Sidelines Oct. 2018 Print Edition by MTSU Sidelines

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

why aren’t young adults voting? By Andrew Wigdor

The making of “Graham and Zeke,” a Tennessee love story Page 4

How the bond of two players strengthens Blue Raider defense Page 7

A volunteer holds a sign to encourage students to register to vote on MTSU’s campus on Oct. 9, 2018. (Andrew Wigdor / MTSU Sidelines)

ennessee and Murfreesboro data shows that the state has a serious dilemma when it comes to elections: Young adults aren’t voting. According to data collected by the bipartisan Tennessee voting study, Project Register, one million Tennesseans who are 18 or older are not registered to vote, and 60 percent of non-voters are under the age of 45. Additionally, 38 percent of that 60 are Tennesseans age 18 to 29. Local numbers don’t fare much better.

Murfreesboro man finds passion in cleaning veteran’s headstones Page 10

MTSU Sidelines @mtsusidelines

Continued on page 9 @MTSUSidelines

find us on social media!

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

content 04

Graham and Zeke: A Tennessee love story told around the world

Blankenship, Moffatt bond strengthens Blue Raider football defense

‘My vote doesn’t count’: Why young, college-aged individuals are not participating in elections (Continued)

Passion inspires Murfreesboro man to clean, conserve veteran’s headstones

Blue Raider golfer Hanley Long hopes to set example for women in sports

Independent: One student’s story of resilience through great adversity

A Note from the Editor Hello, MTSU! With midterms over and half of the semester gone, we’ve worked to present an edition that makes one look to the future. Inside, we have stories focused on ideas such as the importance of participating in democracy, unique passions and unbreakable bonds. Once again, we’ve decided to ditch the themed format in favor of presenting these diverse stories in a way where they can be fully told. From all of us at Sidelines, we hope you enjoy this edition, and thank you for reading! Andrew Wigdor

-2-

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

meet-the-crew Editor-in-Chief Andrew Wigdor

FACULTY ADVISER Leon Alligood

Sports Editor David Chamberlain

Lifestyles Editor Sydney Wagner

News Editor Caleb Revill

Multimedia Editor Anthony Merriweather

Assistant Sports Editor Elijah Campbell

Assistant Lifestyles Editor Mamie Lomax

Assistant News Editor Megan Cole

DESIGN EDITOR Hien Phan

-3-

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

Graham and Zeke: A Tennessee love story told around the world By Sydney Wagner

Tony Pecorini, Kailee Morris, Destiny Chamberlin, Cheryl Newsome, Allie Sultan and Kaelin Bastin arrive at the Nashville Film Festival. (Courtesy of Allie Sultan)

t’s just another day in the life of an MTSU film production student when she updates her resumé to say she was part of the crew that won the Grand Jury Prize for best documentary short at the Perth International Queer Film Festival in September. The documentary is called “Graham and Zeke,” an eightminute look into the lives of Graham Bell and Zeke Miller, a young transgender couple in Tennessee, as they navigate the ins and outs of everyday life. The brains behind the film are MTSU media arts professor Allie Sultan and the MTSU Women in Film student organization. Sultan said she’s “always been fascinated with documenting things in my life” and began making documentaries in high school. “My first video camera was a $400, eightmillimeter video camera, and I just filmed everything about my family,” Sultan said. Plans for “Graham and Zeke” began to fall in place when Sultan won an Audience Awards competition in the 2015 Fusion International Documentary Challenge for her “Lift Like a Girl” documentary and received a waiver to compete again the following year. During the competition, each team had five

days to make a four-to seven-minute documentary before uploading the finished piece to the server on the last day of competition. Sultan, who is the faculty adviser for the Women in Film organization, turned to the group for her next idea. MTSU grad Cheryl Newsome, who was the orga nization’s vice president at the time, worked with Bell and felt that the story of Bell and his boyfriend, Miller, needed to be told. Both Bell and Miller were born as women but now identify as men. The rest of the students were immediately on board with the idea. So, interviews were then scheduled, and b-roll was shot. “It was a huge team effort, and it was honestly a little stressful and overwhelming just because we had this story we really wanted to capture,” said Kailee Morris, a recent MTSU graduate who was one of two directors of photography for the documentary. “I remember us spending a lot of time trying to plan as much as we could but also a lot of time just running around and trying to get everything we needed before we were even editing.” After submitting the documentary to the 2016 Fusion International Documentary Film Challenge after only four days, Sultan said, “Their first edit,

-4-

they were all so disappointed in their work because they couldn't put the story together in such a short period of time. So, they were all very upset, and I said, ‘No, girls, you made a great film. It just needs to be re-edited.’” The first cut was shot in November 2016, so after the competition, Sultan and the girls spent the next year re-editing the documentary. Morris said once the competition was over, the group realized how much footage the documentary was missing, so they reworked the film and shot more b-roll. “The original is nothing like what it is now, but what it is now is way better,” Morris said. “I’m glad that we didn’t give up on it. We reworked it to be the best that it could be.” Of the editing process, Sultan said, “I had roughcut screenings over the course of the next year with the Women in Film group where they watched it. They gave me feedback, I would incorporate their feedback and we brought in Graham and Zeke. They watched the rough cuts so that they could see that their representation of their story was accurate because I really wanted to make sure they were 100 percent comfortable with whatever we were putting

