about what’s going on with them and that’s why there is such a disconnect between minority students and administration,” McLean said. “Furthermore, a lot of the minority students don’t even know the administration members or who they are in a real sense.” Some of the biggest concerns for students included representation of minority students amongst staff members and housing cost discrepancies for programs like inclusive housing, amongst other concerns. “We know that protests and demonstrations on campus can create a lot of anxiety, angst, very intense feelings,” said Deb Moriarty, Towson’s vice president for student affairs. Before beginning the discussion, Provost Melanie Perreault emphasized the importance of remaining during the Teach-in despite differing viewpoints that she was sure would come up. “We’re all on the same team here, we are all team Towson, and certain knuckleheads with signs are not team Towson,” Perreault said. “We need to see ourselves as a collective that has disagreements as anyone would,

but you can disagree without being disagreeable, and we are all a community of scholars, and so let’s talk about these issues.” The discussion was framed by speakers John McTague, an associate professor of political science, and Cynthia Cooper, a professor of communication studies. McTague said he wanted to help give some perspective on the events of the protest, and felt he may be able to since his scholarly background is in social movements, religion in politics and the LGBTQ civil rights movement. “I’d like to speak a little bit, and have us think a little bit, about how we win the battle of ideas so that we build a world for ourselves and the future that has more love and tolerance and less of that hate we saw,” McTague said. McTague said that in his research, one of the main reasons the LGBTQ+ community has made progress in the battle of ideas in the 50 years since Stonewall Riots is that they stood up for themselves. “We came out of our closets,” McTague said. “We demanded of both elected representatives, but also friends and family, that we be treated with respect, be treated with dignity, be treated with equality.” He went on to say that one way to win the long game is to be visible and clear about when no will not be taken for an answer. “I think that coming out metaphor and that visibility idea extends to fighting anti-semitism, fighting Islamophobia,” McTague said. He also said that the group came to campus because Towson stands for everything they despise, like evidence based inquiry, diversity and inclusion. “I think our task in thinking of the long game, as the privileged few in this world who get to enjoy the fruit of a college education, or get to teach as a way of making a living on a college campus, we need to make sure we take what we learn here, take the experience of interacting with people from different walks of life, take our ability to read, write, speak and articulate our views that we hone in our classes here, and realize our power,”

McTague said. What you saw on April 18 was a backlash against our visibility, and so you need to fight back.” For Cooper, it was important that she focus on the First Amendment and the government restrictions that go along with it. “One of the things we know about the First Amendment is that it only applies to government restrictions,” Cooper said. “You might hear a lot of people say ‘this is a free country, I can say whatever I want.’ Well, you can, but with that responsibility also comes the responsibility to have people react in certain ways.” Cooper pointed out that the government has interpreted the First Amendment to have preferred position for individuals. “As individuals, we are given a preferred position when we are expressing ourselves,” Cooper said. “So restrictions have to be always tilted in favor of the individual expressive rights and the expression of individual ideas.” She also discussed the difference between speech and conduct, and emphasized that restrictions must be content neutral. “Speech is yelling, using placards, using signs, things like that,” Cooper said. “But you can’t throw a punch. That becomes conduct and that

becomes actionable as you saw here the other day.” Following Cooper’s speech, the floor was opened to students who guided the discussion away from the protest towards other issues they felt were prevalent on campus. One issue that came up was the hiring and retention of diverse faculty on campus, including faculty with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Perreault responded to this concern by addressing her previous success in bringing together a more diverse faculty during her time in Buffalo. “We need to pay faculty more money,” Perreault said. “We have to start there. The second thing we have to do is address the invisible workload for faculty of color.” Perreualt said that she had noticed there was an added burden on faculty of color, largely focused around informal advising and writing letters of recommendation, among other things. “I think instead of talking about it and wondering if it exists, we should quit talking about it, acknowledge it exists,” Perreault said. Another concern brought up by students included housing costs for things like the inclusive

housing program. “For gender inclusive housing for upperclassmen in apartments, to get gender inclusive housing you have to be in a two person apartment and it’s an upcharge,” one student said. “That’s really putting a financial burden, and a separate thing you have to sign, so that’s a financial burden and extra steps students have to take on themselves to have the inclusive housing to make them feel safe and living on campus.” Christina Olstad, Interim Assistant Vice President for Housing and Residence Life, was in the audience and said that this is something housing and residence life will look into going forward. “It doesn’t make sense to upcharge when its an inclusive housing option to support our students,” Olstad said. McLean acknowledged the teach-in was supposed to give students the opportunity to communicate with administration. “When it seems that members of the administration are not necessarily supportive of all groups in the ways that they claim to be in reference with Towson’s diversity statement, that’s when things seem sort of out of whack,” McLean said.

Brendan Felch/ The Towerlight

Towson University communication studies professor Cynthia Cooper spoke to students about First Amendment protections at a teach-in held by the University April 29 in response to the April 18 protest.

