The Northerner | Ed. 63 Issue 5 by thenortherner.com

Edition 63, Issue 5 Wednesday, February 13, 2019

thenortherner.com @northernermedia Page 3 Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day ideas for couples, singles

Page 4 & 5 How sexual harassment reporting could change

Page 6 Steely librarian on information literacy

How the Norse can make it to March Madness pg. 8

PHOTO BY COLIN JOHNSON, ILLUSTRATION BY SAM ROSENSTIEL

Page 7 Page 8 Student Government: How Norse MBB could How it works make it to NCAA tourney

02 Happenings

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

NORTHERNER STAFF

WWW.THENORTHERNER.COM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sam Rosenstiel [rosensties1@mymail.nku.edu] MANAGING EDITOR Nicole Browning [browningn30@gmail.com] NEWS EDITOR Natalie Hamren [hamrenn1@mymail.nku.edu] ASST. NEWS EDITOR Josh Goad [goadj2@mymail.nku.edu] ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Josh Kelly [kellyjoshual17@gmail.com] ASST. ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Kane Mitten [mittenm1@mymail.nku.edu] SPORTS EDITOR Sierra Newton [newtons3@mymail.nku.edu] PHOTO EDITOR Colin Johnson

WHAT TO DO Check out the hottest campus happenings and can’t-miss events in Greater Cincinnati.

LASAGNA LOVE FEAST | BUCA DI BEPPO | $50/COUPLE | 2 - 10 P.M. Pasta lovers rejoice. Head to Rookwood Commons for a special couples meal that includes a heartshaped lasagna dish that feeds up to three (unless you’re determined), a heart-shaped margherita pizza, garlic bread, caesar salad and a mini chocolate chip cannoli. Make advance reservations online if you’re planning to attend, or you’ll say pasta la vista to this Valentine’s dinner!

VALENTINE’S DINNER AT TERRACE CAFE | CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM | $80/COUPLE | 4 - 7:30 P.M. Prepare for an evening of decadence at the Cincinnati Art Museum, where you and your date will start the night enjoying lobster bisque or a field greens salad, then move to your choice of a 12-ounce beef filet or a crab and lobster bucatini. Then, enjoy the curated art on display throughout the museum.

EGYPT: THE TIME OF PHARAOHS | CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER | $15 Remember when Umi the mummy visited NKU? If you missed your chance back in January, you can see him and many other Egyptian artifacts when the Cincinnati Museum Center opens their new featured exhibit. Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs will examine the lives of both royalty and the common folk from over 5,000 years ago.

FEB

FEB FEB

u n i v e r s i t y

POLICE BEAT

From University Police logs, here’s the week in crime at NKU.

[johnsonphotography6626@gmail.com]

ASST. PHOTO EDITOR Emerson Swoger [emeswagg16@gmail.com] ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Abby Behrens [behrensm1@mymail.nku.edu] DESIGN EDITOR Bridgette Gootee [gooteeb1@mymail.nku.edu] DESIGN EDITOR Ian Lape-Gerwe [lapegerwei1@mymail.nku.edu] WEB EDITOR Laine Harrett [harrettn1@mymail.nku.edu] SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Maria Dossett [dossettm1@mymail.nku.edu] SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Kate Fulmer [fulmerk1@mymail.nku.edu] ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Isabel Winkleski [northerneradvertising@gmail.com] BUSINESS TEAM Tristan Tapia [northerneradvertising@gmail.com] ADVISOR Michele Day [daymi@nku.edu]

Feb. 2 - Subject under the influence of a controlled substance in public, arrested near Norse Hall. Feb. 4 - Fight involving two individuals at the basketball court area of Campus Recreation Center. Feb. 10 - Two unattended cell phones reported stolen in BB&T Arena.

What you missed at SGA Feb. 11

Josh Goad

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Library hour extension Student Government Association unanimously passed a resolution Monday to extend Steely Library hours. Senators Noelle Brooks and Zachary Dichtl presented the resolution a second time during the senate meeting. The proposed resolution would have the library extend their hours the week before school starts as well as before and during finals week. It also asks that the library keep the first floor open 24 hours, only allowing students to enter through the first floor outside of normal operating hours. The proposal went through a final round of revisions, removing a clause from last weeks proposal that would have Einstein Brothers Bagels stay open with the library. The final resolution will be presented to the library soon. Residence hall coming to Boothe Village

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ABOUT THE NORTHERNER Entire content is copyright of The Northerner and may not be reprinted without prior consent. Views expressed do not represent those of the administration, faculty or student body. The Northerner is considered a designated public forum. Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The Northerner staff respects the right to a free and open dialogue as allowed under the First Amendment.

