MTSU
SIDELINES
4// 02// 2014 E D I T O R I A L LY INDEPENDENT
Aviation changes affect training Pg. 4 From MTSU to Grammy winner Pgs. 6-7 A ‘Mad Men’ feminist Pgs. 12-13
A run around the world Pg. 15 Fashionably driven Pgs. 9-11
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3 6 A&E 9 COVER 12 Features 14 OPINIONS 15 SPORTS NEWS
S T A F F Emily West >> Editor-in-chief John Coulston >> Assistant A&E Editor
Amanda Gambill >> Managing editor Sam Brown >> Sports Editor
Quint Qualls >> News Editor Connor Grott >> Assistant Sports Editor
Daniel Jansouzian >> Assistant News Editor Robert Allen >> Opinions Editor Taylor Davis >> Assistant News Editor Laurel O’Neill >> Designer
Bailey Robbins >> Features Editor Cat Murphy >> Photo Editor
Claire Osburn >> A&E Editor
Noel Heath >> Assistant A&E and Features Editor
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Maranda Faris >> Copy Editor Leon Alligood >> Adviser
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Cover designed by Laurel O’Neill and Cat Murphy. John Bragg Mass Communication Building Center for Innovation in Media 1301 East Main Street P.O. Box 8, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132 Editorial: 615-904-7648 mtsusidelines.com Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @mtsusidelines. Tune in Friday to Sidelines FM on 88.3 from 6-8 p.m.
NEWS
Free tuition bill receives mixed feedback at university By Daniel Jansouzian // Assistant News Editor Gov. Bill Haslam’s “Tennessee Promise” legislation, a proposal to grant high school graduates two years of community college tuition free, is still advancing in the state House, but has met with criticism. The legislation is a big part of the governor’s “Drive to 55” program that aims to improve graduation rates in Tennessee from 32 percent to 55 percent by 2025. According to the drive55.org, the legislation’s website Haslam proposed to pay for the $34 million annual cost of the program with $300 million in excess funds from the Hope Lottery Scholarship along with a $47 million endowment that was created by the state General Assembly in 2013. He also proposed to increase the lottery scholarship to $3,000 for a student’s first two years of junior college, regardless of the school they choose, and $5,000 for the student’s junior year and beyond at four year universities. William Ford, who holds the Weatherford Chair of Finance at MTSU and is a creator of the lottery scholarship, wrote a report on how the legislation would affect MTSU and other state universities. He said the governor’s plan could potentially hurt MTSU if many students choose to attend a community college to receive the free government aid for their first two years. According to Ford, the bill could hurt the university’s already declining enrollment numbers and cause many general education courses to be cut, resulting in the loss of faculty and staff. He believes other universities will feel the effects as well, schools that, like MTSU, will have unused space if enrollment numbers go down. Community colleges like Motlow State Community College will have their resources stretched thin, Ford said. They will have to hire on more staff and build more facilities, costing taxpayers money. State legislators need to ask certain questions before agreeing to pull money from the Hope Lottery Scholarship surplus for this type of project, according to Ford. For instance, the professor said legislators need solid projections on what the surplus can earn each year in interest.
students to be discouraged from coming to a four-year university. “It’s not great for MTSU students, and it’s not fair,” he said. “Students should have a choice between Motlow and MTSU.” Mark Byrnes, dean of the college of liberal arts, would likely see the most cuts in his college where the bulk of general education courses are taught. However, he believes that many students would still choose MTSU for what the university has to offer, despite the lure of free tuition at other schools. “I think it depends on the student,” he said. “Four year universities still offer many opportunities that community colleges do not, and I believe many students will decide that the extra cost of a four year school is worth it.” He also said students generally fare better in college if they make fewer transitions, so they may choose to go to one school instead of two. University president Sidney McPhee said he and his staff are currently reviewing the legislation to see how it will affect MTSU. “As a TBR institution, we are already partners with the community colleges and have worked to make the transfer of credits and degree pathways more streamlined and assured,” McPhee noted. “Students who complete an associate degree are more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree, so we can intensify efforts to recruit transfer students.” When asked if their college choice would have been different if the “Tennessee Promise” bill was in effect when they graduated, nine out of 11 students interviewed for this story said they would have chosen a community college. “I am tired of paying for school,” said Matthew Holder, a junior history major. Yet many students still believe money isn’t the deciding factor when it comes to higher education.
