April 14, 2021 by Marshall Parthenon

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 | VOL. 124 NO. 79 | MARSHALL UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER | marshallparthenon.com | SINGLE COPY FREE

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Stress week kicks off PAGE EDITED AND DESIGNED BY BRITTANY HIVELY | HAYES100@MARSHALL.EDU

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Herd SIGHT brings awareness

Small town West Virginia

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 MARSHALLPARTHENON.COM

Stress Relief Week aims to bring zen to stressed By ISABELLA ROBINSON  NEWS EDITOR

Marshall University’s Stress Relief Week kicked off Monday with the “Break Your Stress Away” event on the lawn beside the freshman dorms from noon to 2 p.m.  Raul Moreno, a graduate assistant for student activities, said students took a piece of glassware donated by the local Goodwill and used a Sharpie to write whatever was stressing them out on it, and then broke the glass.  “It is a great way to write your anger or stress on something like a physical object and just hit it — it’s great to relieve all that,” Moreno said.  Moreno said that students enjoyed

the event and that it helped them relieve stress.  “I feel like it is especially stressful this week with finals coming up and everything going on, so this is great,” Moreno said.   Leah Losh, the director of family service counseling at Goodwill, said this is the first time they have participated in this event.   “Sometimes, we want to tear or rip things up, but we cannot always do that,” Losh said. “This is an opportunity where it is not going to have repercussions — you are allowed to do it, and it is encouraged to do it, so it is ok.”

Students that find themselves needing a break can be assured that there are plenty of other events happening throughout Stress Relief Week both on campus and virtually to help ease their tension as the

semester closes.  Isabella Robinson can be contacted at robinson436@marshall.edu.

Stress Relief Week kicked off with the “Break Your Stress Away”

Photos courtesy of Isabella Robinson | News Editor

Now Hear This, 26 years and counting By CATHERINE BLANKENSHIP THE PARTHENON

Photos courtesy of Catherine Blankenship

If you are looking to add to your vinyl collection or are just looking for that classic, vintage feel of a music store — Now Hear This is the perfect stop for music lovers in the tri-state area. Now Hear This is an independent mom & pop record store that carries vinyl LPs, CDs, DVDs, turntables and a host of accessories. Now Hear This specializes in customer service and stocking of print and hard-to-find recorded music. Husband and wife duo, Vince and Carla Hebert, own the store and have sold records every single day. Now Hear This shop has been open for the past 26 years, dating back to 1995. “We have the biggest inventory in the tristate,” Vince Hebert said. “We opened in 1995 down on 11th street and 4th Avenue,

and we moved to our current location (1454 4th Ave) five years ago. We sell new releases as well as used inventory.” The couple prides their store with its continuous stock of vinyls, LP, CDs, DVDs, turntables and various accessories. “I think what makes our store unique is our variety of new and used items,” Carla Hebert said. “Our used LPs are 15% off everyday, and we have been voted best music in the tri -state for may many years going on in.” Although the store is back up and running, the couple faced some significant challenges at several points in their journey. “When the internet hit, it basically took the floor out from under us,” Vince Hebert said. “It was crazy horrible. Every kid buying a CD was eventually getting it for free off the internet.”

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In response to this, the owners embraced community members who helped them stay afloat by buying items such as mixtapes and DVD music videos. “After we hit that low point of business, CD sales and vinyl has picked up,” Carla Hebert said. “Probably half of our sales, if not three quarters, is all records.” Now Hear This is preparing for their Record Store Day coming June 12 and July 17. The store will open on Saturday at 8 a.m. First come, first serve on all the record store day releases. They will have 90% of everything that has been put on the Record Store Day list. There are no pre-orders, and no holds on RSD products. Catherine Blankenship can be contacted at blankensh403@marshall.edu.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 MARSHALLPARTHENON.COM

Jim’s strawberry pie week

By CATHERINE BLANKENSHIP REPORTER

Award-winning Huntington staple, Jim’s Steak and Spaghetti, will once again cease their Strawberry Pie Week tradition, in concern for customer safety. The tradition started by previous owner Bunny Gray using his employee’s strawberry garden to bake a few pies a week. Ten years ago, Jim’s strawberry pie began to grow in business and caused them to sell 3,000 to 4,000 slices a week. “The last year we were able to run

it like normal was in 2019, where we sold 11,600 slices in six days,” Bradley Tweel, general manager, said. “It is something we are known for, and unfortunately, with the pandemic we are unable to host strawberry pie week this year — considering how packed we get during the event.” The business is not hosting Strawberry Pie Week this year; however, they are doing something a little different. “Starting April 13 to April 24 if you come in to eat — either dine-

in or carryout — and you fill out a sheet of paper with your name and number by the cash register, we are doing a drawing for our strawberry pies,” Tweel said. “Starting May 4 through 7, we are going to give away ten pies a day for four days with that drawing.” Social distancing is key in the midst of COVID, and this is where the problem could stem.

PIE cont. on 10

CATHERINE BLANKENSHIP | REPORTER

Jim’s Steak and Spaghetti located on Fifth Avenue, Huntington.