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University Housing Director David Berland confirmed plans to build a new residence hall in Boothe Village. The new dorm would add 312 beds, bringing the total number of potential on-campus residents to about 2,300. According to concept images, the new residence hall will be built between Kentucky Hall and Norse Hall. NKU plans to close the Norse Hall full circle and create a pedestrian quad, which will not be accessible by car. Construction is tentatively planned to start in September 2019 and is expected to be finished by mid-2021. For the 2020 semester, students can expect no more than a $200 increase to the cost of housing for nine of the 17 NKU Housing options as the cost of utilities increase. “To give you an idea of what it costs just to keep the halls open—for water, electricity, heat, gas—it costs us about $80,000 to $100,000 a month, and that price is going up,” Berland told SGA.

Changes were also made to Housing’s internet bandwidth, doubling it from 1 gigabit to 2 gigabits. Berland stated that they also introduced a new package shaper that will give each person using WiFi an equal share of the bandwidth. These changes added $40,000 to Housing’s annual budget and is included in the $650,000 NKU plans to invest in better campus internet infrastructure over the next five years. “We want to make sure we’re offering a better value to NKU students—but if the demand curve shifts really, really far and we’re under priced, we’re going to lose money and not be able to afford to keep our buildings up to par,” Berland said. Perks of parking Andy Meeks, director of business operations and auxiliary services, gave a presentation on upcoming rate increases for Parking Services. The price of parking passes have increased 4 percent in the last two years. “Because we’re an auxiliary service, the state does not pay to build parking lots, garages, things of that nature,” Meeks said. “When we build a garage… we have to sell bonds, we have to take on debt to build that.” Meeks explained that about 70 percent of Parking Services’ revenue goes toward paying off debt to build parking lots and garages. The rest goes to payroll and general maintenance. Although this is sustainable, finding balance between spending money on more spots and maintaining what NKU has is crucial. Meeks believes there’s a misconception about parking, stating that NKU almost has “too many spots” available. The problem stems from students wanting to park in a specific lot or area—there should be a spot open, it just might be a walk across campus.

Ed 63, Issue 5

Viewpoints 03

North Poll Elizabeth Cates REPORTER

What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?

Last minute ideas for couples and singles from the editors

Northerner Staff

As my girlfriend and I met in college, we have yet to go back to her (booming) hometown of Columbus together. So we are going to enjoy a visit to her favorite hibachi place, her high school and, my favorite, Krispy Kreme for conversation heart-shaped donuts. When we get back, we plan on doing our own Bob Rossinspired painting sesh where we follow different Bob Ross tutorials and give each other the paintings we made. - Josh Kelly, Arts & Life Editor

First dates on Valentine’s Day are always a horrible idea, so I’m gonna resist the urge to boot up Tinder and instead buy myself a whole bunch of chocolate, and then just binge watch like a whole Netflix season and play video games ‘til my fingers fall off. Or just watch the OKC vs. Pelicans game at 8 p.m. Probably all three. - Kane Mitten, Assistant Arts & Life Editor

ILLUSTRATIONS BY NICOLE BROWNING

For Valentine’s Day I have really big plans of treating it like any other day. I’m definitely going to send my friends a little extra love since I don’t have an actual Valentine. I also plan to eat plenty of chocolates and watch To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before on Netflix. My Grandma is my annual Valentine. <3 - Sierra Newton, Sports Editor

This Valentine’s Day, I made reservations for two at a nice restaurant Downtown. I would specify where, but my date reads The Northerner (what a keeper) and I don’t want to give away the surprise. I will say this Fountain Square staple has definite flair when it comes to desserts, so I hope she’s in the mood for dinner with a view and something sweet. - Sam Rosenstiel, Editor-in-Chief

