10.03.19 | Vol.96 | No.1
The Art of Defiant Optimism : using creativity to find hope again By Brandon Black
Inside Marsha Blackburn’s new bill to DNA test immigrants Page 4
Century 21: the unlikely epicenter of Murfreesboro’s music scene Page 12
Photo by Jack Millard
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ix years ago, actor and artist Jack Millard tragically lost his wife of 17 ½ years to a car accident while she was in the middle of a losing battle with stage-four breast cancer. This is the kind of life event that can make or break a person, so Jack chose to utilize his grief and take the road-less traveled. He did this by building boats. Not full sized, operational boats that can be taken out for the day at your average marina. Small boats that can fit in the palm of your hand, with each one representing Millard’s continued grief following the death of his life partner. “It was three years to the day after my wife was killed by a drunk driver,” he said. “I left a boat to represent every day for the last three years that she was gone, and I went up the California coast, leaving them for people to find.” Millard’s primary occupation is as an actor, and he’s had bit parts in big movies such as “The Big Short“ and 2009’s Star Trek.” He thinks of himself as an artist in more ways than just performance though, as is evidenced by his current passion project. He calls them his “Little Boats of Hope,” and places as many as he can in places where he feels the people who need them will find them. “I found myself at a crossroads of what to do emotionally about dealing with grief and I realized my way out of grief was to create, and to create something that was of hope. I was feeling rather hopeless myself, and I’m a believer of, in a biblical sense, ‘As ye sow, so shall ye reap.’ If you want hope you need to give hope.” So that’s precisely what he did.
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MTSU HOCKEY: The unknown MTSU gem taking on the world Page 14
MTSU Sidelines
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A new kind of wall:Inside Marsha Blackburn’s new bill to DNA test immigrants
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content
History repeating: A continuing look into the history of MTSU’s fascination with Gen. Forrest The Art of Defiant Optimism: Using creativity to find hope again (Cont)
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Counter-Culture King: How Century 21 managed to endure the changing times and become the unlikely epicenter of Murfreesboro’s music scene MTSU Hockey Team: The unknown MTSU gem taking on the world
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Opinion: California’s “Fair Pay to Play Act” needs to be adopted by Tennessee
letter from the Editor
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Opinion: We’re letting opiate producers go free while ignoring the real solution MTSU students discuss impacts of acne and rise of acne positivity
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Hello again MTSU! My name is Angele Latham, and I am the new Editor-in-Chief of MTSU Sidelines! I am honored to serve you all with the hard-hitting, the inspiring, and the quirky news that Murfreesboro always has to offer. The Fall 2019 semester has been off to a wild start, and in this Sidelines issue, you will find some unique stories that the Sidelines team has sought out. Stories like DNA testing immigrants at the border, a man’s fight to bring hope to the world, a scathing look into Purdue Pharma and more are within these carefully-crafted pages. From all of us at Sidelines, thank you for reading, and we look forward to another year with you all! Angele Latham
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mtsusidelines.com
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Editor-in-Chief
Angele Latham
meet the crew
News Editor
Savannah Meade Assistant News Editor
Toriana Williams Lifestyles Editor
Brandon Black Assitant Lifestyles Editor
Makayla Boling Sports Editor
Elijah Campbell Assitant Sports Editor
Nathan Vaughan
MTSU Sidelines
Multimedia Editor
Caryn Tramel design editor
@mtsusidelines
Hien Phan FACULTY ADVISER
Leon Alligood
@MTSUSidelines
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10.03.19 | Vol.96 | No.1
A new kind of wall: Inside Marsha Blackburn’s new bill to DNA test immigrants By Angele Latham
Illustration by Hien Phan
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s the upcoming presidential election gains speed, tensions are steadily ramping upwards regarding issues of immigration at the southern border. While some people are crying for a response to the humanitarian crisis that grows daily, others are demanding tighter regulations and a stronger border wall. The line between law and mercy has never seemed so stark. On the forefront of this debate are U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R) of Tennessee and Joni Ernst (R) of Iowa, who are proposing a law that adds a new dimension to the immigration debate. The senators have introduced the End Child Trafficking Now Act, which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require DNA testing of immigrants to verify the relationship between adult migrants and the children accompanying them. The senators believe it will help prevent child trafficking at the border. “It is horrifying that children are becoming victims of trafficking at our southern border,” Blackburn said in a statement promoting the bill. “By confirming a familial connection between an alien and an accompanying minor, we can determine whether the child was brought across the border by an adult with nefarious intentions.” But the bill has been criticized as a way to get around requirements of a 1997 federal court settlement that prevents immigration authorities from holding accompanied and unaccompanied children seeking asylum for more than 20 days. Opponents of this ruling, known as the Flores settlement, say it creates a loophole for immigrants to be processed more quickly, without proper vetting. The Trump administration has recently announced that is seeking to put an end to this ruling. Ernst stated that she heard “directly from