News

May 7, 2019

TU remembers victims

Speaker discusses trigger warnings ALBERT IVORY Staff Writer @Intellectu_Al

Ryan Moriarty/ The Towerlight

Towson’s Catholic Campus Ministry held a vigil Wednesday in memory of the victims of the Sri Lanka Easter bombing and the shootings at a San Diego synagogue and the University of North Carolina.

MARCUS WHITMAN Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Towson University’s Catholic Campus Ministry group held a vigil in response to the bombing in Sri Lanka, the Synagogue shooting in San Diego, California and the shooting at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. According to Justin Woodbury, a student leader with the Catholic Campus Ministry group, the vigil was pulled together quickly. “When we heard the news Easter Sunday, I was in Mass and I was shocked by what I read before with the trajectory,” Woodbury said. “I knew I wanted to remember these people that were affected, and I got together with our Chaplin, Father Matt, and quickly was like ‘we need to have a vigil.’ We connected with [the] University, with the events people, and we, in less than a week, were able to have this vigil tonight.” Chaplin Father Matt Buening, Rabi Mendy Rivkin of Chabad House and Muslim student advisor Sanaullah Kirmani spoke at the vigil. Buening was struck by the fact that Towson has held three vigils this semester, and was glad to see students and staff support each other during and after the events. “We are lighting our candles and lighting up the night with the light of hope,” Buening said.

“[It] strikes me, for the third time in just this semester, right here at this place, with my very same cherished coworkers and religious leaders here at Towson University, and many of you dear students who have gathered here at this spot, to mourn may attacks against religious believers in their places of worship.” Buening discussed the impacts of the attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter that left 257 dead and over 300 injured. “Last Sunday, modern day Christians celebrated Mass and prayed like the earliest Christians in their homes, fearful and yet faithful,” Buening said. “We gather to be fearful with them, worry about the violence in our world that seems to be increasing.” However, Buening told attendees that God will overcome sin and death. “Light will always triumph over darkness, so we are filled with hope and love tonight as we unify together with are religious brothers and sisters,” Buening said. As Buening finished his speech, Rivkin took to the podium to talk about why people are targeted and become victims of things like bombings and shootings. “They were attacked for one reason, for who they are, and people always ask how to respond to something like that,” Rivkin said. “How do I respond when people are picking on me for who I am, and others

for who they are? The answer is always two ways: one way is to duck and hide who we are. But, even if the attacker doesn’t get his direct attack on you, your succumbing to that outside pressure. The way to respond to such an attack is to turn around and say ‘I am not going to give in to you, I am going to give them their dues, I am going to take the time and respond directly, in a way that they don’t me to respond.” Kirmani spoke next and stressed that each time there has been a gathering in Freedom Square, it has been under tragic circumstances. “The people who do these things want to put us in darkness,” Kirmani said. “But the light of God is bright enough. The light of God does not need fuel to keep giving light and to keep burning. Light of God comes through and cuts through the darkness that human beings bring with some of their activities. And so, when we gather here, pray that God may shine his kindly light on us. That God may shine his kindly light on those people, who want to put us into darkness.” After all the faith leaders spoke, the Towson Saxophone Quartet played, then David Ryan, a sophomore majoring in Special Education, said he heard about the vigil through a GroupMe chat and thought it was only right to attend. “I also heard from the board on Freedom Square there, I saw it and decided to come,” said Ryan.

Towson University hosted its annual John Gissendanner Memorial Lecture April 30th. The theme for this year’s lecture was “Trigger Warnings: African American Novels and Racial Trauma.” The lecture is a tribute to the late John Gissendanner, who was a director of the African and African American Studies program and a professor in the Department of English. “John had a tremendous impact on this campus,” said Donn Worgs, the director of the African and African American Studies program. “We also remember his humor, enthusiasm, especially regarding issues on African and African American Studies.” Towson University created the John Gissendanner Fund for African American study to support the work of the African and African American Studies program and honor his contribution to the institution. The guest speaker was Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of The New York Times bestselling novel “Wench.” Perkins-Valdez recalled a conversation that she was having with a woman about books having warning labels. “She was talking about labels that was going to warn readers that it’s going to be difficult to read,” she said. She asked the woman what would the label look like. The woman provided examples, such as “This following text contains graphic sexual violence or images that may be disturbing to some readers,” and “[This book] contains behavior and descriptive language akin to potential self harm and references.” Perkins-Valdez felt an initial resistance to these labels. She noted that there’s a difference between having a psychological inversion, which is distaste or revulsion, and being triggered, which is being physically and psychologically incapacitated. This sparked her curiosity and she wondered if she had ever had these experiences.

