March 16, 2017

AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM “FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD”

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Redeeming Gender confronts identities

Professor Adrian Thatcher illuminates the historical perspective of gender and sexuality

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Professor becomes citizen scientist

Joshua Prenosil researches own treatment

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Men’s Basketball earns No. 6 seed

Creighton will face Rhode Island in the first round of the NCAA Tournament

THE CREIGHTONIAN FEBRUARY 14, 2017

VOLUME 104 ISSUE 6

OMAHA, NEBRASKA

Creighton lands a spot in the Big Dance

A.J. OLNES /THE CREIGHTONIAN

Creighton junior Marcus Foster helped lead the Jays to a successful tournament run in Madison Square Garden, including a game-winning 3-pointer that secured the win over Xavier and advanced the Jays to the finals against Villanova. A successful early season and deep Big East Tournament run earned the Jays a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Jays will face Rhode Island Friday at 3:30 p.m. in Sacramento, California. For the full story see “Jays face Rhode Island in First Round,” page 8.

Watson case moves towards new hearings RACHEL ONEAL News Editor Former Creighton basketball player Maurice Watson Jr. has been released on bail and is awaiting a court hearing on March 27.

Watson, who has been charged with first-degree sexual assault, was released from jail March 3 after paying $75,000 of his bail, according to court documents.

An Omaha Police Department incident report states a woman said she was sexually assaulted in the bathroom of an off-campus apartment on Feb. 4 at approximately 3 a.m.

Both Watson and his attorneys deny the charges, according to media reports. Watson, through his attorneys, entered a plea

of not guilty on March 13 after waiving his right to appear at his arraignment, according to court documents.

Attempts to contact Watson’s attorneys were unsuccessful as of the Creightonian’s press deadline Tuesday evening.

The Omaha Police Department issued a felony warrant for Watson’s arrest on Feb. 23, according to a news release. On Feb. 26, Watson turned himself in to police and was “transported to the Douglas County Department of corrections and booked for first-degree sexual assault,” the news release said.

According to court documents, Watson’s release is conditional upon his refraining from direct or indirect contact with the woman, and he is required to remain within 10 miles of Douglas County.

Failure to adhere to these conditions, or to appear in court on March 27, would result in an immediate warrant for his arrest, his release order continued.

Following the issuance of the Feb. 23 warrant, Creighton University formally banned and unenrolled Watson, according to an email from Tanya Winegard, vice provost of student life. Watson’s unenrollment was a part of “protective measures” set up by the Office of Equity and Inclusion to protect the reporting party, the email said.

“The Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) enacts protective measures at the start of an investigation,” said Winegard in her email. “These are measures deemed appropriate to ensure the safety of the reporting party and other campus commu-

nity members based on the information available at the start of the investigative process. OEI continuously assesses these protective measures based on new information or based on the actions of parties involved within the investigation.”

When Creighton was made aware of the warrant, the protective measures regarding the reporting party were changed to reflect the new information resulting in Watson’s unenrollment, according to Winegard’s email.

Watson suffered a season-ending knee injury against Xavier on Jan. 16; he has not played with the Creighton basketball team since. He was formally suspended from the team on Feb. 13.

Editor: RACHEL O’NEAL

02 NEWS

news@creightonian.com

Deciphering the president’s tweets about ‘fake news’ JOSIE WHELAN Assistant News Editor

President Donald Trump posted on his Twitter account on Feb. 4 that accused media companies of fabricating stories.

“FAKE NEWS media knowingly doesn’t tell the truth,” he said. “A great danger to our country. The failing @nytimes has become a joke. Likewise @CNN. Sad!” Throughout his presidential campaign and into the first two months of his presidency, Trump has often used the term “fake news” when discussing different press and media outlets.

The issue of “fake news” is a continuing theme emanating from the nation’s executive branch with the New York Times, CNN, ABC and NBC all being held up as examples of “fake news” by the president.

Many of these accusations have appeared on the president’s personal Twitter account.

With such high-profile media outlets under fire from the nation’s president, the definition of “fake news” and its consequences are under increasing scrutiny.

“Fake news” is a label that can be applied to information that is published about an event that did not happen, or to completely erroneous information,” said Jeffrey Macie-

jewski, an associate professor of journalism.

Maciejewski used the story of Hillary Clinton running a child prostitution ring as an example of “fake news”.

Maciejewski calls the story, known as Pizzagate, “fake news” because “it did not happen and was completely erroneous. In other words, this is information that has no basis whatsoever in fact.”

“President Trump, on the other hand, appears to define “fake news” as the publication of information about which he or members of his administration disagrees,” said Maciejewski. “In other words, this is information that does have basis in fact, but the understandings of that basis in fact are different.”

Betty Gillespie, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, similarly defined “fake news” and took issue with Trump’s use of the term. “‘Fake news” to me is simply news that is not true no matter how you spin it,” said Gillespie.

Gillespie takes a harder stance against our nations president than Maciejewski.

He argued that a difference in understanding facts was the reason behind Trump’s accusations. “[Trump] thinks ‘fake news’ is anything

WEEKLY CAMPUS

1 SAFETY REPORT

Mar. 8 - 3:53 p.m.

A staff member fell in the Harper Center and injured her hip. She was transported by squad to CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center.

that comes from CNN and ABC, but really he just does not like them because they call him out on all the dumb stuff he does …

He just wants people to think there is ‘fake news’ so he is not seen as the bad guy,” said Gillespie.

For Maciejewski, the tension between the president and the press is something that has happened throughout other U.S. presidencies and there are ultimately few legal ramifications related to “fake news.”

“Anyone can publish anything they want,” said Maciejewski. “However, if it defames one or more people, the person who published it may be sued for libel. Similarly, if what is published contains embarrassing, heretofore private facts about one or more people the person who published it may be sued for invasion of privacy.”

Maciejewski further pointed out that news organizations know of the potential legal ramifications, and therefore, according to Maciejewski, it would make “little sense” for them to publish material that could expose them to lawsuits.

According to Maciejewski, the current presidential administration uses the term “fake news” to further their political agenda and gain favorable public opinion.

“In my view, President Trump and his

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administration have shown that making allegations of some news reports as being ‘fake’ is a political communications strategy,” said Maciejewski. “It’s a way of handling unfavorable information that seeks to dismiss it by questioning its credibility.”

While the First Amendment protects against the “abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press,” both Gillespie and Maciejewski urge people to be vigilant and to fact check information when it comes to issues being reported to them.

“The American public needs to be very careful not to paint all of the media with the ‘fake news’ brush,” said Maciejewski, who acknowledged the existence of political bias within some news organizations.

“The public must retain the ability to critically evaluate what they’re reading or hearing and to not let politics interfere with their ability to analyze the news,” said Maciejewski.

Gillespie believes that people have an individual responsibility to investigate information to avoid political biases present in news.

“If it sounds fishy to you, look it up; get other people’s opinion,” said Gillespie. “Do not just accept someone else labeling it ‘fake news’ or real news, decide for yourself.”

Mar. 12 - 5:38 p.m.

Two nonaffiliates were observed pulling on car door handles near 27th and Burt Streets.

The men were banned from campus.

Mar. 13 - 3:10 p.m.

A man was reported to be acting in a lewd manner inside his vehicle parked in Deglman Circle.

He was banned from campus.

