2017.04.05

EASTERN LOSES 12-1

PANTHERS ROLL UP

Eastern’s baseball team loses to Saint Louis during Tuesday’s game .

Students had the chance to make their own sushi rolls at the UB event “Konnishiwa.”

PAGE 8

PAGE 3

THE

D aily E astern N ews

“TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID” Wednesday, April 5, 2017 C E L E BRATI NG A CE NT UR Y OF COVE RA GE E S T . 1 915

VOL. 101 | NO. 130 W W W . D A I L Y E A S TE R N N E W S . C O M

Two incumbents lose seats in city elections

By Molly Dotson Photographer | @DEN_News Dennis Malak and Matthew Hutti won the Charleston City Council race, according to the unofficial election results.

Brandon Combs was also re-elected as Charleston mayor.

Hutti received 48.95 percent of the vote with a total of 886 votes; Malak received 29.12 percent of the vote with a total of 527 votes; and Jim Dunn received 21.93 percent with a total of 397 votes, according to the results.

Dunn was not the only incumbent to lose his seat. Charles Jarrell was not reelected for his position on the Charleston Community Unit School District No. 1 Board of Education.

Jerrell lost by 679 votes with a total of 1,619 votes casted for this particular race, according to the unofficial election results.

Matt Titus, a newcomer, will succeed Jerrell.

In spite of the decisiveness of the school board and city council races in Charleston, Eastern student turnout was low at the polls, Coles County Clerk Sue Rennels said.

“We were on campus and out of the

By Chrissy Miller Administration Reporter | @DEN_News The final provost candidate Sibdas Ghosh showed plans to put students first if he is elected for the position, in both the student and faculty forums.

Ghosh said he was inspired to enter higher education because, growing up in India, his mother was not allowed to be educated past fourth grade, so when she had children, she stressed the importance of education. He said she did everything she could to make his education possible, even teaching him eighth grade math.

Gitaben Boghuru, a computer technology international student, said lifestyle has been an issue when adjusting here. She said she would like to see some more cultural events and wanted to know what Ghosh would do to make international students feel more welcome.

“My first semester was in New York.” Boghuru said. “(Eastern is) totally different than New York and Indian lifestyle.”

Ghosh said bringing different students’ cultures to Eastern would help make a more welcoming community.

“Faculty and staff would join

in for a cultural event,” Ghosh s a i d . “ Ho l d a c u l t u r a l e ve n t , show what you have, and make them appreciate that different cultures bring different values.”

Biological sciences professor Britto Nathan said he acknowledges Ghosh has lots of experience. However, he said applica-

types of programs you do have.”

History professor Ed Werhle said the faculty is ready to help Eastern succeed in any way they can. However, he said he is curious what Ghosh would do under current financial constraints.

“I think faculty are ready to get engaged, and go out to high

"How do we become distinct? It’s not that we have a lower class size or that we have this lab, that lab, but it;s what types of programs you do have."

-Sibdas Ghosh, fourth provost candidate

tion of this experience would be more important than anything else.

“Can you tell us in some broad strokes, what are your plans for Eastern?” Nathan said.

Ghosh said he wants to establish a deeper connection between faculty and students. He said he also wanted to highlight existing strengths through student, faculty, and alumni testimonies.

“How do we become distinct?

It’s not that we have a lower class size or that we have this lab, that lab,” Ghosh said. “But it’s what

schools and do whatever it takes,” Werhle said.

Ghosh said using the resources available more effectively may solve this issue. He also said dispelling r umors about Eastern closing is essential.

“We need to tell our story, you cannot be on fake news,” Ghosh said.

Chrissy Miller can be reached at 5812812 or clmiller9@eiu.edu.

Molly Dotson can be reached at 5812812 or madotson@eiu.edu.

Unofficial Election Results

JUSTIN BROWN | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS

Dr. Sibdas Ghosh met with students and Eastern faculty and staff Tuesday in the Tuscola/Arcola Room. Ghosh, currently Dean of the school of arts and biology professor at Iona college in New York, is the final candidate to visit Eastern.

Last provost candidate proposes connectivity

two precincts, there were five voters,” Rennels said.

Rennels said of the five votes on Eastern’s campus, three were cast by students.

However, the lack of student voting was not because of a lack of importance.

Rennels said this election was actually more relevant to people living in the area.

“This is a grassroots election where it directly affects the people at home,” Rennels said. “It’s not like voting on something statewide or on a federal level.”

In spite of this, the overall voter turnout was 1,251 ballots casted out of the 12,229 registered voters in Charleston.

Rennels attributed the overall low turnout to the fact that there was little to contest on the ballot this year. She said other than the two competitive races in Charleston and a couple of mayor elections in nearby townships, few things were up for debate.

In spite of this, she said people should understand their votes count even more in these types of elections because the margin of victory is less than it is in bigger areas.

According to il.coles.access.liberty.com

Charleston Mayor

Brandon Combs (incumbent) 928 - 100% Charleston City Council Chairs

Matthew Hutti (incumbent)

886 - 48.95%

397 - 21.93%

527 - 29.12%

Jim Dunn (incumbent) Dennis Malak

Charleston Board of Education

Charles Jarrell (incumbent) 470- 29.03% Matt Titus

1,149 - 71%

2

THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS | NEWS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2017

Local weather STATE AND NATIONAL BRIEFS WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Court: law prohibits discrimination of LGBTQA+ Thunderstorm

Partly Cloudy

High: 65° Low: 36°

High: 51° Low: 34°

For more weather visit eiu.edu/eiuweather

T h e D a i ly Eastern News “Tell the truth and don’t be afraid.”

The Daily Eastern News 1802 Buzzard Hall Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL 61920 217-581-2812 217-581-2923 (fax) News Staff

Editor-in-Chief Kalyn Hayslett DENeic@gmail.com Managing Editor Angelica Cataldo DENmanaging@ gmail.com News Editor Cassie Buchman DENnewsdesk@ gmail.com Associate News Editor Leon Mire Opinions Editor Shelby Niehaus opinions.DEN@ gmail.com Online Editor Analicia Haynes DENnews.com@ gmail.com Assistant Online Editor Lydia Shaw Photo Editor Justin Brown DENphotodesk@ gmail.com Assistant Photo Editor Olivia Swenson-Hultz Sports Editor Sean Hastings Assistant Sports Editor Tyler McCluskey Administration Reporter Chrissy Miller

Campus Reporter Mallory Kutnick City Reporter Elizabeth Stephens Multicultural Reporter Kennedy Nolen Faculty Advisers Editorial Adviser Lola Burnham Photo Adviser Brian Poulter DENNews.com Adviser Brian Poulter Publisher Lola Burnham Business Manager Betsy Jewell Press Supervisor Tom Roberts Night Staff for this issue Night Chief Angelica Cataldo Copy Editors/ Designers Carole Hodorowicz Maxie Phillips Sports Designer JJ Bullock

Get social with The Daily Eastern News The Daily Eastern News dailyeasternnews @DEN_News

Visit our website: dailyeasternnews.com About The Daily Eastern News is produced by the students of Eastern Illinois University. It is published daily Monday through Friday, in Charleston, Ill., during fall and spring semesters and online during the summer term except during university vacations or examinations.