For our first Valentine’s Day together, my boyfriend and I are utilizing the full day. We plan to start the holiday by visiting the Newport Aquarium, pretending to be fancy folk at Brio at Newport on the Levee, proceed to make chocolate-covered strawberries at home and finish the day off with some good old-fashioned movie watching. We’ll probably add a few chocolate bars into the mix, too. - Emerson Swoger, Assistant Photo Editor

In a perfect world, my boyfriend and I would not have class and homework. That said, he and I decided that we would be celebrating Valentine’s Day on the weekend when we have plenty of time to eat at our fave restaurant, Taste Of Belgium, eat cookies and watch movies. Love you, wuv chicken! - Isabel Winkleski, Engagement Editor

Valentine’s around campus In need of a Valentine’s weekend plan around NKU? • Enjoy a dinner and a show while looking to the stars on the Thursday night. Haile Planetarium is bringing actors to tell constellation lore and present live music while showing the constellations of the sky. Tickets are $20 per couple and includes a box of chocolates. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. in the planetarium. • If last minute-reservations at a fancy restaurant are off the table for Valentine’s Day, try the free Cincinnati Art Museum in Eden Park or the Contemporary Art Museum in the heart of Downtown (it has a huge robot standing out front, very romantic). For $4 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Krohn Conservatory will host a “Flowers, Chocolate and Romance” event among the butterflies and exotic flowers (arguably more romantic than a giant robot). • After spending Friday in class, swing down to the Baptist Student Center to enjoy a free dinner and swing dance lessons. Baptist Campus Ministry and the Catholic Newman Center are hosting the event. • End the weekend watching your fellow students perform “Cabaret” Thursday through Sunday in the Corbett Theater. The show centers around a club in pre-war Berlin and its seedy inhabitants.

“Probably just stay home and watch Netflix with my dog. My dog is my valentine.” Alexa Herrmann, first year, biology

“[My boyfriend and I are] going to watch some movies and maybe go out to eat, just enjoy ourselves.” Kayla Bendermon, first year, psychology

“I’m going to go home the day after to see my boyfriend...We’re probably going to go have dinner.”

Caitlyn Tasney, first year, elementary education

“I don’t know, watch some sappy movies.” Wesley Stingley, first year, mechanical and manufacturing engineering

04 News

News 05

Will Title IX change?

How new guidelines could revamp gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment reporting at universities Josh Goad ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Title IX was a part of the Education Amendments of 1972 and has since become an integral part of the way education works in America. This major piece of legislation states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” “It should be noted that the Title IX legislation was tied to schools that receive federal aid,” said Jane Meier, former NKU athletics director. “If a high school or an elementary school was receiving money for their lunch program, then they were obligated not to discriminate against anyone, male or female.” Bernice Sandler, known as the “godmother of Title IX,” was a major player in pushing for women’s and girls’ rights in education. After experiencing a great deal of discrimination while applying for teaching jobs at the University of Maryland, she would eventually lead the charge that would manifest as Title IX. This was felt most at institutions of higher learning, as most universities were and still are funded by the federal government in some way. Meier, who worked as a coach for various women’s sports teams at NKU from 1978 to 1988—when she became athletics director—lived through the changes made by Sandler and Title IX. Title IX and women’s sports “In the Northern Kentucky area, believe it or not, the only team sport available to me in the early ‘60s was girls’ softball, and the Catholic Youth Organization actually had organized leagues,” Meier said. Swimming and tennis were the only sports available to women that were played at the state level; everything else

was typically local. By the time Meier was in high school, she was able to participate in volleyball, but again, it wasn’t played at the state level. “In college, I actually participated in the first intercollegiate national championship in volley, we didn’t qualify for the national championship, but it was available to us in basketball,” Meier said. Equality in sports was not the only reason Title IX became an educational staple, but it was one of the first things felt by universities nationwide. “When I look back, being at Northern Kentucky University was a rare situation because the men’s athletic program started in 1971 and the women’s athletic program started in 1974 which is highly unusual,” Meier said. NKU’s first president, Dr. W. Frank Steely, and its first dean of students, Dr. James Claypool, made a commitment to fund both male and female sports equally. This all took place before 1972 and the start of Title IX, which gave NKU an advantage in women’s sports while other colleges lagged behind. “It was so controversial at any other college because in the United States there was a push back,” Meier said. “If we start women’s sports that means we’re going to take money away from the men’s sports and men’s opportunities. Part of it, more than anything, was the financial suddenness of, ‘we’ve gotta start a women’s program.’” Today, Title IX enforcement in athletics requires students and faculty to have equal opportunities when compared to the relative population. Teams need to have a near-balanced number of players, and sports offered to either gender require the same. Universities are out of compliance if they do not follow these regulations, and NKU is doing better than most according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Education. Faculty, for the most part, see somewhat