“I think it is a great idea to have free first two years paid for,” Ford said. “I just don’t know how to pay for it.”
“I’m here for the full college experience,” said Lindsey Tedford, a senior organizational communication major. “I have more pride being from MTSU.”
Ford also wondered why the governor would want
Illustration by Laurel O’Neill. SIDELINES | April 2, 2014 | www.mtsusidelines.com 3
NEWS
New aviation rules lengthen pilot training process By Jonathon Austin and Zach Chadwick // Contributing Writers Flight students across the country are grappling with new federal regulations that strikingly increase the minimum number of flight hours required to earn a license to fly a commercial aircraft. Middle Tennessee State University aerospace students, however, will largely not be affected due to changes in curriculum, according to aerospace department professors. In August 2013, the Federal Aviation Administration increased the minimum number of flight hours required for pilots to obtain their Air Transport Rating from 250 to 1,500 hours. The change was sparked by several crashes of small commercial jets between 2011 and 2013. According to Ronald Ferrara, aerospace department chair, MTSU is a member of the Aviation Accreditation Board International, an agency whose mission is to better aviation education worldwide. The university’s aerospace program is a member of the group. AABI approved a plan that allows MTSU students to only have to earn 1,000 hours instead of the required 1,500, Ferrara said. To take advantage of this deal, students must complete 60 hours of flight-related courses. “We have modified our curriculum,” Ferrara said, “adding a number of electives to where a student could graduate with 60 hours if they so chose. This allows them to get a restricted [Airline Transport Pilot rating] at 1,000 hours rather than 1,500 hours.” While the 500-hour decrease is significant, it’s still a considerable departure from the original 4 SIDELINES | April 2, 2014 | www.mtsusidelines.com
250-hour requirement. One way for students to obtain these hours quickly is to become involved in the flight instruction program at MTSU, Ferrara said. The flight instruction program is split into four phases. Students receive their commercial certificate upon completing the third step of the program, making them eligible for the FAA’s multi-engine rating. After the third phase, students can work as flight instructors, according to Paul Craig, aerospace professor. “Generally a flight instructor gets about 250 hours a semester,” said Jesse Hackworth, a sophomore professional pilot major. “I would only have to be an instructor for about three semesters after I graduated, and I plan to be a flight instructor while still in school my senior year. Hopefully I will only be here one semester after I graduate.” The extra hours of flight time required can be expensive, too, Craig said. “Flight training has to be the most expensive degree at MTSU,” Craig said. “Because in addition to what a normal student would pay, the cost can be as much as $50,000 on top of everything else.” While the life of a commercial pilot may be thought of as glamorous and exciting, starting salaries are about the same as a fast-food restaurant manager, according to The Wall Street Journal recent story. Co-pilots for regional airlines average only $22,400 a year for the first six years. Co-pilots for major airlines make $55,550 a year, according to The Wall Street Journal article.
But many aspiring pilots value aspects of the job other than the pay. A common theme among pro-pilot majors is that they want to do something they have a passion for and not become complacent. “I don’t want to have a job where I sit in an office all day,” Hackworth said. “I want to go out and do things that I love to do.” Though starting wages are low, pilots can potentially earn around $102,000 a year within five years of becoming a co-pilot for a major airline, according to The Wall Street Journal’s Airline Job Trajectory. Graduates have also found success flying for international airlines. “We do encourage a lot of our pilots to think about opportunities overseas in the Middle East and certainly Asia,” Craig said. Many flight agencies overseas have lower requirements than the U.S., he added, which makes getting an international job much easier for beginning pilots. According to Ferrara, the program has not seen a decrease in pro-pilot majors. Half of all aerospace majors are pro-pilot majors, he said. Photo by Bailey Robbins. To contact the news editor, email Quint Qualls at news@mtsusidelines.com. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sidelines_news and @mtsusidelines.