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2 out about their lives.” After the final cut was complete last November, Sultan began submitting it to various film festivals and traveled with the film all summer. Morris said that Sultan went “above and beyond” to make sure that it wasn’t just family and friends who saw the piece but audiences across the globe, like at India’s Out & Loud Pune International Queer Film Festival and the Concordia Film Festival in Canada. “It’s pretty thrilling to know that your film is reaching people on the other side of the planet,” Sultan said. Morris agreed, saying that winning the prize at the Perth Film Festival was exciting. “I really didn’t know that so many people were going to enjoy watching it because … we didn’t do anything crazy or out of the ordinary with the way we captured it. It was just (Graham and Zeke’s) story that’s so captivating to people,” Morris said. “We were just the people that helped tell it, but I think it’s mainly Graham and Zeke that won those awards.” Although “Graham and Zeke” has been featured at many LGBT film festivals, the team wanted to reach other audiences as well. “We’re screening at Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington, (North Carolina), in November, and that is not an LGBT film festival,” Sultan said. “It’ll screen in, hopefully, a shorts program in front of an audience that is probably not trans. Hopefully, it’ll give a human face to what trans people actually go through.” The film recently screened at the Rendezvous Film Festival in Amelia Island, Florida. Sultan said the festival’s programmer told her of a conservative couple who were, at first, concerned about their

Graham Bell (left) and Zeke Miller (right) in a screenshot from the film. (Courtesy of Allie Sultan)

child seeing “Graham and Zeke” but came out of the screening “pleasantly surprised because they felt it was really well done, and they really loved the couple in the film.” Sultan added, “In eight minutes, we were able to introduce them to two trans (people) in their 20s and open their minds to the fact that they’re just humans trying to get through life like everyone else is,” which is exactly why Sultan was originally drawn to the world of documentaries. Sultan said part of the documentary-making experience is “finding that story in everyone and

-5-

making it connect, making it something that people can relate to.” She said that she hopes “to make the world a better place” with her films, helping people to understand and have more compassion for each other. Morris also touched on the power of documentaries, and said, “(Transgender people) might have different types of struggles and challenges, but … it becomes more relatable and easier for people to understand how to help them or how to just properly treat them or listen to their story. (‘Graham and Zeke’) is a good guide for that.”

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

-6-

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

Blankenship, Moffatt bond strengthens Blue Raider football defense By Elijah Campbell

Reed Blankenship (left) and Jovante Moffatt (right) share a bond that pushes them to succeed on the field. (Devin P. Grimes/ MTSU Sidelines)

n the final minute of MTSU’s thrilling 2524 upset of Florida Atlantic earlier this season, FAU quarterback Chris Robison launched a desperation heave over the middle of the field. The pass sailed over the head of the intended receiver and straight into the arms of MTSU senior safety Jovante Moffatt with only 15 seconds left on the clock. After missing the first three games of the season after recovering from an off-season shoulder surgery, Moffatt made the interception that sealed a key victory for the Blue Raiders and gave high profile FAU head coach Lane Kiffin his first Conference USA loss since he became FAU’s head coach in December of 2016. Moffatt wasn’t the only safety returning from injury to leave his footprints on the win that night as sophomore Reed Blankenship led the team with nine solo tackles and tied for the team lead in tackles for a loss with one and a half. While the contributions on the stat sheet were notable, the on-field chemistry and the bond established between these two safeties has helped elevate their performances as well as the performance of the Blue Raider defense. “He’s like a brother to me,” Blankenship said after the upset over FAU. “We made this bond during the off-season and just knowing that he is back there with me builds my confidence so high … He knows what he’s supposed to do, so I don’t

have to worry about him messing up because I know he’s got it.” The friendship between Blankenship and Moffatt is a result of the mutual respect between a young freshman who wanted to learn the ropes of the college game and a seasoned veteran who prefers to lead by example.

“He’s like a brother to me,” Blankenship said. “We made this bond during the off-season and just knowing that he is back there with me builds my confidence so high” “When we first met, he was pretty quiet like most freshman are,” Moffatt recalled. “But he asked a lot of questions, and he wanted to learn fast. Right then and there, I knew that he wanted to be a good player on the field and that he was going to be good for this team.” Moffatt understands what it takes to succeed at this level. After all, he is coming off of a season that saw his tackle total increase from 76 in 2016 to 101 in 2017, which put him third in C-USA in total tackles.

-7-

“He’s very physical,” Blankenship said. “I think he’s more physical than last year even while coming off the two shoulder injuries.” Moffatt also recorded a key interception in the Blue Raiders’ Camellia Bowl victory over Arkansas State … all while nursing a torn labrum. With a talented newcomer who was willing to learn like Blankenship was, Moffatt turned out to be the type of leader that was effective in getting Blankenship well acquainted with the defense. According to defensive coordinator Scott Shafer, Moffatt’s dedication to being a great player inspires his teammates around him to become better, including young, moldable players such as Blankenship. “Moff is actually a quiet guy,” Shafer said. “He leads by example more than anything. I think Reed and the rest of the secondary tries to wemulate the type of work ethic that he puts in, especially in the offseason. He’s definitely the epitome of a silent leader and is just a great person.” The bond between Moffatt and Blankenship is based off of an element of respect, as Blankenship saw Moffatt as the leader that Shafer described him as. “Everybody wants that authority figure, coming into college,” Blankenship said. “I honestly thought he was a coach. He’s been my teacher ever since. I follow him and follow what

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2 he does, and I just like that.” So far, it seems as if the bond has benefited Blankenship’s performance on the field. Halfway through the season, Blankenship has already recorded 41 tackles, which puts him on pace to blow past last season’s total of 68. “This year, what I’ve noticed, is that he is a lot better tackler, especially in space,” Moffatt said. “He’s made some really good tackles where I thought I would have to cover up for him like I did last year … He’s made a couple of tackles where I was just like, ‘Wow.’ I tip my hat to him.”