Herd SIGHT brings awareness

By BRITTANY HIVELY EXECUTIVE EDITOR

BRITTANY HIVELY| EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Jeff Bosley speaks about the things he has had to overcome due to his visual impairment, during the virtual Herd SIGHT event.

Marshall University’s Lewis College of Business (LCOB) is raising awareness of the needed employment accommodations for those with vision impairments. Herd SIGHT was a webinar hosted by LCOB featuring three speakers with varying vision impairments. The speakers all spoke about their vision, career difficulties and how they have worked past the issues. “Work can actually provide meaning, engagement and self-actualization in our lives. For some, work is taken for granted,” Ralph McKinney, associate professor, said. “For others who are blind or visually impaired it is a challenge. Job seekers face obstacles from stereotypes about inabilities to complete tasks — to beliefs that reasonable accommodations are too costly.” Anthony Candella, outreach coordinator for Bookshare/Benetech, was born partially sighted by a condition that that causes his retina to degenerate. He has

been completely blind for 20 years. “As time went on, my vision started getting worse and worse. When I was in my mid-thirties, I learned how to read braille. By my late-forties, I really couldn’t use my eyes anymore to see anything meaningful.” Candella said he reads braille, uses a cane and uses talking devices. “I would try to do things that everyone else tried to do, but because I had poor eyesight, sometimes I didn’t see well to get it exactly right,” Candella said. Candella said he had to avoid dark places and be more cautious with walking prior to a cane. He also had to relearn how to do things without sight. “I live alone. I use my braille skills to label things. I was taught by special teachers how to do things like cooking and cleaning and clothing management, things that you do for everyday living,”

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Candella said. “And of course, the more sophisticated things that you do for work have helped me in my professional life.” Candella said most disclose that they are blind during employment interviews and it is difficult. “You have your most difficulty in the early part of your career due to the fact that employers are afraid to hire you. Once you start building a track record it gets easier because then you can piggyback from your last job to your next job,” Candella said. “It never goes away. It is something that makes people wary about if they should hire you. They do worry about if you can actually do the job, and they do worry about if you will cost them extra money for the reasonable accommodations. Most are not expensive at all really.”

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 MARSHALLPARTHENON.COM

Crum, WV- a town on borrowed time By TYLER SPENCE

OPINION EDITOR CRUM, W.Va. — As of the 2010 Census, Crum’s population was 182. The town is only an hour from Huntington and sits on the border between the southern county line of Wayne and the northern line of Mingo County and on the West Virginia side of the Tug Fork, or Tug River, which divides the Mountain State with Kentucky. The town was one of many in the area of southern Wayne and Mingo Counties that experienced the golden era of West Virginia coal mining, and now they have lived through its decline. The town has been hit hard in the past year, with multiple teachers’ deaths due to COVID-19 and considerable flooding from the ice storms earlier this year. Combined

with the already challenging aspects of being a rural community attempting to navigate to virtual school and church, residents say they have been exhausted and frustrated. “It’s hurt our community. Our churches are active again, and they are a big part of our community,” said Victory Ramey, a teacher at Crum K-8. Her husband, who was a pastor, coach and teacher, died from COVID-19 in January. “He was a backbone in our community,” Ramey said. Ramey went on to say that Tolsia High School had lost two math teachers due to COVID-19 and how difficult it was for their area to keep math teachers. “It’s been a rough year; it’s been a very rough year,” Ramey said.

Crum K-8 school is the center of Crum, and many programs that help people get by are organized from the school and any number of the five churches within an earshot of the school building. Nona Newsome, the school principal, spoke about the “blessing box,” which community members constantly restock for those with a food shortage can come and take what they need. “People that live in the community — if they see that it’s empty, they will come and stock it. We have multiple food pantries. We just have a lot of folks here in the community that take care of things,” Newsome said.

Newsome has been back in the area after graduating from Marshall University for over 20 years and believes she is filling a need while being in the place that she calls home.

see CRUM on pg. 10

University budget structure explained By BRITTANY HIVELY

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Editor’s note: This is the second piece in a two-part story. The first piece can be found on the Parthenon website. With the rising cost of higher education, the question is often asked, what happens with the money? “This past year we took a fairly significant hit in changing in assets from a financial perspective,” said Jason Baldwin, Marshall University budget manager. Baldwin said the budget work group convened to create a plan to reduce the overall budget. “The budget work group consists of folks here in the budget and finance offices, various faculty and staff and even student representatives across campus. They get together and discuss these ideas and come up with a plan,” Baldwin said. “If you take a look at that budget reduction plan for ’21, that plan was really built by that budget work group. It’s a really good way to get feedback from all of these different faculty and staff groups and individuals.” With classes moving to virtual and less students on campus due

to coronavirus, universities have had to adjust their budgets to accommodate losses. “We do have a capital fee, a fee paid, in state code of what we charge for facilities,” Baldwin said. “I’m thinking if housing specific, even with auxiliary revenue for the dorms, I know there is some pressure there because we’ve had students defer or choose an alternative instruction method.” Due to a lower number of students on campus, some utility costs have been lower, but the budget department said there are still contracts that have to be kept. “We might have some reduced utility cost if the dorms are being used less,” said Katrina Eskins, Marshall University budget director. “But we don’t have any large ability to reduce housing stuff, so we’re still paying all these housing expenses. Students just didn’t come on campus, so they didn’t pay the housing fees and the meal plans, but we still have to maintain our contract with Sedexo.” Eskins said while some revenue activity is down, they still have staff.