border agents” that children were being used as a “passport,” according to Blackburn’s official statement. “These children are being used as a ‘passport’ to get across our border, and this needs to stop,” she said. “One way to address this problem is by having DNA testing in place so we can ensure that an unaccompanied minor is actually connected with the person claiming to be their family, and not being used as an innocent pawn to skirt our immigration laws.” But the implications of this bill are controversial for many. While most Americans can easily agree on ramping up efforts against trafficking, the methods of the bill remain problematic. What are the implications of DNA testing immigrants? Where are the DNA samples going after evaluation? Is this even legal? These concerns-- although never more important--are hardly new, according to MTSU Cultural Geography Professor James Chaney, who believes that the bill is being purposely misrepresented. “Ever since the early 1800s, there’s been a way to criminalize immigrants,” he said. “You can do DNA tests for criminals in the United States but doing it to immigrants is immediately putting those that are coming across the border into that category.” Chaney, who specializes in migration in Latin America, is well acquainted with the negative rhetoric that surrounds immigrants, particularly at the southern border. He explains that neither this pattern of migration, nor the political upheaval pointed towards immigrants, is new. “The words that (Blackburn) uses- that parents are ‘renting out’ their children… that’s once again taking immigrants, whether it’s the Italians, Chinese, the Irish, whomever, and saying ‘Look at what these people with low morals are doing, -4-
and what are they going to do to this country. We just can’t have that here’… At the end of the day, what the dog whistle is to the people in her constituency is, ‘Oh, those are criminals. Those are people of low morals.’ ” Blackburn’s bill is actually the second of its kind: a companion bill was recently introduced in the House by Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas with very similar components. Both bills require deportation for any immigrant who refuses a DNA test, and establishes a maximum 10-year prison sentence for anyone fraudulently claiming ties to a minor. If a child is found to be traveling without their biological parent, they are often separated and then referred to the Department of Health and Human Services to be classified as an “unaccompanied” migrant child. The bill also criminalizes “child recycling,” a term coined to describe when a child is repeatedly used to gain entry into the U.S. “Unfortunately we see that all too often now ... adults that are bringing children with them that are not their own to try and take advantage of what they perceive as a loophole in our law that would allow them to be released into the United States,” Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan told the House Oversight Committee when asked about the problem of immigrants falsifying family units when applying for asylum. “ICE now has three significant cases in multiple cities around the country where they’ve identified a small group of children, maybe fiveto-eight children, being used by dozens of adults to cross our border seeking release into the United States.” Gooden’s legislation, and consequently, Blackburn and Ernst’s, stems from a recent ICE pilot program. Operation Double Helix 1.0, which began earlier this year, took voluntary
mtsusidelines.com DNA tests from families that ICE suspected of being fraudulent. The tests were administered through cheek swabs, and took about 90 minutes to complete. According to the acting director of the office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli, almost a third of suspicious cases were found to be fraudulent. “You’ve undoubtedly heard about the pilot programs with the Border Patrol where they’re doing DNA testing,” said Cuccinelli at the Texas Public Policy Foundation on August 22, citing data from prior to the first DNA pilot program. “They’re identifying fake families. In the areas where those are being implemented, it’s something like 30 percent are fake families.” That number, however, cannot seem to be substantiated. During the three-day pilot operation of Operation Double Helix 1.0 on May 8 to 10, DNA testing revealed there was indeed a portion of families that were falsifying familial relations. Out of 84 tested, 16 groups were identified as fraudulent. However, that number is only 19 percent, according to ICE’s own news release on August 18. This same news release announced the extension of the pilot program for another 120 days- into what we now know as Operation Double Helix 2.0. McAleenan announced that during this second operation, 79 of 522 family units were identified as fraudulent. That is only 15 percent- still not the 30 percent continuously referenced as the motivation for these bills.
McAleenan sticks by this number however, saying this “egregious example…demonstrates the necessity of the new rule.” He even gave an example of one especially memorable case of child trafficking that was stopped by the simple threat of a DNA test. “We’ve had egregious cases, including a 51-year-old man who bought a six month-old child for $80 in Guatemala and admitted that when confronted with a DNA test by a Homeland Security Investigations agent conducting a pilot at one of our border stations,” he stated. Supporters of these bills reference a statute — the DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005 — that allows federal agencies to collect DNA from people in their custody, like immigrants. But previous Department of Justice regulations exempted certain agencies, specifically those under the Department of Homeland Security (like ICE) from performing such collections in certain circumstances. In 2010, the exemption was narrowed even further, stating that people who were not detained on criminal charges and those who were awaiting deportation proceedings could not have their DNA tested. The current proposals would scrap that exception all together — opening DNA testing to people who are awaiting deportation, and those who have not been charged with any crime. The Trump administration believes that the exemption is no longer needed, and that DNA collection would help border officials in innumerable ways. The DNA is then proposed to be placed
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in a nationwide database to cross-reference for other crimes. The draft regulation estimates that if such a policy were to change, CBP officials could spend more than 20,000 more work hours in its first year of implementation, 40,000 in the second, and 60,000 in the third year. Thousands of immigrants could have their DNA collected each year. “What I think Blackburn is doing-- and this is as a Tennessean, not just an academic—she (is doing) something to get attention for herself that seems kind of drastic,” Chaney said. “She’s trying to shroud this in this very moral approach to try to save these children, but really what she wants to do is try to find a way to cut down on undocumented immigration into the United States. And she won’t say what the real reason is for it, because that won’t sell--it’s too controversial… But I think at the end of the day it’s just one more example of anti-immigrant sentiment.” Chaney also worries that this pattern will unfortunately be one that America will continue to struggle with. “You’ll always have politicians looking at the new wave of people coming in and saying ‘Are we sure we really want them in? These people, what about their morals? They’re trying to break the law.’ And so in this case, it’s the same story, just being packaged differently.”