equal pay and equal opportunities for coaching the myriad sports offered at NKU. Today’s Title IX and sexual misconduct Current U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos proposed changes to Title IX late last year, but they are still under review. One of the more controversial aspects of the proposal would “require schools to apply basic due process

protections for students, including a presumption of innocence throughout the grievance process; written notice of allegations and an equal opportunity to review all evidence collected; and the right to cross-examination, subject to ‘rape shield’ protections.” Cornell Law School describes rape shield protections as a rule that excludes all other evidence relating to an alleged victim of sexual misconduct that is offered to prove a sexual predisposition.

GRAPHS BY JOSH GOAD

Student demographic data from U.S. Department of Education. Salary and coach demographic data from transparency.ky.gov.

This means that a survivor’s past sexual encounters cannot be used against them in court as evidence defending or opposing the allegations made. NKU adjunct law professor and 6th Circuit Judge Amul Thapar reaffirmed the idea of this type of cross-examination after “Doe v. Baum” in September. In Thapar’s opinion, “if a public university has to choose between competing narratives to resolve a case, the university must give the accused student or his agent an opportunity to cross-examine the accuser and adverse witnesses in the presence of a neutral fact-finder.” “Doe filed a lawsuit claiming that the university’s disciplinary proceedings violated the Due Process Clause and Title IX,” Thapar wrote. “He argues that because the university’s decision turned on a credibility finding, the school was required

to give him a hearing with an opportunity to cross-examine Roe and adverse witnesses.” Per the U.S. Department of Education, educational programs and activities that receive federal funds must operate in a nondiscriminatory manner. A few of the key issue areas in which recipients have Title IX obligations are recruitment, admissions and counseling; financial assistance; athletics; sex-based harassment; treatment of pregnant and parenting students; discipline; single-sex education; and employment. It also protects people who opposed an unlawful educational practice or policy, or made charges, testified or participated in any complaint action under Title IX from retaliatory measures. If a recipient of federal funds does retaliate, it is considered a violation of Title IX as well. According to NKU Title IX Investigator Angela Zippin, the university had a more

decentralized process for filing formal complaints before she was brought on in mid-November 2018. Before, complaints filed regarding student sexual misconduct would be handled by the Office of Student Conduct, Rights & Advocacy—Human Resources would handle any complaints that involved faculty or staff. “I think it says a lot about NKU that they decided this is something we want to be a standalone office, somewhere that’s going to focus specifically on Title IX issues,” Zippin said. Where NKU stands The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has jurisdiction over Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, but their rulings set the precedent for future cases, not new laws or regulations. This means the court could reference “Doe v. Baum” as setting a certain expectation and that cases similar to it should follow suit. The current proposal from the Department of Education bolsters the defenses of an accused person. DeVos wrote that, “It is our goal with this proposed rule to ensure that Title IX grievance proceedings become more transparent, consistent and reliable in their processes and outcomes.” These changes are still in the works and recipients of federal funding from the Department of Education have not had to make any changes. Anything filed with the offices of Title IX or University Police will only be investigated if the survivor/ accuser wants to move forward with it. “One of the ways we get lost sometimes, is that, it’s very important that these processes are victim-centric or victimcentered,” said University Police Chief John Gaffin. “Forcing someone who

