RUNNING WITH REASON
TOP CAT Senior wide receiver, Erik Lora broke several records
Non-profit organization “Girls on the Run” aims to teach girls 8 to 13 about body image, proper diet and exercise. Page 2
during Eastern’s recent win against Tennessee Tech Page 8
Dai ly Eastern News
THE
WWW.DAILYEASTERNNEWS.COM
Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013
VOL. 98 | ISSUE 58
“TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID”
Veterans to describe war experiences By Liz Purcell Staff Reporter | @DEN_News
gr aphic by Amy Wy wialowski
Illinois marks the fifteenth state to legalize same sex marriage. Other states include California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Washington and Vermont.
gr aphic by Robert Downen
According to a Crain’s/Ipsos poll, 51 percent of Illinois adults support same sex marriage, 29 percent oppose and 20 percent have no stance.
Olivia S. Diggs | The Daily Eastern Ne ws
People rally for gay marriage in Illinois in front of the the capitol in Springfield on Oct. 22.
Gov. Quinn: Illinois on ‘right side of history’ By Robert Downen Administration Editor | @DEN_NEWS Pending a signature from Gov. Pat Quinn, Illinois will become the 15th and largest Midwestern state to approve a measure legalizing samesex marriage. While Quinn has not yet specified a date to sign the law, he has repeatedly affirmed his commitment to same-sex marriage, commending the Illinois House for putting the state “on the right side of history.” The bill, better known as the “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act,” passed by a narrow 61 to 54 vote Tuesday after months of deliberation in Springfield to reach common ground. While the legislation does redefine the state’s definition of marriage as being between two people, it does so with provisions meant to ensure religious freedom by guaranteeing no re-
ligious organizations be forced to perform of sanction a wedding not compliant with its faith. The vote marks another success for same-sex marriage advocates in a year that has already seen legislative victories in Delaware and Rhode Island, as well as the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Defense Against Marriage Act in June. However, the bill’s passage was hardly certain, nor was the victory on Tuesday necessarily pronounced. Needing 60 votes to pass the Illinois House, same-sex marriage advocates found luck in the bill’s three Republican backers. Rep. Ron Sandack, a Republican from Downers Grove willing to cross what were largely party lines, said his decision to support same-sex marriage was multifaceted. Sandack said in the months leading up to the vote, he was diligent about not only representing the majority of his constituencies, but his own morals as well. “When you’re in the General Assembly, you
vote your conscience, you vote your district, or you try and do both,” Sandack said. He said he constantly tried to gauge the stances of his neighbors and townsmen, going as far as conducting three different polls before realizing that opinion was quickly moving toward marriage equality. However, Sandack said he was also influenced by his personal beliefs. “The more I thought about this bill, it really is pro-family,” he said. “Same-sex couples are raising children now, and they’re doing it as well or as bad as opposite sex couples. Families today may look different … We’re not in the ‘Leave it to Beaver’ or ‘Brady Bunch’ era anymore—we’re in the ‘Modern Family’ era.” While Sandack said he received “gruff” from some Republican colleagues in Springfield, he was positive he made the right decision.
HISTORY, page 5
Students face off in freestyle rap battle By Marcus Curtis Entertainment Editor | @DEN_News University Board’s Mainstage event “So You Think You Can Rap” started off with only two performers showing up, but the combination of lyrics flow and energy from the performers made up for the lack of participation. The two performers that won first and second place were the stars of this competition based on the crowd in 7th Street underground where “So You Think You Can Rap” took place Wednesday. From the first round to the last round, Tierra “Mello” Webb, a sophomore athletic training major and the only female performer, maintained the attention of the audience with her flow over the music and her lyrical punch lines. Webb performed her own original piece in
the first round titled “Rollin,’” which was a series of metaphors and rhymes that emphasized the quality of her rapping style and presence. Webb said she felt her performance of “Rollin’’’ was the best performance of the night. “The beat was custom made, and it came from me and it took a lot of thought,” Webb said. Webb said all of her opponents were unique and brought what she called their “A-game.” “I feel all of them did a pretty good job,” she said. “Everybody was creative.” Webb took home the second place prize of a $75 Visa gift card after three rounds of performing individually in the first round, head-to-head with another rapper in the second round and in a cipher with two other artists. Webb said she is going to use her $75 gift
card to help celebrate her one-year anniversary with her boyfriend, Travon Moore, a sophomore pre-business accounting major and the host of “So You Think You Can Rap.” The rapper that stole the show was Will “Mouse” Davis, a junior pre-business major, with his original lyrics, flow and authentic performance. Davis performed his own version of classic hip-hop artist, Craig Mack’s, “Flava In Ya Ear.” Webb even showed her respects for Davis’s funny punch lines in his performance. “Mouse did his thing, he was more comical with it,” she said. Davis took home the grand prize of a $150 Visa gift card based off of the decision from three judges. BATTLE, page 5
Every Wednesday at 11 a.m., World War II veteran Jim Baize attends a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder meeting with other veterans and prisoners of war. To gain a sense of closure, Baize has told his encounters from the Battle of Iwo Jima, the most costly battle in Marine Corps history that left more than 27,000 American and Japanese soldiers dead. Baize and veteran Leighton Willhite will be telling their war stories at the lecture “From the Sands of Iwo Jima: Two Veterans Recall Their Battle Experiences” at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Lumpkin Hall Auditorium. Both Willhite and Baize fought in the Pacific War in 1945 at Iwo Jima, a five-mile long island south of Japan. The U.S. captured Iwo Jima to make use of its airfields, providing a nearby landing area for American planes completing bombing missions on Japan’s mainland. Willhite fought at Iwo Jima when he was 19. He witnessed the famous Pulitzer Prizewinning photograph “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” being taken on top of Mount Suribachi. The widely printed photograph has become a staple of war photography, and the Marine Corps War Memorial outside of the Arlington National Cemetery is modeled after this photograph. When Baize was 15, he dropped out of school and convinced a friend of a friend to pose as his father so he could sign up for the navy, Baize said. By the time he was 17, Baize said he arrived at the shores of Iwo Jima, only to have his transport ship blown up by a mortar. Everyone on the ship died, except Baize. Today, he said he opens up about his war experiences to help himself and to teach others about history, even though he said he may never fully gain closure over the experience. However, he did said publicly speaking about the experience for the last 50 years has helped him. Anita Shelton, the chair of the history department, said the battle of Iwo Jima is more important in American history because Japan attacking the United States made the battle more personal. She said Willhite and Baize were chosen to speak at Eastern for this lecture because they have both spoken widely about their experiences and they are accustomed to it. Shelton said the lecture is part of the department’s James Jones lecture series sponsored by the English and history departments, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the James Jones Literary Society. “It was decided among the history department and the James Jones Society that it would be a good thing if we could find a veteran or two of the war to come,” Shelton said. “It would be good to try to do that because they are rapidly disappearing.” Baize said the biggest take away from the lecture is appreciation for the U.S. military. “It’s really important that students understand why they have their freedom and what people had to go through for them to get their freedom - some had to go through it all,” Baize said. “There isn’t many of us left. If I can help giving some info and history, then I’ll be happy to do that.” Liz Purcell can be reached at 581-2812 or eapurcell@eiu.edu.