One copy per day is free to students and faculty. Additional copies can be obtained for 50 cents each in the Student Publications Office in Buzzard Hall.

Advertising To place an advertisement or classified ad in The Daily Eastern News, call the ads office at 581-2812 or fax 581-2923. Visit our online advertisements at dailyeasternnews.com/classifieds.

Comments / Tips Contact any of the above staff members if you believe your information is relevant.

Corrections The Daily Eastern News is committed to accuracy in its coverage of the news. Any factual error the staff finds or is made aware of by its readers will be corrected as promptly as possible. Please report any factual error you find to Editor-in-Chief Kalyn Hayslett at 581-2812.

Employment If you would like to work for The Daily Eastern News as a reporter, photographer, columnist, cartoonist, copy editor, designer or videographer, please visit at the newsroom at 1802 Buzzard Hall.

Printed by Eastern Illinois University on soy ink and recycled paper.

Attention postmaster: Send address changes to: The Daily Eastern News 1802 Buzzard Hall Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL 61920

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled for the first time Tuesday that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQA+ employees from workplace discrimination, setting up a likely battle before the Supreme Court as gay rights advocates push to broaden the scope of the 53-year-old law.

The 8-to-3 decision by the full 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago comes just three weeks after a three-judge panel in Atlanta ruled the opposite, saying employers aren't prohibited from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation.

The 7th Circuit is considered relatively conservative and five of the eight judges in the majority were appointed

by Republican presidents, making the finding all the more notable.

The case stems from a lawsuit by Indiana teacher Kimberly Hively alleging that the Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend didn't hire her full time because she is a lesbian.

In an opinion concurring with the

majority, Judge Richard Posner wrote that changing norms call for a change in interpretation of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin or sex.

The decision comes as President Donald Trump's administration has begun setting its own policies on LGBTQA+ rights. Late in January, the White House declared Trump would enforce an Obama administration order barring companies that do federal work from workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual identity.

But in February, it revoked guidance on transgender students' use of public school bathrooms, deferring to states.

Hively said after Tuesday the ruling that she agreed to bring the case because she felt she was being "bullied."

She told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that the time has come "to stop punishing people for being gay, being lesbian, being transgender."

"This decision is game changer for lesbian and gay employees facing discrimination in the workplace and sends a clear message to employers: it is against the law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation," said Greg Nevins, Employment Fairness Program Director for Lambda Legal, which brought the case on behalf of Hively.

The issue could very well land before the Supreme Court at some point. A GOP-majority House and Senate make it unlikely the Congress will amend the Civil Rights Act; Title VII is the section of the law dealing discrimination on the basis of sex.

The Chicago ruling came on the anniversary of the assassination of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, whose marches against racism prompted Congress to pass the landmark law.

The debate in the Hively case revolved around the meaning of the word 'sex' in Title VII. Other courts have concluded that Congress meant

for the word to refer only to whether a worker was male or female. They said that it would be wrong to stretch the meaning of 'sex' in the statute to also include sexual orientation.

The majority of the 7th Circuit sided with a broader meaning.

The dissenting opinion — written by Judge Diane Sykes, a conservative who was on Trump's list of possible Supreme Court appointees, said the majority were stretching the meaning of the law's text.

"We are not authorized to infuse the text with a new or unconventional meaning or to update it to respond to changed social, economic, or political conditions."

The dissent also alludes to the judicial philosophy of Trump's high-court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, who advocates adhering largely to original legislative texts in deciding legal disputes.

Posner, though, said sticking to outdated meanings and fading cultural standards did not make sense.

US blames Asaad for chemical attack A chemical weapons attack in an opposition-held town in northern Syria killed dozens of people on Tuesday, leaving residents gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets and overcrowded hospitals. The Trump administration blamed the Syrian government for the attack, one of the deadliest in years, and said Syria's patrons, Russia and Iran, bore "great moral responsibility" for the deaths.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 58 people died, including 11 children, in the early morning attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, which witnesses said was carried out by Sukhoi jets operated by the Russian and Syrian governments.

Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies. Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, which was reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country's ruinous six-year civil war.

Tuesday's attack drew swift condemnation from world leaders, including President Donald Trump, who denounced it as a "heinous" act that "cannot be ignored by the civilized world."

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday in re-

sponse to the strike, which came on the eve of a major international donors' conference in Brussels on the future of Syria and the region.

In a statement, Trump also blamed former President Barack Obama for "weakness" in failing to respond aggressively after the 2013 attack.

"These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution," Trump said. "President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing.

The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack."

Trump left it to his top diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to assign at least some blame to Russia and Iran, Assad's most powerful allies. Tillerson called on both countries to use their influence over Assad to prevent future chemical weapons attacks, and noted Russia's and Iran's roles in helping broker a cease-fire through diplomatic talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

"As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the cease-fire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths," Tillerson said.

In a statement, the Syrian government "categorically rejected" claims that

it was responsible, asserting that it does not possess chemical weapons, hasn't used them in the past and will not use them in the future. It laid the blame squarely on the rebels, accusing them of fabricating the attack and trying to frame the Syrian government. The Russian Defense Ministry also denied any involvement.

Photos and video emerging from Khan Sheikhoun, located south of the provincial capital of Idlib, showed the limp bodies of children and adults. Some were struggling to breathe; others appeared to be foaming at the mouth.

The activist-run Assi Press published video of paramedics carrying victims, stripped down to their underwear and many appearing unresponsive, from the scene in pickup trucks.

It was the third claim of a chemical attack in just over a week in Syria. The previous two were reported in Hama province, in an area not far from Khan Sheikhoun.

Faced with international outrage over that attack, Assad agreed to a Russia-sponsored deal to destroy his chemical arsenal. His government declared a 1,300-ton stockpile of chemical weapons and so-called precursor chemicals that can be used to make weapons, all of which were destroyed.

