The Black & Magenta Vol. 124 Issue 5

Vol. 124 Issue 5

Inside:

More on the “Art and Inspiration” art exhibition

February 2020

This work, titled “Communications,” was created by local artist Jon Stuck.

It was created using mixed media.

Photo Credit: Dana Parsons/Black & Magenta

News

Muskies join the nation in celebrating

the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

Submitted Students from Muskingum University volunteered at several places during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Rev. Julia Wright, part of student affairs, arranges civil service events for students to be more engaged in the community.

Audra Wills and Dana Parsons Black & Magenta Reporters Muskingum University students received a day off classes on Jan. 20, in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. Nearly 100 campus student volunteers spent their day off by giving back to New

Concord and the surrounding area.

Volunteers including students, campus faculty and staff gathered in the Boyd Science Center to sign up for the different opportunities and gather for breakfast while listening to the “welcome” messages.

The special day also included a Martin

Luther King Jr. prayer break which took place at the North Terrance Church of Christ.

Community members, and members of the university gathered to remember the impact and meaning behind Martin Luther King Jr.’s life.

During the breakfast, junior Teara Hill was given a scholarship by Muskingum University President Susan S. Hasseler.

Shortly after, volunteers were divided into groups to provide different acts of service around their community.

These different groups spent their day volunteering at local food banks, churches, a healthcare facility, and a preschool.

Through these acts of service, students were able to reflect on the impact of minister and activist Martin Luther King Jr. During his life, he became one of the most visible leaders of the Civil Rights Movement through his own acts of serving others and making a difference.

Martin Luther King Jr.

the man who changed the face of civil rights Katelyn Mohler Chief Reporter U.S. celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on the third Monday of each January.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday to celebrate the influential civil rights activist who continues to inspire future generations to this day.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was a man of morals and dedicated commitment to his community and people.

King was born on Jan. 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Ga., and was the second child of three children.

Growing up, King struggled with religion and faith, but was inspired by his father, a minister that fought against racial prejudice and class segregation King’s faith was renewed as a junior in high school, and he went on to follow his father’s footsteps in the ministry. As a Baptist Christian minister, through his activism

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and inspirational speeches, King played a pivotal role in the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

King fought for equal rights and for the desegregation of African Americans citizens, and preached social justice through nonviolent means. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and continues to be one of the most widely known African American leaders in the world.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn., by James Earl Ray, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 90 years in prison. King’s assassination sparked riots and demonstrations across the country.

King’s surviving family was his wife Coretta Scott King, and their three children. His children and are outspoken activists on their father’s legacy.

Yolanda Renee King, his only grand-

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Submitted During the Day of Service, held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, students went several different places to fulfill acts of service for the community. This group of students made Valentine’s Day cards for Beckett House residents.

daughter, spoke at the 2018 March for Our Lives rally. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan by 1983, and the federal holiday was first celebrated by all 50 states in 1986.

February 2020

News/Editorial

The U.S. ends its fourth Impeachment trial

AP Photo/Alex Brandon President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up after speaking with the media as he boards Air Force One as he departs Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. This trip comes after his trial acquittal on Feb. 5, 2020.

Katelyn Mohler Chief Reporter The U.S. government has historically had its fair share of ups and downs, in the past and the now present. Sometimes it’s hard to understand the significance of what is happening in our country, especially when the most pressing concern on student’s minds is the next big exam.

However, one must realize that the last impeachment trial of a U.S. President was

in 1998, before some Muskingum students were even born. It’s important to acknowledge how important the state-of-affairs is becoming.

The word “impeachment” has been thrown around a lot in certain circles, from seemingly even when Donald Trump first took office.

Impeachment in the U.S. is the process by which a legislature brings charges against a civil officer of government for

crimes alleged to have been committed, analogous to the bringing of an indictment by a grand jury.

Impeachment can occur at the federal or state level. The House of Representatives can impeach federal officials, including the president of the U.S. Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives on two charges: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, but was acquitted by the Senate on both charges.

Some students may see this as shocking or as the inevitable outcome, but American history shows this outcome follows suit with the other three trials.

Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the U.S . was also charged with counts of perjury and obstruction of justice. Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives, and acquitted by the Senate, as well.