Mar. 13 - 5:07 p.m.

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A room search was conducted in Deglman Hall. Tobacco and drug paraphernalia were confiscated.

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Editor: RACHEL O’NEAL

NEWS 03

news@creightonian.com

Panel discusses immigration effects post-ban RACHEL O’NEAL News Editor

The Muslim Student Association held a panel discussion on Feb. 27 in the Skutt Ballroom as a follow up to a previous panel on Feb. 1 held to address President DonaldTrump’s immigration ban issued on Jan. 27.

Although the first immigration ban was blocked on Feb. 4 after U.S. District Senior Judge James Robart issued a temporary restraining order on its implementation, Trump has since issued another executive order, which will come into effect on March 16 and will halt immigration from six countries.

Two international students spoke about the emotions that surfaced after Trump’s ban was enacted and the separation of the Muslim faith from the actions of Islamic governments.

“The countries that have been banned are major Muslim countries, and I belong to an Islamic state as well so … I want you to separate Islam from the Islamic states,” said Hafsa Naeem, an exchange student studying at Creighton. “Because when we think about Islamic states there are some things that we think like Saudi Arabia where women are not allowed to drive, [that] is not in Islam. … We need to understand each other. We need to talk to each other so that there is no hatred, there is no racism.”

“I’m from Mauritius, which is not a Muslim majority country but I am a Muslim, too, so definitely when I heard about the travel ban, I was affected,” said Nidaa Mungloo, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. “It hurt me to see all these people who were coming here just like me, many of them were students, many of them were coming here to get health care, and they were refu-

gees and to just seeing them get turned away, hurt me a lot, not just because I am Muslim but because I am a human being.”

After introductions, the panelists began discussing the impact of the bans.

“There is something in place currently called Optional Practical Training (OPT), which is basically where every international student who comes here, at least full-time students, are allowed to work after graduating for a year without requiring a work visa,” said Mungloo. “But if you’re in the STEM field, as I am, that is extended for three years.

So I came here with the thought that I was going to be able to get three years of work experience before going to grad school or going back home or whatever my plans are and a lot of international students come here with that thought. … So when there were some leaked executive orders about talks of revoking OPT, that really shocked me and made me think ‘what am I going to do now?’ because I based my entire plan on coming and getting that work experience.”

OPT is currently a U.S. program facilitated by the Department of Homeland Security.

The Creighton Office of Global Engagement helps international students with their future plans and their visas.

Rene Padilla, vice provost for global engagement, spoke about the university’s concern for all international students and Creighton’s commitment to Deferred Action For Childhood Arrival students, who he said are at a higher risk given Trump’s recent executive orders surrounding undocumented people.

“From the perspective of what we do know is that there were three orders … it seems that one is the one that’s gaining the most interest, but it was preceded by two

Guest lecturer talks sex, gender and sexuality in the history of Church, Society

CONNOR CAHILL Editor-in-Chief Adrian Thatcher, an honorary professor in the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Exeter, England lead a discussion in the Mike and Josie Harper Center about his latest book, “Redeeming Gender,” looking towards a genuinely inclusive Church on Feb. 21.

Thatcher has written extensively on the subject of religion and sex and has taught at the University of Exeter, as well as the University of St. Mark and John in Plymouth, England.

Thatcher explained that society and Christian churches are still “confused” about the reversal of attitudes toward same-sex and gender equality within the span of a life.

The first women deacons, priests and bishops were only ordained recently in the church and same-sex marriage only became a guaranteed right in America after a Supreme Court decision provided so in June 2015.

Thatcher asserted that through rereading basic Christian doctrines an inclusive church can be created. His book “Redeeming Gender” uncovers the historical roots of the division in conservative theologies surrounding this issue.

Thatcher’s discussion on the rise of gender and sexuality equality began with a lesson, that throughout most of Western history, it was universally believed that men and women were of the same sex, but the women’s genitals were inside the body.

“If you think that is the strangest thing you have ever heard during your time at

OLIVER ALONZO/THE CREIGHTONIAN

Audience members listen to the panelists discuss executive orders on immigration implemented by President Donald Trump. orders, one strengthening the border and the number of people that were working at the border and essentially presuming that it would help deport people who are undocumented here in the country,” said Padilla.

“A second order that strengthened law enforcement across the United States by increasing personnel in different states presumably again in states where there are a higher number of undocumented people … the number of people affected by the first two orders is higher than the last one … I also think that those first two orders affect more students than the other num-

ber. International students in general have the documents that are needed to maintain their academic stay here.”

Students found hope, however, in the panel and the discussion that took place.

“The students who were there seemed to be very receptive of what we were saying and they seemed like they wanted to learn more about this issue and they seemed like they wanted to learn more about this issue,” said Mungloo. “They seemed like people who care and that’s reassuring to know that there are people on this campus who care about these issues even when the don’t affect them at all.”

university, you are probably right,” said Thatcher.

It was only until the seventeenth century that biological purpose of genitals was understood to the point where the populace accepted there were two sexes. On a historical scale, this is extremely recent.

“I think the two-sex theory, at least in the 18th and 19th century, was used to keep men dominant and women in their place.”

-Adrian Thatcher Despite the drastic changes in basic biological understanding in the 21st century, Thatcher said the one-sex theory is still prevalent in our language — such as man and mankind — even in religious rhetoric.

Thatcher’s discussion provided evidence of radical changes in the church’s understanding of not only gender, but also sex for pleasure rather than reproduction and the rise in differences between heterosexuality and homosexuality.

“I think the two-sex theory, at least in the 18th and 19th century, was intended to keep men dominant and women in their place,” says Thatcher. “But, by redeeming gender, I mean that Christ has redeemed the relation between women and men … sexual difference becomes harmless, it becomes no longer a power play.”

For more information on Thatcher and his books visit adrianthatcher.org

Registration opens to ALL current Creighton students on Thursday, March 30.

Summer is a great time to: Accelerate your degree plan.

Focus on tough classes.

Work toward a second major.

Over 200 classes available (90+ online) with May, June and July terms.

Visit the NEST or creighton.edu/summer for more info.

Editor: GRACE HUNT

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Citizen scientists: desparation leads to discovery KRYSTA LARSON Scene Reporter When Joshua Prenosil received his doctoral degree. in English from Purdue University in 2012, he was on the brink of a long-anticipated career. He had just spent years of his life training to be an English professor, and his goal was finally within reach. But soon after he started at Creighton in September as an assistant professor in rhetoric and composition, he received a diagnosis that threatened to halt his career before it could even begin.

That same year, Prenosil was diagnosed with cardiac laminopathy, one of a dozen nuclear envelope disorders that affect tissues. It is a rare and deadly disease that causes an underproduction of cellular lamins, which are proteins that make up the boundary between the nucleus and cytoplasm in a cell. In a family with a long history of heart issues — his father and his sister received heart transplants in recent years, and his great grandmother and grandfather passed away from heart complications — the news wasn’t entirely unexpected, but it was still a blow.

“I was in pretty heavy denial,” Prenosil said.

“Denial’s a funny thing — you can know something cognitively, but emotionally you might not be accepting of it, and so I just didn’t tell anybody until I had my back against the wall.”

Prenosil was diagnosed with the first symptoms in 2012 —an enlarged heart and a dilated left ventricle.