Perkins-Valdez then discussed her 2013 trip to the Museum of the Confederacy, now called the American Civil War Museum. A man that helped her with directions to the museum asked her if she was sure she wanted to go. Perkins-Valdez said yes, but understood why he was concerned. When she viewed the exhibits, she said her hands were sweating, her stomach was upset, so she paused and asked herself “What was wrong with me?” She felt that it was more of a “stress reaction” and didn’t think of it as a triggering. “I began to think about all other ways that people in the 21st century in spaces can look into the historical memory of racial trauma,” Perkins-Valdez said. “I thought about street uprisings in wake of the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Freddie Gray.” She said that the uprisings were perhaps the triggering effects of living in a racially hostile environment, drawing a parallel between the uprisings and reactions from lynchings in the early 20th century. Acknowledging the triggering that can be portrayed in literature, Perkins-Valdez said that she still felt some resistance towards having a warning label. “Great literature is a reflection of trauma...and..the labeling felt like a way of avoidance to me,” Perkins-Valdez said. Perkins-Valdez said that the very nature of the African American experience is to trigger. “Every single Toni Morrison, Edward P. Jones, Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright, James Baldwin work would have a label and trigger,” she argued. American readers would be “turning away discomfort from our nation’s sins...we are required to navigate these spaces as a condition of our existence... how do you label that?” Senior and Exercise Science major David Jahangiri enjoyed the lecture. “It was a good opening to create a landscape for the discussion and the discussion was executed appropriately, allowing student voices and staff to be heard,” Jahangiri said.

News

May 7, 2019

Raccoon bites student SOPHIA BATES Assistant News Editor @sophiabates23

BAILEY HENDRICKS Editor-in-Chief @imsimplybailey

The Towson community was made aware of a student who was bitten by a raccoon and taken to a hospital after a campus-wide email was sent out Tuesday. Junior Morgan Sulin, who typically parks in the Union Garage, said that the email provoked fear walking on campus. “So when I got the email I was definitely terrified. I was walking around after that email going ‘Oh my gosh, is it still out here?’ I was definitely scared and cautious after seeing that email,” Sulin said. On the other hand, senior Elizabeth Thompson, who parks in the Towsontown Garage, wasn’t concerned after hearing about the bite. Instead, she questioned why the incident happened. “I wasn’t really worried. I want to be a conservationist so I’m not really scared of animals, I just know to keep distance,” Thompson said. “It was kind of weird, my initial question was ‘Did this person approach the raccoon?, How did the raccoon react in a way that it bit someone?” Junior Caitlin Kraus, who also parks in the Towsontown Garage,

different raccoon. They weren’t really agreed that students should proceed clear about that on the email so I’m with caution. still unsure of that myself,” Sulin said. “I think you should also be kind of “TU Work Control is working with careful because of rabies and stuff,” a pest control Kraus said. contractor to She added that continue trapdespite that, she wasn’t ping operations too worried. on campus “I come in, I park, in an effort I spend maybe 30 to locate and seconds in the actual remove addigarage and then I’m tional raccoons gone,” Kraus said. from the area,” The student was the advisory bitten on the leg stated. in the lower level of Thompson Towsontown Garage, added that near the elevator. she hopes they “If you are attacked are focused by an animal, seek on catching medical attention right the actual away,” the incident ELIZABETH THOMPSON raccoon, not advisory said. “A sick Towson University Senior removing just raccoon may exhibit any raccoon signs of disorientation on campus. or make odd noises.” “When they caught the raccoon, I The report said the university is was like ‘Well I hope it’s actually the “working with a pest control contracone that bit the person,” because if tor to locate the animal.” they’re just taking raccoons off the On Friday, a follow-up to this advicampus, you are taking someone from sory was sent to the university comtheir home pretty much if they live on munity. The updated advisory indicatcampus,” Thompson said. ed that a raccoon has been captured Thompson isn’t scared and hopes and removed from campus. that students could learn from someSulin’s concerns continued after thing like this. not knowing if this was the raccoon “I don’t fear for my safety parkthat bit the student. ing here,” Thompson said. “Just “I’m definitely concerned because don’t approach animals when they I wasn’t sure if they caught the one are just chilling.” that bit the student or if it was a

“

Just don’t approach animals when they are just chilling

May 3: A laptop left unattended was taken from a classroom in Stephens Hall. May 1: A resident student was referred to OSCCE for a theft on Cross Campus Drive. April 30: A campus security authority referred three students to Student Conduct for underage possession of alcohol in Residence Tower. April 29: A resident student was issued a criminal summons for causing a false response by Fire EMS in Richmond Hall. April 29: A staff member witnessed a person urinating in parking lot six. April 28: An unattended backpack was taken from a hallway in West Village Commons. April 24: A banner was removed from the bridge in Union Garage. April 23: Facilities found household debris dumped on a construction lot at Towsontown Blvd and Emerson Drive. April 20: Bedding was taken from a laundry room and later recovered in Glen Complex Tower A. April 19: A guest damaged university property in Glen Complex Tower D. April 18: A demonstration resulted in the four reported simple assaults with two arrests on Cross Campus Drive. April 17: A resident student was victim of a food delivery fraud scheme in Clara Barton House. April 17: A resident student reported a compromised bank account and unauthorized transactions in Residence Tower. April 17: A campus security authority referred 1 student to Student Conduct for underage age possession of alcohol regarding an incident on February 22, 2019 in Harriet Tubman House. April 17: A campus security authority referred 3 students to Student Conduct for underage age possession of alcohol on April 06, 2019 in Towson Run Apartment. April 17: A campus security authority referred 8 students to Student Conduct for underage age possession of alcohol on April 04, 2019 in Millenium Hall. April 15: A resident student was issued a criminal citation for trespassing in a construction area at the science building construction site.