NEWS
Crime Briefs HARASSMENT Peck Hall March 27, 5:30 p.m. A complainant reported receiving threatening text messages. THEFT Davis Science Building March 27, 2:02 p.m. A complainant reported that her purse and wallet were stolen from a classroom. THEFT James E. Walker Library March 26, 8:32 p.m. A complainant reported that his cell phone was stolen, but the phone was later recovered in a parking lot on campus and returned to the owner. BURGLARY Homecoming Circle March 26, 8:32 p.m. A complainant reported that someone entered his vehicle sometime between 8 p.m. Tuesday and 6 p.m. Wednesday; however, nothing ap-
peared to have been stolen. ARREST Alma Mater Drive March 26, 10:23 a.m. Murfreesboro Police reported to MTSU Public Safety that on March 22 they arrested Mohammed Eid Ajohani, 20, on charges of driving under the influence, driving on a suspended license and underage consumption. TRAFFIC Sam Ingram Building March 25, 2:51 a.m. Authorities issued Leandra Bell, 20, a citation for speeding and driving on a revoked license. THEFT James Union Building March 24, 5:55 p.m. A complainant reported that microphones were stolen from the building.
Looking for the next editor-in-chief Applications due April 11. Candidates for the position must be currently enrolled students in good standing, have a 2.5 minimum GPA and have two semesters of media experience. Submit a resume, a cover letter, three samples of writing and three letters of recommendation. One must be from outside the college. Deliver to Leon Alligood, Sidelines adviser, Box 8 or deliver applications to the Center for Innovation in Media. Editor selection interviews will be held April 18.
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A&E From MTSU student to Grammy winner By Natalie Shipley // Staff Writer
Considered “MTSU’s most famous alumnus,” it has been more than 10 years since award-winning songwriter and producer Luke Laird attended the university. “I don’t know how accurate that is, but, hey, if that’s what it is for now, I feel honored,” Laird said during a break in a performance at last week’s Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival in Nashville. He will return to his alma mater on Wednesday April 2 for a 6:30 p.m. singing and speaking engagement in room 101 of the College of Mass Communication. At 35, Laird’s career is full of impressive accomplishments. He received a Grammy this year for producing Grammy award-winning artist Kacey Musgraves’ album, “Same Trailer Different Park.” In 2012, Laird was BMI’s Country Songwriter of the year. So far, Laird has co-written 14 Billboard No.1 singles with artists ranging from Carrie Underwood to John Legend. Growing up in Hartstown, Pa., Laird was just a high school freshman when he became interested in MTSU. The next three summers of Laird’s high school career would be spent traveling more than 600 miles back and forth to Murfreesboro. Post graduation, Laird lucked out with job opportunities. “My goal was to get a publishing deal; I wanted to be a full time songwriter,” he said. “I didn’t have any publishing deal offers when I graduated, so I actually got a job 6 SIDELINES | April 2, 2014| www.mtsusidelines.com
A&E
working on the road for Brooks & Dunn. I would be out on the road on the weekends, but when I got back to Nashville, I would play open mic writer nights. About a year after I graduated, I got my first publishing deal.” Laird’s father, Jim, knows MTSU was the right choice for his son. The elder Laird said MTSU gave his son the confidence “to spring board into what he’s been doing the last 14 years or so. MTSU was a good fit for him.” The Grammy-winning songwriter offered advice for those wanting to pursue a career in songwriting. “First of all, be willing to take constructive criticism,” he said. “As cliché as it sounds, work really hard. I really feel like if you have the talent to be a professional songwriter, especially in Nashville, you will get discovered. Word of mouth in Nashville is still the number one way that I know of anyone getting a publishing deal. Be honest with yourself if you feel like something is really good and take the advice of people who have been there and done it themselves.” To contact the A&E editor, email Claire Osburn at ae@mtsusidelines. com. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ sidelines_ae and @mtsusidelines. SIDELINES | April 2, 2014 | www.mtsusidelines.com 7
A&E
GAMINg ON A BUDgET By John Mueller // Staff Writer
Gaming doesn’t always have to be an expensive hobby. Photo by John Mueller.
Video games are one of college students’ favorite ways to kill time. But buying the latest and greatest every week can get expensive. So instead of emptying your bank account on one game, grab some older favorites on the cheap for Xbox 360.