“I can just look at (Blankenship) on the field, and we’ll know the call,” Moffatt said. As a duo, the pair of safeties have become a force on the defensive end of the football and are quickly establishing themselves as the most effective safety duo in C-USA this season. After their dynamic performance against Florida Atlantic, the two combined for a whopping 31 total tackles against Marshall in a pivotal conference road victory, and despite Moffatt’s ejection for targeting in a heartbreaking loss against Florida International, the two safeties led the team in tackles, with Blankenship leading the way at 11. According to the two safeties, it’s that bond between them that has made the difference in their on-field chemistry. “I can just look at (Blankenship) on the field, and we’ll know the call,” Moffatt explained. “We know where each other is going, and it’s just easier for us to communicate.” According to Shafer, the ability to communicate on the fly on the field is what makes these two an effective safety duo. “Anytime you have two safeties or two linebackers next to each other, they can just look at each other, and they already know what one guy is going to do for the other,” Shafer said. “When you play many games together, you can just look at each other and know what the check is. With the freshman, I have them using all of these hand signals (to communicate) and all this stuff, but with these guys, they’ve been there and done this so many times that it’s like second nature to them.” With the Moffatt and Blankenship combo turning into one of the conference’s best, the Blue Raiders might need to lean on the two safeties more to make plays and create turnovers since quarterback Brent Stockstill is sidelined due to injury. Additionally, the recent loss against Florida International has knocked them out of the number one spot in the C-USA East standings. However, Moffatt believes the tandem can help lead this team to their first appearance in the C-USA title game if they take care of business. “We just got to keep churning and keep doing what we’re supposed to do on and off the field and continue to be a better team moving forward,” Moffatt said.

join us!

Email editor@mtsusidelines.com to write for Sidelines.

-8-

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

VOTE

Continued from Page 1...

Students waks by a sign that reads, “Register to vote,” on Oct. 8, 2018, on MTSU’s campus. (Andrew Wigdor / MTSU Sidelines)

ccording to Rutherford County Election Commission Administrator Alan Farley, there were 37,534 registered voters in the 18 to 30 age group in the 2016 election. Of that group, only 13,388 of the 37,534 voted in the November election, or around 35 percent. The total amount of Rutherford County voters in the November 2016 election was 102,548, meaning that the 18 to 30 age group made up around 13 percent of total 2016 voters. Despite the low turnout from young individuals, Rutherford County residents aged 20 to 29 make up the largest age group in the area at 17 percent of the total population, according to 2017 U.S. Census Bureau data. Furthermore, less than half of the student population of MTSU did not vote in 2016. Out of 19,887 eligible MTSU students, only 8,858 voted in the 2016 election, according to the National Study of Learning, Voting and Education’s 2017 MTSU report. So, why aren’t young people voting? According to Mary Evins, an associate professor and coordinator of the MTSU American Democracy Project, an organization that strives to increase student involvement in democracy, the answer is a complicated one. “There are many factors,” Evins said. “One of them is I think people spend an awful lot of time just poking around on social media, and they get a lot of negative junk that they don’t know how to decipher where the sources are. They’re heeding and listening to a lot of the negativity that’s being spread … Students have a very negative ‘My vote doesn’t count’ world-view.” “After the Parkland shooting last spring, when all those high school students went out (and protested), I was hoping that our college-aged students would get motivated,” Evins added.

Jeffrey Hughes, an MTSU junior, is currently not registered to vote and carries a view similar to what Evins referenced. “I don’t think the votes matter for the people,” Hughes said. “When it comes to presidential elections, the majority vote doesn’t really count. It’s more of the electoral college. It’s more of a show. Even advertisements just seem like UFC fights or a boxing match, like a big show.” “I feel like our generation doesn’t really see the importance in voting because we’re kind of new on the scene,” said Jeremy Dobbs, an MTSU senior. “It’s something we just take for granted.”

“Students have a very negative ‘My vote doesn’t count’ world-view,” Mary Evins said.

“““‘

Evins said that, in many cases, the idea that an individual’s vote doesn’t matter stems from a lack of education. “I’d place much of that squarely on professors who don’t realize that a full component of what their purpose is is not only to teach for content and curriculum … but for citizenship,” Evins said. “Every single faculty member has to understand that their primary obligation is to educate our students so that when our kids leave this university, they are prepared to go into a participatory democracy and play their role.” According to research from The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, the more education a young person has, the more likely they are to vote.