The Syrian government has consis-

tently denied using chemical weapons and chlorine gas, accusing the rebels of deploying it in the war instead.

The province of Idlib, which is almost entirely controlled by the opposition, is home to some 900,000 displaced Syrians, according to the United Nations.

Rebels and opposition officials have expressed concerns that the government is planning to mount a concentrated attack on the crowded province.

New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused the Syrian government of conducting at least eight chemical attacks using chlorine gas on opposition-controlled residential areas during the final months of the battle for Aleppo last year that killed at least nine civilians and injured 200. A joint investigation by the United Nations and the international chemical weapons watchdog determined the Syrian government was behind at least three additional attacks in 2014 and 2015 involving chlorine gas, and that the Islamic State group was responsible for at least one, involving mustard gas.

Late Tuesday, Abu Hamdu, a rescue worker in Khan Sheikhoun, said people were still searching for their family members, nearly 12 hours after the attack.

"People are still very lost," he said.

CHECK OUT

dailyeasternnews.com

FOR MORE COVERAGE SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT THE VERGE

OPINIONS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2017

THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS | NEWS

3

Students were on a roll making sushi

By Kennedy Nolen Multicultural Reporter | @KennedyNolenEIU A line of students eager to make their own sushi stretched from one side of the Grand Ballroom to the exit for “Konnichiwa: Roll Your Own Sushi” Tuesday afternoon.

After students rolled their sushi, they waited in line for it to be cut.

From there, it was then placed in Chinese take-out boxes, also known as oyster pails for their original purpose of holding oysters.

Katie Caulkins, the University Board cultural arts coordinator, stood at the end of the table and taught and assisted students who rolled sushi.

She said she learned how to make sushi from YouTube videos and from the help of Kristin Hupp, Panther Catering unit director.

Grace Eldridge, freshman theatre arts major, said she loves sushi and was excited to learn how to make it.

Although Kaito Mochida is an international student from Japan, the sophomore journalism major said he had never rolled his own sushi before.

Mochida said his family in Japan usually makes another kind of sushi called nigiri or nigirizushi, which is a

raw piece of fish pressed over a small ball or cube of rice.

Some students put avocado on their sushi, but Mochida said it was strange.

“They don’t put avocado on sushi in Japan,” he said.

Origami paper, along with instructions and examples were available for attendees to craft while waiting for their sushi to be cut.

Another table had pens for calligraphy and paper to make paper lanterns.

Both of these crafts also had instructions available for participants.

Caulkins said the UB combined the Chinese traditions of paper lantern making and calligraphy with sushi making and origami from Japan, because the UB wanted crafts that fit the theme of Asian Heritage Month.

Freshman chemistry major Katy Bridges said she came to “Konnichiwa” because she loves sushi and wanted to try making all the crafts.

Nathan Bartholomew, freshman physics major, said he wouldd never had sushi so he thought he would come out and try it. He said he also learned how to make a paper crane.

OLIVIA SWENSON-HULTZ | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS

Kennedy Nolen can be reached at 581-2812 or kdnolen@eiu.edu.

Inali Wahane, a graduate sustainable energy student and Kaito Mochida, a sophomore journalism student roll sushi as part of “Konnichiwa: Roll Your Own Sushi” in The Grand Ballroom. Inali said that this is her first time “actually making sushi” and Kaito, who is from Japan, said that he “had never made rolled sushi before.”

Sexual assault survivor to share recovery story

By Loren Dickson Entertainment Reporter | @DEN_News As part of Greek Week and Sexual Assault Awareness month, speaker Jackie Mortillaro will share her story as a survivor 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

“In my speeches, I talk about how to rebuild your life from your lowest point,” Mortillaro said. “You’re not alone with the struggles you face, even if they aren’t the same struggles everyone else has. There are people

out there who can sympathize and empathize with the evils and struggles you face.”

Mortillaro said her life was changed in one night.

“I masked the pain in many ways.

I had to rebuild my life from that point…with my story you get to see that there is a silver lining even when it doesn’t seem like it’s in reach,” she said.

In the past, Mortillaro’s story has encouraged others to open up about their personal battles.

“It’s kind of one of those things

where if you just come and listen for five minutes, I promise you’ll get something out of it,” she said. “I have heard that it is impactful and inspiring to other people.”

She said the first time she spoke publicly was absolutely nerve-racking.

“I was so nervous because my parents were in the audience and they had to relive everything all over again,” she said. “I’ve accepted that this has happened, but for them it was very fresh. Now every time I speak I find that it’s smooth sailing after you start. You have to get over the hump.”

Mortillaro also stressed the fact that on college campuses, one in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted.

“Unfortunately, it’s the sad truth,” she said. “It’s speaking events such as this that raise awareness and prevention…we need the knowledge to be able to make sound decisions.”

Mortillaro graduated from Xavier University in 2015 with a criminal justice degree. After attending a police academy in Los Angeles, she realized she wanted to take a different path in life.

Now currently working for Cigna Group Insurance and Pure Barre, a full-body workout boutique, Mortillaro makes time to travel and speak at different institutions about her experience.

Mortillaro said she sees herself continuing with motivational and public speaking with plans to also write a book about her experiences.

Loren Dickson can be reached at 581-2812 or ladickson@eiu.edu.

4 OPINIONS

T h e Daily Eastern News

W W W. DA I LY E A S T E R N N E W S . C O M

Wednesday, 04.05.17

Protester Appropriation Marketing

Juan Nevarez

Sanders’ bill on education debt could be students’ saving grace According to an article published by The Nation on April 4th, President Donald J. Trump has shown no interest in fixing student debt, even as said debt continues to increase for a generation that can only advance in life with a college degree.

So far, the Trump administration has removed regulations made by former President Barack Obama that limited student loan rates. A budget proposal slashing 5 billion in funding for higher education for those with financial needs has also brought forward. This type of cutting is no surprise since President Trump was also the individual that just settled on the lawsuit from Trump University scamming students. No solutions for debt-ridden students will occur during the Trump administration, but this means mobilization for the next election is crucial to fix this issue.

Millions currently hold student loan debt and the issue continues to grow. This means that Democrats can use a change in public opinion to regain seats. On Monday, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the “College for All Act,” which could fund tuition to four-year universities for families that are making up to $125,000 per year. This bill would also establish free community college at all levels of income for students, therefore easing the burden of the parents. If Sanders gets his way, students could enter the workforce ready to starting paying back into society.