Over the next few years, things kept getting worse. He had an ICD/pacemaker implanted, underwent more cardiac enlargement, and was in heart failure. The symptoms were severe.

He described it as a feeling of being constantly waterboarded, unable to draw breath. He had 52,000 premature ventricular contractions, or PVCs, over a 48-hour period, meaning one out of three heartbeats was not pushing blood

through his veins. The lack of oxygen made him dizzy, took away his appetite and put him in a constant state of exhaustion.

“It felt like death. That’s just the feeling that I had, the whole time,” he said.

In the fall of 2013, he went on partial disability at Creighton. Prenosil told his physician that he felt like he was going underwater with no life raft. “Is there anything new out there?” he asked. “Can we do something? I’m clearly getting worse, I feel terrible and my job is getting harder and harder.”

But all his physician said was that he would continue to be treated for his symptoms until the moment came for a heart transplant — which wasn’t the innovative and creative answer Prenosil had been hoping for.

At one point, while he was waiting in his physician’s office, he was told that a doctoral degree. student wanted to ask him a few questions for her dissertation research. When the student came in, she was visibly surprised by Prenosil’s young age. He later found out that she was doing research on whether physicians offer palliative care to heart-failure patients — a treatment option meant to ease patients at the end of their lives.

“I thought to myself, ‘you’ve wasted your life in school, you should have spent your 20s in the Peace Corps backpacking through Europe,’” Prenosil said. “‘You assumed this investment in your education was going to pay off in the second half, and now it’s likely that there isn’t going to be a very good second half.’ I felt like I was totally screwed.”

But Prenosil didn’t give up. He began to read every medical article and book he could get his hands on, searching for anything that could open a small window to the possibility of recovery. He abandoned his field of research in the rhetoric of social movements to research science studies, specifically in cardiology, cell

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biology and pharmacology. His connection to Creighton gave him access to a wide variety of medical journals, and his background as an English professor gave him the skills to understand and analyze the dense medical texts.

Two years later, in one sentence of one medical article, he found a possible treatment option. A study on Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, a form of laminopathy that causes advanced aging, had seen positive effects on the cells of progeria patients treated with colchicine. It was an existing medication commonly used to treat gout that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2009. To access it in the United States, Prenosil would have to find a physician who was willing to prescribe it to him.

Off-label prescribing, or using an existing drug for circumstances not approved by the FDA, is not uncommon. According to “Off-Label Prescribing: A Call for Heightened Professional and Government Oversight,” an article published in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics by medical ethicists Rebecca Dresser, J.D., and Dr. Joel Frader, off-label uses “may provide the best available intervention for a patient.” This method, however, must have a solid evidentiary basis to merit ethical standing. Physicians need to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to justify an off-label use.

“I feel like you get one shot with this kind of thing,” Prenosil said. “Physicians are concerned about liability in this day and age, and you don’t want to be seen as reckless.”

He took the information to two cardiologists, requesting a prescription, but was turned down by both. The second, however, referred him to Dr. Jane Wilcox, a cardiology fellow at Northwestern University, who agreed to prescribe the medication. Within 48 hours, Prenosil began to feel markedly better. The effects increased rapidly over the next five months, and

• 30-degree weather and snow in March

• St. Patrick’s Day

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What floated The Creightonian’s boat this week … and what totally tanked?

since then the changes have been slower but still positive. His irregular heartbeats decreased, he moved out of the zone of heart failure, and he was able to return to Creighton full time.

Returning to a classroom full of students who were passionate about learning was an incredible feeling, and Prenosil’s students were equally happy to see his return. Marie Garro, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, has taken several classes with Prenosil and has felt his impact both in and out of the classroom.

“As a student, he’s definitely empowered me more in terms of expressing my opinions and following the things that interest me,” she said.

“As a person, he’s sort of expanded how I react to other people in terms of empathy. He wants to connect with students as people because they are people.”

In addition to his work with students, Prenosil plans to continue his research into laminopathies and the rhetoric of health and science. He also wants to seek out others like him — citizen scientists who took the risk of trying a new or off-label medication in an attempt to find a cure. He finds those stories fascinating because he understands what it’s like to take risks in the hope that doing so will lead to recovery.

“When I found the thing for colchicine, I felt there was possibility there, but to be frank, it didn’t even matter,” he said. “If the people at Northwestern said no, my plan was to go to Canada or to Mexico and pick up colchicine.

“It’s like, rage against the dying of the light, do not go gentle into that good night, do everything you can to survive. You have to, you have to do it. That’s all you have.”

• The “Bachelor” finale

• The “Bachelor” finale

• Beauty and the Beast comes out on Friday

• Not if you’re in Alabama

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MARCH EVENT CALENDAR 16

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Thu

Fri

Zen Tales: The Art of Jon. J. Muth

St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon

Where: Josyln Art Museum Time: 10 a.m. -4 p.m.

Where: Lauritzen Gardens 100 Bancroft St. Omaha, NE 68108 Time: 10 a.m - 2 p.m.

Meals prices vary, garden admission price apply

CSU Midnight Movie: Beauty and the Beast Where:Marcus Midtown Cinema Time:9:30 p.m. - 2 a.m. $5 deposit

REEL Talk: Moana Where: Harper Auditorium Time: 6 p.m. - 10 p.m

18 Sat Blake Shelton Where: CenturyLink Center Time: 7:30 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Tickets: start at $33

19 Sun

20 Mon

Film Streams Great Directors: Douglas Kirk

Black Holes: Space Warps and Time Twist exhibit

Where: Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater Time: Showing at 12 p.m.

Tickets: $4.50-9

Where:Stragic Air Command and Aerospace Museum 28210 West Park Highway Time: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Tickets: $12

21 Tue Wild Spaces, Open Seasons: Hunting and Fishing in American Act Where: Josyln Art Museum When: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Free Admission with Creighton ID

Editor: GRACE HUNT

SCENE 05

Photo series captures beauty of Rocky Mountains

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIA FAGERLAND

College of Arts and Sciences senior Maria Fagerland spent her spring break in Fort Collins, Colorado, around the Cache la Poudre River’s scenic byway (above and bottom right) and surrounding the Rocky Mountains in Evergreen, Colorado (top right).

Students reflect on Service and Justice trip GRACE SPIEWAK Copyeditor On March 3 and 4, over one hundred Creighton students piled into vans and dispersed throughout the country, as close to Creighton as the Sienna Francis House in Omaha and as distant as Wheeling, West Virginia, all with the goal of learning more about social issues on Service and Justice trips.

I happily bid farewell to the brisk Nebraskan wind, prepared myself for a week absent from cumbersome technology and academic stress and travelled with 11 other Creighton students to the Columban Mission Center in El Paso.

The Columbans is a Catholic order of priests dispersed throughout 19 countries that dedicates its work to interfaith dialogue, communal solidarity and social justice. The Rev. Robert Mosher runs the Columban Mission Center in El Paso and guided us through various presentations and service work centered on immigration.

We delved into immigration issues by speaking with border patrol and visiting the U.S.-Mexican border on Monday. Mosher led our group in a meditation at the border, asking us to go alone into the desert for about 20 minutes for a brief glimpse into the lives of migrants fleeing their countries because of extreme violence and poverty.

“It was sobering to be up close and personal to the very wall that divides ‘us from them.’