10.03.19 | Vol.96 | No.1
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mtsusidelines.com
History repeating:
A continuing look into the history of MTSU’s fascination with Gen. Forrest By Savannah Meade
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n a previous edition of Sidelines, former student Sylvester Brooks wrote about his point of view as an African American student faced with Nathan Blackburn Forrest and other confederate symbols during everyday campus life. “Confederate symbols must no longer insult our pride and dignity as free men... as Black Americans... We must re-evaluate our traditions to determine just how applicable they are in our modern and mass society,” Brooks wrote. Brooks’ article was published back in October 1968. If these sentiments were held by MTSU students in the 60s, then why was Forrest Hall’s name change rejected in 2018? Why are there confederate flags flown in numerous places around the state? Why is Nathan Bedford Forrest Day signed annually as one of Tennesee’s recognized holidays? Really, what is MTSU’s fascination with Forrest? Perhaps it’s the historical significance that keeps these symbols in the public eye. Or perhaps an attempt to keep a hold of southern pride. Or maybe the statues and holidays are just too expensive to get rid of. Sometimes, it’s just the law: the Tennesee Heritage Protection Act was put in place in 2013 and prohibited the “removal, relocation, or renaming of a memorial that is, or is located on, public property” in an effort to protect and preserve the state’s history. History like the legacy of Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest was a civil war lieutenant general who is most well-known for his military tactics - which were described as “genius” at the Forrest Hall dedication in 1958 - and for being the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The controversy over Forrest’s relationship with MTSU really started from the moment the hall was officially dedicated. Even before then, a bronze plaque of Forrest hung on the side of the Keathley University Center, the shadow of which can still be seen today. One student in 1978 wrote for Sidelines that the school should’ve honored Forrest sooner. “A question has been raised as to whether Nathan Bedford Forrest should be honored in the university center. The questions, however, should be why the honor has been so long in coming.” Looking forward to 2015, the Forrest Hall Task Force was formed. The now disbanded task force comprised of MTSU students, faculty, alumni and other concerned parties. Their job
MTSU president Dr. Sidney McPhee joins students, faculty and alumni at rally against the name of Forrest Hall to announce a committee designed to determine the fate of the ROTC building’s name back in 2017. (Photo by Sarah Grace Taylor/Sidelines)
was to research the historical context around the dedication of Forrest Hall along with the public’s current opinions of the building’s name. Then make a suggestion of what to do with the controversial name. Dr. Mark Boyle, a history professor specializing in British and Irish history and former faculty representative for the task force, said there were three options. “The options were to keep the name, change the name or to keep the name and add a plaque with the historical context,” Doyle said. The task force, after three meetings and public hearings, recommended to President Sidney McPhee that the name be changed. The president then submitted the petition to change the name. To be allowed to change the name of the building, MTSU would have to obtain a waiver from the Tennesseee Historical Commission or else it would violate the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act. Eventually, in March of 2018, the Tennessee Historical Commission denied the waiver for the change. The final order from the commission does acknowledge the task force’s findings, such as, the belief that renaming Forrest Hall would promote a welcoming atmosphere and remove the controversial name. However, it wasn’t enough to indicate the need to change the name. “The petitioners failed to demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, that a material or substantial need for a waiver based on historical -7-
or other compelling public interest exists to change the name of Forrest Hall to the ROTC Building,” the order said. In June, it was announced that MTSU would not appeal the decision and Forrest Hall would stay. “Despite the fact that the name Forrest Hall will remain, our efforts to ensure that MTSU remains an inclusive place where all students and staff feel welcome will continue unabated,” an email from McPhee announcing the decision said. This is not the only Forrest controversy in the area. Back in July, Gov. Bill Lee followed an old Tennessee law that makes Nathan Bedford Forrest Day an annually recognized holiday in the state, among other holidays. The obscure state law, from 1971, states that the governor must issue annual proclamations for six state holidays, including January 19 as “Robert E. Lee Day,” February 12 as “Abraham Lincoln Day,” March 15 as “Andrew Jackson Day,” June 3 as “Memorial or Confederate Decoration Day,” July 13 as “Nathan Bedford Forrest Day” and November 11 as “Veterans’ Day.” The memo declaring Forrest’s Day, identical to the one published last year by Gov. Bill Haslam, describes Forrest as a “recognized military figure in American history and a native Tennesseean” and encourages citizens to “join
10.03.19 | Vol.96 | No.1 (Bill Lee) in this worthy observance,” “I signed the bill because the law requires that I do that and I haven’t looked at changing that law,” Lee told the Tennessean in an interview following the controversial announcement. Previous attempts to change the law by have been repeatedly shot down. “This is a reminder of the painful and hurtful crimes that were committed against black people,” Rep. Vincent Dixie of Nashville stated in an interview with News Channel 5. “Now you’re signing a proclamation honoring the same people that look like me, African Americans in slavery.” Another recent protest of the Forrest influence on campus was sparked by the church shooting of Charleston, S. C. in 2015 that ended with nine African Americans dead. “The shooter draped himself in a confederate flag... (his) association with the confederate flag, I think that galvanized activism on MTSU’s campus,” Doyle said. While a majority of the Forrest Hall Task Force was for changing the name of the building, there was a “significant minority” that recommended keeping the name, and keeping other confederate
symbols, has remains unchanged for generations. “(They) will say it’s a celebration of their heritage... it’s an anti-establishment symbol... (it says) “we don’t get pushed around,”” Doyle said. In a letter to the editor of Sidelines in 1978, Gary Cantrall details the life and military career of Forrest. Cantrall describes Forrest as someone admirable and claims that Forrest was never involved in the KKK. Ironically, in that same issue of Sidelines, an unidentified Klan member spoke to Sidelines defending the Forrest plaque in the KUC, calling Forrest a “great Confederate soldier,” and stating that “he could think of no person other than Forrest who should be honored by such a plaque.” “Forrest was a great man. We could not honor him - his presence will honor us,” Cantrall wrote, ending his 1978 letter. Another common argument for supporters of Forrest is the idea of erasing history. The idea that removing confederate monuments, or changing the name of a building, would be getting rid of a part of American history, is perhaps the most heated aspect of the debate. Doyle, however, disagrees that it’s “erasing” anything.