The bill will most likely fail due to the Republican-controlled Congress, but the key factor moving forward is the ability to strategize against the Republican Congress. Individuals that have supported Bernie Sanders need to prepare to mobilize across the U.S. The tax towards Wall Street speculation, one of the redundant campaign discussions started by Senator Sanders, would be what funds 67 percent of the tuition under the proposed plan, while the rest is from the states.

The issue still remains: how will this proposed plan fix the current student loan debt? Well, that comes with an answer as will with this bill. The legislation would allow students to gain the ability to refinance loans at rates as low as 1.88 percent, helping students pay back loans faster. Currently the bill has received backing from endorsements ranging from the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and The United States Students’ Association.

The piece of legislation has obtained a total of five Senate co-sponsors for the bill including Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Richard Blumenthal, Chris Murphy and Kirsten Gilliebrand in the Senate, and fourteen members of the House of Representatives. This is a decent backing behind the bill to continue to push forward a more progressive agenda in spite of the current administration.

Regardless if the bill passes or not, the Democrats need to mobilize at every front, and use what they can as leverage in order to persuade public opinion towards the more progressive issues.

Juan Nevarez is a senior psychology major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or jnnevarez@eiu.edu.

DANIEL FOX | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS

Staff Editorial

Asian Heritage Month celebrates many cultures Yesterday was the official kickoff of Eastern’s celebrations for Asian Heritage Month. Students gathered in Doudna for the Taste of Asia kickoff event and welcomed in the month’s celebrations of Asian heritage, culture and societal contributions while snacking on treats from several different Asian culinary styles and listening to live music.

Shortly after, nearly 80 students gathered in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union’s Grand Ballroom for the Konnichiwa: Roll Your Own Sushi workshop. They experimented with tuna and imitation crab rolls, getting a feel for some of Japanese cuisine’s most popular dishes.

The News is thrilled to explore all of Eastern’s Asian Heritage Month events. However, we would like to stress to the reader that, while Asian Heritage Month kicked off (and is punctuated throughout) with cuisine events, Asian heritage should not be reduced to gastronomic experiences.

Many Asian cultures are revered in America for their food. Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Korean cultures are exceptionally popular, espe-

cially amongst young Americans. However, we should take care to celebrate these cultures for their entire value and for the value of their people, not just their food.

Similarly, several Asian cultures are known for their pop culture contributions—Asian Heritage Month even pays homage to k-pop’s explosion in Western popularity with a contest tomorrow in the Effingham Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. In line with our previous warning, we would like to ask readers to be careful not to reduce broad and complex cultures down to their entertainment offerings.

There are events during Asian Heritage Month for a wide variety of interests, from the aforementioned food and entertainment experiences to an information panel on studying abroad in Asian culture (slated for Apr. 18th in Coleman Hall). As is the case with minority cultures, there are also events highlighting the unique issues that Asians and Asian-Americans face.

We encourage students to take the time to visit these varied events. The turnout for the

kickoff events was encouraging and shows that Eastern as a whole supports and celebrates its Asian population. However, that support must continue throughout the month and cannot end when the events about the consumable parts of a culture are over.

Finally, we would like to ask the campus community to be aware of (or at least receptive to) all parts of Asian heritage. This means recognizing the unique histories behind Asian-American population, understanding “model minority” statuses and valuing all groups of Asian people, not just East Asian cultures.

Our Chinese students are to be celebrated during Asian Heritage Month. So too are the Indian students, the Pakistani students, the Vietnamese students and the Filipino students.

The editorial staff of The News is excited to cover Eastern’s Asian Heritage Month events, and we are excited to see the student body in attendance.

The daily editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Daily Eastern News.

Tabletop game rules exist for player enjoyment Having plenty of experience with the popular table top roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons, I have had my fair share of time both playing the roles of a player character and a dungeon master. After my most recent meet up where I was acting dungeon master, I would say that I now yearn for the opportunity to play as a character instead given the amount of patience I have to have with several players of mine.

Playing as a dungeon master is difficult, as you control the fictional world that your players roam around in but, the task becomes exceedingly more difficult when you have players that make illustrating said world even harder.

One of these frequent interruptions in a campaign is from one of my players constantly forgetting their modifiers that are written on their character sheet and provided in the handbook.

In a game where numbers are a crucial part of gameplay, remembering the statistics of your character and what the character is able to do makes the game flow much easier, since you do not have to stop the game on your turn just to spend several minutes looking for your ability modifier.

An absolutely atrocious habit that this same player has is their tendency to roll their dice before saying what they want to do for that roll.

Dan Preradovic Rolling your 20-sided die and having it come up an 18 and then saying “I rolled to climb the tower” while having your previous unclaimed sevens and fives be ignored is cheating. It is sly cheating, but it is cheating nonetheless, and it makes the game less enjoyable as it does not put your character through any of the challenges that the dungeon master had planned out for you.

A common mistake made by a lot of players, even myself, is talking over the dungeon master.

The dungeon master is the creator of the world and their words are their tools; talking over their tools makes creating the world far more difficult as thoughts and plans get tangled with one another. Unless the dungeon master is participating in the conversation the players are having on how funny and silly it would be to flirt with

the door to get it to open up for them would be, all players should stay as silent and possible, allowing the dungeon master to orchestrate everything properly.

My all-time top pet peeve that not every player does (though all too many of them do) is the practice of unnecessary rolls. Sometimes the game gets a little dull, especially when the players do some shopping or looking for quests to take, so it is all too common for a player to make a silly roll like “I’m going to roll to crack a funny joke” or something of the sort. There are some players that drag it out all too far though where they will think it is funny to make a silly roll every instance they get. It is entertaining when you first start the game but after five more levels, it gets redundant for your player to say something like “I roll to flirt with the golem” for the eighth time in a row.

Now these notes are not necessary for a player to adopt to play the game, but it certainly makes the experience of Dungeons and Dragons that much more enjoyable.

Dan Preradovic is a senior English major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or ddpreradovic@eiu.edu.

Editorial Board Editor- in-Chief Kalyn Hayslett

Managing Editor Angelica Cataldo

News Editor Cassie Buchman

Associate News Editor Leon Mire

Photo Editor Justin Brown

Online Editor Analicia Haynes

Sports Editor Sean Hastings

Opinions Editor Shelby Niehaus

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2017

THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS | NEWS

5

Faculty Senate discusses strange admission cycles

By Cassie Buchman News Editor | @cjbuchman The Faculty Senate heard about the effects an unconventional admissions cycle has had on recruitment at its meeting Tuesday.