Brendan Felch/ The Towerlight

Last week a Towson University student was bitten by a raccoon in the Towsontown Garage and taken to a hospital for treatment. A raccoon has since been found and removed from Towson’s campus.

The Towerlight’s “Police Blotter” is a representative sample of crimes occurring on and off campus. The blotter is not intended to be all inclusive. For a list of all crime reports, visit www.towson.edu/police.

12 May 7, 2019

Arts & Life

Again, but better ZAC SOPER Columnist

‘Again, But Better’ by Christine Riccio hits shelves on May 7 and this is one debut you do not want to miss. If you know anything about Christine Riccio you are probably familiar with her social media presence. Christine runs a popular YouTube channel Polandbananasbooks, where she reviews books, talks about her writing process, and fangirls about almost anything. But let’s get one thing out of the way– sure, part of Christine’s book deal probably is attributed to her already large following, however, that is not the only reason she was given this opportunity in publishing. Christine wrote a brilliant book. Sure there’s room for improvement, but when isn’t there? What I’m trying to get at is that Christine did not only get this book published because of her 400 thousand some subscribers (which, she worked hard to acquire),

she also worked for months and months to produce a perfectly acceptable debut novel. This story follows Shane, a college junior, who is on a study abroad program in London for creative writing. On this trip, Shane is thrown into the drama of a typical young-adult contemporary: meeting and falling for a new boy, awkwardly trying to make friends, and lying to your parents. Shane is using this trip as a way to try college ‘again,’ but she wants to do better – making friends instead of staying locked in her dorm, talking to boys instead of avoiding them, getting an internship, and studying writing like she wants instead of pre-med like her parents have pushed her to. It is not Riccio’s writing that makes this book amazing, nor the plot twist that I don’t want to spoil, but the wvoice of the characters. All the thralls of this quirky 20-year-old loose in London feel so genuine. The romance in this novel is sometimes gushy and Wattpad-y, but mostly realistic in awkwardness-turned-ro-

mantic. Shane and Pilot (the enthusiastic guitar-playing subtly handsome love interest) have a dynamic that at first seems like something we’ve seen over and over again but eventually becomes something new entirely. Riccio really puts her characters to the test and sees just how far they will go to get what they want. Whether it’s a relationship with the cute new guy or a good standing at her internship, Shane is forced to find a balance between her love life and her career. There is a slight magical realism aspect to this novel that really sets it apart from other young-adult contemporaries and lets even more of Riccio’s creativity shine through. I don’t want to go into too much detail for the sake of spoiling, but just know there are certain elements to this book that I haven’t seen play out in any other young-adult book the way Riccio made them happen. It was this little spark of magic that pushed the pacing and kept the reader from anticipating what would happen next. One hint: the title means a lot more than it appears to. In summary: the writing was decent but not amazing, the characters were a little quirky but loveable, and the plot maintained speed while being dynamic and layered.

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Vampy new album TIMOTHY COFFMAN Columnist

Vampire Weekend is a rock band that brought their brand of indie rock to the masses in the late 2000s. Frontman Ezra Koenig’s brand of preppy singing and eclectic mix of musical styles led the band to become a critical favorite, while also having their songs used in movies like Step Brothers. After a six-year break from studio releases, how does their latest record compare to their previous track record? For starters, the band has incorporated a much broader sonic palette to the table. Each track has a chill summer vibe and helps the listener to settle into a groove much quicker. The production on this record is fantastic as well, with collaborators ranging from Mark Ronson to film composer Hanz Zimmer. While these producers help in writing the material, Koenig has certainly not lost his touch as a songwriter. There is a certain cleanliness to his writing that can come a bit snide in places. The intricacies that he puts into his

melodies on songs like “Harmony Hall” and “Sunflower” are astonishing. There are also tight tracks like “Bambina” and the album opener “Hold You Now” which have a slightly boyish charm to them. The album also has an easygoing flow to it, where each song sets up the next track very neatly. When most records throw songs together in a haphazard style, this album’s stresses the importance of the track order. While you may want to put this album on shuffle, it might be better just to listen to it from back to front. Overall, this record stays true to the band’s previous sound while incorporating new ideas to keep the sound fresh for hardcore fans. The album does get a bit bloated though. The album contains about 18 tracks and you do tend to feel it after a while. There are some impressive highlights, but there are some songs that don’t seem to fit without the context of the album. It seems that Ezra Koenig knew that the band had been gone for a long time and decided that he was going to make the album long to compensate for lost time. While I commend the man’s enthusiasm, the result does leave a little bit more to be desired. - To read the rest of this article online, visit thetowerlight.com.