Dead Island Price: $10 Score: 4.5/5
Alpha Protocol Price: $5 Score: 3/5
Forza Motorsports 4 Price: $15 Score: 4/5
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition Price: $17 Score: 4/5
Generally, I’m not one for RPGs, but something about a zombie-themed one piqued my interest. When the option of online cooperative play was added, I simply had to play “Dead Island.” The downside is that players can’t acquire guns until after they’ve put hours into gameplay, and the constant melee combat can get old after a while. Leveling up isn’t quite the chore it could have been, and it’s always rewarding to go to town on a horde of the undead.
This game hasn’t had much buzz since its release. The key to this third-person espionage game revolves around choice, as each decision made by the player, each conversation, builds upon itself throughout the game. Part of the reason this game was more difficult is that fact that it’s stealth-based, but seeing through the plot and working through missions is a lot of fun. “Splinter Cell” it is not, but this game represents a decent value because of its low price.
Typically, racing games and I don’t get along. I don’t fully understand momentum, inertia and other physics-based things. “Forza 4,” however, is a little different. The graphics of this game stand out more than anything else. If you can imagine yourself racing your favorite supercar around famous tracks, this game makes it possible. Racing the Aston Martin One-77 around the Top Gear test track is a personal favorite. “Forza” also offers a career mode, and adding to your collection of cars is quite satisfying.
The first-person shooter that started one of the most beloved franchises of the genre was remastered for this 10-year anniversary edition, and it is as fun as ever. The gameplay throughout the campaign and Firefight modes remains incredible. The only reason this game isn’t ranked higher is the presence of similarly priced Halo games, like “Halo: Reach.”
All prices reflect the non-member price at Play and Trade on Thompson Lane, my personal favorite local hub for used games. The customer service is excellent, the selection is rather thorough and a membership card only costs $10 for an entire year of 10 percent off. So head on over and find your own high-value used game. To contact the A&E editor, email Claire Osburn at ae@mtsusidelines.com. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @ sidelines_ae and @mtsusidelines. 8 SIDELINES | April 2, 2014 | mtsusidelines.com
fashionably driven
COVER
By Claire Osburn // A & E Editor With MTSU celebrating fashion week, April 8 -12, Sidelines is featuring two textile, merchandising and design majors, whose work will be featured. Emotion to Etsy Ayana Luanglath has been designing her own clothing since she was 6-years-old. Since then she’s known what she’s wanted to do, but when she got married and moved to Tennessee from Binghamton, N.Y., it almost didn’t happen. With no fashion school prospects, Luanglath decided to major in nursing at Austin Peay, but later decided to follow her heart. After hearing MTSU had a fashion program, she promptly signed up. With an Etsy shop and personal clientele already to call her own, the junior apparel design major is focused on graduating, so she can officially get her own business up and running. “My intention is to sew, particularly for Muslim women like myself, because we’re a bit underserved in the market, mainly when it comes to pretty much anything actually,” Luanglath said. Giant cutouts and sleeveless maxi dresses make it hard for Luanglath and women like her to dress the way they’d like, something the fashion lover hopes to fix. When it comes to her personal style, Luanglath aims for uniqueness. “I like anything that looks just a little bit different,” she said. “It’s always gonna be edgy; it’s always gonna be different; it’s always gonna be thought provoking.”
Ayana Luanglath aims the design of her clothes at Muslim women because she believes they are an underserved market. Photo by Cat Murphy.
Luanglath draws from anything and everything for inspiration, but really admires the moxie of ultimate fashion designer, Coco Chanel. “A lot of people will design and sew for the customers,” Luanglath said. “She designed and sewed for herself, and she made the customers want what she was making, want what she liked.” Luanglath’s own designs are typically made from scratch without patterns. “Usually I start with a sketch,” Luanglath said of her process. “It’s just something that has to do with the mind and the paper — it just makes it all work out.” The designer used this approach when creating the garments she submitted for “Machines in Motion,” which will be her first experience with Middle Tennessee Fashion Week. Ayana Luanglath sews her own clothes and her designs are original. Photo by Cat Murphy.