Admissions Director Kelly Miller told the senate that Admissions is in the process of filling some positions.

“This gives us an opportunity to look at territory, be more strategic — do we have the right people where we need them, do we need to shift any of that?” she said. “We also want to be efficient.”

Because the state of Illinois did not require juniors and this year’s seniors to take the ACT, the admissions office received late applicants.

“We saw a lot of late ACT scores coming through,” Miller said. “That has caused all kinds of goofiness and chaos with the normal recruitment cycle, as well as the FAFSA changing.”

The date students could start applying for the FAFSA switched from its original Jan. 1 date to Oct. 1 last year.

“We don’t have those benchmarks to look at this year because of some of that,” she said.

Josh Norman, associate vice president for enrollment management, said admissions counselors have made

15,740 more calls, sent 661,067 more emails, sent 6,686 more text messages and scheduled 199 more visits that they had at this point last year.

Norman said he was not “real keen”

trars. With the exception of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and University of Illinois-Chicago, everyone was seeing a decrease in applications.

“We saw a lot of late ACT scores coming through that has cased all kinds of goofiness and chaos with the normal recruitment cycle...”

-Kelly Miller, Admissions Director on saying official enrollment numbers for the fall yet, especially with the “crazy enrollment cycle.”

The most current indicator of this coming year’s enrollment is orientation reservations for transfer students and deposits for freshmen, he said.

According to Norman, the university is down on freshman deposits but up by a small margin for transfer orientation reservations.

“We are working very hard on those freshman deposits,” Norman said, mentioning that they are offering additional financial incentives to students, especially those who are already receiving Commitment to Excellence Scholarship awards.

Miller said in March, she, Norman and registrar Amy Lynch met with state admission directors and regis-

Norman said marketing is a crucial piece when considering the external environment and challenges the university is facing.

The marketing firm Thorburn group, who will work with in-house resources, is going to help end the cycle and help Eastern do well for 201819 enrollments, Norman said.

Senate member Amy Rosenstein asked what Admissions is doing for prospective students who live in the region.

“We don’t want them going elsewhere when they’re literally in our backyard,” she said.

Miller said one thing Admissions is looking at when getting a staff in place is what will give them the biggest bang for their buck in that area.

“We can take several trips to our

high schools,” she said.

Eight new Admissions events were added this spring, such as an Open House for Transfer Students. The also had an Admitted Student event in O’Fallon, even though they had never done one in the St. Louis area, Miller said.

Upcoming admissions events include “Preview EIU” days for sophomore or juniors in high school and freshmen in community colleges who would not transfer until their second year and Future Panther Fridays for students who were not previously able to attend Admitted Student events previously.

During the meeting, the senate passed a motion to send a memorandum to Eastern President David Glassman asking him to take immediate moves on grounds work.

Senate member Ellen Corrigan said staff voiced their concerns about the grounds at a staff senate meeting, especially as there are only five workers.

She said the Staff Senate is ready to sign off on it and are now waiting for the endorsement of the Student Senate.

The memorandum itself voiced concerns about the current state of campus, though it acknowledged that the stalemate in Springfield hamstrings efforts in creating budgetary

clarity.

“With commencement around the corner and the attendant return of alumni, not to mention upcoming Open Houses, debuts and various summer camps and track meets, all of which will play a crucial role in our near-term recruitment of students, we will be needing optimal maintenance — flowers planted, beds weeded, piles of remaining leaves and refuse gathered and removed and so on — in very short order,” it said.

In the memorandum, it said the only viable means to get the grounds in shape is bringing back some of the previously laid-off groundskeepers.

Also at the meeting, Jemmie Robertson announced that a proposal to reduce the membership of the Council on University Planning and Budget would be tabled until next year.

The proposal would have reduced membership from 23 voting members to 15.

Robertson said it was tabled because the CUPB is changing the membership of subcommittees, so they are going to wait a year and see how effective this change is.

Cassie Buchman can be reached at 581-2812 or cjbuchman@eiu.edu.

Workshop to dig into family history

By Kennedy Nolen Multicultural Reporter | @KennedyNolenEIU Students will have the chance to research their family genealogy at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Booth Library in the Witters Conference Room 4440.

The workshop is called “Finding Yourself: Using Archives to Research Your Family Genealogy.”

Cayla Wagner, a graduate student studying historical administration, will teach an introduction on how to do genealogy and how to use the Illinois Regional Archives Depository located in Booth Library.

She said she wants students to see options other than ancestry.com to find birth, death and marriage certificates.

She said she has been interested in studying her family’s genealogy for the past four or five years, and she wanted to help other people learn about their families, as well.

“It is important to know where you came from and where you’re going,” she said. “If you have a better sense of yourself, you have a better sense of history.”

She said knowing your own family history is cool and exciting.

The workshop is an extension of a new exhibit in the Marvin Foyer

inside Booth Librar y called “A Question of History: Public History in Illinois.”

Most of the archives came from museums in Springfield and the Coles County Historical Society, Wagner said.

Wagner said her favorite item on display is a gigantic book of soldiers’ and sailors’ signatures from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, also known as the World’s Fair, which took place in Chicago.

The signatures are from people from all over the country, and “it is cool to see people point out where they are from,” Wagner said.

Another item on display is a guestbook from the Lincoln Home Na t i o n a l Hi s t o r i c s i t e , w h e re Abraham Lincoln lived from 1844 to 1861 before his presidency.

Wagner said she likes it so much because one of the people who signed it was a man who was freed from slavery by the Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln.

Another of Wagner’s favorite items is the time capsule buried next to Old Main in 1895 and dug up in 1995.

Wagner encourages students to attend her workshop Wednesday because she said family history is

important.

Wagner said the most interesting thing she found out about her family was that she has a grandfather who served with one of Mary Todd Lincoln’s great uncles in the Revolutionary War. “ I a m a h u g e L i n c o l n f a n ,” Wagner said.

If students are interested in learning about their family history, registration for “Finding Yourself ” is recommended but not required.

To register, students can contact Elizabeth Papp at eapapp@eiu.edu.

Kennedy Nolen can be reached at 581-2812 or kdnolen@eiu.edu.

Communication Day set in Coleman Staff Report St u d e n t s c a n a t t e n d p a n e l s , performances and learn more

about communication studies at Communication Day. This year’s theme for the day is Celebrating Creativity.