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“I don’t think that’s an accurate description, Forrest himself is not being written out of history,” Doyle explained. Doyle also said that many history professionals think that the best alternative is to preserve statues and other confederate symbols in a museum to keep the history, but remove them from the position of being idolized. For now, Forrest Hall’s name will remain-but so will the controversy. And because of the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act, the same can be said for many confederate and historical monuments around the state. Doyle said that people shouldn’t stop questioning the symbols and thinking about their meaning. “The university was trying to look and see if the person being honored still matched (the university’s) values... I think communities and institutions are perfectly right to reevaluate (these monuments),” Doyle said, echoing Brooks’ sentiment in 1968. Based on the continuous coverage Sidelines has provided for this controversy over 50 years, students, communities and institutions are doing just that.
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10.03.19 | Vol.96 | No.1
Continued from Page 1...
THe Art of Defiant Optimism: Using creativity to find hope again By Brandon Black
“It was one of these random things where I found these particular [kurrajong] tree pods,” said Millard. “These pods grow in clusters, and they grow in California and Arizona, they grow in very dry climates, and they looked like little fairy boats to me.” Using those pods as the base, Millard connects a feather to each boat to craft a sail. The physical process of putting the boats together in the first place isn’t a short one, but he says that’s part of what allows them to be so unique. For one thing, it takes hours to finish a single boat, which puts the 2,000 boats he sent out on the coast of California into perspective. But what Jack believes makes these boats truly special are the messages of hope each one holds. The contents of each boat are simple yet poignant, such as “Don’t give up hope” and “You are loved.” “Metaphorically or not, there are a lot of people out there who are just kind of lost. They’re looking for a sign, they’re looking for something to say, ‘It’s ok, it’s going to be alright.’ And that’s where I got the idea of a message in a bottle, washed up on their own personal shores with a message that was for them.” Millard has held installations of his little boats nationwide. Along with the California coast, he’s left his art the Bethesda Fountain and Union Square in New York City, the Gorge Bridge in New Mexico and on one occasion, mud puddles. At the beginning of September, Millard’s travels brought him to the Natchez Trace Bridge in Franklin, Tennessee, a bridge notorious for the number of people who have taken their lives on the opposite side of its railing. “There’s a sadness about that bridge… I connected over 250 boats to the top of [it]. And what I’m trying to do is reach one person, at least. Perhaps someone showed up to that bridge to jump, and maybe, just maybe, seeing this artwork, this little boat of hope that’s been sent to them… from someone they don’t even know… that it might be enough for them to change their mind, or might give them an opportunity to think
about maybe another option…If it’s not enough to stop them from jumping off the bridge, one of the last messages they’ll take with them is that they were loved.”