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COVER Post show Luanglath will use her skills to apply for a spot on “Project Runway.” “I think it’s just those tools that make you be a different person for a day or that make you express a certain emotion for that moment, I think that’s why fashion is so important,” Luanglath said. “Because you can be a girly girl, you can be sophisticated, you can be sleek, you can wear a power suit and demand authority — there are so many things that you can do with it. It really isn’t even just about clothing.” Biology to boutique Sarah Cook was on track to be a marine biology major. That is, until her mother noticed her interest in fashion and suggested she look into it as a major. Four years later, Cook is a senior, graduating in August with a major in fashion merchandising and already making a name for herself. At last year’s finale MT fashion week show, “Dear McQueen,” she was awarded third place for a dress she designed in just three days. “I just knew how it was going to look when I was done with it,” Cook said. “It was sort of like sculpting.” Cook was also one of two fashion students chosen to attend a private dinner with Japanese designer Sebastian Masuda when he came to campus last month. “It was really interesting to see how different their culture is, like fashion and everything, compared to ours,” Cook said. As far as her personal style is concerned, Cook raids discount stores like TJ Maxx and thrift stores like Goodwill to find original pieces. She follows Tumblr blogs ranging from grunge to anime for style inspiration, which is evident by her delicate, modern take on edgy. Besides her grandmother’s wedding band, adorned with stars that she never takes off, what is Cook’s favorite item in her closet? “Even if I’m in leggings, have to go to the grocery store really quick, I put on my Doc Martens, no matter what,” she said. As Cook continues to hone in on her style, she tries to remain practical. “I keep trying to buy things that I’m going to be able to have forever,” Cook said, “trying to make sure the stuff I’m buying isn’t too trendy.” Sarah Cook raids stores like TJ Maxx and Goodwill to find clothes to make her own. Photo by Cat Murphy.
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Currently she is preparing for this year’s
Sarah Cook graduates in August with a fashion merchandising degree. Photo by Cat Murphy.
COVER
finale Middle Tennessee Fashion Week show, “Machines in Motion,” the theme of which is rooted in 1930s glam, with categories based on classic cars: the Ford Model T, Bugatti and Bentley.
In addition to submitting her own designs, Cook is playing the parts of stage manager and model as well. A true fashion junkie, Cook is postponing graduation after the show to go on a two-week study abroad trek to fashion capitals of the world, Paris and London, this summer. As far as a career post-European fashion adventure? She’d be satisfied with anything involving travel. “If I won the lottery tomorrow,” Cook mused, “I would have a boutique where I would carry international brands, and I would just shop the world for vintage clothes and bring them back and sell them.” To contact the A&E editor, email Claire Osburn at ae@mtsusidelines.com. Likes us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sidelines_ae and @mtsusidelines. Fashion inspirations comes from a lot of places for Sarah Cook. Photo by Cat Murphy.
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FEATURES A look inside the mind OF A
FEMINISTAUTHOR By Melinda Lorge // Contributing Writer The suburban life, neighborhood gossip and 1960s family structure of the American Movie Classics’ television drama “Mad Men” were familiar to Jane Marcellus’ childhood. These familiarities led the journalism professor to feel a connection to the program that was later expressed in co-writing the nonfiction book“Mad Men and Working Women.” “My frustration with ‘Mad Men,’ though, is that I cannot hold it,” Marcellus sighed. “[It] operates on a certain level of literature, which is not like the PBS high culture, pretentious literature. It’s like a really good novel on TV. The show is something between entertainment and entertainment with depth. It really is just like literature on television.” Her fascination with the show and the intellectual quality of it led Marcellus to gain a deeper level of appreciation that led her to put together a panel. “I searched for people through Facebook,” she smiled. “Our panel we called Mad Men, Working Women and History ... I thought that we would just have a panel. Erika Engstrom, one of my co-authors came up with the idea that we should have a book. I said, ‘Yes.’” Serendipity is a word that comes to Marcellus’ mind when she speaks of her new book, “Mad Men and Working Women: Feminist Perspectives on Historical Power, Resistance and Otherness” which released in January.