Fr o m 9 a . m . t o 3 : 3 0 p . m . , Tu e s d a y, s t u d e n t s c a n g o t o Coleman Hall to talk to faculty and learn about the major, minor and

registered student organizations in communication studies.

A scavenger hunt and a closing show at 3:30 p.m. are also

scheduled.

The News desk can be reached at 581-2812 or dennewsdesk@gmail.

6 Greek Week Trivia

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2017

THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS | FEATURE PHOTO

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 OLIVIA SWENSON-HULTZ | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 Students participate in a minute to winFor it portion of Greek Week TriviaApril Night5,in2017 which they have 60 seconds to deliver M&M’s to different plates in the 7th Street Underground on Tuesday Release Wednesday, night. Sigma Chi took first place for the fraternities and Alpha Sigma Tau and Kappa Delta tied for first for the sororities.

Crossword ACROSS 1 Join

forces 7 Heroin, slangily 11 Lunchbox sandwich, informally 14 Go beyond 15 Gucci of fashion 16 “We ___ Young” (2012 Song of the Year) 17 Read up on a woman, oldfashionedly?

19 One way to stand 20 Yoga position 21 Home of the Heat 22 Naval subordinate: Abbr.

23 Warrior on Mount Olympus 24 Take a chance on a work of poetry?

26 Attack from the air

28 29 34

35 38 40 41 43 48 53 54 55 56 57 58

Cousin of a cravat Big name in small planes What crossword clues with question marks often are Cite a chap for speeding?

Prepare for a struggle Gives the go-ahead French 38-Down Stable sounds Coax a lost dog to follow you?

Figurehead’s place Camera-moving technique Unlikely to defect Task “Hulk” director Lee Check the aroma of a few beers?

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE J A V A

E X A M

A L S O

B O R O N H B O O L A S T E D

A S P I R E

N E T N E G A T I V E

G R I N

N T I W L A E N A G O S K

C H I L T O N A A B B I B A N R E D A S E D A M I N D I C A S A N A L S L L V E S E A T A F L I C T E N E

I L E D U D I A B L E T K T

B R I G O L E O

W H E Y H A L E O W N S A I M S I N E T I O N A N A D A D I E S U R E S P G D E N U R G E Y O G A S P O T

60 61 62 63 64 65

Al Capp diminutive “You ___ kiddin’!”

Thought, to Pascal Québec place name abbr.

Loses rigidity Messages with hashtags

Edited by Will Shortz 1

2

with charging stations 2 Get by intimidation 3 More discerning 4 Monster beheaded by Perseus 5 180s 6 Unlawful behavior in strict Muslim countries, for short 7 Delhi wraps 8 Dagger’s partner 9 “Battlestar Galactica” commander 10 Big name in chocolates 11 Small slice of one’s workday?

12 Richard who founded Virgin Atlantic 13 Travels in high style 18 Ascap counterpart 24 Needs a bath badly 25 Place to follow the M.L.B.

4

5

6

7

14

8

9

10

11

15 18

19

20

21

22

23

24

26

38 41

30

31

32

33

36

2 bedroom, 2 bath modern suite.

Washer, dryer. Opposite Textbook Rental. $450 a month.

(217) 549-4074 ________________________ 3/31

34 37

39

40 42

48

43 49

50

51

44

52

45

46

55

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

PUZZLE BY DAVID PHILLIPS

27 30 31 32 33 35

36

Obscenitymonitoring org.

Naval burial site, maybe Dirty digs “Hip Hop Is Dead” rapper Ecstasy’s opposite It’s right in the Pythagorean theorem Carded, for short

37 38

39 42 44 45 46

47

Barely manage, with “out” “Sex and the City” quartet, e.g.

“No kidding!”

Tex-Mex dips FaceTime device Bellyache Insect that builds a papery nest Three of Abba’s members, by birth

49

The Supreme Court’s Sotomayor

50

Getting even with

51

Shooters through rapids

52

Sitcom extraterrestrial

56

Captain’s command

59

Quick on the uptake

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/studentcrosswords.

Tweet Tweet

Like the Daily Eastern News on Facebook to get all the latest news and sports info!

Large 5 bedroom house for rent.

3-5 tenants. 2 bathroom. Off-street parking high efficiency furnace.

Washer, dryer, central air, trash included. Available August 2017 for a 10 or 12 month lease. Pictures on Craigslist. Call Pam at (217) 417-7522. ________________________ 3/31 SIGN NOW. PAY LATER. 1 & 2 BEDROOM APARTMENTS. Sign your lease for Melrose or Brooklyn in March and pay no money down.

(217) 345-5515. ________________________ 3/31

56

Come back tomorrow to get the scoop on what’s happening at EIU and in Charleston!

Follow the Daily Eastern News Twitter! den_news

47

53

54

For rent

13

28

29

For rent

25

27

35

12

16

17

DOWN 1 Autos

3

No. 0301

CLASSIFIEDS

Affordable studio apartment good campus location (217) 345-2516 _________________________ 4/3 Looking for 2-3 responsible students to rent a nice house affordable for the right party interested in pursuing an education at Eastern call (217) 345-2516 _________________________ 4/3 One and two bedroom apartments across from Doudna. Reasonable.

(217) 345-2416 _________________________ 4/6

Spring, Summer and Fall 1, 2, 3 & 4 Bedroom apartments as low as $222.50 some close to campus Carlyle Apartments 217-348-7746 www.charlestonILapt.com _________________________ 5/1 Close to campus. Nice, clean apartments. 1 and 2 bedroom. Starting at $250 a bedroom. For spring semester 2017, fall semester 2017. No pets. Fully furnished except beds.

Off-street parking and laundry onsite. Some restrictions do apply. Call or text (314) 334-3994. _________________________ 5/2

$$ Scenic 71 acres with tillable land and timber; improved with a 3,320-square-foot 5-bedroom ranch home with finished basement, workshop, barn with apartment. A must-see property only 10 miles south of Charleston! $599,000. Winnie Stortzum, Farmers National Company, 109 East Main Street, Arcola. (800) 500-2693. www.farmersnational.com ________________________ 4/14

Help wanted

FREE RENT FOR HOUSE MANAGER. Six bedroom home, washer and dryer included, minimum five roommates at $275 per month.

(847) 921-3180 ________________________ 4/10

Bartenders wanted, flexible hours.

Veterans of foreign wars post #4325. 1220 S. 19th Mattoon. Come pick up an application or call Cory 217-493-1973 _________________________ 4/4

Awesome 3 bedroom townhouse.

Call 24 hours for details.