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Arts & Life

May 7, 2019

Reaching Endgame MATTHEW MCDONALD Columnist

There 14,000,605 things I could say about this movie, but I only have time to say a few. After 11 years, 22 movies, and millions of fans captivated by the visual and emotional phenomenon, phase three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come to a close. With the events of ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ as well as ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp,’ still lingering in our minds for a year, ‘Avengers: Endgame’ finally resolves each character’s arc and the plot as a whole. As to how well it was done…is more complex. I’ll be real with you, I almost walked out after the first forty-five minutes of this three hour and two minute movie. I absolutely love the MCU, and I have been

so excited for this movie since the moment ‘Infinity War’ ended. So for the first act of ‘Endgame,’ I can’t say I wasn’t a little disappointed. It was way too rushed, and it was as if they pushed aside all of the stakes they already had set up to get to this new plot device they wanted to enact. The choices they made after a time jump were a little jarring, although I do understand them, but all the same I felt like the writers had literally picked ideas out of a hat. Had there been more time for explanation, it might have worked better. I think this movie suffers overall from having too much packed into it. Even being three hours, there was too much that felt crammed, and every act feels a different tone, and seems completely separate from one another. All that being said, let me tell you, this was some of the

most anxiety I have ever had in a theater. Once I accepted the beginning, I was able to enjoy the light-heartedness we needed after the last movie. But you don’t even see it coming. Faster than you even realize, stuff goes down. There are big character arc surprises, incredible moments that made me so overwhelmed I almost cried, and an inexplicably stunning cinematic finale. Although looking back, I still think the movie overall is not the best it could have been, the climax is incredible to watch, no matter what. The crux of the movie, as well, is very well done. Once we get into the heart of the plot, it’s really riveting, and keeps your attention. There are great callbacks, a myriad of Easter eggs, and plenty of jokes, most of which are funny. We do get to see bigger use of characters who I feel have been pushed to the side or overshadowed, and there are many charming and heart-warming moments that have to do with the thing central to the MCU: families, in every sense of the word. All in all, I had a great time watching it in the moment, but I do not think this was the best they could have done. The choices made were definitely unex-

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pected, whether or not in a good way. I feel conflicted considering this is the last Avengers movie in this arc of the MCU, and it did give me an ending with great closure, but the first act of the film really does a number to lessen that for me a bit to where it’s not completely satisfying. No matter what, though, one of my favorite moments is the last shot, which not only makes perfect sense to end on, but gives that sense of hope and comfort this entire universe has given us.

Make no mistake, I did enjoy the movie. I haven’t been so riveted in a while. And there are great moments. I have nothing but respect for the Russo brothers and everyone who has worked on these films for the past decade and did something no one thought possible. I could never make a finale even this good, so the fact that it even exists is, well…a marvel. I’m sad to see this arc of it finished, but excited to see what comes next. ‘Cause when it comes to Marvel films, I can do this all day.

Courtesy of People.com Endgame hit theatres on April 24, and has amassed over $1 billion in revenue. The movie is on track to beat “Avatar’s” box office record.

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14 May 7, 2019

Arts & Life

Backwards, they roll along merrily Towson theatre department presents, “Merrily We Roll Along”

Brittany Whitham/ The Towerlight

“Merrily We Roll Along” hit Broadway as a play back in the early 1930s. Now, thanks to the musical genius of Harold Prince and Stephen Sondhiem, this play now-turned-musical reaches further.

MEGHAN HUDSON Arts & Life Editor

GRACE COUGHLIN Contributing Writer

Thursday welcomed Towson University’s latest production, ‘Merrily We Roll Along.’ ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ began as a play back in 1934. In the late 70s, after being persuaded by his wife, musical composer Harold Prince, along with Stephen Sondhiem, decided to collaborate with original playwright George Furth, to restructure the production as a musical. Together, the pair sent the production back to Broadway as a musical in 1981. Interestingly enough, the musical flopped. Seeing a beacon of hope in darkness, was La Jolla Playhouse, whom reworked the musical in 1985 with Sondhiem, and gave the production a new platform to stand on, literally. Ever since, ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ has been rolling across the country, more accepted than ever before. This musical may come as a shock to unexpecting audience members, as it breaks typical storyline progression. Beginning in 1976, this play

takes an enormous leap in time, as it ends in 1957- almost twenty years earlier. Yes that’s right, the story plays out in reverse for the entirety of the musical. “One of the difficult things about it starting backwards, or moving backwards, and starting at the end of the story, pretty much, is that you have to start, for many of us, in a very interesting place.” said junior Anna Steuerman, who is playing Gussie. “You’re kind of starting at your characters demise. And normally, you have all this time to build and pick up all these things along the way to get to that moment in a play. And it’s