-9-

Evins also mentioned that, putting aside a general feeling of apathy from student and young voters, there are a number of elements that disenfranchise young people who wish to participate. “Counties and county election commissions in which colleges and universities find themselves often wish to disrupt participation in their local election because they feel as though the students represent some rabid, alternative worldview that is going to disrupt Billy Bob who is going to run for sheriff,” Evins said. “It’s true in our county here in Rutherford, and it’s true in other places.” Tess Shelton, an MTSU senior, is currently writing her thesis on student voter turnout, and has found through her research that there are many systemic barriers for younger individuals. “It’s not uncommon that the local election commission is kind of hostile toward younger voters,” Shelton said. “They don’t want them to participate, so they kind of discourage it.” Shelton said that election commissions are reluctant to put polling places on campus, causing students without reliable transportation to walk far distances on a day that they still have classes. “A barrier at MTSU is that you have to walk pretty far to get to a polling place,” Shelton said. “If you are a person on campus and you don’t have a car, which is about 20 percent of the students who live on campus, you could be looking at like an hour’s worth of walking, round trip.” The closest polling locations to MTSU are over a mile away from certain residence halls on campus. “The state of Illinois recently passed (legislation) that requires every state college to have a polling place as a measure to improve student voter turnout,” Shelton said. A polling place is currently not housed on MTSU’s campus, despite many being provided at

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2 local elementary and middle schools. Shelton also mentioned that it’s problematic that one can use forms of identification such as a military ID but not a student ID when voting.

TAKE OUR QUIZ! DO YOU:

“It’s not uncommon that the local election commission is kind of hostile toward younger voters,” said Tess Shelton. “They don’t want them to participate, so they kind of discourage it.”

(Check All That Apply)

ENJOY A FAST-PACED WORK ENVIRONMENT?

In 2015, a federal judge upheld a Tennessee voter ID law in which students are prohibited from using their university ID when voting. In Tennessee, attempts have been made every year since 2011, when the state first passed the voter identification law that required the use of photo IDs at polling places but prohibited student IDs, to add student IDs to the approved forms of identification. Lawmakers who support the legislation cite the lack of uniformity when it comes to student IDs, but those in favor of the addition say the ID law is another way that the government blocks young people from participating. Another issue comes from some states requiring that students show proof of a permanent residence while registering. Reports of students being turned away due to their college address not being “permanent” have been popping up in recent years. NBC News reported that University of Maryland student Sarah Lilly was told in 2015 that students would face consequences if they tried to register in the county of their college rather than their home county. Students in Rutherford County do have the option to transfer their registration or request an absentee ballot if they live in some other part of Tennessee when not attending MTSU, but many are unaware of this. “They’re registered back at home, and they don’t understand that there’s specific dates when they have to vote,” Evins said.

LOVE GOOD FOOD & FUN? LIKE FLEXIBLE WORK HOURS? NEED A JOB? We’re Hiring and We Need Awesome People to Join Our Fast Growing Team! Apply Today!

APPLY IN PERSON AT ANY OF OUR RUTHERFORD COUNTY LOCATIONS

For Locations and More Info Visit

.com

Passion inspires Murfreesboro man to clean, conserve veteran’s headstones T

After generously spraying down the stone with the Orvus soap mixture, which is primarily used for horses and quiltmaking, Milstead begin scrubbing the bottom part of the stone to remove all the grim from the past 70 years at Evergreen Cemetery on October 15, 2018. (Mamie Lomax / MTSU Sidelines)

By Mamie Lomax

he sky was colored various shades of gray as the clouds hung low. The wind blew rather harshly, and the chilly air sent shivers down my spine; it was a trademark October day, and I couldn’t think of a better place to spend it than in a cemetery. I drove into Evergreen Cemetery in Murfreesboro as Jeff Milstead, 58, was walking down the paved, winding road throughout the seemingly thousands of headstones surrounding us. Milstead was walking rather briskly, stopping every now and again to take photos of headstones, mostly the final resting places of former soldiers, sailors and airmen. Once he spotted me, a cheeky grin lit up his face. He was wearing jeans and a Riverdale High School basketball shirt, where he volunteers as PA announcer and “general flunky,” as he explained. His white hair was standing out against his tan skin, and his Nikon D3000 hung around his neck. He waved, waiting for me to get out of the car before exclaiming, “You must be Mamie Lomax!” Milstead was meeting with me because we share the same passion: cleaning and conserving headstones. Milstead grew up in a cemetery, you could say. There was an old graveyard within spitting distance from his childhood home, and the cemetery behind his family’s church was a frequent “hang” for him, particularly throughout his teenage years. “I used to go over there, and that was my hang out,” Milstead said. “It was great, and you wanna know why? Because there was no one else around. Nobody.”

- 10 -

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

A shot of all the supplies Milstead uses to clean veterans headstones at Evergreen Cemetery on October 15, 2018.(Mamie Lomax / MTSU Sidelines)

Milstead explained that he spent most of his childhood in a funeral home, attending various funeral services of his parent’s friends and family members. He says that he was always eerily fascinated with funeral homes, which explains why he ended up working as a financial auditor for the Tennessee Funeral Board for four years. The board licenses and regulates funeral directors, embalmers and funeral establishments. He audited “Pre-Need” plans, which is where people pay for their loved one’s funeral up front. Milstead claims that he’s “seen it all” through the job. “My dad was 48 and my mom was 43 when I was born, so guess what happened?” Milstead asked. “Every ‘durn’ week somebody died. So guess where I went every week? Yep. The funeral home and then slowly to the cemetery.” It was seemingly meant to be for Milstead to gain interest in cleaning headstones, not only because of his constant exposure to funerals and cemeteries but because of his dedication, love and care for all sorts of veterans. Grave Undertakings (Monument Restoration and Cleaning) is Milstead’s project that has taken-off and was “formed to promote the preservation of history through the care and restoration of World War II casualties.” However, “since then, Milstead continues to restore and research the history of our fallen heroes,” according to the Grave Undertakings Facebook page. Milstead’s father and uncle served in WWII. His uncle, along with Cpl. Aubrey Hale, were buried in Margraten, Holland, before their bodies were brought back to the U.S. “I thought my uncle was buried overseas and then I found out that he was buried in Chattanooga,” Milstead said. “So I found the cemetery, and you