I had a thought about shared humanity and how, at the central core of every person, we all want the same things: community, love, food, shelter, etc. While meditating in the sand looking at the wall that breaks apart countries, I saw it breaking apart our humanity,” said College of Arts and Sciences junior Sarah Rosland.

Attending a session of Immigration Court on Tuesday helped transfer the lens of immigration from the migrant to the law. During the session, we witnessed a judge address three cases. Only one of the cases had both the attorney and respondent present, while at the others either the attorney or both the attorney and respondent were present via phone.

“I found it hard for myself to understand the

language of law and felt for those who might not have come from very high educational backgrounds or those whose first language was not English. I understand that there must be some order in legal process, but I felt that there was a loss of humanity,” said Rosland.

To further our understanding on the relationship between law and immigration, we went to the Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services, Inc., which provides free and low-cost legal services to immigrants.

Accredited representative and technical support specialist Shalini Thomas gave a presentation on the legality and policies surrounding immigration.

“I found it so helpful to have all of the different pathways to residency and citizenship laid out,” said Rosland.“It became evident to me that it is almost impossible and sometimes unrealistic to come into the United States legally or gain residence or citizenship when in the United States illegally.”

While Tuesday consisted of a myriad information on intricate subjects, Wednesday brought inspiration and hope in visiting the Annunciation House in El Paso.

Annunciation House provides housing for undocumented immigrants in an effort to “accompany the migrant, homeless and economically vulnerable peoples of the border region through hospitality, advocacy and education,” according to its website.

After a tour of the house, we drove through the dusty roads of Anthony, New Mexico to the Women’s Intercultural Center. The center strives “to provide a place for women to learn and work together to develop their social, spiritual, economic and political potential,” according to its website.

Mary Carter, the director of the Women’s Intercultural Center, gave us a tour and explained the services. The pastel walls featured assorted artwork made from recycled materials.

The Alternative Education and Personal Development program provides GED classes and aids women in discerning and working toward careers and personal goals. Women who have gone through the center left to go on to higher education in various fields.

As March 8 was also International Women’s

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARASH HAMIDI

A group of 12 Creighton students visited El Paso, Texas, during their service and justice trip last week where they worked with the Columban Mission Center. The students delved into immigration issues, attended a session of Immigration Court, and volunteered with the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, Inc., which provides free and low-cost legal services to immigrants.

Day, the visit immersed us in the magnificence and fortitude of women who persevere not only for liberty but also individual growth.

As Thursday concluded our time in El Paso, we embarked on the Migrant’s Way of the Cross by hiking Mount Cristo Rey. At each of the 14 crosses leading to the mountain’s peak we read Bible passages, which provoked an essence of solidarity and empathy with migrants.

At the top of the mountain is a 29-foot tall limestone statue of Jesus on the cross.

“The hike up Cristo Rey was the perfect way to end the week in El Paso,” said College of Arts and Sciences junior, and the trip’s co-coordinator, Sophie Snider.

“Reflecting on the immigrant’s way of the cross showed me the integration between my own faith and the ever-present fight for social justice.”

Regardless of our backgrounds on the immigration issue before the trip, our group left El Paso with expanded knowledge, perspectives and resources.

“Happiness consists of the things that nobody can take away from you, and the happiness of those immigrating to the United States lies in their faith, hope and love of God,” said College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Kurt Sierra.

Departing the desert was undoubtedly difficult, as the bonds our group had formed, both with each other and those we met on the trip, had become an undeniable source for hope, laughter and endurance the entire week. While few people in our group and known each other prior to the trip, we formed a solid community based on reflection and action which propelled us through our week.

The Schlegel Center for Service and Justice sponsors service and justice trips every fall and spring break, which offer unique opportunities for students to increase their awareness of social justice issues around the country.

Editor: GRACE HUNT

04 SCENE

Sodexo’s sweetheart tells her story ELIZABETH FAGERLAND Scene Reporter Debbie Griggs, a Creighton staff member, shared her story to a full crowd on March 14 at 8 p.m. at Agape Latte, an event held at the Skutt Student Center.

Griggs, known by many Creighton students as “Miss Debbie,” has worked at Creighton for the last 13 years, calling them the “best 13 years of my life.”

Griggs shared a different side to the fun-loving and positive woman Creighton students know. Growing up in Omaha, Griggs described herself as “hard-headed” and rebellious. She loved the “rush” she got from contact sports. Her mother was “strict” because she emphasized religion and prayer to her children.

Griggs had her own challenges with her son’s death, an abusive relationship and a drug habit. She was honest with her struggles with her faith. She had a lot of anger inside and blamed herself for a lot of things.

“These tragedies are stepping stones to where I am today,” she said.

Despite these tough moments in her life, she has a positive outlook on it all. Her self-proclaimed philosophy is to take God with her everywhere she goes.

“It truly speaks to how a loving heart can really come out of some of the hardest

situations,” said Heider College of Business sophomore Sam Kouri.

She said her positive outlook is strengthened by the hugs and smiles of students every day.

“Now that I know what she’s been through, I see a really strong woman, a person full of experiences, and a really wise person,” said Heider College of Business sophomore Andres Guevara. “She is a valuable person to learn from and talk to.”

Griggs shared her personal story to students, providing advice as she looked back on where she was then. She encouraged students to make conscious decisions every day to not jeopardize their bright futures.

“It’s so amazing that even though she’s gone through all those hardships and she believes in this God that is good,” said College of Arts and Sciences senior and moderator of the talk, Lulu Alvarez.

In addition to her warm welcome and smile every day at Brandeis Dining Hall, she hoped to make her love for Creighton students evident in her talk.

“Miss Debbie loves you,” she said. “And wants the best for you.”

OLIVER ALONZO/THE CREIGHTONIAN

Sodexo staff member, Debbie Griggs (left), shares her story with College of Arts and Sciences senior Lulu Alvarez. Griggs, who has worked at Creighton for 13 years, says her positive outlook is strengthened by the hugs and smiles of students. She shared her story with the audience and encouraged students to make concious decesions every day to not jeopardize their bright futures.

Behind the bar: baristas share their experiences LOGAN LUCAS Scene Reporter

Grande iced vanilla coffee — a typical Starbucks order that gets people ready for what the day has in store.

But what is it like behind the bar? A few baristas said working there has its benefits and its challenges.

Employees say working at Starbucks has its benefits and setbacks. The employees enjoy interacting with their friends who stop by and can’t stand long lines just as much as customers.

The crew at Starbucks is a mixture of student-workers and full-time employees.

Jessie Nielsen, who started working three weeks ago, makes a 25-minute commute. She enjoys staying busy and started working for “the great benefits the company has.”

On top of handling the drink orders, it is also important to make a drink correctly. Before being able to serve drinks, each barista must complete a training to get bar certified. This includes knowing what goes into each drink, proper handling procedures and cleaning standards.

If you’re having trouble deciding what to order, ask your barista; odds are they have sampled most drinks on the menu.

Baristas often know about the best drink combinations off the menu as well, and their expert opinion could become your

new favortie order.

A junior student-worker, Jade Cameron, has been working at Starbucks since the first day it opened. She discussed the mentally taxing aspect the job has on its workers. In a high-paced environment, she also enjoys “getting to interact with the Creighton community.”

All the co-workers get along and enjoy working with their friends which makes the shifts go by faster.

Creighton’s Starbucks is under the Sodexo policies, which require slightly different regulations than the franchise.