“I don’t know that there is particular revenue throughout the school year because those costs are with your tuition,” Eskins said. “Activities where we have ticket sales, we can curtail those activities to some extent where ticket sales are less, but definitely the revenue for activities and things are down more than cost is down because we still have all our staff.” While a raise in tuition can be done to supplement lost revenue, Baldwin said Marshall is working to avoid that step. “The budget office and the budget work group will definitely work as hard as we can to minimize any impact on a tuition increase,” Baldwin said. “I think that’s an important point and that’s a directive that President Gilbert has charged not only our office, but that budget work group with.” Baldwin said one reason they try to avoid tuition increases is it reduces the affordability of higher education for West Virginian families and President Jerry Gilbert agreed.

see BUDGET on pg. 10 PAGE EDITED AND DESIGNED BY CARTER TRUMAN | TRUMAN18@MARSHALL.EDU

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 MARSHALLPARTHENON.COM

Vaccine rollout expands to students By BRITTANY HIVELY

EXECUTIVE EDITOR While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and many medical professionals are encouraging constituents to receive their COVID-19 vaccination, many are still wary of the possible side effects. “Anyone over the age of 16 is eligible to have the vaccine,” Dr. Karen S. Willenburg, Chief of Infectious Diseases, Marshall School of Medicine, said. Willenburg said there would be some short-term side effects that are normal. “Like with any vaccine, you can get some local pain and redness at the sight of the injection,” Willenburg said. “This vaccine will also give you some swollen lymph nodes under your arm, and then the possible short-term side effects are your immune system reacting to the injection. So, possible side effects are fever, fatigue, headache, you can have some body aches with it.” She said the side effects start a few hours after the vaccine is administered and are short-lived. “They tend to last for, maybe, 24 hours. They usually start maybe eight to ten hours after the injection, and then they tend to last 24 to 48 hours, and they’re well managed with some Tylenol,” Willenburg said. Willenburg said vaccine side effects are most common after receiving the vaccination. “If you’re going to see a side effect from a vaccine, it happens soon after the vaccine,” Willenburg said. “These vaccines have been in people’s arms and doing their jobs for at least six months in the trials and the trials, for each vaccine, all involve more than 40,000 people. And the side effects tend to be very early, and within the first three months, you could probably still see some, but it would be less, and after that, a longterm side-effect would be very rare.” Willenburg said that having some side effects from vaccines is a good thing. “I will say the side effects of the vaccine. I was actually happy to have some symptoms after the vaccine cause that’s how you know your immune system is working,” Willenburg said. “And even if you don’t have any side effects, it doesn’t mean that it didn’t work, but side effects from a vaccine can be reassuring.”

While the side-effects may be a concern for some, Willenburg said the short-term ones are minimal compared to COVID-19. “COVID causes those symptoms and much, much more that last for a very long-time,” Willenburg said. “Two weeks or more, those symptoms can last. And even people who had more of a mild course, they typically don’t feel well for seven days or more after they kind of get over it.” She said the COVID-19 could have long-term effects that could last a lifetime. “COVID itself can cause a lot of long-lasting effects. We’ve even seen some younger people who had a very mild illness related to COVID and then have long-term cardiac effects because of that,” Willenburg said. “That is really horrifying to think that you’re a young person who could potentially have a debilitating cardiac problem forever.” Willenburg said the impact the virus has on lungs is what typically sends people to the hospital from COVID, and they are going to be long-term. Willenburg said COVID has two phases. “There is a viral phase and an inflammatory phase. And during the inflammatory phase is where you get lung damage that will very likely become long-term,” Willenburg said. “Even young people can have longstanding cardiac effects. And the issue with younger people is that your body is healthy and so you can compensate up to a point, and usually, by the time you hit the point you are no longer able to compensate, things may actually be worse than what you think they are.” Willenburg said long-term effects can be cardiac and lung-related, and research has also shown some central nervous system effects. She said the vaccine is effective in preventing these side effects. Willenburg said while research shows COVID patients have had around a 90-day immunity, they should still get the vaccine and that there is no need to wait that long. “That natural immunity can wane, and you can get the infection again,” Willenburg said. “Usually, with people who have not had COVID, their side effects will be more strong after the second vaccine, which makes sense because that’s your immune boost. But if you’ve had COVID, your side effects may be stronger after the PAGE EDITED AND DESIGNED BY ISABELLA ROBINSON | ROBINSON436@MARSHALL.EDU