know, it’s a little bitty country cemetery, up on a hill, daylight couldn’t even get back in there. It was all dark, damp and dirty. His tombstone, you couldn’t even read it. It was so filthy, but … I stood there in front of it and was just in awe of him. I knew this was my calling.” The wind was chilly as we stood outside his car, taking all the supplies that we needed out of the trunk. We both had our arms full of supplies as he showed me over to Haley’s resting place. The air seemed heavy as we stood in front of his almost white, but sparingly mold-laden, headstone. Milstead was eager, as was I, and he handed me a sheet of newspaper articles he had printed out; they were all articles from the Daily News Journal written when Haley was wounded, when he passed away and when he was to be buried at Evergreen cemetery. Haley was the son of Lascassas parents, born on a cold December night, the 22nd, of 1924. Haley spent his high school career at Central High in Murfreesboro and entered into the service on March 12, 1942, going overseas in September of 1944. After Haley was wounded, he returned to the line, working as a member of the 743 Tank battalion unit of the Ninth Army. Haley was killed in action in the European Theatre of Operations on March 26, 1945, around a month after the Daily News Journal reported his wounding and only six months after he had gone overseas. “He was buried in a cemetery in Margraten, Holland, where my uncle was also buried,” Milstead said. “During the war, specifically during WWII, the soldiers were buried relatively close to where they died. They would establish a temporary cemetery. After the war, the U.S. said that if you wish to have your loved one brought home, we will do that. It cost

- 11 -

$650 or so dollars, so Haley’s family said to bring him home.” Haley was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in early July 1949, just over four years after he had been killed in action. “There is a very famous scene in the movie ‘Patton’ that shows one of Patton’s soldiers that was killed, and I’ve always remembered this, even being a very little boy when I first saw it, there was no wood for coffins,” Milstead said. Milstead held back his emotions as he spoke “The Quartermasters Corp was in charge of burying the soldiers … Mattress covers, zippable mattress covers is what our soldiers were placed in. If they didn’t have that, a parachute, a tarpaulin or the clothes they died in, and when they took the temporary cemetery up, they took everything and brought it home. So, I get emotional about this.” Just a few yards away from Haley, the Prater brothers, who were both veterans as well, were buried. Milstead took a second, before we began cleaning Haley’s headstone, to show me where the Prater brothers were buried and how they got there. Stanley Prater’s stone was one that Milstead had already spent time cleaning and taking care of. The headstone of his brother, Leonard, wasn’t even recognizable as the white, marble stone that represents a veteran soldier; Milstead had yet to clean the second Prater brother’s final resting place. looked at Milstead, amazed in what I saw and how much of a difference his work really makes. “Look at the dates, May 4, 1950, and December 27, 1951,” Milstead said. “That’s after the war. Leonard died of illness in 1951. He got sick and died, but there is a third Prater brother. I don’t know where he is, but following a night of drunken revelry, the third Prater brother murdered Stanley. No crap! All three brothers were in WWII and they all, obviously, survived. He said in the paper, after the murder, that, ‘Yeah, we was out drunk, and I woke up and hell, he was dead!’ They were so drunk, and the third brother took a beer bottle and killed him. After you survive five years of war, you come home and get killed by your brother.” Milstead took me back over to Haley’s final resting place, taking tools out of a recycled cat-litter box, which he thought I would make fun of him for but was perfectly useful. “Here is what we’re gonna do first: ordinary

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

Milstead tells the story of Robert Howard Thomas, who died on Sept. 27, 1944, in WWII. Milstead explains that he doesn’t know who put the flowers on the stone, but he’s happy that someone cares enough about Thomas to adorn his stone with them. (Mamie Lomax / MTSU Sidelines)

bristle brush, never ever ever use metal,” Milstead said. He began moderately scrubbing the marble stone. “See the stuff coming off?” he asked. “This is 70 years worth of mold, lithine, air pollution, just crap.” In order to properly clean a headstone, Milstead explained all the proper tools needed: a soft bristle brush, a small bristle brush, wooden cuticle sticks, plastic paint scrapers, Orvus soap, one gallon sprayer or bucket, lots of water and the “magic” D/2 Biological Solution. Milstead stopped, getting up and taking his phone from his pocket. “You might think I’m cracked, but I don’t care if ya do, okay?” Mistead said. “We gotta have tunes.” I grinned. “This is the soundtrack to ‘Saving Private Ryan,’” Milstead said. “I either do this or ‘Pearl Harbor.’” Milstead explained that it’s best to work from the bottom of the stone to the top, so the cleaning doesn’t streak the stone. After mixing the Orvus soap, one tablespoon to one gallon of water, it’s important to cover the entire stone generously, soaking any biological growth. It’s important to wait for the soap and water to soak into the stone, which then leads to using the paint scraper to get rid of any biological growth that you can. The small brush and wooden sticks come in handy for cleaning out letters, numbers and any sort of decoration on the stone. “Coat the bottom third to half of the stone with the Orvus soap solution, using a circular motion to scrub the stone from the bottom up,” Milstead said. “I usually work in an eight to 10 inch area across the stone and using a circular motion will help prevent streaking of the stone. Do this for the entirety of the stone, making sure to keep the surface wet. I always clean the stone twice, just so I make sure to get everything that I can. Rinse the stone a final time, and now, it’s time for the real magic. Take your bottle of D/2, which is a biodegradable, quaternary ammonium solution, and liberally coat the stone. The D/2 will get rid of anything that you weren’t able to get off the stone.” Milstead explains that after spraying, you will be able to see a difference in the lightness of the stone within a couple of days. It takes up to six to eight weeks and sometimes longer for the full effect of the biological solution. After around eight weeks or so, Milstead says that you can re-apply the D/2 to take