(217) 549-2668. ________________________ 4/14

Hampton Inn has a part-time front desk position open. Apply in person at the Hampton Inn Mattoon. ________________________ 4/10

Fall 2017. Very nice houses, townhouses, and apartments for 1-8 people. 1-3 blocks from campus.

Rent $250 - $400 per person. Call (217) 493-7559. www.myeiuhome.com _________________________ 5/1

Bartender at Mac’s Uptowner. No experience necessary. Must be 21 and available summer and 20172018 school year. Pick up application after 4 p.m. 623 Monroe ________________________ 4/12

Recently Remodeled Student Rental. $325 per bedroom.

(217) 962-0790 _________________________ 5/1 STUDIO, 1, 2 & 3 BEDROOM APARTMENTS AVAILABLE. FALL 2017. Great locations. Please contact us for more information.

(217) 348-8249 or visit our website at ppwrentals.com _________________________ 5/1–

10 Year Price ROLLBACK! 1-2 PERSON RENTALS

www.woodrentals.com Call for appointment to view!

1512 A Street / 345-4489

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2017

THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS | SPORTS

7

Twins push each other in track, field

By Kaitlin Cordes Track and Field Reporter | @DEN_Sports For freshmen twin brothers Nick and Zack Phillips, competing for Eastern’s track and field team is more fun with a brother by their side.

Zack said that going from the high school level to collegiate competition was a lot easier since Nick was right there with him.

“I would have to say it made the transition from high school to college a lot easier because I came in knowing someone already, so there was less pressure, and there was always someone to ask questions to,” Zack said.

Nick added that the two have constantly been pushing each other through everything from soccer to baseball to football to track and even in school. Zack said that at every meet, they set out to challenge and even one-up each other.

The two’s track career began their sophomore year of high school after not making

the baseball team, a feat Nick said he especially wanted to accomplish. During spring break that year, a friend convinced them to

“Being a track athlete for Eastern means we are the best and there is a standard that must be upheld” -Track athlete Nick Phillips go out for the track team.

“We were like, ‘Why not?’. So we did track that season, but our main focus was still on baseball; we were on a spring baseball team through my club team,” Nick said.

Zack said he and his brother instantly fell in love with track. After a bad experience with one high school track coach, the Phillips sought out their own and found Gary and Brian Cooper. These coaches helped them improve their weight and hammer

throw, shot put and discus skills.

The summer before their senior year of high school, Nick decided to quit football and baseball. Zack had quit football the year before and also decided to quit baseball as well.

“That was one of the hardest decisions of my life, but I do not regret that decision, but I do miss baseball a lot,” Nick said. “Towards the end of the summer, we both had gotten pretty good at hammer and weight and we both basically stopped working on the high school events, shot put and discus.”

Nick and Zack ended up not participating in school track their senior year but worked year-round to perfect their throwing and shot put. The next step for them was college track and field.

“I chose Eastern because it made me feel at home; it wasn’t too big but big enough to get the experience of college as well,” Zack said.

Nick said he chose Eastern because it had

a home-y feel, which drew him from the beginning.

Both brothers agreed that it was an honor to compete as a Panther.

“Being a track athlete for Eastern means we are the best, and there is this standard that must be upheld. People know EIU as the dominant team in the Ohio Valley Conference,” Nick said.

Zack described being an Eastern track athlete as a tradition that must be upheld to respect and honor those who came before him and to create a legacy as a Panther.

Nick is a Computer Information and Technology major, and Zack studies Kinesiology and Exercise. Nick said outside of track, he enjoys watching movies and shows on Netflix and playing on his Xbox as well as playing the ukulele and guitar. Zack uses weight lifting as a stress reliever in his free time.

Kaitlin Cordes can be reached at 581-2812 or krcordes@eiu.edu.

Men’s golf team finishes in 11th place at ASU

By Mark Shanahan Men’s Golf Reporter | @DEN_Sports The Eastern men’s golf team finished in a three-way tie for 11th place in the team standings at the Arkansas State Red Wolf Intercollegiate that wrapped up on Tuesday afternoon.

Eastern was once again led by sophomore Alvaro Hernandez who finished tied for 22nd with an overall score of 226 through three rounds. Hernandez shot a 78 in the first round, but gradually had his scores get better shooting a 76 in the second round and a 72 in the third.

Hernandez credited the weather conditions getting better along with his game.

“My scores got better as well as the

weather got better. We had some rain in the first round, wind in the second round and it was sunny and calm on the third,” Hernandez said. “I felt more comfortable with myself too.”

Hernandez finished even today with his round score of 72 and it moved him up 13 spots from where he finished on Monday.

Sophomore Charlie Adare was the second best finisher for the Eastern men. Adare finished tied for 51st with a three-round total of 232. Adare shot a 77 in the first two rounds and a 78 in the third, which dropped him 16 spots from where he finished on Monday.

Freshman Grant Miller finished third among Panther competitors and that was tied for 58th place. Miller shot a three-

round total of 233. Miller shot an 83 in the first round and finished up nicely with a 74 in the second round and a 76 in the third round.

Junior Alex Gowin finished tied for 65th with a three-round total of 236. Gowin shot a 79 in the first round, followed by an 82 in the second round and finished up the tournament with a 75 in the third round.

Romeo Perez rounded out the Eastern golfers tied for 74th with a total score of 240.

The host Arkansas State had two groups of five participating in tournament and the two teams took the top two spots. Arkansas State (B) had a total team score of 880 to take first place and they were followed by Arkansas State with a total of 882. Tied for third place is Tennessee-Martin and Mis-

souri State with total scores of 890.

In fifth place was Southern Illinois Edwardsville (893) followed by Murray State (895), South Dakota (896), Florida Atlantic (903), Omaha (907) and Northern Iowa (916). Oklahoma Christian, Eastern and Xavier tied for 11th with team scores of 922. Creighton, New Orleans and North Dakota finished up the team standings with scores of 929, 941 and 950.

Eastern will return to action on April 14 and 15 for the Western Illinois Mussatto, which will be the last tournament before the Ohio Valley Conference Championship.

Mark Shanahan can be reached at 581-2812 or mmshanahan@eiu.edu.

PICK UP A PICK UP A TRANSFERABLE TRANSFERABLE CLASS ONLINE THIS THIS SUMMER! CLASS ONLINE SUMMER! SUMMER CLASSES

Business Humanities Communications Math Science

CONVENIENT

Easy to transfer Save money with textbook rental & affordable tuition Flexible schedule

VIEW THE SCHEDULE AT

lakelandcollege.edu Summer term begins June June 5.