first vaccine, but they’re short-lived side effects, and they won’t give you those long-lasting disease ramifications from actually having COVID.” Willenburg said as long as the virus continues, we will continue to see new variants, and the vaccine is the way to stop the spread. “The more that a virus is able to circulate, the more it is able to mutate. So as long as it’s circulating, it will continue to mutate we will continue to have new variants but having the vaccine, there’s data now showing the likelihood of asymptotic carriage of COVID-19 after a vaccine is greatly reduced,” Willenburg said. Willenburg said the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines, where the Johnson and Johnson is a vector vaccine. She said they have all shown effectiveness but cannot be compared. As far as needing additional vaccines or boosters, she said those things cannot be predicted at this point. She also said research has not shown any effects on fertility. On Tuesday morning, the FDA and CDC paused administration and distribution of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine for further examination. Willenburg said this shows that it should not cause alarm. “The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is an adenovirus vector vaccine. The other vaccines available are mRNA vaccines,” Willenburg said. “Over six million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered. The pause to further evaluate after a very limited number of cases of clotting to further investigate if there is a casual relationship to the vaccine is evidence of the transparency and science surrounding use of the vaccines and the ongoing monitoring of the vaccine after release. It is reassuring that our processes are working. We will eagerly await the outcome of the investigations.” Willenburg encourages everyone to watch the CDC or Department of Human and Health Resources data for information regarding these topics. She also encourages those with questions to reach out to their health providers. “They [vaccines] will prevent severe disease and death,” Willenburg said. “At this point in time, any vaccine you are offered is the best vaccine for you.” Brittany Hively can be contacted at hayes100@ marshall.edu.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 MARSHALLPARTHENON.COM

Spring game to showcase Huff’s Herd By GRANT GOODRICH

SPORTS EDITOR Providing a first look at the revamped Marshall football team, the 2021 Green-White spring game at 3 p.m. Saturday will showcase the direction the program is headed under firstyear head coach Charles Huff. The game will also allow the team to simulate a gameday experience and routine of a Saturday in the fall. By Saturday, the team will have completed 14 spring practices. Huff said, as of Monday, that the team was in a good position football-wise, and that most of the system installs were completed. “Players have a pretty good knowledge and grasp of the RICHARD CRANK | THE PARTHENON

“

The players have been phenomenal, without giving pushback. Even when they don’t understand why we’re asking them to do something, they’ve tried to do it to the best of their ability.”

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Charles Huff

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system that we’re trying to run,” Huff said. “They are not masters of the system yet. That is what the next phase is for, but they do have a good feel for it.” The system Huff has been installing offensively is different than what the Herd ran last season, resembling more so the style of play seen by Alabama. That means more run-pass options and stretching the field vertically and horizontally in the passing game. Integral to that style of play succeeding is the quarterback position, and in Marshall’s quarterback room, Grant Wells is the number one guy.

see SPRING on pg. 10

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 MARSHALLPARTHENON.COM

Softball prepares for home series against FAU ZACHARY HISER | PHOTO EDITOR

By NOAH HICKMAN

REPORTER Following a series loss against Middle Tennessee to begin Conference USA play, the Herd softball team returns home to take on the Florida Atlantic Owls for a four-game series April 16-18. Marshall goes into the series with a 12-8 record, while FAU comes to Huntington with an 8-23 record. Both teams recently lost three out of four games in C-USA play, with the Owls falling to the Charlotte 49ers. Marshall currently leads the alltime series against FAU, 11-8, and has won the last three games. The Herd is led by junior utility player Mya Stevenson and senior first baseman Aly Harrell. With 35 career home runs, Stevenson is tied with Shaelynn Braxton (2013-15, ’17) for third place in alltime home runs. Harrell — with 36 career home runs — surpassed Braxton and Stevenson during game three of the four-game series against MTSU. Not only have the veteran players led the way for the Herd, but a couple of freshmen have also been impact players.

One of those impact freshmen is catcher Kat Sackett, who has become a major contributor for the Herd — hitting three home runs and batting in 14 runners while posting a batting average of .308. Despite recent struggles in pitching for the Herd, one of the pitchers has remained consistent in relief. Senior pitcher Megan Stauffer has pitched 11 innings and has only given up one run, giving her a 0.64 ERA. After 1.2 innings, Stauffer came on in relief of senior pitcher Laney Jones and pitched the rest of the game (5.1 innings) and offered a steady hand in a 10-4 Marshall victory. With both FAU and Marshall losing three out of the four games in both their previous series, both teams will look to make a strong impression in a critical series. The softball games will take place on Friday (1 p.m.), Saturday (1 p.m. and 3 p.m.), and Sunday (12 p.m.). All four games are scheduled to air on WMUL-FM 88.1. Noah Hickman can be contacted at hickman76@marshall.edu.

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The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, is published by students Wednesdays during the regular semester and every other week during the summer. The editorial staff is responsible for news and editorial content.