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The panel then attended a 2011 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference and a National Communication Association conference, and Engstrom drafted the proposal for the book. The final draft of it included eight chapters with four female writers, each having two chapters representing their individual work. The writers included Engstrom (Ph.D., University of Florida), Kimberly Wilmot Voss (Ph.D., University of Maryland), Tracy Lucht (Ph.D., University of Maryland) and Marcellus. “We all brought different insights into the book,” she said comparing it to the first book that she had ever written titled “Business Girls and Two-Job Wives: Emerging Media Stereotypes of Employed Women.” “I’ll always love my first book because it is my first, but writing this book taught me to write in community,” she said. The group collaborated as a unit to come up with both the beginning and the end. Devoted to spending her time wisely, she used the spring and summer in 2013 to commit to writing her two chapters of “Mad Men and Working Women,” one of which was titled “Oh, and Men Love Scarves: Secretarial Culture from Bartleby the Scrivener to Joan Holloway.” Bartleby was a male clerk character in a Herman Melville story that examined the evolution of the office secretary and how typing became a feminized job.
“Women were much like machine operators, and gradually objectified,” Marcellus said. Her second chapter, “Where the Truth Lies: Gender, Labor and ‘Other’ Relationships,” are a tag line to triadic relationships explores the roles of women in the work place, as worker bee and sexual object. “I argue that some of the characters in ‘Mad Men’ are on a quest to find their true identity and non-primary relationships in the show are like mirrors in the way,” Marcellus said. As much as she loves both of her chapters, she is drawn to her co-author Lucht’s chapters too. “She has one on sisterhood in the ‘60s’, where Joan and Peggy embody different kinds of feminism; the kind of Cosmo girl feminism and second wave feminism,” she said. “I think it’s really brilliant, and I think her writing is brilliant, too.”
A time period never to be forgotten For Marcellus, connecting to the television show goes beyond the writing. “I remember being in that time period,” she started, as she brought to life a distant memory. “The attitudes were the same in many ways. I flew on an airplane once before I was an adult. Riding in a plane was like going to church on Sundays where people would dress up, but people were smoking on airplanes. We are coming to the end of a cycle like a ritual. Who we have become, who we are and what we are letting go of, in my opinion, is what is represented in ‘Mad Men.’” Although cigarettes remains objectionable to her, a look of fascination came upon her and a faint smile stretched across her face when she recalled her first experience watching the show. “You can get the first season on DVD in a Zippo lighter case made like a cigarette box from the ‘60s, which I thought was really
FEATURES cool,” she said recounting how fellow College of Mass Communication professor Tricia Farwell “I was sick with the flu, and ‘Mad Men’ really got me through that awful time period.” The story, based in New York City throughout the 1960s, has a cast of elaborate characters living in an upper-class society during the prosperous age of advertising. The historical presentation of issues that women faced throughout the time period is very near and dear to Marcellus, who lived during the era. So, it comes as no surprise that the show retains many familiar aspects. “I related to Sally and the experience that she faced growing up and learning gender roles,” she said about the young child actor in the show. “I also related to Peggy on a work level when she starts to question the assumption that women should take on certain roles. She stands her ground on creating advertisements from a female perspective even when she gets shut down for it, and I relate to that. I don’t
think you have to objectify people to sell things. Creative people will find ways to create advertising without exploitation.” Marcellus explained how she worked in a newsroom, where sexual harassment was prevalent. “At that time people’s consciousness wasn’t raised,” she said. “Anybody who is familiar with the show knows the scene where Joan Holloway is asked to sleep with a very big client who is able to bring in a lot of money. That’s his price and she does it and it’s very horrible.” In this episode, “The Other Women,” Joan wins a crucial client for the firm after performing the deed. “Go home take a paper bag and cut some eye holes out of it, put it over your head, get undressed and look at yourself in the mirror and really evaluate where your strengths and weaknesses are,” said Joan, the secretarial manager in the show. Scenes like this are not far-fetched from the realities that Marcellus saw in previous times. The media history professor concluded that the complexity of the show was so intricately detailed that the fabrication of it operated on a level unlike many other shows. “Mad Men” allowed her to draw her own conclusions and theoretical perspectives. Each time she watched an episode, whether it was once or twice, she could think of a new a theme that she didn’t realize the first time.