care of any problem areas that might arise. Milstead and I spent around an hour cleaning Haley’s stone together. Our knees were muddy, and a sting of pain shot through my arm as I continued to scrub. “This is definitely where I build up my arms,” Milstead said. He laughed as I told him about my arm, which is still sore, by the way. We stood in front of his clean stone, shining white against the damp surroundings. Milstead sighed, saying, “I’d like to think that Cpl. Haley is sitting somewhere right now, thinking, ‘Well, I’ll be dad-blame. After all these years, someone has come to see me.’ He knows.” After we gathered the supplies and put them back into the trunk, Milstead asked if I’d like to see the other stones he has cleaned in Evergreen. We chatted consistently as we walked through Evergreen’s hauntingly beautiful landscape. He took me through various stones, stopping occasionally to tell a funny story or tell me more about the soldier’s stones that he has cleaned. We came up to a darkened area, shaded by a massive pine tree; a white marble cross stood proudly, glistening occasionally when the wind blew and shifted the patterns splattered across with orange streetlight. Milstead was beaming; it was evident this was his passion, and it was a beautiful thing to witness. He gripped unto the stone. “This is Lt. Robert Brown, and he was one of the very first stones I ever cleaned,” Milstead said. Brown was killed in action during WWI in the Argonne Forest in France on Oct. 4, 1918; he was only 21 years old. As darkness descended upon us, Milstead brought me to two headstones toward the back of the cemetery. Two white, marble stones seemingly stuck

out against the darkness as we approached them. Milstead dropped to his knees in front of them, David M. Holden and John E. Hand. Milstead cleaned their stones for the first time this summer, researching them and their history but not coming up with much. “There are some family members of Holden somewhere,” Milstead said. “Hand, I’ve tried to find his son, couldn’t find him. I couldn’t find anyone that knew them.” Milstead, still on his knees, begin to tear up, unable to hold his emotions back anymore. “So now, these are my boys, too,” he said. His tears showed me that this just isn’t a hobby. This work has meaning for him and the men who died for our country. “When I was doing Holden’s stone, it was July, and it was 9 in the morning, hotter than blue blazes out here,” Milstead said. “I’m dying in the heat. I was on my knees scrubbing, and I had one arm wrapped around the stone and the other scrubbing. This lady then see me and asks me if I’m hugging the stone, for she couldn’t see what I was doing, but I said no. I’m hugging the man. But, the man, and that’s why I do this. There is nothing in it for me, I don’t want anything. I just want them to be remembered. They’re taken care of now. I don’t want anything but for someone to pass by and say, ‘Those are soldiers,’ and that’s all.” Milstead and I walked side-by-side through the darkening cemetery, back to our cars. The orange street lights cast patterns across the winding road, dancing off the shiny tops of the granite stones that surrounded us. I told Milstead that he had taught me more than how to clean a headstone. He had shown me inextinguishable passion and had taught me that every stone in the cemetery had a story, waiting to be uncovered.

Milsted falls to his knees and is overcome with emotion once we come to Holden and Hand’s headstones in Evergreen Cemetery on Oct. 15, 2018. (Mamie Lomax / MTSU Sidelines)

- 12 -

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

Worship With Us Sundays at 2:30pm 330 Walla Ct. Murfreesboro TN 37128

www.threshing.org Our Mission

Birthing gifts. Developing disciples. Advancing the kingdom of God.

Pastor Razel & Lady Camille Jones

- 13 -

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

- 14 -

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

- 15 -

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

Blue Raider golfer Hanley Long hopes to set example for women in sports By David Chamberlain

Senior Hanley Long has three top five finishes in the fall season and will look to carry her success into the spring of 2019. (Courtesy of MT Athletics)

omen’s sports are often overlooked and undervalued. Even the two words, "women's sports," are often twisted to fit a narrative that sports played by men are better than women's. Middle Tennessee State's Hanley Long has something to say about that. She lets her golf swing do the talking. Long, a senior at MTSU, is a women’s golfer for the Blue Raiders and is one of the top players, not only in the state of Tennessee but in the nation. Long has built her reputation from the ground up. A local girl from Rossview High School in Clarksville, Tennessee, was turned away by major Division I schools from Power 5 conferences. However, that did not stop her from pursuing collegiate athletics and finding her home at MTSU. “At the time, MTSU was ranked top 50 in the nation (for golf),” Long said. “I knew I was coming into a competitive program.” Long tried the other stereotypical sports for women such as softball and basketball but found her own distinct lane in golf. Long’s family members are avid golfers and her father had she and her brother on the golf course at five years old. Long has learned and progressed as a golfer tremendously since her first tee off as a freshman. Now in her senior season, Long has caught fire on the course. In her first five tournaments of the fall