Richard Nixon, the 37th President, was involved in the Watergate Scandal and abuses of power, but resigned before an official vote of impeachment could be cast.

Andrew Johnson, the 7th President, was charged with violating the Tenure of Office Act, was impeached by the House of Representatives, and was acquitted by the Senate.

Donald Trump goes down in history as the foourth president to go through an impeachment trial and the second president to be charged and acquitted.

Ulster fraternity sells flowers for Valentine’s Day Photo Submitted by Jacob Dalton In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, Muskingum University’s fraternity Ulster held a flower sale fundraiser. The fraternity sold 180 flowers to students on campus, all of which were sold and delivered on Valentine’s Day. The fraternity is one of seven fraternitys on campus and is one of the three local, Muskingum based fraternitys.

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February 2020

News

Muskingum University hosts “Art and Inspiration” exhibition The exhibition featured artists from around the Southeastern Ohio area Dana Parsons Editor-in-Chief Muskingum University invited several Southeastern Ohio artists to display their works in the Louis O. Palmer Art Gallery on campus.

The exhibition opened with a reception on Jan. 23. Artists whose works were displayed as well as residents from the area and students at Muskingum were invited to see the works displayed.

The exhibition featured 36 pieces, including sculpture, paintings, glass work, ceramics, and mixed media works.

Local artist Phillip Sarsany explained

one piece of his that was displayed in the gallery titled, “The Help.”

“Two years ago, I had cancer. After going through chemotherapy and going into remission, I decided I should go back to school. Reading and studying helped me cope with the cancer,” Sarsany said.

Sarsany’s husband, Timothy Sarsany, who is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Muskingum University, wrote a piece that was featured in the artwork. “[This piece] was like a second chance, after going into remission, ” said Philip.

The “Art and Inspiration’ exhibition remained open through Feb. 13.

Dana Parsons/Black & Magenta First-year student Jacob Padich observes the piece, “The Fire, Once Lit,” by artist Stephanie Space. The piece was one of many created using mixed media.

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Dana Parsons/Black & Magenta This piece, titled, “The Help,” by Philip Sarsany was created to express the remission process after a battle with cancer and the feeling of a new life.

Dana Parsons/Black & Magenta This piece, titled “Shulamite Bride,” by Eric Dye was created using wood, stone, and various other supplies like chain and tulle fabric.

February 2020

News

Club Spotlight: Outdoor Initiative

Photo Submitted Students Kalyn Davis, Breanna Lindo, and Paige Stringfellow at Mad River during the Outdoor Initiative Club’s Ski trip. The trip was Jan. 24.

Katelyn Mohler Chief Reporter Muskingum University has over 100 clubs on campus and each group works to give students the best interactive experience for their members.

The Outdoor Initiative Club works to bring students together in adventures and fun in the outdoors. The club schedules many experiences and events for students.

The Outdoor Initiative Club plan events around nature, like camping, hiking, cave

exploration.

Outdoor Initiative also hosts more serious events like white water rafting and indoor rock climbing. The most recent event Outdoor Initiative has done was taking students to ski, tube, and snowboard with the group.

The Outdoor Initiative Club has 15 members. For information on the Outdoor Initiative Club, contact President Alison Reichard at alisonr@muskingum.edu

Cold and flu season is here Katelyn Mohler Chief Reporter If there is anything that will unite all Ohioans together, its constantly complaining about Ohio’s weather.

There’s a saying that many people in this region recite when the weather is bad: “If you don’t like Ohio’s weather, wait ten minutes, it’ll change.”

The constantly changing weather and temperature has not been helping with the main concern almost everyone will be facing soon. With the cold and flu season upon us, and several students already catching a bug, its best to remind students on how to keep yourself healthy through this time of the year.

First things first, if you’re sick, recognize the symptoms to know if you have a flu or a cold. If you are sick with the flu or

have a cold, it’s important you stay home and get plenty of rest. While it may seem obvious, it can be hard to follow with worries of class attendance, work shifts, and homework, but what’s really important is that you focus on your own health, and not spread sickness to others.

Wash your hands, use a lot of hand sanitizer, and just generally stay clean. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose, and when you sneeze or cough, aim for the inside of your elbow when you can’t get to a tissue on time.