Millard makes it clear that the little boats aren’t just for suicide victims, though-- they are for anyone who is going through anything. He is fascinated with this battle between light and dark and defines his art as “defiantly optimistic.” “To actually be joyful, to actually be optimistic, is to decide to make a difference or try to make a difference. And I want to be defiant, I want to be a rebel and not fit into the status quo, which tends to be a dark cynicism and apathy.” Millard’s art is certainly precious to him due to the personal place it stems from, but he sees something spectacular in the process of letting it become what its recipients need. It’s a difficult but worthwhile process. “[Each boat] represents the grief that I am still going through over the loss of my wife… - 10 -
but I’ve also lost my mother and father at this point in my life, and I’ve lost dear friends. I’ve lost a friend to suicide, I’ve lost several friends to cancer and tragedy… To make something so beautiful and to simply give it away or let it go… that has a resonance to me about grief and love and about giving of ourselves.” Millard told a story from that day on the California coast, about the moment that affirmed his choice to continue this project in the first place. “I saw a family enjoying themselves on the beach and they had one little child there. I stood up on the bluff to watch them… and I saw the silhouette of this little girl… and saw her discover one of my little boats. Her body language was of wonderment and she didn’t know what it was.” The father of the girl later found Millard’s YouTube channel and left a comment that, in Jack’s memory, said, “ ‘My wife and I were fostering a young girl and we were having a hard time connecting to her, so we thought we’d take her to the beach and maybe that would help her open up. She found one of your little boats and it gave us something to talk about, about magic in the world, and she was so excited and she wouldn’t stop talking about where the boat came from and who made it and was this boat for her.’ She kept it on her nightstand and… the relationship between those foster parents and the child had changed just from her finding this little boat.” This is the wonderful thing about art. Sure, we can make whatever we want out of whatever we want and present it to the world, but what the world creates outside of that is totally out of our control. It’s also how Jack feels each boat manages stay personal even when he sends them away. “I wasn’t made smart, I was made creative. Well, I’m filling the void with my creativity. I’m creating my way out of the darkness.
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10.03.19 | Vol.96 | No.1
Counter-Culture King:
How Century 21 managed to endure the changing times and become the unlikely epicenter of Murfreesboro’s music scene Photos and Story by Makayla Boling
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entury 21 Music and More, a nostalgic little store in Murfreesboro, prides itself on being one of the longest running record stores in the greater Nashville area and the state of Tennessee as a whole. Jerry Jones (aka “The Record Man”), a middle Tennessee native, opened the store in a small A-frame building on Woodbury Highway in the mid-1970s. By opening Century 21, Jerry provided a place where Murfreesboro residents could stock up on popular vinyl records without having to travel to major cities, such as Nashville or even further. As numbers of enrolled students at Middle Tennessee State University increased, Century 21 moved closer to campus to make it more accessible for students. The store was located on the corner of North Baird Lane and East Main Street for a brief period of time until they were forced to move locations to make room for a new parking garage that still has not been built. For the past sixteen years, Century 21 Music and More has kept itself close to campus on Lasseter Drive just behind Slick Pig Barbecue, a local favorite.
When the record industry gave way to tapes and CDs, Jones stayed with the changing times, and kept the store stocked with new music formats while still making room for the classics. In the 1990s, when rap and hip hop became popular, Century 21 was the only record store in the area that kept the groundbreaking genre in stock. After many years as a cornerstone of the Murfreesboro community, Jerry Jones passed away in 2016, giving ownership to his three children, Laura Bielaczyc, Kelly Jones and Steven Jones. After his death, collections of records were found and unboxed by his children, putting the classics back on the shelves for all to see. Unfortunately, much of the community heard of Jerry’s passing, and assumed the store had closed down for good. In the past few years, however, the community has been corrected and could not be happier to see their favorite record source is still standing. Due to increases in demand and a search for ways to support locals, Century 21 has now expanded its retail section to include clothing, art by local artists, blown glass, handmade soaps, and more. Although the retail selection is expansive, many locals mainly visit the store to bask in the rich history and listen to the stories shared by the employees. Every employee at Century 21 is a lover of music and an MTSU alumnus, and some are even directly involved in the local music scene. Phil Sadler has been an employee of Century Phil Sadler, 21 for the past sixteen years, and has watched long-term Century 21 employee the store evolve into what it is today. Sadler is
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an artist, and has done graphic design work for many local businesses and musicians over the years, the most familiar being restaurant chain “Sir Pizza”. Sunshine Pinell, another employee, used to tour with an Americana band and even lived on the tour bus before she took the job at Century 21. Sunshine manages the social media and marketing side of the business as well, showing off new products, rare finds, and promoting small concerts sometimes done at the store. Mike Brown currently runs Amalgram Recordings, composes music for video games, and teaches guitar lessons at Concert Productions, a local business providing music and sound equipment at affordable rates for the production students of MTSU.
Joey Meers, employee of Century 21 Music and More
All the employees at Century 21 play a large part in not only running the store, but also in supporting the Murfreesboro community. Joey Mears, member of local band “The Dirty Poors ” and Century 21 employee, says, “What people don’t realize is, we are at the center of counterculture for Middle Tennessee.”
mtsusidelines.com Century 21 provides a place for local artists to showcase their talent. Once every few months, they host a touring band and pick local musicians to open for the main act. Many of these musicians are young Murfreesboro locals that do not have many places available for their genre of music. Most of the products offered at Century 21 are handcrafted and bought from local artists and
vendors. Musicians can bring their work in for consignment, giving local bands opportunities to be heard and to make money off of their talent without losing profits to large vendors. Mari Cerveny, MTSU student and Century 21 employee, summarizes why Century 21 is important to the local community: “I think it’s important because it’s been a large part of
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Murfreesboro counter culture for almost 50 years. We do shows that mostly host college-aged bands and give students a friendly environment and personal experience to browse records. It’s always important to support local and small businesses.”