odd to do exactly the reverse.” The play surrounds the lives of Frank, Charley, Mary and friends, whom have known each other for years. The story begins with each character at the most successful points in their careers. Frank, for example, is seen as an influential and supremely successful film producer and songwriter. However, tensions can be felt amongst his friends and himself, and they struggle to see eye to eye anymore. As the story progresses, the audience gets to see more and more backstory of each character, and gets a better idea of how the characters came to be whom they are in the beginning of the musical. “It’s a warning for artists, and really anybody who defines success as a more superficial kind of idea.” said senior Michael Bannigan, playing Charley. “If success to you is something like owning the largest house, or having the most money, or the rich things that people have, if that’s your idea of success, then you’re probably not going to be the happiest person in the world. I think this play is very much a cautionary tale or warning against that kind of lifestyle.” Junior Sam Pomerantz, who is playing Joe, added, “it also explores the relationship between fame and friendship, in a very unique sense, in that it starts at the end of the

play, where we see where success has gotten these people, and traces that success back to the roots of the friendship.” As actors, many of the cast members felt thrown, having to experience their characters lives in reverse. “We did exercises one night where we ran through the show chronologically, and it was interesting to see the difference of how our bodies felt after having gone through the experiences in the order that it would normally take place,” said junior Morgan Wenerick, playing Beth. “I would find myself getting a little choked up when we would get further into the show when certain things haven’t happened [as yet,] because as the actor, I know [what is going to happen to] the character, but the characters that we’ve come to love as we’ve played them, she doesn’t know what’s going to happen to her yet. But I do.” As aforementioned, this musical was originally scripted as a play. According to Wenerick, because the play is outdated, the musical component of the production provides a more modern and emotionally relat-

able platform to the story. “A song really is almost like the internal monologue, a lot of times, of what people are feeling,” said Wenerick. “I think it gives voice, especially to the female characters, and it really flushes them out a lot more in the musical version.” According to Pomerantz, the major takeaway from this story, is that life goes by really fast. Too fast to be focused on the wrong things. “Make it count with the people that matter,” said Pomerantz. “Don’t lose sight of what matters in your life, because sure you can strive to be successful, career wise, however, it’s the people that keep you from drowning that really matter at the end of the day. They’re the ones that keep you from going insane and really lamenting life. They make life worth living.” ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ is playing at the Mainstage theatre now until May 11th. Tickets can be bought at the box office in the Center for the Arts, or online at TUboxoffice.com. Tickets are only $8 for students with a valid student ID.

Brittany Whitham/ The Towerlight

Griffin DeLisle and Anna Steuerman scored starring roles as Frank and Gussie. You can see this pair in action until May 11.

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16 May 7, 2019

Sports

Tigers capture caa championship Host Terps in NCAA Tourney TIM KLAPAC Senior Editor @pacofkla

The Tigers season-long mission to return to the top of the Colonial Athletic Association was realized as Towson reclaimed the CAA Tournament championship with a 16-14 victory over the No. 4 seed Drexel Dragons at Garber Field in Amherst, Massachusetts. “These guys buckled down right from the start when we got back in the fall,” said Head Coach Shawn Nadelen. “We went through some highs and lows during the season but we were able to finish on a high note and earn the CAA Championship.” The Tigers (11-4, 4-1 CAA) were in a back-and-forth first quarter as the Dragons (7-8, 2-3 CAA) had an answer for every goal Towson scored. Drexel grabbed a 4-3 lead late in the half, the only time the Tigers would trail in this game. Senior midfielder Timmy Monahan tied the game up and redshirt sophomore attack Luke Fromert gave Towson the lead with less than 30 seconds to go in the half, another sign of this team’s resiliency all season long. “From the time we left campus

last spring, losing to UMass in the CAA Championship, the guys banded together and said ‘we’re gonna come back ready to go,’” Nadelen said. Senior midfielder Grant Maloof and junior attack Brody McLean struck early in the second quarter to give the Tigers a 7-4 lead. Despite a three-goal run by the Dragons that tied the game, Towson would score five unanswered goals to take a commanding 12-7 lead into halftime. The tempo of the second half was significantly slower than the first, with neither team scoring over almost the entire final eight minutes of the quarter until Fromert’s tally with one second to go in quarter gave the Tigers a 16-9 lead. Fromert’s four goals joined Maloof, Brody McLean and senior attack Brendan Sunday who all scored hat tricks in the game. “It wasn’t a one man show, that’s for sure,” said Sunday. “We always preach ‘one-sixth’ and that’s just doing your part in the offense, we did that this weekend and it really showed.” The fourth quarter was 15 minutes of Towson clinging to their lead as the Dragons slowly chipped away.