Even with the rise and fall of the temperature outside, don’t forget to bundle up and stay warm. Get enough sleep, so you don’t run yourself down too much. Pay attention when flu shots are provided in your area, and remember, the flu and your heath are not laughing matters.

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Katelyn Mohler/Black & Magenta The Muskingum University Wellness Center set up a pop-up cold and flu information table in the Roberta A. Smith Library on Feb. 5. Hand sanitizers, pocket tissues, and mints were free for students to take.

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February 2020

Entertainment Editorial “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” Were the critics right to give the final “Star Wars” movie the reviews they Seth Roseberry Staff Photographer & Reporter The last “Star Wars” movie “The Rise of Skywalker” had mixed reviews between critics and the audience. It does not make sense at all that critics gave the film a 57 percent on Rotten Tomatoes on opening weekend Dec. 20. The fact that it was given a low rating had me upset because this movie did way better than the previous film “The Last Jedi”. I was hoping that when the weekend passed, the rating would have gone up to at least 85-90 percent because it is “Star Wars” and the franchise has a huge fan base. But I was completely wrong, the rating had gone down lower to 52 percent, which is still the rating to this day.

Something wasn’t making any sense because when you look back on the older movies, the first three movies were amazing and had high ratings from critics and the audience. The prequels, however, some audiences gave them a bad reputation, but they were good in a sense that they help tie in the story with the rest of the saga.

I feel like critics should not be the ones to give movies a rating. It is very biased because it makes the audience think that the movie is either good or bad. The audience ratings for “The Rise of Skywalker” was 90 percent. That just shows how much the people actually like the film compared to the critics With that being said, “The Last Jedi” was given a 91 percent on rotten tomatoes, but the audience did not like the film as much giving it a 56 percent. The previous Star Wars was too political and lacked a decent plot. It was a good movie, but not a great “Star Wars” movie. I feel like the little things trigger the critics into wanting to be harsh on movies.

In the new “Star Wars”, there was a

forbes.com Star Wars: “The Rise of Skywalker” is one of nine Star Wars films. The six original films, stories written

by George Lucas, follows the characters Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, R2-D2, Darth Vader, and more. However, the three latest movies follow several different characters; including Kylo Ren, Poe, Finn, BB-8, and Rey. The last three also feature Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia as older characters. The first six films were released from 1977 to 2005. The seventh film comes a decade after the original films with the “The Force Awakens” being released in 2015.

scene that involved two of the same sex kissing. But that scene lasted for one second on screen. Also the fact that the movie franchise is now owned by disney and not George Lucas.

I loved all three movies. It’s very unfair that people will either be harsh the on movie because of things that might offend them, even though it doesn’t relate to them, or say it’s bad because one popular person said that the movie was bad and people jump on that bandwagon because “monkey see, monkey do.”

People will have personal opinions about things, but I believe critics never really enjoy a movie when they see them on

opening weekend.

If the audience likes a movie, they should be the ones that give the rating because they are the ones that actually enjoy and care about movies. Critics tend to give good movies bad reviews and people rely on those reveiws from critics when they should be relying on the reveiws from other fans, who will probably give movies a more fair review.

“The Rise of Skywalker” was a really good movie because there was nothing wrong with the story, plot, or entertainment.

Don’t ever let haters manipulate your minds with a low rating on a movie.

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February 2020

Sports Editorial

Millions mourn tragic death of basketball star

Kobe Bryant

Will Ford Orbit Media Sports Director Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and one of his daughters were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash approximately 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles in Calabasas, Cali., on Jan. 26. Bryant was 41 years of age.

Bryant was traveling with his 13-year old Gianna and seven other passengers when the helicopter crashed. Of the nine people aboard the aircraft, there were no survivors.

The crash came one day after Lakers’ forward LeBron James passed Bryant for third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Bryant congratulated James on Twitter during the Lakers’ 108-91 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Bryant, standing at 6-foot-6, entered the NBA straight from graduating from Lower Merion High School. Bryant was drafted in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA, then traded to the Lakers, and he became the youngest player in NBA history at the age of 18. He was an 18-time All-Star selection, a 15-time member of an All-NBA team, and a 12-time member of an All-Defensive team.

Bryant won five NBA titles in his time with the Lakers, as well as two Olympic gold medals playing for the United States.

He won two NBA Finals MVP awards and the regular-season MVP in 2008, and finished his career with 33,643 points, ranking fourth in NBA history.