Another student worker, junior Jesse Kramme, was promoted to a shift lead in May of 2016. “My favorite thing about working here are the mini social interactions throughout the day that give me a good buzz to keep energized.” He works hard to make sure the store is cleaned up staying as late as 2 a.m. at times.

The students on campus remember what life was like pre-Starbucks. Katie Lee, a junior in the Heider College of Business says her Jaybucks have never been more valuable.

“Having the availability of a Starbucks on campus makes it too tempting to pass up,” Lee said.

OLIVER ALONZO/THE CREIGHTONIAN

The staff at the Starbucks in the Skutt Student Center consists of both student-workers and full time employees. Before being able to serve drinks, baristas must complete a training to get bar certified. This includes knowing what goes into each drink and proper handling techniques.

Creighton Cares volunteers give back to community Logan Bell Scene Reporter

Creighton Cares, formerly known as Creighton Clean Up, began signups last week for its annual service event.

This event was created to show the Omaha community the values that Creighton instills in its students, according to Inter Residence Hall Government president Evan Dalton.

IRHG decided to change the event’s name to better align with the mission of the event. Previously, it was known as Creighton Hunger Clean Up, before being changed to Creighton Clean Up and finally Creighton Cares.

On April 8, any students who signed up for the Creighton Cares will be divided into groups and given Creighton Cares shirts before they are sent out to various service locations throughout the metro area.

Rachel Slagle, IRHG Director of Membership and Development, emphasized that it is important for Creighton affiliates to be active in their community.

“Creighton Cares helps us show what we can do for our community,” Slagle said. “It helps us put the values we learn to good use.”

In addition to allowing Creighton to give back to its community, Mary Korch, student coordinator at the Schlegel Center for

Service and Justice, believes that Creighton Cares helps those providing service see the bigger picture.

“Sometimes, while partaking in service it’s hard to imagine how an hour playing Trivial Pursuit with residents at Sienna Francis or sorting food items at Open Door mission makes a difference,” Korch said.“Bringing so many students and faculty together at the same time, it’s energizing. I think participants truly believe they are a part of something and actually making a difference when they see so many others who are standing up on a Saturday morning to show they care.”

On the April 8, volunteers will be able to

sign up for a wide variety of organizations and causes, from working with kids at Precious Memories Day Care to doing park clean up with Keep Omaha Beautiful to laying mulch for the American Red Cross.

Any students who are interested in participating in this event can sign up any time until April by going to the IRHG Facebook page. Creighton Cares runs from 8 a.m. until noon, and breakfast and lunch will be provided along with the T-shirt.

Editor: GRACE HUNT

SCENE 05

Career Center aids students in job search

SYDNEY HANDRICH Scene Reporter

The Creighton Career Center organized the second session in its “How to Adult” series on job searching Thursday in Harper 3023 at 7 p.m.

The session targeted graduating seniors to create concrete avenues to fulfill their goals as well as help finalize resumes.

Rachel Gibson, associate director of the Career Center, ran the session and helped the 10 students in attendance in topics ranging from finding the correct medical school, choosing a law school or how to find a job that matches their top requirements, as well as how to successfully use a gap year.

“I just need to learn how to adult so I can survive in the real world,” said Michelle Yarmolinksy, a senior in the Heider College of Business said.

Gibson helped students find the best way to navigate the gated job market through networking techniques.

Many students who attended the session left with one-on-one sessions with Gibson to further navigate their plans post graduation.

The “How to Adult” series was developed

by Emma Rapp, Assistant Director for Tran-

sitions in the Student Leadership and Involvement Center, who partnered with the Career Center for the series.

“Emma did a great job partnering with the Career Center,” Gibson said.

Since starting at Creighton in September, Rapp has had a newfound focus on transitions from freshmen in their first year at college to seniors leaving for the professional world.

This month featured three “How to Adult” sessions. In addition to budgeting and job searching sessions, the third session, on navigating job offers, will be Wednesday on at 7 p.m. in the Skutt Ballroom. It will be hosted by Jeremy Fisher from the Career Center.

Rapp has more sessions planned for the rest of the year, including a cooking class and a session on how to navigate Omaha dating.

Next year, she hopes to expand transitional programs for all class standings.

Rapp has more sessions planned for the rest of the year, including a cooking class and a session on how to navigate Omaha dating.

Next year, she hopes to expand transitional programs for all class standings.

A.J. OLINES/THE CREIGHTONIAN

Rachel Gibson (above) organized the second session in the Creighton Career Center’s “How to Adult” series. Gibson addressed various topics such as searching for medical schools, how to success ull use a gap ear and how to find a o that atches their top requrie ents.

CULSA fundraiser features homemade pupusas HANNAH KASEM Scene Reporter

Creighton University’s Latino Student Association will be making pupusas on Saturday in order to fundraise for upcoming projects.

For the past several weeks, the Creighton Latino Student Association had been selling pupusas, a traditional El Salvadoran dish, at $12 for a half dozen and $20 for a dozen.

Orders were due on March 18.

“Pupusa is a popular El Salvadoran dish,” said Katherine Lopez, a member of CULSA. “It’s made of a thick, corn tortilla filled with anything from meats to cheeses to refried beans to pork rinds. It varies depending on the person.”

The pupusas being sold at Creighton are made of pork and cheese and are one of CULSA’s biggest fundraisers of the year.

Last year, the association raised roughly $1,200.00 towards their various projects.

On March 25th, Isrrael Garcia, another member of CULSA, and his family will be coming up from Wichita, Kansas, to make the pupusas. Because the dish can be time consuming, Garcia’s family will be preparing the meat, masa, salsa and curtido — a cabbage relish — before arriving in Omaha. The dish will then be prepped here at Creighton.

“CULSA executives and members all come together in Becker Dining Hall and make them together,” said Joanna Perez, the secretary of CULSA. “It takes between 6-8 hours to make almost 600 pupusas.”

Perez also added that the day of preparation is filled with a lot of music, conversation and dancing. The distribution of the pupusas begins that night and will be finished within three days of production.

The money raised from this event goes towards big events such as Las Mañanitas and the annual Hispanic Leadership conference in Chicago next year.

“Las Mañanitas is mainly a Mexican celebration of our Lady of Guadalupe,” said Jesus Yañez Ruiz, the president of CULSA. “La Virgen de Guadalupe, known here as the Virgin Mary, is celebrated Dec. 12 as that date is when Juan Diego encountered La Virgin in México and was asked to build a church.”

This year’s sales of pupusas have succeeded last year’s with roughly 1,086 orders this year.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JESUS YA ÑEZ RUIZ

Creighton University’s Latino Student Association will make pupusas on Saturday to raise funds for upcoming projects. From left to right: Amber Franco, Jackie Rivas, Yesika Juarez, Alan Timilsina, Jesus Yañez, Cesar Torres, Efren Garcia, Kat Lopez, Melyna Avalos, Isrrael Garcia.

MARCH EVENT CALENDAR 23

24

Thu

Fri

FLP Fundraiser at Pickelman’s Where: 1908 South 67th Street Time: 4 -9 p.m.

25 Sat

Relay for Life 2017

Game Fest

Where: KFC Time: 6 p.m - 6 a.m.

Where: Skutt Ballroom Time: 8 - 11 p.m.