What’s to come Marcellus suggests potential readers of “Mad Men and Working Women” to watch a few episodes of the show before delving into the book. According to her, it offers thorough explanations and analysis on how women lived in the 1960s, as well as
ways in which modern women can understand and explore the concept of a woman’s life and their relationships with others, personal livelihood and in the workplace through historical evidence. “I hope that people will see [the book] as a companion to Mad Men and use it in classes,” Marcellus said. “What we try to do is think about gender and the women at that time. We want to gain a deeper understanding of where women have been, and what women have gone through throughout history. We have this postfeminist idea that what once was, is now gone, but it isn’t. Addressing that through a show like ‘Mad Men,’ that’s fun, yet serious, will help raise that.” For Marcellus, writing books is a continuum; she already has plans for her next book. For her third, she plans to write about the 20th century playwright and journalist, Sophie Treadwell, on how she worked and found a voice in journalism when the industry was still very masculine. She also has hopes to one day write a book on non-academic essays. Marcellus always found herself diverting her attention to writing even as a child. “I wrote what I called a ‘novel’ in second grade,” she said, “I came home every day after school and worked on it. It was about a family of mice,” she smiled. “I always liked words and writing. The writer Joan Didion said, ‘I write to find out what I’m thinking.’ I would agree. Make writing and thinking one. I think it’s through the writing process that we understand things more deeply. Otherwise, I think it’s just the way I’m wired.” To contact the features editor, email Bailey Robbins at features@mtsusidelines.com. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @mtsusidelines.
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OPINIONS By Robert Allen // Opinions Editor It’s that time of year again. No, I’m not talking about April Fool’s Day, Easter or spring. I’m referring to the fast-approaching May graduation season. In anticipation of the diplomas to come, we, soon-to-be graduates, fill employers’ inboxes with resumes, cover letters and, sometimes even, outright pleas for the latest job openings. One of the only things on our minds is how to convert this fouryear degree into the job of our dreams. And for most of us, we don’t expect to get that right away. However, we do at least expect to land a job that puts our degree to work. But if you ask around or just look at the statistics, for many college graduates this simply isn’t the case. In fact, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data by Jaison Abel and Richard Dietz of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, only 62 percent of grads end up working in a job that requires a degree. Then why, some ask, even take on all that debt, stress and those countless hours studying? Most of us thought it was the only smart thing to do. “Go to school, work hard, get good grades, you’ll have a great job,” we were promised, but today that simply isn’t the case. The economy is changing right beneath us. Even more shocking, less than 30 percent of college graduates have jobs related to their major. Yeah, the same major we spent years
TOSS YOUR RESUME choosing and researching; it turns out that wasn’t all that important either. So what’s a grad to do? How do we get the jobs we want that lead to fulfilling careers? It all starts with differentiation. While most applicants are stuck in the outdated mentality of resume here, cover letter there and follow this format, we — because of the generation we grew up in — are in a unique position. We’ve grown up in a technological age where most of us create videos, vivid images and other social media posts on a regular basis, all with the aim of catching others’ attention. We know what it’s like to engage an audience and peak people’s interest; we also know what it’s like when a post falls on deaf ears, and we learn from that. To truly be effective at getting jobs of the future, we have to put this mentality to good use. To further elucidate this point, companies received on average 383 applications for each job opening they advertised in 2013, according to a Wall Street Journal article “In Tough Job Market, Applicants Try Résumé Gimmicks” citing a CEB study. Will our standard resumes stand out against that huge stack?
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You’ve got six seconds before it’s in the trash, according to an infographic provided by BeHiring. For some employers, it may be even less than that.
ized video introductions, building online portfolios and creating valuable analyses of companies’ plans using the latest presentation software.
And that’s assuming it’s even read. Most companies now have software that screens resumes for keywords. So if you don’t have the exact phrases their looking for, you’re out. No questions asked.
But not everything you try has to be innovative.