Bryant announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2015-2016 season, n Nov. 29, 2015, which started a memorable farewell tour. He played in 66 games that year, averaging 17.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. In Bryant’s final game wearing a purple and gold uniform, on April 13, 2016, he scored 60 points, leading the Lakers in a comeback win over the Utah Jazz 101-96. Bryant’s performance was the greatest farewell game ever witnessed in the world of sports.

During his career, Bryant wore No. 8 and No. 24, and he had both retired by the Lakers in 2017, making him the only player in NBA history to have multiple jerseys

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AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes Memorabilia including basketballs, messages and candles for the late Kobe Bryant were placed at a memorial for Bryant in front of Staples Center in Los Angeles Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday, Jan. 26.

retired by a franchise. He is a 2020 inductee in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bryant’s life after basketball was starting to become just as successful. Shortly after retiring from basketball, he won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film as the executive producer of Dear Basketball. He was the CEO of Granity Studios, a multi-media content creation company.

Additionally, Bryant became hugely successful as an entrepreneur and investor, accruing more than $2 billion in assets for his venture capital firm Bryant Stibel, which he co-founded with Jeff Stibel, the founder of Web.com, in 2013.

Along with his success in movie production and business, Bryant was also a New York Times best-selling author and creator of a podcast called The Punies.

The Punies tells stories about a group of neighborhood friends who play sports, go on adventures, and learn essential life lessons about how to play sports with joy and limitless imagination.

Bryant had an unrelenting passion for story-telling, but he had an even greater love for being an incredible husband and father. He created the Mamba Sports Academy in 2018 to help men, women, and youth unlock their full potential as athletes.

Bryant coached his daughter Gianna’s

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eighth grade basketball club team and was a major advocate and ambassador for women’s basketball.

Bryant inspired millions of people across the world, not only because of his stellar basketball career but because of how he approached life. He had a relentless drive and passion for being the best at everything he did. He called it the Mamba Mentality, incorporating part of his nickname, The Black Mamba.

Hearing the news of Kobe and Gianna’s tragic death brought immediate pain and sadness to my heart, and of course, my heart aches for the seven other individuals who lost their lives and their families.

Growing up, I was a diehard Laker fan and still am, but I was an even bigger fan of Kobe. He was far more to me than my favorite basketball player, though. His Mamba Mentality helped me persevere through difficult times in my life.

I cried for days after Kobe died, wondering why someone with such an immense global impact had his life taken away so young. I realized, though, that Kobe wouldn’t want me to be sad. He’d want me to keep pushing forward and live a fulfilling life.

I intend to live every day of my life with joy and purpose, just as Kobe did. Kobe was my childhood hero, and the number 24 will always be in my heart.

February 2020

Dempsy breaks all-time scoring record

Photo courtesy of the Muskingum University Athletics Department

Seth Roseberry/Black & Magenta Junior guard Marcus Dempsey beat the university’s all-time leading scorer record, previously held by Andy Moore, 1992. Dempsey surpassed Moore during the game against Capital on Jan. 29.

Will Ford Orbit Media Sports Director Muskingum men’s basketball junior guard Marcus Dempsey scored a gamehigh 31 points against the Capital Crusaders on Wednesday, Jan. 29, to become Muskingum’s all-time leading scorer in program history with 1,898 points.

Dempsey moved past Andy Moore (1988-92), who held the top spot for nearly 30 years with 1,871 points. Dempsey moved to first place on Muskingum’s alltime scoring list after scoring 31 points against Capital. Andy Moore, who played from 1988 to 1992, held the previous record for all-time leading scorer.

Dempsey quickly climbed up the scoring leaderboard, starting the year in seventh place and jumping to the top spot.

Dempsey has scored 544 points to this point in the season, averaging 30.2 points per game.

His scoring average places him first in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) and second in the country in Division III. Dempsey is on the watch list for the 2020 Bevo Francis Award by Small College Basketball (SCB).

The list features the top player from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, USCAA, and NCCAA.

Seth Roseberry/Black & Magenta No. 1 Marcus Dempsy goes up for a shot against Capital University players during the game on Jan. 29.

Dempsy was named All-OAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week and was honored with Academic AllOAC Honor Roll in 2019.

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