26 Sun Creighton Bluejays Baseball vs. UC Davis Aggies Where: TD Ameritrade Time: 1 p.m.

Free Admission with Creighton ID

27 Mon Model Jewish Seder Dinner Where: Skutt Ballroom Time: 4:45 - 6 p.m.

Israel Soldiers Tour Speakers Where: Skutt Ballroom Time: 6:30 - 8 p.m.

28 Tue Judah and The Lion Where: Slowdown When: 8 p.m.

Tickets: $20 advance and $22 at the door

Editor: GILLIAN STRAUB

06 OPINION

Give online dating a chance BAILEY RAMOS NELSON Opinion Writer

I

am absolutely intrigued by the whole process of online dating. It feels like not even 10 years ago, online dating was unpopular and had a negative stigma around it.

Now people can happily scroll through profiles in the comfort of their own home, or while on a particularly bad date, and this is seen as normal.

There is still a bit of a stigma surrounding online dating, particularly apps like Tinder, where one is swiping left or right on someone based on five photos and a bio, if you are feeling ambitious enough to read it. How someone can come off as fun, witty, attractive, adventurous and an expert in something fun, but not too pretentious, is beyond me.

Watching my friends go through their swipes was a kind of entertaining game. I thought each person would have crafted the ultimate profile to match his or her personality, and thus, come off as a unique and individual character.

I was sadly mistaken.

After an hour of looking at profiles, I could not tell the difference between people anymore.

There seemed to be a weird kind of ritual amongst the participants: one would look at five fairly generic photos, proceed to reading the dry and overly witty or obnoxious bio — or swiping left — and then ending with what I can only assume as clever banter between the two.

Online dating offers users what appears to be an endless amount of choices to pick from. But in reality, the abundance of choices is a bit overwhelming.

In a 2014 Time magazine article, Ty Tashiro analyzed millennials and found there is a sense of derealization when it comes to online dating.

Until there is physical interaction or a genuine or in-person experience, online dating can come off as unreal or fantasy.

This kind of disconnect created from technology can make it harder to genuinely get to know someone, and can lead to fairly shallow and empty interactions.

Regardless of the many downfalls of online dating, it is still an exciting advancement in technology. When you

are receiving a message at 2 a.m. that reads “hey,” it might not feel like a great advancement, but it is.

Online dating offers people more opportunities to go out in the world and meet people. Every good — and bad — Tinder date is an experience worth having, even if it might not seem like it in the moment.

Even if someone’s bio comes across as generic and boring, chances are they can still offer something slightly more exciting in person. All dates offer something different and are definitely worth a try.

My call to action is that you download some sort of dating app, just for laughs and giggles. At the least, see what all the fuss is about. At the most, go on a date and fall in love. But seriously, give the online dating thing a try. Why would you want to pass up the chance to amass a ton of terrible dating stories? Everyone loves a terrible dating story.

Rep. King doesn’t want you to hyperventilate GILLIAN STRAUB Opinion Editor

T

his Sunday, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, tweeted in support of a Dutch parliamentarian’s hope to suppress immigration of Muslims to the Netherlands.

King tweeted, “Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can’t restore our civilization with someone else’s babies.”

At first glance, this tweet seems to mirror Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” To say the least, this is overplayed and tired. At some point, Americans will be annoyed their leaders’ constant degradation of the country they call home.

Beyond the similarity to Trump’s campaign slogan, King also missed the mark on a few other points.

First, this tweet demonstrates a lack of knowledge about United States history.

From the beginning, America was built on the backs of slaves and immigrants.

As society progressed, immigrants populated the early urban centers of the country.

Maybe he forgot that immigrants invented everything from Google to Greek yogurt.

Second, perhaps King should take a minute to examine his constituency.

Iowa’s fourth Congressional District is more than 90 percent white, according to

the most recent census.

However monochromatic King’s district may seem, its citizens can trace their lineage to Germany, Norway, Ireland, France and Scotland, to name a few of the countries.

King’s constituents may not be the most diverse, but they do share one characteristic: Most of them belong to families who immigrated here at some point, and these immigrants likely faced some form of persecution when they arrived here.

King’s call to simply restore our civilization with our babies is inane and archaic; America hasn’t been a country for indigenous populations since it was founded.

Instead, American leaders have, to some degree, understood the necessity of immigrants. We know from our own history books that migrants themselves are peaceful citizens who strive for greatness here just like any natural born citizen.

Finally, to add fuel to the fire, King

went on to defend his tweet and rebuke the reactions to it on Breitbart News.

King said, “I don’t really know why people hyperventilate over a tweet,” and went on to ask if his critics were “willfully ignorant.”

While I wasn’t quite ready to hyperventilate over this tweet, it was interesting, to say the least, that white nationalist David Duke took to Twitter to praise King and the fourth Congressional District of Iowa.

The people of Iowa’s fourth Congressional District are not racist or xenophobic, and those who oppose King in that district are not willfully ignorant.

Not everyone shares the viewpoints of their representatives and senators, and to some degree, King is right — this tweet is not important enough to stress over.

King’s statement was rebuked by several Republican representatives and is not linked to any policy or current legislation cosponsored or introduced by King.

Instead of this tweet being a rallying moment for King, it distances him from prominent Republicans, puts him at odds with his peers and demonstrates his ignorance of America’s foundations and the legacy of his district.

font and text bubble.

The quotes are just as bland, with little nuggets of wisdom such as this banal quote from Kim Kardashian, “If you work hard, you can break barriers.”

The overall look is distinctly unappealing, and it clearly shows that the website uses the page as nothing more than a way to garner ad revenue.

To be frank, interstitial ads are annoying. There is little reason, from a user standpoint, to not simply integrate the advertisements into the page that I want to go to.

While these ads are annoying, they are also dangerous to users.

These ads have been used by hacking groups to download basic information from a victim’s computer, as Forbes.com itself reported.

The attack was carried out using the “Thought of the Day” page, exploiting this ad opportunity as a weakness for site visitors.

Finally, Forbes.com frequently urges visitors to its site to turn off their ad-blockers. As Timothy Geigner explained in 2015, Forbes’ request to turn off ad-blockers in order to view an article was met and those who turned off their ad-blockers then saw pop-up malware.

While the “Thought of the Day” page is iconic to Forbes.com, it is uninteresting and a risk to site visitors.

Forbes.com should stop showing the page and opt for ads on the pages with its articles in order to reduce the risk to users and make the site more functional.

“Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can’t restore our civilization with someone else’s babies.”

-Steve King

‘Thought of the day’ adds insult to injury GILLIAN STRAUB Opinion Editor

I

f you have ever visited Forbes.com website, you have undoubtedly witnessed a short quote of the day, accompanied by an ad.

This “Thought of the Day,” as Forbes. com calls it, is a sneaky way to guarantee users pay attention to its advertising content.

This is a form of an interstitial ad, which is a full-screen advertisement more frequently used on mobile devices. It acts as a natural transition, but Forbes uses it to force attention to its ads before proceeding to the article.

Forbes’ “Thought of the Day,” and accompanying interstitial ads, are set against a bleak gray screen, in a generic

opinion@creightonian.com

Nick Viall’s quest for love comes to an end GRACE HUNT Copy Editor

I

f you’re reading this, it means the Creightonian editorial staff finally let me write a column about the hit ABC reality television show “The Bachelor.”