doesn’t want to pursue an outcome in the justice system to do so just because it makes us feel better… that’s not the right response for everybody.” The proposed changes would also allow universities to choose between the evidentiary standard used, a choice between a “preponderance of evidence” or “clear and convincing.” According to Cornell Law School, preponderance of evidence favors the side that can prove they are more than 50 percent true. The current expectations under Title IX is clear and convincing, which requires either party to provide evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. “I look at the proposed changes as baseline guidelines, I don’t think NKU is going to change what we’re doing,” said Dr. Ande Durojaiye, vice provost for undergraduate affairs and interim Title IX coordinator. “We’re not going to change our commitment to making sure that we adjudicate and investigate any sort of complaint of sexual misconduct that impacts our students.” What should you do if you’re a victim of sexual misconduct or discrimination? “I think it’s always a good idea for folks to report to us, and I think that the thing that gets lost is that even when you report to us you still maintain control over that process,” Gaffin said. “We’re not going to prosecute this, we’re not going to move forward with this without your cooperation. You maintain control over what happens or doesn’t happen.” Zippin suggested doing the same with the offices of Title IX, if it is related to the university or people who are affiliated to NKU—students, faculty or staff—on campus or campus-affiliated buildings. If you are experiencing an emergency, or if there is an imminent risk to your well-being or that of another person, contact NKU Police at (859) 572-7777 (on campus) or call 911 (off-campus). If you have other questions or concerns for NKU’s Office of Title IX, please contact either Title IX Investigator Angela Zippin (zippina1@nku.edu, 859-572-7666) or Interim Title IX Coordinator Dr. Ande Durojaiye (durojaiyea1@nku.edu, 859572-5379). Support for student survivors and their allies is available through the Norse Violence Prevention office. For more information about NVP services, please visit nvp.nku. edu. Faculty and staff support is also available by contacting NKU’s Director of Employee Relations at 859-572-7600. For more information about Title IX and NKU’s Sexual Misconduct policy, visit titleix.nku.edu.

@northernermedia

04 News

News 05

Will Title IX change?

How new guidelines could revamp gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment reporting at universities Josh Goad ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

GRAPHS BY JOSH GOAD

Student demographic data from U.S. Department of Education. Salary and coach demographic data from transparency.ky.gov.

@northernermedia

06 Arts & Life

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Steely librarian on information literacy mission Dada,

Elizabeth Cates REPORTER

Andrea Brooks writes her name, email and agenda for the day on the whiteboard of a deserted classroom. She powers up the ENO board. It’s just before 10 a.m., and not a single student is present, although the classroom door is open for any early comers. Brooks is the Information Literacy Coordinator and teaches courses to undergraduate and graduate classes who usually meet in the library. This means the professor of the course as well as the students meet with Brooks. Brooks continues to work at her computer, twirling her blonde ponytail as she thinks. Professor Kathleen Fuegen and her 16 PSY 210 students file in for Brooks’ lecture on recognizing different types of sources, how to trace information and search strategies. This is her only undergraduate class for the day. The students are spread throughout the room, sitting at large round tables with laptops around each table. The students follow Brooks’ directions to access a Google document, which was meticulously written on the board to be copied exactly into the address bar. Once there, the students participate in an activity where, upon viewing different sources, they must be able to identify each by its name. A soft chatter arises as the students begin the activity. Brooks also directs the students to Steely Library’s website to offer tips on how to search more effectively for sources. She indicates the sidebar on the webpage that allows the search to be narrowed down by author or limited within a certain time. She also shows students how to search with keywords, recommending only using two to four words and putting quotes around specific phrases they may want to see within the source, like “college athletes.” Brooks is an information librarian and works on the information literacy initiative, which is a five-year program that attempts to incorporate information literacy into each field of study. She said

Bluford win SGA presidential election

Andrea Brooks, Steely Library’s information literacy coordinator, teaches courses on recognizing sources and tracing information. PHOTOS BY MAYA SHAFFER

this plan would take the place of the “oneshot” courses that teach students how to research for a particular assignment. “There’s also the whole component of misinformation today and being a responsible information consumer because we’re also sharing information so much,” Brooks said. “So [we’re] trying to expand beyond ‘be successful at your assignment,’ which is good, we want you to succeed at your assignment, but it’s bigger than that I think.” Library Informatics Advisor Lynn Warner said the older definition is being able to identify information needed as well as other related, relevant information to be evaluated and used properly. Warner explained that now the understanding is that students are not only using information, they are creating it as well, saying that the older definition is more “passive” and now the