It’s time we change things up and be creative. We have to find a way to catch the employers’ attention to show them the skills we’ve spent years crafting. Standard resumes templates don’t do that. Yeah, they may be good for showing the past, but that doesn’t reflect your future potential. If anything, a resume mutes who you are as student, as a leader and as a coworker. Plus, submitting hundreds of those boring old things and hoping for a response drains the color out of what could be a personalized interaction. Some new ideas recent grads have tried include generating personal-
Simply asking a hiring manager out to coffee can make a huge difference because most applicants don’t have the guts to do so. That puts you in a very different light and on the right track. Whatever we do, we can’t upload, click submit and walk away. Every action we take has to be calculated and aimed at setting ourselves apart from the pack. It looks like a competitive world out there, but it doesn’t have to be. With a few tweaks and a gentle push to show yourself in the best way possible, you’ll be on the path to the job and life of your dreams. Want to write an opinion? Email opinion’s editor Robert Allen at opinions@mtsusidelines.com. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @mtsuside-
SPORTS Running a world away from home By Sam Brown // Sports Editor Born in Eldoret, Kenya, sophomore track star Eliud Rutto chases his dream of being a professional runner while balancing school and living half a world away from his family and friends. Rutto comes from a humble background,who comes from a corn-farming family in West Africa. After discovering his love for competing as a runner in high school, Rutto decided to attend school in America to give himself more opportunities where the sport has a larger market for people with his talents. Choosing MTSU for the scholarships offered and the love of his coaches, Rutto had hopes of being a sprinter, but he began running longer distance events after discovering he had all the traits needed to be successful running greater distances.
“Basically I train as part of the coach’s program, and that is it,” Rutto said. “You should be mentally tough and physically tough. When you are mentally set to run then you can do your best, but if you are mentally tough and not physically strong then you cannot do it.” He typically wakes up at 6 a.m. every morning and goes on a five-mile run. His morning run is just a warm up for practice that comes later in the day after classes. All of Rutto’s work has begun to pay off and he now hopes to follow his love for running to the professional level. “After college maybe if I am in good shape afterwards then I will keep on running as a professional,” he said hopefully. Half a world away
“I figured out that I had a lot of endurance and speed, so when speed and endurance is combined it makes a good runner,” he said.
“I miss my mom,” Rutto said simply, describing who and what he missed most about Kenya.
Of all the events Rutto competes in, he says his favorite is the 800-meter event. He holds the university’s record in both the indoor and the outdoor 800-meter event and held the No. 1 ranking in the NCAA for part of the season after the TSU Invite at the beginning of February where he finished the event with a time of 1.47.45.
It would be tough to blame Rutto for missing his family. While many college students get home sick while living just a short drive’s distance from home, Rutto seems to be adapting well to being on his own despite his family being more than 7,900 miles away in his hometown.
Despite ranking atop the nation in the 800-meter event, Rutto’s favorite memory as a Blue Raider was his first ever college meet. “My favorite memory is last year’s outdoor competition in Eugene, Oregon. That was my first experience,” he said. Rutto’s improvement as a runner is not due to any secret method or trick, it is just a tribute to his hard work and commitment to improving, he said.
After almost two years in America, Rutto has not been able to return home nor has his family been able to come visit him due to the high cost of flying overseas. He speaks to his family about once a month because the telephone technology is not as advanced in Kenya as it is in most of America. “It’s kind of tough, but we learn to be independent and to live independently, and we keep in touch by calling sometimes,” Rutto said.
Along with his family and friends, Rutto misses many more comforts of home. In a competition of good eats, Rutto still prefers Kenyan food to that in the United States. “Actually, I prefer the Kenyan food because that is what I have been used to. It is hard to adjust to another food,” he said. Although he is far from home, Rutto is not alone when it comes to being a Kenyan native. He is one of four runners on the track team from Kenya. While two of the other Kenyan runners hail from Rutto’s hometown, his best friend on the team comes from Burnt Forrest, Kenya. “Shadrack Matelong,” Rutto said. “He is my roommate actually. I knew him one day before I came here. He called me and said, ‘Aw, man, I’m going to MTSU.’ And I said ‘Aw, me too. I’m flying tomorrow.’ So we get to know each other through that short period of time. We got along really well.” As just a sophomore, Rutto has plenty of time to make more friends and set more records with two years of eligibility remaining in his collegiate career. He will look to continue improving his 800-meter time as the season progresses and his next opportunity to do so will be at the Tiger Track Classic on the weekend of April 4. Photo courtesy of MT Athletic Communications. To contact the sports editor, email Sam Brown at sports@mtsusidelines.com. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sidelines_sport and @mtsusidelines.
SIDELINES | April 2, 2014 | www.mtsusidelines.com 15