CONTACT The Parthenon: 109 Communications Bldg Marshall University|One John Marshall Drive Huntington, West Virginia 25755|parthenon@marshall.edu @MUParthenon

BRITTANY HIVELY

ISABELLA ROBINSON

EXECUTIVE EDITOR hayes100@marshall.edu

NEWS EDITOR robinson436@marshall.edu

SPORTS EDITOR

OPINIONS EDITOR

goodrich24@marshall.edu

spence83@marshall.edu

EMMA BERRY

DENISE JACKSON

COPY EDITOR

SOCIAL MEDIA and PODCAST EDITOR jackson463@marshall.edu

berry180@marshall.edu

XENA BUNTON

ZACHARY HISER

FEATURES EDITOR

PHOTO AND GRAPHICS EDITOR

bunton2@marshall.edu

hiser1@marshall.edu

SANDY YORK FACULTY ADVISER sandy.york@marshall.edu

EXECUTIVE STAFF ABBY AYES ayes@marshall.edu CARTER TRUMAN truman18@marshall.edu

THE PARTHENON’S CORRECTIONS POLICY “Factual errors appearing in The Parthenon should be reported to the editor immediately following publication. Corrections the editor deems necessary will be printed as soon as possible following the error.”

THE FIRST AMENDMENT

The Constitution of the United States of America

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble; and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Redefining WV through investment in the arts

By RENEE MARGOCEE

TYLER SPENCE

GRANT GOODRICH

OPINION

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TAMARACK FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS As West Virginians, we are engaged in the urgent but elusive task of imagining a new economy. Although some may feel that this task has been delivered to us, not fully by choice, it represents an opportunity to re-cast ourselves and our state in a form that is by our own choosing. Re-imagining is what artists do, have always done. Art is one way of asserting who we are and what we value instead of accepting what others impose. It’s time that we consider, however, that the power of art might extend beyond re-shaping narratives. Art can be a driving force behind growing and sustaining a vital new economy. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, West Virginia’s creative industries already add $1.6 billion to the state’s economy. With more robust funding and support for artist entrepreneurs, that figure would be even larger. Greater investment in small, creative businesses offers the potential to spark economic transformation statewide. The template for such a metamorphosis already exists. Across West Virginia, artists who have been the recipients of well-directed investment are living out that transformation as we speak. Rosalie Haizlett, a West Virginia-based illustrator, has witnessed firsthand the enormous impact that a little technical assistance can have on an artist’s career and community. As one of the first participants in the Emerging Artist Fellowship through the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts, Rosalie benefited from business training, networking, and professional exposure that enabled her career to take flight. She is now the proprietor of a thriving small business built solely upon her own art, which she sells throughout the United States. Her visibility has skyrocketed, winning her clients like Smithsonian, KEEN, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, along with a social media following of tens of thousands. And her success hers alone. As Rosalie’s business grows, so do the returns it generates for her community and for West Virginia. Rosalie is certain that she would not be where she is today

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without the early resources and support she received, and many of West Virginia’s most successful artists say the same. The Emerging Artist Fellowship is just one of many Tamarack Foundation programs that set artists up for success through all stages of their career, equipping them with the tools needed to scale up and turn their creative talent into significant revenue. The Tamarack Foundation’s premise is that every artist is also an entrepreneur. Yet, existing business development resources often leave them behind. Should we continue to underinvest in our state’s creative entrepreneurs, it would be an egregious missed opportunity: there is no one, and no industry, better positioned to drive, grow, and sustain a new economy in the Mountain State. The numbers, though lower than they could be, speak for themselves. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that, in West Virginia, creative industries provide 18,326 jobs and yield $919 million in compensation to West Virginia families. Additionally, the National Endowment for the Arts has found that rural counties with strong arts organizations provide residents with incomes up to $6,000 higher than in neighboring counties and have experienced triple the population growth. Of course, arts and culture are also crucial contributors to West Virginia’s $4.6 billion tourism market. But the impact of creative entrepreneurs far exceeds that of the businesses they run. They are ambassadors for our state—improving quality of place and making communities more attractive places to live and destinations to visit—the results of which include increased population retention, employment, and tourism growth. Arts funding is economic development, and an investment by West Virginia in its artists is an investment in West Virginia’s future. Have a comment on something in The Parthenon? Respond with a letter to the editor at pathenon@marshall.edu.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 MARSHALLPARTHENON.COM

OPINION

Dear Parthenon

By Xena Bunton FEATURES EDITOR

By Carter Truman EXECUTIVE STAFF

Dear Parthenon is an advice column where editors, Xena Bunton and Carter Truman, answer anonymous questions about life, college and discuss opinions or pop culture. You can send questions through social media or email at Parthenon@marshall.edu.