Courtesy of CAASports.com

Towson celebrates their eighth overall CAA Championship and their fourth in the last five years. The Tigers will host their first NCAA Tournament game since 2005 when they welcome Maryland on Sunday. Junior goalie Tyler Canto stood tall despite the barrage of shots from Drexel, making 17 saves in the win. The victory gives the Tigers their eighth CAA Championship and their fourth in the last five years. The semifinals against No. 3 seed Delaware was another example of Towson’s dominant offense. The Tigers once again responded to the opposing team taking the lead with a strong scoring run. Towson

would register nine unanswered goals through the second and third quarters to take a 13-5 lead. “We came out with a slow start in the first half, but we told ourselves in the locker room if we keep getting the ball through to the X, we’re gonna find it open on the backside and that’s what we did,” Monahan said. The Blue Hens (11-4, 3-2 CAA) tried to get back into the game a threegoal run of their own, but the Tigers

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would not give up their lead, cruising to an 18-11 win to advance to the championship game. Towson received the No. 6 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host the Maryland Terrapins in the First Round at Johnny Unitas Stadium on Sunday, May 12 at 2:30 p.m. I’m excited that they put us at the No. 6 spot,” Nadelen said. “The fact that we’re playing Maryland, an in-state team, it’s fun to be a part of.”

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17 May 7, 2019

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18 May 7, 2019

Sports

Tu sets CAA records Season ends Obijiaku earns Athlete of the Year honors as in caa semis Towson finishes second in CAA Championship MUHAMMED WAHEED Assistant Sports Editor @MuhammedKWaheed

Towson placed second at the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships with 160.66 points at Elon University’s Irwin Belk Field in Elon, North Carolina last Friday and Saturday. Delaware won the meet while Towson earned its ranking by winning nine events and setting six new school records. “We had some things that didn’t go our way, but there were some outstanding performances,” said Head Coach Mike Jackson. “We had a number of conference champions. We’re just disappointed. It stings a bit. Junior Michella Obijiaku set a new CAA record in the shot put with a toss of 16.23-meters. Obijiaku was named the Most Outstanding Female Field Athlete as she also became the first Towson athlete to win the hammer throw throwing 58.77-meters on Friday. “It was special,” Jackson said. “She’s always special at championship meets and we’re excited to have her and excited that she continues to improve and gain confidence.” The team of freshman Alexandria Kitchell, junior Shelby Francis and seniors Liz Reid and Arianna Waller won the 4x400-meter relay also setting a new school record finishing with a time of 3:42.82. “I talked to the team and we’ve never won a four by four in conference and they really had their game face on and made a chase in order

“

of the relay,” Jackson said. “They competed extremely well and did something special and also broke a school record so I’m happy with how we started and finished the race. They never gave up.” The 4x100-meter relay team of Reid, Waller and freshmen Shamika Burton and Crystal Johnson set a new school record with a time of 45.42 seconds, winning the event. This victory marks the second consecutive year that Towson has finished first in the 4x100-meter relay with Reid and Waller contributing in both years. “We’ve been the best relay all season so that’s something we planned on doing, but there was some great competition from the other teams, but we were able to come out on top,” Jackson said. Reid, who finished the meet with three gold medals and a bronze, became the first Towson athlete to win the 400-meter dash at the CAA Championship as she set a new school record timing 54.03 seconds. “I told the team there was another athlete in the conference that was named track athlete of the meet and no disrespect to her. She did a great job, but in our minds Liz Reid is the track athlete of the meet,” Jackson said. “Just the sacrifice she made in that meet itself… every single event she had was a record. Liz Reid does what Liz Reid does and we’ll never replace her and she’s someone that’s very special to our entire program, the athletics department and the university.” Towson won the 400-meter hurdles for a third straight year after Francis set a personal-record time of

59.11 seconds which became the second-fastest mark in school history. Johnson’s winning time of 11.92 seconds in the 100-meter dash resulted in Towson’s third victory in this event in the last four seasons. Freshman Hayley Horvath became the third Towson athlete in four years to win the pole vault as she cleared 4.1-meters in fewer attempts than Delaware senior Ashley Bailey on day one of the meet. “It was quite possibly the best competition of the meet between her and another athlete from another school,” Jackson said. “She always battles and we’re just excited to have her and she is the best pole vaulter we’ve ever had in our program, but she’s going to just be one of the best athletes we’ve ever had in our athletics department.” Towson finished day one of the meet with 36.6 points. “It was great to see everyone come and be ready for their races and for their competitions and that’s what Towson does,” Jackson said. “Individually, it was a special weekend and we’re just extremely disappointed that we didn’t come out with a team win.” Some Towson athletes will compete at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division I Outdoor Championships on Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12 in Princeton, New Jersey. “My expectation is to win the whole thing,” Jackson said. “We got third [in 2018] and we’ve got a little bit of a chip on our shoulder right now and we’re planning on winning that championship, coming home with the team trophy.”

It was great to see everyone come and be ready for their races and for their competitions and that’s what Towson does. Individually, it was a special weekend.