6.Intersession Intersession begins begins May May15.

16.

Sports Editor

T H E DA I LY E ASTE R N NEWS

Sean Hastings

D A I LY E A S T E R N N E W S . C O M

Sports 8 Eastern loses big to Saint Louis W E D N E S DAY, A P R I L 05, 2017

217 • 581 • 2812

DENSportsdesk@gmail.com

DEN_Sports

N O. 130, V O LU M E 101

By Tyler McCluskey Assistant Sports Editor @McCluskeySports T h e Pa n t h e r s b a s e b a l l t e a m fell in an early week game against Saint Louis Tuesday night 12-1.

The Billikens (18-8) started out with an early lead in the first but the flood gates opened in the third and fourth innings for Saint Louis. Alex King had a lead-off triple and scored on an RBI sacrifice from Nick Reeser.

In the third, Parker Sniatynski reached on a fielder’s choice, the the Billikens showed their power in their bats with back-to-back homeruns from James Morisano and Devin Mahoney, taking the 4-0 lead.

But the Billikens were not done.

Saint Louis would get two more hits and Dubet would double in one more run to advance the lead 5-0. The Panthers would make a pitching change for senior Chase Thurston who went 2 2/3 innings and giving up five runs off of nine hits, earning his first loss on the season, moving his ERA up to 8.50. Junior Devin Rose came in and closed out the third.

The fourth inning saw much of the same offense from the Billikens bats, scoring six runs on six hits to put the lead up to 11-0.

Rose would only go 2/3 of an inning giving up all six of those runs in the fourth along with two walks bringing his ERA to 31.26 on the year. Saint Louis would add another run in the sixth.

The Panther bats started coming around in the top of the seventh inning when sophomore Jim-

JUSTIN BROWN | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS

Sophomore second baseman Jimmy Govern tosses the ball to first base during a game Tuesday, March 28 at Coaches Stadium.

my Govern would single to left with runners on the corners, scoring freshman Alex Stevenson. That is all that the Panthers could muster up.

Gove r n e n d e d u p g o i n g 3 - 4 with two singles and a double and the lone RBI putting batting aver-

age up to .371 on the year. Junior Hunter Beetley went 2-3 adding to the Panthers eight hits.

The Panthers gave up 18 hits.

Alex King went 3-5 on the day with an RBI. Trent Leimkuehler also went 3-5 with two doubles and an RBI

with three runs bring his average to .361.

S a i n t L o u i s’ G a r r e t A c t o n earned his first win of the season.

Acton went four innings and had six strikeouts giving up only four hits.

The loss brings Eastern’s record

to 5-23 on the year.

The Panthers next game will be against Illinois College Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Tyler McCluskey can be reached at 581-2812 or at trmccluskey@eiu.edu.

Road ahead getting tougher for Panthers

By Sean Hastings Sports Editor| @DEN_Sports A 5-1 record is a great start, but it is still early in the season and Eastern’s schedule coming up is against teams that also have had good starts to their seasons.

The Panthers have played well in all aspects to open their season.

From the pitching to the hitting, it’s been strong. Six hitters have batting averages over .300 and junior pitchers Jessica Wireman and Michelle Rogers have sub 3.00 earned run averages.

Fo u r o f E a s t e r n’s w i n s a r e against Tennessee State and Southeast Missouri, which have a combined 1-11 record. The fifth win is against 3-3 Belmont.

Take nothing away from the Panthers. They have played well, made the right plays, and have done enough to win those games.

And that has to continue, because at the end of the day softball is softball, the games might just get harder.

Eastern has found success in its first five wins, and it has been the little things that have paid off, sophomore Maria DeVito said.

Stealing bases, strong in the field, timely hits.

She said it is fun and encouraging that everyone on the team has the same mindset of knowing that the little things are important and is ready to play their best softball because of it.

What’s working for Eastern?

Sophomore Kayla Bear and junior Taylor Monahan have been

FILE | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS

Amber Toenyes, an infielder, catches the ball from another infielder, getting the runner from Tennessee State.

catchers and pitcher’s nightmares stealing 46 bases on 48 attempts.

Bear is 25-25 on steals.

To make things tougher for opposing teams, the duo bat one and two to start off the Panthers’ lineup and are hitting .333 and .351, re s p e c t i v e l y a n d k e e p f i n d i n g themselves on base…and stealing bases.

And Bear is loving it.

“I get excited knowing coach has faith in me to get to the next base,” Bear said. “It’s nice to know where my strengths are and that I

take advantage of the speed I have.

Knowing the batters behind me, I feel that I give them more confidence and drive to hit the back and score me especially when I’m in scoring position.”

Be a r’s 2 5 s t o l e n b a s e s i s s i x more than what she finished 2016 with and credits her higher aggressiveness and better jumps for it, as well as Coach Kim Schuette giving her the steal sign more often.

That is what is great for the Panthers having big-time run producers right behind Bear and Mo-

nahan.

Freshman Haley Mitchell has 24 RBIs and senior Amber Toenyes leads the team with 25 RBIs. Bear has crossed the plate 32 times and Monahan has trotted across 18.

“It’s extremely important for them to come through and get on base not only for the purpose of RBIs, but just to get the whole offense jumpstarted,” Toenyes said.

“When you see others getting on it makes you want to push that much more.”

And that run scoring keeps things lighter on Rogers and Wireman.

To g o o f f o f Mi t c h e l l’s s u ccess as a freshman; all of Eastern’s new starters are making key impacts that have helped win games.

Sophomore DeVito is one of those players.

DeVito rarely so action as a freshman, but as a sophomore has started 23 games and has appeared in 28 game and is batting .300 with an on-base-percentage of .432.

“It has been encouraging to know that the coaching staff feels that I can benefit to this team,” DeVito said. “I’ve worked really hard to improve my strengths and weaknesses in order for me to be a leader and overall better player for this team.”

And what pulls everything together is the pitching. It has seen its fair share of questionable starts and low points. But they have kept those low points pretty low.

Wireman and Rogers have a combined 18-15 record, both with nine wins this season.

Both pitchers have given Eastern a chance in every game, and even when the starter does not h a v e h e r b e s t s t u f f, t h e o t h e r comes in and cleans up the mess.

Eastern will continue its road trip with four games this weekend: Two games against 3-3 Morehead State Saturday and 3-2 Eastern Kentucky Sunday.

Sean Hastings can be reached at 581-2812 or smhastings@eiu.edu.