I’ll be the first one to admit that I don’t condone the message of the competition, and I wasn’t an avid fan until a few years ago when I begrudgingly let a friend introduce me. Then I was hooked onto the series.

While I recognize that the show reaffirms archaic gender roles, I maintain that the reason I keep coming back to “The Bachelor” is for the entertainment quality, not the depiction of a so-called “fairytale romance.”

The show consistently proves itself entertaining. This season’s bachelor, Nick Viall, has been on three previous seasons of the show already.

Viall, a 36-year-old software developer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. has been able to put his life on hold for six weeks — several times — in search of his soul mate.

The storyline was almost too easy — will Nick finally get his happily ever after? Will his heart be able to handle another rejection?

This season, host and puppet master Chris Harrison also gifted bachelor nation with one of the franchise’s most villainous antagonists: Corinne.

After charming her way into Nick’s heart with her promiscuous attitude, Corinne was pitted against another contestant, Taylor, in an ongoing catfight about her level of “emotional intelligence.”

One of the aspects about “The Bachelor” that bothers me most is that in light of our current political climate, shouldn’t we be encouraging women to stand together?

It makes me sad to see women pitted against each other during times like these, especially fighting for a man like Viall who has the personality of a less charismatic Ross Geller.

Then there’s the issue of the season finale. Viall clearly seemed happier with the 25-year-old Southern sweetheart Raven Gates, yet he proposed to the emotionally hesitant Canadian native Vanessa Grimaldi. This is Viall’s fourth time on the show — maybe he likes a challenge?

Regardless, what are the ambitions of these two women?

Gates is a small-business owner while Grimaldi is a special education teacher. Why do they need “The Bachelor” when they are already successful, classy and intelligent women?

Maybe it goes back to society’s idolization of the fairy tale dream — or something deeper, such as insecurities about one’s own worth.

While I do not want to judge any of the contestants — because that is the kind of attitude that divides women — it is puzzling and a bit unsettling to see such well-rounded women compete for a man who has been dating several of them for six weeks.

Whether you despise or adore “The Bachelor,” there are some undeniably true life lessons one can take away from the show: you’re too good for him anyways, stilettos aren’t fun to wear on a farm and self-confidence is more beautiful than any amount of camera makeup.

SPORTS 07

Follow us @sports_CU

Women’s hoops earns No. 7 seed for NCAA Tournament TOMMY DECESARE Sports Reporter After losing a close-fought game against Marquette 75-62 in the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament, the Creighton women’s basketball earned a No. 7 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

This is the Jays’ sixth NCAA tournament bid as a program. The Bluejays will be squaring off with the No. 10 seed Toledo Friday at approximately 6:30 p.m. in Corvallis, Oregon. This will be Creighton head coach Jim Flanery’s third appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

As the women approach the tournament, they took time to reflect on the season and their current standing.

“It’s satisfying knowing that we set our goals high enough and attainable enough — and we reached almost all of those goals,” senior guard Marissa Janning said. “Knowing that we’ve worked so hard for this moment, to see our name up there, and to see it as a No. 7 seed, is awesome.”

The Bluejays’ most recent NCAA Tournament apppearance was in 2013, making this experience a fresh one for most of the players on the team. The Bluejays ended this season with a 23-7 record and shared the regular season conference title with DePaul. This was Creighton’s first conference championship since joining the Big East.

The Bluejays also made their way into the top 25 in both the Associated Press and Coach’s Poll for the first time in 25 years.

Now, they have matched their highest seed ever in the NCAA Tournament. When addressing the women’s success, Flanery mentioned the importance of teamwork.

“The entire answer is that they do play for each other but we also have enough talent and enough experience,” he said.

With several senior starters, the Bluejays will look to their leaders as they enter the tournament.

Emotions were running high on Mon-

A.J. OLNES/THE CREIGHTONIAN

The Creighton women’s basketball team will make its return to the NCAA Tournament after a four-year drought and will face No. 10 seed Toledo (25-8). This is the Bluejays’ sixth bid to the tournament in program history. day night when the players sat together in DJ Sokol Arena to watch the selection show.

Most of the players hadn’t experienced it before and were unsure how to react. Lauren Works, among others, was overwhelmed by the experience.

“It was a total surprise when our name came up,” she said. “It was just real. It wasn’t real as of yesterday.”

Despite the excitement, the Bluejays are ready for a difficult game against Toledo.

Toledo has won its past eight games and received an automatic bid into the tournament by beating Northern Illinois to win the

MAC tournament last Saturday.

Toledo also beat Dayton 56-53 on the road in November, which caught the attention of the Bluejays. If Creighton can topple Toledo, the game will be followed by a challenging outing against the winner of the No. 2 Oregon State vs. No. 15 Long Beach State game on Sunday.

In the Big East Tournament semifinal game last Monday, Marquette managed to pull an upset over No. 2 seed Creighton.

Sydney Lamberty had a standout performance, scoring a career-best 26 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and dishing three assists.

Although the Bluejays put up tough competition, the Golden Eagles soared by with three players scoring at least 18 points.

Creighton was able to maintain a lead for most of the first quarter and into the second, but the Golden Eagles took over and held a lead over Creighton for most of the second half as they set a franchise record of 209 3-pointers in one season.

Creighton was 1 for 2 on free throws while Marquette was 13 of 18.

After beating Creighton, Marquette went on to upset DePaul 86-78 in the Big East Championship game.

CU baseball suffers seven-game losing streak JONATHAN CHINN Sports Reporter Inefficient hitting led to the Creighton baseball team dropping five straight games over the past week. The Jays are now 1-10 and suffering through a seven-game losing streak.

The Jays traveled to Texas last Friday to start their three-game series against the Wildcats of Abilene Christian, followed by a one day trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado to take on Air Force.

Throughout the weekend, offensive and defensive struggles led to five losses. With sparks of offense from senior infielder Bryce Only, who led the Jays in offense for two of the five games, and freshman infielder Jason Alberly, games were competitive. However, defensive mistakes and lack of timely hitting plagued the team.

A highlight of the first game came when Only smashed a game-tying home run, scoring sophomore catcher Michael Emodi from second base. However, the Jays still fell 3-2 after 10 innings of play.

The Bluejays were able to get a runner on base in each of the six innings, but were unable to advance them into scoring position.

The Wildcats managed their lead earned in the first inning until Embodi led off the ninth inning with a single. With two outs, Only made his way to the plate and with a 2-1 count ripped a home run over the left field wall to tie the game at 2-2. Only ended

A.J. OLINES/THE CREIGHTONIAN

The Creighton baseball team (1-10) will play four games at home this weekend against Utah Valley (3-12). First pitch for Game One is at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. the game 1-for-4 with two RBIs, while sophomore Thomas Luevano led Creighton with two hits in the game.

The second game resulted in another extra-inning loss for the Bluejays, who were able to get the bats going for seven runs on 11 hits. Nevertheless, the Jays lost again 8-7.

Despite taking an early 2-0 lead, the Bluejays found themselves trailing 7-3 going into the eighth. Only laced a two-out RBI single to right field to make the score 7-4, then senior outfielder Riley Landuyt sent Only to second with a single to left. Finally fresh-

man outfielder Will Robertson scored Only with an RBI shot to left to make it 7-5. In the bottom of the ninth, the Jays managed to tie the game again by scoring two runs.