understanding for information literacy is more “active.” After about an hour, the class is over and Brooks heads to her office. She works on creating modules which, she explained, can be imported into the “Commons,” a resource on Canvas for instructors to share material. She returns to her office to send emails, fill out a Girl Scout cookie order form, clear off Post-It notes of completed tasks, check her phone to see a picture of her 4-year-old nephew skiing, eat lunch, take a phone call about a presentation and sift through all her emails, saying “It’s been a good month, but a crazy one.” She leaves for her next class being held in the Health Innovation Center. She gets a little lost along the way, but finds the right room just before her next class starting at 12:30 p.m. The perimeter of the room is lined with computers, the far wall painted a magenta color while the remaining walls are seethrough, and 27 desks pointed toward the front of the room where Brooks will lecture to 11 social work students. This presentation is to teach graduate students how to best access Steely Library’s resources and participate in NKU’s research event, “Celebration.” She explained the differences between Articles+, a database for their particular field and Google Scholar, with tips on how to narrow or broaden one’s search. She reminds students that research is a “conversation” and they have the opportunity to contribute. She breaks down the requirements for Celebration

and shows the help that NKU has to offer. She also encourages students to submit their applications for a cash prize and recognition that Steely Library offers. The due date for these applications is set after the Celebration event to give students time to write about how they used Steely Library’s resources in their research and submit their application. After Brooks gives tips on how to participate Celebration research, the professor tells her students to each share something they found helpful from Brooks’ presentation. No other class contributed in this way, but it did provide Brooks with immediate feedback. Brooks then dashes from the Health Innovation Center to Steely Library. She has two more graduate classes to teach with a short break to continue working on a module before her day is done. Brooks is not the only librarian to break the stereotype. Professor Mary Chesnut has two black and white pictures of rigid, “stern” women that remind her of “stereotypical” librarians. These pictures remind her to “never become like them.” Her office is decorated with old greeting cards, while Funko figures line the far wall. Her door has Allied Zone stickers, a first-generation student flyer and her name “Mary” in Scrabble tiles. “I get to do lots of fun things here; every day is a little bit different,” Chesnut said. “I’m not just stuck at the computer; I’m not just stuck doing one thing or another; I’ve got a variety of things to do and it’s never boring.”

Ed 63, Issue 5

News / Sports 07

How Student Government Association works

Dada, Bluford win SGA presidential election

Chelsea Livers Gowdy

CHART BY CHELSEA LIVERS GOWDY AND JOSH GOAD

REPORTER

With 30 Senate members and an Executive Board of 10, Student Government Association is a dedicated, hardworking student-run organization that advocates for NKU students. “SGA does a lot of great things for this university, a lot of fun things and difficult things,” said Matt Frey, vice president of SGA. SGA’s goal is to take on tasks deemed impossible so they can better the student community. “There’s a lot of passion in this organization,” Frey said. “One of the most difficult parts is the emotional drain of it because you really have to be there for people.” SGA relies on students and the Board of Regents to achieve their goals. According to Frey, when negotiating with various powerful people, there can be conviction in their stance. “You just have to sit down, talk out the points and find a solution—some are more difficult than others. You have more difficult personalities and some people are a little jaded with the ideas of things that have not been done for a while,” Frey said. SGA has two main ways of formalizing legislation; however, their most successful is their formal method. “This year, we have completely transformed the student government; a lot of people didn’t understand what student government was or if they were interested in it,” said Hannah Edelen, president of SGA. Edelen believes that the current administration has made

Sierra Newton SPORTS EDITOR

Senator has an idea for a resolution

Idea is brought to committee chair or other senator

Facts, figures, quotes and an argument for resolution made

If passed by senate, resolution is brought to Faculty Senate and Staff Congress. There, it is read and next steps are decided

Brought before senate, read through twice before vote

Brought to executive board to be read for grammar and content

SGA more accessible to students. SGA has created “Round Tables” where they meet with leaders from each organization about their concerns and problems. This allows senators and the Executive Board to discuss possible ways to better each student community. “Hannah and I are organizing to go into [other organizations] meetings to talk to people about what [SGA] have done so far,” Frey said. CircleTalks, VictorTalks and Touchpoints are also communication methods conducted to engage the student community in conversations on hot topics.