season, Long has four top-10 finishes, with three of those coming in the top five. With all the recognition that Long is receiving, one would think that coming out of high school, she’d have an array of options to choose from. Long was a state champion in her final year at Rossview, and she helped cap off a perfect season with a 48-0 record. However, with all of her accolades, Power 5 schools still rejected Long. “It gives me a lot of motivation,” Long said. “Growing up, I was a huge (Tennessee Volunteers) fan. I emailed the head coach at UT and got a reply four months later from their assistant coach, saying, ‘Sorry, we’re not interested.’” Long viewed the Volunteers and other Power 5 schools’ loss as the Blue Raiders gain. Long attributes her commitment to MTSU as one of her biggest motivators. “When I tee up, I’m literally playing for that logo that I love and the school that I love,” Long said. “I think everybody else at these huge schools are so caught up in the name, the logo or the conference. If I were UT, I’d be a little upset if Middle Tennessee came down the road and beat them.” Long is confident in herself and her teammates, as she should be. The Blue Raiders traveled to Knoxville to compete in the Intercollegiate Mercedes-Benz

- 16 -

Championship earlier in the fall season, where Long led the field at the top of individual leaderboards. Not only did Long have a spectacular performance, but the entire Blue Raider squad did well. “Having myself, Catherine and Caroline (Caudill) all playing well (at UT), it’s kind of like a slap in the face,” Long said. “Because, you know the athletic director at Tennessee has to be like, ‘You have Tennessee girls at MTSU that are playing and beating you collectively. What is going on?’” Long is aware of the labels that are placed upon lesser-known universities such as MTSU. She isn’t too concerned, however, because it takes the pressure off of her and her teammates. It allows her to play freely and confidently regardless of the outcome on the course. “(With) how people view the MT logo, I don’t have the pressure of being at a huge conference school, and we’re known as a mid-major,” Long said. “... I want to show these huge conference schools that just because you’re part of a bigger conference doesn’t mean anything. I feel like we’ve had a lot of success in recent years where college coaches from bigger conferences respect us.” Long’s season averages have improved by her scores dropping, because in golf, the lower the score, the better. Not only has Long been succeeding on the

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2 course, but in the classroom as well. She has maintained her 4.0 GPA throughout her time at MTSU and was named a WGCA All-American Scholar and C-USA Academic Medal Winner for the third consecutive season in the spring of 2018. Long’s elevated performance in the latest spring season was recognized, as she was named C-USA’s most improved golfer in the conference and earned All C-USA First Team honors. “I think I set a very good example because I strive to excel not only in the classroom but on the golf course as well,” Long said. Long is setting the example not only for the Blue Raiders but for all women in sports. Women sports have made significant strides since Title IX was enacted into law, but there is still substantial room for improvement and gender equality in sports. Long’s brother also competed at the collegiate level for soccer. She attributes her and her brother playing sports at the collegiate level as a testament to her parents, Joey and Lisa, and an ever-changing society that fights for gender equality. “I think it stems from your parents wanting the same opportunities whether they have a son or daughter,” Long said. “My parents wanted equal opportunities for my brother and I. We both played the exact same sports.”

“It’s just a matter of the younger generation seeing women succeeding in sport and breaking those gender barriers in order for it to follow in the decades to come” - Long Despite society changing, Long is aware there is much room for improvement. She believes that progress will come, not only from her generation but future generations as well. “It’s just a matter of the younger generation seeing women succeeding in sport and breaking those gender barriers in order for it to follow in the decades to come,” Long said. However, she still knows that change must rest on the individuals themselves. “A person has to be willing to open their perspective and outlook and embrace differences within sports,” Long said. Long hopes that the younger generation of women in sports earns the respect they deserve. She doesn’t want any girls thinking about going into sports to be turned away by the stereotypes that women’s sports have faced for decades. She hopes that other young women exhibit the same determination and resiliency that she had when she was pursuing college athletics. “If you know that’s exactly what you want to do, then keep working at it,” Long said. “There will definitely be people telling you that you aren’t good enough. I probably had more emails saying, ‘Until you play in the American Junior Golf Association, don’t email me back.’” For Long, there are three keys to success for women in sports. She knows them all too well because she defied those “larger” universities and succeeded at MTSU. “Hard work, work ethic and your attitude are the three things people can’t control,” Long said. “No one can ever take those away from you.” Long hopes to continue her success thus far in her senior season. The fall season is all wrapped up, but Blue Raiders will return in the spring. Long will cap off her illustrious career at MTSU.