What are some free or inexpensive things to do around Huntington? X: I love a good (or free) deal. First of all, the weather is getting warmer, and nature is free Huntington has several parks that most do not know about. Check out the 16 Huntington parks at GHPRD.org. Another free thing to do is to support local artist’s by exploring the Huntington Museum of Art. Regular admission is $5, but it is free on Tuesdays. C: The best free activity in Huntington is the parks — any of them really. Parks are great for contemplating existence, procrastinating on your work or suppressing the urge to pet every dog you see. Bring some friends to a park and play some frisbee, throw a football or just lay in the grass under a tree and hope a squirrel doesn’t crap on your head. The park offers such a wide range of activities that you can’t really beat it, but my top park activity recommendation is disc golf. Disc golf is a sport for those who are unskilled to play regular golf, but too cool to just play with a frisbee. Playing disc golf is like taking a hike, except you get to throw things — who wouldn’t like that? Bottomline - if you’re broke and need something to do, go outside. How can I be sociable again after a year in quarantine? X: You don’t. Nah, just kidding, but it may be tricky at first. The process of evolving goes along with basic things like being sociable or hanging out with friends. Get out of your comfort zone. Get off your bed or couch and turn the TV off. Maybe you aren’t comfortable yet to fully go out to a restaurant, but invite some friends to a picnic at the park or take a walk. If you want to do an activity with the least amount of energy, just have a chat on the phone or hang out at home. You don’t have to go on a crazy adventure, but start getting out more. C: If your antisocial after a year of quarantine, or maybe just a whole lifetime of being antisocial, I would suggest making some friends who are the opposite. Go out and meet one or two people you like — who will drag you to things — even when you’re reluctant to go. You need someone in your life who’s going to try and better you, because without that constant motivation, it’s easy to slip back into old habits, especially after a year of quarantine has made us all reclusive. Now, part of this is going to require you to be willing to do things. If your friend asks you to come to do something with them, do it. You can’t just stay in your room forever, and good friends are

made to help you get out and about. So, make some friends who you want to be with, and let them carry you back out into the world after this year of quarantine. How do you think the fall semester will look? X: All my classes for the fall semester are in person. Crazy, right? I am honestly nervous about it, because I only have one in-person class this past semester. How will my days look? Will I be exhausted every day? Will I be exhausted after one class? What if I don’t like in-person classes as much? I can’t avoid a question in class or turn off my camera whenever I please. I feel like school will be somewhat normal again. It is my last semester before graduation, so I am hopeful. C: I think the fall semester will look like the fall of 2019, hopefully. I can see them weaseling out of it somehow, but remember, the university is here for one reason — to make money. This pandemic has been a cannonball-sized hole in the university’s side, and they are bleeding badly. Attendance in residence halls has dipped tremendously, primarily because of their awful visitation policies, and now they are praying they can make that up next fall. My prediction — they won’t. I don’t think any university for the next five years will see the same level of attendance as they saw before COVID, and a lot of these places will sink because of it, but that’s good. Colleges are overpriced, underserving and bloated beyond belief; any business like that can’t and shouldn’t survive. I hope when the water comes in, and the rats leave the ship, our tuition will dip as an incentive for us to return — because if they don’t, universities across the country will go the way of Blockbuster. You can send questions to Dear Parthenon through social media or email at Parthenon@ marshall.edu

The Parthenon is commited to publishing a wide variety of opinions and perspectives. If you wish to submit a guest column or a letter to the editor, email parthenon@marshall.edu or email the opinion editor, Tyler Spence at spence83@marshall.edu.

PAGE EDITED AND DESIGNED BY TYLER SPENCE | SPENCE83@MARSHALL.EDU

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 MARSHALLPARTHENON.COM

SPRING cont. from 6 “He’s playing with a lot more confidence,” Huff said about Wells. “I want Grant to operate with an attack mentality; we’re trying to score.” Wells and the first team offense will line up against the first team defense on Saturday, providing the best competition for each side of the ball. Huff said that he wants his staff to “let the kids play,” allowing the players to figure what they know and what they do not know. “This is a good opportunity for us to see, myself included, how we’re going to act in the arena,” Huff said. “How are we going to act in a game-like simulation? Some players – when the lights come on – anxiety goes way up, and they do things that they haven’t normally done.”

Monitoring that, Huff said, will be one of his key roles Saturday. But if his experience with the players so far is any indication of how they will respond to direction, he will have no problem creating teachable moments. “The players have been phenomenal, without giving pushback,” Huff said. “Even when they don’t understand why we’re asking them to do something, they’ve tried to do it to the best of their ability.” Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and tickets are on sale for $5. Seating is reserved, with no general admission. Tailgating is not permitted. For students, tickets will be available for pickup at 1 p.m. at Gate C. Grant Goodrich can be contacted at goodrich24@ marshall.edu.

BUDGET cont. from 5 “Handling a higher education budget is complicated every year, but even more so in a year with a global pandemic and possible cuts to the budget from the state,” Gilbert. “Our team  at Marshall makes every effort to manage our budget without raising tuition because it means fewer and fewer West Virginia families can afford college for their children.  It’s my hope we don’t have to significantly raise tuition, but unfortunately, it is something we have to consider when other sources aren’t available.” Eskins said they look at several areas to tighten costs, including employee turnover. “Our primary source of being able to hold cost is to hold back on positions

Parthe-Pet

PIE cont. from 3

as they become vacant, as staff and faculty turnover,” Eskins said. “If we just look more closely, hold more tightly on those vacant positions and maybe even realign duties, but that’s our basic source, our biggest source to hold back cost.” The majority of the budget is labor and also where the majority of savings can be found, Baldwin said. He also said the budget reduction plan tried to keep as many student jobs as possible. While Marshall works on the budget for 2022, they are still waiting to see how money from the third federal stimulus is to be dispersed. Brittany Hively can be contacted at hayes100@ marshall.edu.