”

MIKE JACKSON Head Coach

Tumultuous year comes to a close with 11-8 loss to Hofstra

Brendan Felch/ The Towerlight

Junor midfielder Annie Sachs fires a shot on goal earlier this season. Towson’s season ended with a loss to Hofstra in the CAA Semifinals. GLENN KAPLAN Staff Writer @glennkaplan13

Heading into the CAA tournament, the No. 2 seed Tigers were riding a five-game winning streak and looked to keep the momentum on their side against the No. 3 seed Hofstra Pride. In a back-andforth contest, Hofstra (12-6, 1-5 CAA) edged out Towson (7-10, 5-1 CAA) 11-8, on Friday night in Harrisonburg, Virginia. “Despite seeing different defensive looks from Hofstra, including a double face guard on [Sulmonte] and [Kaitlin Thornton], I thought overall the offense worked collectively and generated enough scoring looks,” Head Coach Sonia LaMonica said. “We needed to finish more of those opportunities.” It is rare for the Tigers to score the first goal in the game, but they did in this contest, 1:50 in by freshman midfielder Kerri Liucci. With the game tied at three later in the first half, freshman attacker/midfielder Kerri Thornton broke the tie with 18:04 remaining in the first half, her 14th goal of the season. Towson’s defense has had stretches this season where they let teams go on runs and Hofstra went on a 3-0 run to end the half..

“There was a momentum swing going into the half, but I felt our squad battled hard in the second to try and regain the edge,” LaMonica said. With the Tigers trailing 6-4 heading into the second half, sophomore attacker Kaitlin Thornton scored just 48 seconds in. Their biggest deficit in the game was 9-6, when Kaitlin Thornton scored her third goal of the game, and her 31st goal of the season, with 9:08 remaining in regulation to make it 9-8, but that is as close as Towson would get. “Kaitlin definitely had some strong plays to keep us in the hunt, something we’ve come to expect from her,” LaMonica said. Despite outshooting Hofstra 37-21, the Tigers struggled to capitalize on their offensive opportunities. “Hofstra’s goalie had a great game, but I recall times where we lacked focus to finish,” LaMonica said. “Better finishing would have likely put us in position to pull out a great win.” The Pride scored two more goals to put the game and season out of reach. Inconsistent play on the defensive side of the ball has been one of the main stories for this team this season. - To read the rest of this article online, visit thetowerlight.com

Sports

May 7, 2019

The NBA Playoffs are competitive once again, and fans are enjoying every minute of them JALON DIXON Columnist

The Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers series is setting a new bar for competitive playoff basketball. Coming into this postseason, we all had a few specific matchups that had our heart jumping for the playoffs to start. Questions like “Could Houston really take out the Warriors?” “How far can Giannis Antetokounmpo lead the Bucks through the playoffs?” and “What will forward Kawhi Leonard bring to this new version of the Toronto Raptors?” all plagued every NBA conversation the postseason was quickly approaching. With so many questions about all the teams led by top-tier NBA talent, we somehow forgot how good the Nuggets and Trail Blazers are. The Denver Nuggets have spent the entire season being doubted after coming off two straight years of missing the playoffs. With no true superstar, or at least none we knew of to start, the Nuggets shocked the world by obtaining the second seed in the Western Conference. Players

like forward Nikola Jokic, guard Jamal Murray, and forward Gary Harris have all stepped up this season, knocking at the door of championship contention all season. But, coming into the playoffs, questions of youth and inexperience plagued them as they faced off against one of the most playoff tested rosters in the San Antonio Spurs. After a hard fought seven games, led by the heroics of Murray and Jokic both averaging over 20 points per game, they now are in the heat of the conference semifinals. On the other hand, the Portland Trail Blazers have a similar yet unique path in comparison to the Nuggets. Unlike the Nuggets, the Trail Blazers had two notable stars is guards Damian “Dame Dolla” Lillard and CJ McCollum, who are ranked amongst the best backcourts in the league. The problem with this team was less about their ability to reach the playoffs and more about their lack of success once they got there. After a disappointing end to the season last year, being swept by the New Orleans Pelicans, the Blazers had serious questions about the future of

the franchise. Entering these playoffs, they were counted out against the star power of the guard Russell Westbrook, forward Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder, but that did not stop them from taking OKC out in only five games. It did take the “shot heard round the world pt. 2” by Damian Lillard to finish them off, but it put the Blazers on the map as a legitimate threat this postseason. Fast forward to Game 3 of Portland vs. Denver where history was made. Noted as the longest playoff game in 66 years, lasting 65 minutes, Game 3 lasted four overtimes and ended with 277 total points scored between the teams. Led by McCollum’s 41 points, the Blazers ended the game with a win after a clutch three pointer by guard Rodney Hood in the final moments of the game. This series has grit, emerging star power and pits two teams who are evenly matched against one another for a chance at the conference finals. This series has thriller written all over it and with the possibility of reaching a game seven, and sets a new bar for how quality NBA playoffs games are supposed to feel.

Kendall Arcia Softball

Senior outfielder Kendall Arcia helped lead the Tigers to a sweep of the Drexel Dragons over the weekend. Arcia hit a .500 batting average in the series with five RBIs, including her fifth home run of the season. The three victories propelled Towson to the No. 3 seed in the upcoming CAA Tournament.

MAY Courtesy of NBA.com

The Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets series has brought excitement back into the NBA Playoffs, including Game 3’s four-overtime affair, which was the longest postseason game in 66 years.

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