10.03.19 | Vol.96 | No.1
MTSU Hockey Team: The unknown MTSU gem taking on the world By Nathan Vaughan
Photo by Sammye Sanford
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s the Middle Tennessee heat bears down and fall sports ramp up, the average fan may long for the cooler temperatures and intense atmosphere associated with teams like the Nashville Predators. But as the team still has some time before its first puck drop of the regular season, there is a cheaper, and more local team that is just as worthy of attention. The MTSU hockey team has played in the American College Hockey Association (ACHA) since 2015 and is participating in its first season as a part of the SECHC for 2019-20. The SECHC (South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference) acts as the Southeastern Conference (SEC) for some schools that do not have official Division I hockey teams under the NCAA umbrella. With schools like the University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Florida State, MTSU plays against some of the best competition in the southeast. Brendan Mitchell, a junior defensemen and alternate captain for the team, says Florida is often the farthest the team travels as they prepared for a late-night bus trip to West Palm Beach on Friday for games against Florida Atlantic and Lynn University. But since MTSU’s hockey team is a club sport and not officially under the athletic department, the team operates differently from the football or basketball teams on campus. Na-
thanael Wilson, the senior captain, defensemen and team president says the team is striving to do more community outreach and spread the word of the program to people on and off-campus. “Sponsorships are big this year. We’re requiring every player to get one. Different community involvements such as going to a local elementary school for their ‘Hi-Five Friday’. Things like that are part of our business-marketing strategy” Wilson said. The roster sports 20 players at the moment, although Mitchell, Wilson, and freshman Jackson Taylor, a center, debated back and forth on the technical number before agreeing at twenty. “We’re open to having more players come out. We had tryouts at the beginning of the season to get a set team, but since not everyone on campus knows we have a team we’ve had a guy in the last few days come and try out” Wilson said. Taylor said he decided to join at the beginning of the season after seeing the talent on the team and wanting to be a part of a growing program. “Just being local and seeing a program that’s growing, I want to be a part of the story and dynasty” Taylor said. And the team has lived up to that statement at times. With wins over Tennessee and Vanderbilt, - 14 -
the Blue Raiders have made some noise over the past few seasons. “We lost the first game my sophomore year to Tennessee, but then we played them on a Sunday at like 8 a.m. when we scored with like two minutes left. That was our first defining win for our program. And then last year beating Vanderbilt in our first game. We packed the house for that one” Wilson said. The Blue Raiders home ice is at the Ford Ice Center in Antioch and the rink hosted the 2019 SECHC Playoffs in February. Wilson says that the attendance number for MTSU games varies depending on the time and opponent, but when the right conditions are met, it can be a rowdy crowd. “For big games like Vanderbilt, it’s around 300 or more” Wilson said. “One of those (Tennessee) games I think there was 500 people there. Those were the odd ones, but usually there’s about 100 to 150 people there. But there’s been some with 20 because of when we played (around 9 to 10 a.m.) and playing for example IUPUI” Mitchell retorted. But regardless of the time, opponent, or other factors, the team has only heard positive feedback according to Mitchell. “People go to the game and post about how they didn’t know (MTSU) has a team and
mtsusidelines.com ‘Wow we should go.’ A couple of fraternities have gotten into it and they come out have a good night, (Ford Ice Center) sells beer so if you’re of age you can drink pitchers” Mitchell said. Students and faculty of MTSU can attend games for free like any other team on campus, but for those not affiliated with the school the team is offering special packages to get fans in the stands. “For adults it’s $5, kids are $3. But we have a season ticket for $30 for adults for every home game and a Kids Club we’re introducing this year for $15” Wilson said. Wilson said the Kids Club will include the perks of a normal season ticket but with additional goodies and prizes as well as a chance
to line-up outside the team locker room for a chance to give a high-five and cheer on the team as they prepare to hit the ice. Mitchell revealed that the hockey team will also do pop-up events to engage students and faculty on campus. “ Perhaps a booth set up near the Student Union Building, maybe a competition to see if people can beat the hockey player with a giant sign that says ‘MTSU Ice Hockey’ or something like that” Mitchell said. The team can be found on social media at @mtsuhockey on Twitter and Instagram and has live updates and merchandising opportunities. The team’s next home game is September 28th against Arkansas at 9 p.m. at the Ford Ice Center. Photo by Sammye Sanford
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10.03.19 | Vol.96 | No.1
Opinion: We’re letting opiate producers go free
while ignoring the real solution By Caryn Tramel
Illustration by Sydney Clendening
P
urdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy September 15 after facing more than 2,000 lawsuits filed in 24 states and five U.S. territories. Opiates have claimed nearly 400,000 lives between 1999 and 2017. Prosecutors in the lawsuits say evidence shows Purdue Pharma peddled highly addictive opioid pain medication while downplaying the risk of the medication. By filing for bankruptcy, Purdue Pharma and the owner, the Sackler family, could walk away from the lawsuits with no repercussions. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is commonly referred to as “reorganization” bankruptcy. It allows a business to keep operating with the sole purpose of restructuring the finances of the company to pay off debts. The business has four months to put together a reorganization plan, but the time period can be extended to 18 months. The reorganization plan for Purdue Pharma includes appointing trustees to assemble a transparent board that does not include the Sacklers. By filing for bankruptcy, Purdue is exempt from a federal trial expected to begin next month. Yes, the company reorganization plan includes forming a new company to sell OxyContin and the profits will go to those who have sued the company. Before that, Purdue Pharma plans to provide up to $12 billion to reimburse state and local governments to help with treatment and overdose reversal. Several states are in favor of
this settlement, including Tennessee, Texas and Ohio. In an article from The New York Times, Herbert Slatery, the Tennessee attorney general, commented the plan “would secure billions of dollars nationwide to go toward addressing the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic and will result in the Sackler family divesting themselves of their business interests in the pharmaceutical industry forever.” Critics see the settlement as “blood money.”