- 17 -

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

Independent: One student’s story of resilience through great adversity By Caleb Revill

Hunter Garstin takes in the scenery after receiving stem cell treatment for his paralysis in Lucerne, Switzerland, on July 14, 2015. (Courtesy of Prayers for Hunter Garstin / Facebook)

t was his freshman year at Independence High School. Junior varsity wrestler Hunter Garstin was traveling to Huntsville, Alabama, for his first out-of-state high school wrestling competition. His mom was planning a Christmas party back at home in Franklin, Tennessee, at the time. Dad would be coming to watch the tournament on Saturday. Little did Garstin know he was heading to the last wrestling match of his life Garstin wrestled for placements throughout the day that Friday in Huntsville. After placements, he realized that he was going to wrestle the next day in the real tournament, which he hadn’t expected to be participating in. Nevertheless, he was excited for the opportunity. The wrestling match began on Saturday. For Garstin, 20 seconds was all it took. “I just went out there (to wrestle), and 20 seconds later I took a shot on the guy’s leg and he sprawled back on top of me so his chest was over my back,” Garstin said. “I went to go take a step back, I ended up tripping and falling and he came down on my head.” Garstin immediately experienced hyperflexion in his neck, causing damage to his vertebrae at his C6 and C7 spinal segments. He was paralyzed from the chest down. “I couldn’t move my fingers,” Garstin said. “I

couldn’t raise my right arm above my head without (it) falling on my face. I could move my left arm ... but my right arm was so weak that everytime I lifted it over my head, it would fall on my face.” Garstin would miss four months of school. Despite this, he was still able to finish his freshman school year alongside his classmates and friends. Recovery would take time. “Sophomore year and junior year, I mostly spent my time in Atlanta going to a therapy place called Project Walk,” Garston said. “Sometimes (I would spend) two weeks at school and three weeks at Project Walk ... They were really good about letting me go and taking my schoolwork with me.” Garstin had difficulty keeping up with old friends after returning to high school. “I had a fairly good amount of friends,” Garstin said. “I would say most of them had kind of drifted away ... Part of it was because I was traveling so much, and I just couldn’t keep up with all the stupid high school gossip that went around at the time because I had much bigger things to worry about.” When he went back to school, Garstin explained that many friend groups and social cliques had already formed at his high school. “It was definitely hard,” Garstin said. “(During) football games, my friends would come down and talk to me, but then they would later ask me if it was

- 18 -

okay if they went up in the stands. Because I couldn’t do that at that time, I kind of felt left out. I felt like a lot of people were reluctant to invite me out places because they wouldn’t know what it would entail.”

Hunter Garstin snaps a photo next next to Adam Sandler’s hand and footprints at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.,on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018. (Courtesy of Prayers for Hunter Garstin / Facebook)

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2 “It was a miracle,” Garstin said with a chuckle. “I wanted to graduate in my class, because I didn’t want to see them all go off and (myself) be left behind.” Today, Garstin attends MTSU as a sophomore majoring in psychology. He currently plans on becoming a therapist after college. “I think I would be a really good therapist,” Garstin said.

“It was definitely hard” Garstin said.

“““‘

Hunter Garstin operates his car using a set of handsonly control levers at Vanderbilt University’s Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015. (Courtesy of Prayers for Hunter Garstin / Facebook)

This changed when Garstin bought a car his senior year from a woman whose husband had Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The vehicle was operated using hands-only controls and levers on the steering wheel. With more freedom and independence than ever before, Garstin opened up more to people. “I decided, ‘You know what, I’m going to go out and talk to people, just be me, express myself and put myself out there. Because up until this point, moping around has got me nowhere,’” Garstin said. “I remember going out to that lunch table that day and saying, ‘Can I sit here?’ and those group of guys ended up being my friends to this day.” Vanderbilt University’s Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute worked with Garstin to teach him how to drive the car using the hands-only controls. He likened the training to any “normal driving tests.” Garstin’s paralysis inhibits his mobility above all else. He can move his left arm freely but is unable to walk without the aid of leg braces and help from physical therapists. This didn’t stop him from achieving success in high school. Garstin was able to graduate high school on time as a culmination of his hard work.

He said that he believes he can handle the stress of being a therapist while also being able to relate to people going through struggles. Taking psychology classes at MTSU has been enjoyable for him. “I pretty much feel like that was my calling to psychology, and I ended up liking it,” Garstin said. Despite having an electric wheelchair to get around campus, Garstin has little trouble attending classes. He said that his professors have been great about providing accommodations when needed. Over fall break, Garstin received the Swim with Mike scholarship for disabled athletes. Every year, people swim in a “swim-a-thon” fundraiser to raise money for physically challenged athletes. “Swim with Mike has raised millions of dollars and supported hundreds of athletes around the country,” according to the scholarship’s web page: swimwithmike.org. Garstin and his family members flew out to California to receive the scholarship. “We explored around Hollywood, but I went back to their back-to-school brunch and met all the board of directors, all the recipients, talked to them and had a good time,” Garstin said. Garstin currently has a community Facebook page named “Prayers for Hunter Garstin” dedicated to his progress in therapy and recovering. The page has over 18,000 likes, and Garstin has seen himself

MTSU Sidelines

@mtsusidelines

@MTSUSidelines

- 19 -

become more and more of a public figure in a community of supporters. “There are some parts of me that kind of feel like I just kind of want to move on from all this publicity,” Garstin said. “But in another way, it’s these kinds of stories that really help people and really help spread positivity in the face of tragedy. I feel that every person I tell my story to and where I am now, it really uplifts them and helps them ... If it helps other people, then I’m totally for it.” For the future, Garstin wants to graduate with some form of psychology degree, get a master’s degree in psychology, decide on if he wants to get a Ph.D. and open up his own office to practice therapy and help others.

Hunter Garstin undergoes physical therapy in Pinellas Park, Florida, on Wednesday, April 13, 2016. (Courtesy of Prayers for Hunter Garstin / Facebook)

find us on social media!

10.26.18 | Vol.94 No.2

- 20 -