“Social distancing is still a big restriction for us. Even though the governor has given permission to serve at full capacity, we’re trying to keep it at around 60% capacity,” Tweel said. “You’re supposed to have six feet in between everyone, and if you’ve ever been in the restaurant during that week, you know there’s about six inches and no social distancing.” Traditions remain at Jim’s and are continuing to serve the same specialties to the community since the restaurant opened for business. Students at Marshall University who spend over $7 at Jim’s can receive a free piece of coconut, chocolate or apple pie showing their student I.D. Catherine Blankenship can be contacted at blankensh403@marshall.edu.

Meet Ana. Ana is a stray cat who adopted her local eightyear-old, Ben. She likes to fight other cats, be petted by anyone and getting pregnant- which she is currently expecting.

If you would like to feature your pet as the Parthe-Pet please email a picture and brief bio to parthenon@marshall.edu.

CRUM cont. from 4 Without these community resources, towns like Crum likely wouldn’t be able to survive, as economic drivers are nearly nonexistent. There is a post office, school, churches and a market not much larger than the size of a large convenience store. This store, known as Copley’s Market, is home to the town’s only restaurant in the back, with a small table that can seat four. The same family has run Copley’s Market for over four generations. Newsome said the transition to virtual classes has been difficult, as it has been in many rural regions throughout the state. Still, she said she was proud of the work that the educators in their

community had done. Robert Thompson is currently writing a book about the history of Crum and spoke about the town’s economic conditions. “In Wayne County, you had two coal companies that employed about 600 people… not just that, but there have been huge economic downturns from other industrial things throughout the county and the region,” Thompson said. Both of these mines went under between 2011 and 2015. Thompson said most residents had been used to the cyclical “boom and bust” nature of the coal industry. “But I think people realize it’s different this time,” he said.

PAGE EDITED AND DESIGNED BY BRITTANY HIVELY | HAYES100@MARSHALL.EDU

Both Newsome and Thompson said they knew that kids in Crum would likely be forced to leave to find jobs or higher education when they reach adulthood. Crum is hardly the exception of small towns in West Virginia. Due to their isolation geographically, they are almost entirely selfreliant, and community members depend on each other like family. It is these community ties that keep towns like Crum functioning, even if only enough to power the essentials of school and church. Tyler Spence can be contacted at spence83@ marshall.edu.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 MARSHALLPARTHENON.COM

HERD cont. from 3 Jeff Bosley, chairman of the Sounds Good, LLC. Board, was born extremely near sighted and has Marfan syndrome that predisposed him for retinal detachment. “This is very important that folks get this idea,” Bosley said. “A lot of people in the general population experience visual handicaps, especially us of the baby boomers age, so I think it’s important for employers to realize this. I think we can be an important asset to help them prepare for that.” Bosley said schooling required him to be more focused than normal. “I had to retreat within my head because when you can’t see what’s on the board, it’s a little tougher for folks,” Bosley said. “But I did very well.” He suffered from retinal detachment from both eyes, leading to complete blindness in one eye and near blindness in the other. Bosley said he has always been involved with audio and recording, and the move into digital helped him move further in his career. “We saw audio recording move into the computer age, so I started reentering that area,” Bosley said. “It became possible to

set up a good studio and produce excellent quality material much more inexpensively and also very accessibly because you have a large computer monitor that you can bring everything up on.” Bosley said the biggest difficulty he has is transportation. “My wife has a career, so it makes it difficult to schedule. Transportation is the big issue. That is really the basic thing I’ve had to overcome. A lot of little things I can do,” Bosley said. Randy Gilkey, singer and songwriter has been blind since birth due to retinal detachment. He has slight light perception in one eye. Gilkey said he relies on the light to find doorways and see other things. Gilkey prefers to work in his own studio because of the accessibility, and technology has helped. “I can use my computer with the speech and my screen reader,” Gilkey said. “Using these technologies, I have access to the keyboard estimates that I want. When I’m at my studio I have my own drumkit and guitar amps, all the stuff I use to record with. When you’re at someone else’s studio you’re on their clock and

sometimes that’s a disadvantage to me. Gilkey said he thinks manufacturers need to be more aware of those with disabilities when producing products.

“I think there needs to be a way to make these manufactures and these people that produce gear more aware that, hey there’s 10,000 blind folks out here that play,” Gilkey said. The LCOB hopes to do more awareness events in the future. “We need to create accessible working spaces, that should be the rule and not the exception,” McKinney said. Brittany Hively can be contacted at hayes100@ marshall.edu.