the end of the decade. By 2001, Purdue Pharma was selling upwards of $1 billion worth of OxyContin a year. By 2015, opioids were prescribed often enough to keep every person in the U.S. on pain medication for 10 hours a week. The Tennessee Opioid Summary from the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that in 2017 there were 1,269 overdose deaths involving opioids. While the Sacklers will no longer have a hand in Purdue Pharma, the fact is the company will continue to operate in the pharmaceutical industry. Whether in support of the settlement brought forward by Purdue Pharma or not, greater action needs to happen in addressing the nation’s opioid crisis than overdose reversal medication.
join us! This event has been named the worst drug epidemic in U.S. history. The U.S. government estimates the public health opioids crisis kills at least 130 people a day from overdoses across the U.S. According to Corpwatch, the number of opioid prescriptions in the United States rose from 2 million a year in the early 1990s to 11 million by - 16 -
Email editor@mtsusidelines.com to write for Sidelines.
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MTSU students discuss impacts of acne and rise of acne positivity By Toriana Williams
Illustration by Cleo Collier
“I’m at peace with my acne now. In fact, I Authors note: Only first names were used throughout the article for the purpose of discre- like to say it gives me character. I’ve come to realize that most of the timem once you get to tion. know a person, the acne suddenly becomes less ierstin, a junior at Middle Tennessee important. People need to learn to become comState University, has red hair, hazel fortable with his or her own skin,” said Kierstin. eyes and a beautiful smile. But that’s not what “And at the end of the day, acne doesn’t define people notice about her appearance. For about a who you are.” This is the exact ideology the acne positivity quarter of her life, Kierstin has dealt with acne. Not just the one or two pimple kind, but cystic movement embraces. Acne positivity is a movement created by acne, a form of the condition where pores in the skin become block, leading to infection and in- no particular person to redefine our relationship with acne. Society portrays acne as a result of flammation. For Kierstin, the condition is painful, both unhygienic tendencies when that isn’t always the case. This has led facial blemishes to be stigmaphysically and emotionally. “When you have acne, people tend to think tized, which negatively affects sufferers every you’re unclean. That isn’t true whatsoever... Be- day. According to the National Center for Biocause I had acne, I found myself spending hours technology Information, people with acne have every day trying to get rid of it. I became ob- more depressive symptoms, issues with self-imsessed with making it go away. I felt as though age, self-worth and more feelings of uselessness. Another junior at MTSU, Rachel, admits every time a new one popped up, the more worthless I became. I was so focused on outward to having skipped class due to her acne and the beauty that I began to lose sight of who I was,” emotional turmoil it causes. Acne affects people from all walks of life she explained. At one point in her life, Kierstin couldn’t and in different ways. That’s why acne positivity leave the house without makeup on. She would is on the rise; because everyone relates. The movement can be traced back to 2015, apply her concealer to hide her blemishes even if she went camping. However, times have changed when online presence Em Ford, who suffers from cystic acne, posted a video titled, “You for her.
K
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Look Disgusting”. The short film shows Ford bare faced, wearing no makeup, while comments about her appearance beging to appear next to her. Such comments include, “I can’t even look at her,” “Her face is so ugly,” “What’s wrong with her face?”, “Revolting,” and more. Afterwards, she begins to cover her acne with makeup. First is the concealer, next is the eyeshadow, lashes, contour and lipstick. New comments fade in around her: “You look beautiful,” “You’re so perfect,” but then it takes a turn. The next comments to appear said, “This is amazing but so gross,” “You wear too much makeup,” “This is false advertising,” “Imagine waking up next to her in the morning,” and worse. Ford made the video to show how social media sets unrealistic expectations for men and women when it involves their skin and appearance. “One challenge many face today, is that as a society, we’re so used to seeing false images of perfection, and comparing ourselves to unrealistic beauty standards that it can be hard to remember the most important thing - You are beautiful,” said Ford. Several social media platforms have influencers posting about acne positivity and spreading awareness about the highs and lows that accompany it. Even celebrities have joined
10.03.19 | Vol.96 | No.1 the cause, such as Kendall Jenner, an American model and media personality. “It completely ruined my self-esteem. I wouldn’t even look at people when I talked to them,” Jenner revealed on social media. “I felt like such an outcast; when I spoke, it was with my hand covering my face.” Jenner had admitted to still feeling self-conscious about her sparse-
ly occuring acne, but that she’s doing her best to see past it. “Slowly, I’m working towards not caring and I’m just in so much of a better place about it all now that I’m older,” she concluded. “I realized that it’s a part of life for some people and it doesn’t define who you are.” Believe it or not, acne affects everyone: Students, adults, even celebrities. No one is sure if
the acne positivity movement will ever move beyond social media and become a normal part of our everyday life. But at least, for the moment, acne positivity teaches everyone that you can love your skin, and yourself, no matter what state it’s in.