The Bluejays held the Wildcats scoreless and once again forced extra innings. The Wildcats ended the game in walk-off fashion by hitting a single down the left-field line to bring in the winning run.

The Bluejays returned the next day to play the last game in the three-game series. Their hitting woes continued as they were only able to muster six hits throughout the game, ultimately losing 4-3.

Alberly got the scoring going for the Bluejays when he knocked in Landuyt on a single. Two-run innings in the sixth and eighth inning were enough, however, for the Wildcats to claim a 4-3 victory and complete the three-game sweep against Creighton.

The Bluejays traveled to Colorado Springs on March 8 to play the Falcons of Air Force in a doubleheader matchup. In the first game each squad found no trouble scoring runs, crossing the plate a combined 21 times.

Creighton jumped out to an early two run lead after the first two innings.

The Falcons responded with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second to even the score. The Bluejays scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning, thanks in large part to sophomore outfielder Clark Brinkman’s two-run triple. Air Force answered back with three runs to keep the game close.

The Falcons scored seven runs in the final three innings to win 12-9. The hitting woes returned for the Jays as they were only able to score one run in the first five innings of the second game. Air Force scored three runs in the bottom of the first to earn early momentum. The game remained 3-1 into the top of the six where the Bluejays scored three runs to take a 4-3 lead.

Four unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth eventually led to a 7-5 Air Force victory.

Creighton will have its first home series this weekend when they take on Utah Valley. Game one of the series begins at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

08 SPORTS

Editor: CHRIS LEWARNE

Jays face Rhode Island in First Round SAM FERNANDEZ Sports Reporter The Creighton men’s basketball team fell to No. 1 Villanova 74-60 in the Big East Tournament final last Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

This visit to the championship game — the first since 2014 — helped solidify the Bluejays’ spot as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest region in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Creighton will face off against No. 11 seed Rhode Island (24-9) in Sacramento, California this Friday at 3:30 p.m.

This will be the first time the Jays will play in the tournament since 2014. They have yet to make it out of the second round as a program.

Creighton’s march to the Big East championship game was highlighted by junior guard Marcus Foster’s game winning 3-pointer against No. 7 seeded Xavier in the semifinals.

With 15 seconds left in the game, junior guard Trevon Bluiett hit a step back 3-pointer for Xavier to tie the game at 72.

Foster then dribbled down the court, letting some of time run out.

“I stood by coach Greg [McDermott] just to hear what he was thinking,” said Foster. “If they were going to call a timeout or if he said...[let’s play].”

With that in mind, Foster pulled up for a 3-pointer and buried it with 6.6 seconds remaining.

Xavier would rush down the court and junior guard J.P. Macura would attempt a long 3-pointer that missed and was rebounded by the Jays.

“He’s got confidence,” said McDermott. “He works on that shot, obviously gets it off quick.”

After their 70-58 win over No. 3 Providence in the quarterfinals and their 75-72 win over No. 7 Xavier in the semifinals, the Jays lost to No. 1 Villanova in the Big East Tournament finals, 79-60.

Heading into the matchup, Villanova had previously won both its games against Creighton in the regular season.

The Wildcats are also currently ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. This is the first time Creighton and Villanova

Sports@creightonian.com

Predictions for the Big Dance

A

A.J. OLNES/THE CREIGHTONIAN

Creighton freshman center Justin Patton dunks the ball behind multiple Providence defenders last Thursday during the Big East Tournament. have met in a conference tournament.

As the game tipped off, the two teams were even for a majority of the first half.

With five minutes left in the half, senior forward Cole Huff made a 3-pointer that would bring the Jays to within two of Villanova.

However, the Wildcats would go on a 14-2 run to close out the first half with a 36-22 lead.

Heading into the second half, the Jays would look to come back against Villanova, but were unable to do so. Villanova would grow its lead to 19 points in the second half.

Despite the deficit, sophomore guard Ronnie Harrell Jr. served as a spark off the bench for the Jays.

With the help of Harrell, Creighton was able to slightly close the gap and pull within 12 points of Villanova.

“The game was over if he doesn’t come in and we get it back to 12 and at least have a shot at it. But his activity was great,” said McDermott in response to Harrell’s contribution. “He was good today and he’ll be important to us moving

“I hope they feel really good about what they’ve accomplished” -Coach Greg McDermott forward.”

Harrell finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists in 13 minutes off the bench.

Huff and Foster led the Jays in points with 13 points each. Senior guard Josh Hart, the 2017 Big East Player of the Year, led Villanova with 29 points.

“It’s been an incredible experience for our guys,” said McDermott after the loss.

“While they’re disappointed now, I think hopefully by the time they get off that plane and sit back in that plane and reflect on what’s taken place and what’s transpired this week. I hope they feel really good about what they’ve accomplished.”

The first round NCAA Tournament game will tip-off on Friday at 3:30 p.m. and will air on TBS.

GRAPHIC BY NORA MARTINEZ

lthough getting a No. 6 seed seemed like a high point for Creighton, they have a tough battle ahead if the Jays want to stay in the dance.

Bluejays ETHAN O’HAIR The battle the Rhode Sports Reporter Island Rams in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. Rhode Island is coming off a championship in the A-10 Tournament. With the loss of Maurice Watson remaining a struggle for the Jays, many experts, including four out of five on CBS, are predicting the Rams to pull off the upset.

The Rams are led by junior guard E.C. Matthews with 14.9 points per game and senior forward Hassan Martin with 14.1 points per game. They force their opponents into shooting only 29 percent from 3-point range, while Creighton shoots 39.9 percent. While Rhode Island has been a trendy pick to upset Creighton, I think Creighton can battle through the Rams tough defense and pull out a win in the first round.

If the Bluejays can find a way to get freshman center Justin Patton rolling early in the game, Creighton should find its way into the second round. The second round match-up will prove to be a difficult task for Creighton.

Should Oregon not be upset, the No. 3 seed will be waiting for the Jays. Oregon has been a top team all year and would be one of the toughest games Creighton has played in this season. One positive outlook for the Jays in this match-up would be how Oregon just lost starting forward Chris Boucher to a torn ACL in the Pac-12 Tournament. Should Creighton beat Rhode Island to get to Oregon, the Bluejays should again look to Patton to lead them to the Sweet 16. Creighton has the chance to make it the second weekend, but the Jays could also fall in the first round. Let’s hope for the best.

In a year full of unpredictable play, look for many upsets in this year’s tournament. All four twelve seeds seem capable of pulling off a Cinderella run. Middle Tennessee State has been great all year, and returns four of its five starters. UNC-Wilmington has one of the best offenses in the country, which will be in for a battle against defense-minded Virginia. Also, look for a team like East Tennessee State to pull off an upset against a cold Florida team.

In the Midwest region, I predict Louisville coming up with wins to reach the Final Four.

In the East region, Villanova is looking as good as any team in the country. They should advance into the Final Four, after meeting tough competition in Virginia and Duke.

In the West Region, I predict the Wildcats of Arizona to get to the Final Four.

The South region is loaded with blue-bloods North Carolina, Kentucky and UCLA. I predict North Carolina to get past UCLA in the Elite Eight to reach the Final Four.

Arizona will find the right formula to to the national championship game, where the Wildcatas will take on North Carolina. North Carolina will ultimately prevail and win the national championship game.