PAGE EDITED AND DESIGNED BY BRITTANY HIVELY | HAYES100@MARSHALL.EDU

SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH 2015 Adams Ave. Huntington, WV 304-429-4318

Visit our website for Worship Services and for other times of Bible study, worship, and activities for children, youth, and adults.

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St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church HUNTINGTON, WV 526 13th Street (304) 525-5202 Pastor: Fr Dean Borgmeyer

Father Shaji Thomas

OUR LADY OF FATIMA Catholic Parish & Parish School

545 Norway Ave., Huntington • 304-525-0866

Mass Schedule: Saturday Vigil 5:00 pm Sunday 8 am, 11:00 am & 6:30 pm Spanish Mass: Second & Fourth Sundays of each month at 9:30 am Las misas en Español: los domingos segundo y cuarto de cada mes a las 9:30 am Confession: Saturday 3:30 - 4:30 pm or by appointment

www.ourfatimafamily.com Father Paul Yuenger

Rev. Fr. Thomas

Sunday Mass Schedule Saturday Vigil: 4:30 pm Sunday: 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 Noon, 5:30 pm Confessions Saturday 8:00 am-8:25 am Saturday 4:00 pm-4:25 pm Tuesday 5:00 pm-5:25 pm or by appointment

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1135 Fifth Avenue Corner of Fifth Avenue & 12th Street in downtown Huntington Sunday Morning Worship – 10:45 am Social distancing & wearing masks required

Sunday Mass: 11:00a.m. Daily Masses: 12:05 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday Confession by appointment

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Fifth Avenue Baptist Church

828 15th St. (on 9th Ave) Htgn. 248-996-3960

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To advertise on this page, call Linda at (304) 526-2723

St. Peter Claver Catholic Church

Mass Times: Sat. 5:00pm, Sun. 9am, Confessions on Sat. 4:30pm-4:45pm or anytime by appointment Office Hours Mon-Fri. 9am-12pm

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Ona talks new music, playing at Mountain Stage By TYLER SPENCE OPINION EDITOR With Mountain Stage set to be one of the first major concerts since the arrival of the pandemic last spring, the band Ona will be performing for the third time on Mountain Stage; however, this will be the first time the show will be performed at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Ona is the rock outfit hailing from Huntington, W.Va., and named after the small town 15 miles outside of Huntington, hometown of lead singer, Bradley Jenkins. Ona has since released two full-length albums, American Fiction (2015) and Full Moon, Heavy Light (2019). Over the years, Ona has been recognized around the country and by national media outlets for their innovative sound and, in the meantime, have become local legends in the process.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ONA

Over the years, Ona has been recognized around the country and by national media outlets for their innovative sound and, in the meantime, have become local legends in the process. PHOTO COURTESY OF ONA

Ona has since released two full-length albums, American Fiction (2015) and Full Moon, Heavy Light (2019). Brad Goodall, keyboardist for Ona, said they are exciting to begin performing again. “Usually, Mountain Stage will book us when we have something fresh, but the only thing we have to promote is live music coming back,” Goodall said. Although the band is working on a new album, the set will be primarily filled with music from their first two records, with some notable exceptions. “As of this moment in the setlist, we are going to play one unreleased song and a cover no one has heard… there will be a couple of different things that no one has heard us play,” Goodall said. He then said the band likes to test out new music on a live audience to get a reaction.

“On a national level, I would say Appalachia is underrepresented, so when we transitioned to the national spectrum of touring and performing. I think we brought something that was fresh, and people hadn’t really heard it before,” Goodall said in reference to the good press Ona has received over the years, like “Ona could be the next great rock band,” published by Vice in 2019. The most important thing to Ona is authenticity. “If you’re not being yourself, you’re not going to get past a certain point. I think maybe that’s the charm — is that we are just being honest about what we are doing,” Goodall said. Ona views success with two different folds — continuing to make music and grow their audience and to push music forward that influences and innovates for their contemporaries and the next generation. “If you put a number on it, you’ll never be satisfied. We just want to stay on the treadmill. As long as you’re on the treadmill, you’re getting in better shape and continue to get better,” Goodall said.

PAGE EDITED AND DESIGNED BY XENA BUNTON | BUNTON2@MARSHALL.EDU

Goodall talked about the effect of the pandemic and its toll on the band, but he made it clear that the music would not be affected by pandemic life. “We’ve tried to avoid writing songs about what went down, and also try to avoid writing songs that were downbeat and sad or whatever. We want to come out of this like a flower in bloom. We rebelled by not even thinking about it or writing about it,” Goodall said. The intentionality to make fun of music in an otherwise depressing era in the state of music can be credited to decisions the band made to make music that gives them joy. “Escapism… that’s our headspace right now. We just want to make music that’s as fun as possible,” Goodall said. Fans can see Ona on Friday, March 16, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, along with the rest of the Mountain Stage lineup. Tyler Spence can be contacted at Spence83@ marshall.edu.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ONA

Ona views success with two different folds — continuing to make music and grow their audience and to push music forward that influences and innovates for their contemporaries and the next generation.