Opinion: California’s “Fair Pay to Play Act”
needs to be adopted by Tennessee By Elijah Campbell
MTSU quarterback Asher O’Hara drops back to pass during the Blue Raiders 45-26 victory against Tennessee State. O’Hara became the first MTSU quarterback in school history to throw for over 300 yards and rush for over 100 in a game. (Photo by Megan Cole/ Sidelines)
O
n the morning of September 13th, something made former college football legend Tim Tebow mad. This news didn’t just make Tebow mad, it grinded his gears to the point where he went on ESPN’s lame take hotbed show “First Take” to voice his displeasure. In his televised whining session, Tebow referred to the potential beneficiaries of a California bill (SB 206) that would allow collegiate athletes in the state to make money off of their name, image and likeness as “selfish” and being all about themselves instead of being team oriented. He claimed that his #15 Florida Gators jersey was
one of the highest selling jerseys in the country (it was) and that he didn’t see a dime from it (he didn’t) but he also didn’t want to see any money from it because he played for the love of his school. Some would call his indignation “passionate” but I, as well as the 66 members of the California legislative assembly that voted unanimously to pass SB 206 (also known as the “Fair Pay to Play Act”), would call it ignorant and tone deaf. It’s the same type of ill conceived logic that college sports’ main governing body, the NCAA, has used to keep athletes out of the blossoming - 18 -
financial market that they help create. Ever since the NCAA formed in the early 20th century, it has prohibited athletes to benefit financially from their talents in an attempt to protect the sanctity of amateurism and keep the almighty dollar from tainting sports in its “purest” form. That was all fine and dandy 100 years ago when college sports wasn’t the revenue generating machine that it is now. College sports has become a booming business that generates billions (yes, billions, with a B) dollars worth of TV contracts, sold merchandise and ticket revenue. In 2016, the NCAA
mtsusidelines.com and Turner sports agreed to an 8.8 billion dollar extension to the 10.8 billion dollar TV contract that the company already has with the NCAA to air the men’s basketball tournament. That event is worth well over 10 billion dollars in the open market and the players that put on this show are not allowed to see a single penny. This piece of legislation in California is the first real acknowledgement to the elephant in the room of collegiate athletes and the financial exploitation they experience. The state of California is doing the right thing and other states, especially Tennessee, need to hop on board. One of the main arguments against this legislation is that it will benefit the richer athletic departments in being able to lure coveted high school athletes with the promise of attending a school that is more likely to earn them more money thus creating a large gap in competition. I hate to break it to the NCAA, but college sports is already a world of the “haves” and the “have nots”. For example, The University of Tennessee already has one of the most profitable athletic departments in the country (worth approximately $145.7 million as of 2018) without allowing athletes to receive financial compensation. MTSU, on the other hand, generated approximately $35 million in revenue in 2017-2018. Guess which school has an obvious advantage in resources and has been the more historically relevant. Letting players receive financial benefits for their talents wouldn’t create a new problem of school inequality, it would only continue a reality that the NCAA already faces. That brings me to this point: while a similar bill in Tennessee would obviously benefit the student athletes in richer athletic departments like Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Memphis; it
Photo courtesy: Color of Change
would also have a positive effect on athletes at schools like MTSU. Imagine the money former MTSU QB Brent Stockstill, or former basketball star Nick King, could have made if their replica jerseys were sold at games and they were able to get a share of those profits. Is it life changing money? No, but it’s potentially a couple hundred or thousand dollars that they didn’t have before and that they earned for being exceptional at their sport. It’s allowing them to profit from their talents, their
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name, their image and their likeness in a free market which is an opportunity that any other American in any other field of work is afforded. Even at schools like MTSU, there is money being made in athletics and everyone is allowed to profit except the athletes. Most importantly, if more states follow California’s lead, top level collegiate athletes will feel more inclined to remain in school if they know they can sign shoe deals or do commercials or even sell game worn memorabilia for cash. Many elite college athletes not named Tim Tebow, come from upbringings that aren’t exactly well to do. If a student athlete has a family that is below the poverty line and needs help paying bills and other necessities, what is the problem with allowing their talents earn them that money while they are in school? Furthermore, why does the NCAA get to determine that a player getting money for his or her talents is cheating? The NCAA holds a monopoly on all the rules in college athletics and it has created a large group of full time athletes that, despite the free education they get, are being exploited. If I were a top collegiate athlete a nd the only thing keeping me from a Nike endorsement deal was a set of petulant rules that claim the money I earned in a free market is cheating, I’m taking the shoe deal and would have zero interest in playing collegiate athletes. Tennessee certainly won’t be the next state to try to pass this type of legislation (New York is currently debating implementing a similar rule) but it should get ahead of this issue and simply do what is right. And for Mr. Tebow, just because you got exploited and didn’t earn money for your talents in college, doesn’t mean you can prevent less fortunate athletes from doing so.
10.03.19 | Vol.96 | No.1
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