“We are being more available to students. We are not going to wait for you to come to us for a problem, we are going to come to you first,” Edelen said. Although SGA has made many changes to improve their visibility on campus, there are students that hope to see more. “I would like to see them do more activities on campus, be more known,” said Taytum Akers, sophomore criminal justice major. Student-run organizations sometimes can often be overlooked and ignored. “SGA has a lot of power. The fact that a group of students can sit in a circle and talk about their problems and then I talk to administrators about those problems,” Edelen said. Students from various communities bring their concerns to SGA. According to

didn’t really run a good time, we were just trying to get your confidence,’” Keys said. “And I was like, ‘What? Why would you lie to me?’ Because if I sucked, I would have never have ran it at all, ever. I guess I can’t complain, because it gave me a scholarship to run here.” Keys said she never actually saw herself running track at the collegiate level; at the time, NKU wasn’t even at the top of her list. With her coaches encouragement and help and a few official visits, Keys made the decision to run track at NKU. Outside of track, Keys keeps herself involved on campus. She is the financial chair of Nu Upsilon’s Black Womens’ Honorary, an NKU R.O.C.K.S. mentor, a PLUS tutor for accounting, a REAL Choices Ambassador and a peer mentor for the Supported Higher Education Program (SHEP). Keys has also had the opportunity to attend the 2017 NCAA Leadership Forum in Washington, D. C. The NCAA

picks two people out of each Division I conference across the country to discuss ways the athletes can improve their campus, sports, schools and the NCAA. Keys said because of that opportunity, she has made some strong connections with student athletes across the nation. “We still, to this day, have a group message. We’re still helping each other with problems that we have on campus or within our sports and what other schools are doing to resolve that,” Keys said. Keys said she has a “love for history” and is “studious.” In light of Black History Month, she said she feels as if she’s learning more and more each day. Keys said she found there are everyday tools and resources that Black people have created that people aren’t aware of, and it’s important to showcase that. “I feel like every month and every day I’m learning something new about my culture, which is really interesting,” Keys said. “I think that Black History Month

Frey, members match their own passions with the concerns that they receive from students. Being partisan about issues is what helps move legislation along. This past year, SGA pushed the feminine hygiene initiative, ensuring free feminine hygiene products in all women’s bathrooms throughout campus. SGA also participates in civic engagement. Last year, they hosted the State Senate Debate, which had about 7,000 viewers on The Northerner’s live stream and packed the SU Ballroom. The debate gained them state recognition for their success. SGA has goals and legislation in progress to continue improving NKU. “We are not doctoral students who are running this, we are students that care about other students that want to make a significant impact,” Edelen said.

Athlete Spotlight: track sprinter dreams big

BriAuna Keys is a sprinter for NKU women’s track and field team. The senior accounting and business informations systems double major aspires to be a certified public accountant for a public accounting firm. Keys’ senior season will mark her 10th year of running track. She had a hand in short distance running when she first started, but later found her niche running the 4x400 relay. “The end of my junior high school I was like, ‘I want to try to the four by four just to see what happens’ and I ran it and [the high school track team] were like, ‘Bri, you just ran a great time’ and then ever since then I’ve been running it,” Keys said. Keys later found out her team may have been embellishing a bit to give her the boost of confidence she needed to run. “Turns out like two years ago, I went to a grad party and they were like, ‘You know we lied to you right? Like you

should be every day because I mean, we’ve done so much that you wouldn’t have even known about, y’know?”

PHOTO BY COLIN JOHNSON

08 Sports

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

March Madness: How Norse MBB could make it

Nick Porras CONTRIBUTOR

Senior forward Drew McDonald (34) riles up the BB&T Arena crowd, Feb. 9. PHOTO BY COLIN JOHNSON

Horizon League MBB standings (Feb. 12) League

Overall

Streak

Northern Kentucky

10-3

20-6

Wright State Raiders

9-4

15-11

UIC Flames

7-5

13-12

Oakland Grizzlies

7-6

11-15

Green Bay Phoenix

6-6

12-13

IUPUI Jaguars

6-6

14-11

Detroit Mercy Titans

6-7

9-16

NORSE SCORES Feb. 7 - 12 Visit thenortherner.com and follow @northernersport for more game coverage.

In the most recent bracketology done by ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, the Norse men’s basketball team finds themselves as a 14-seed in the South region. Lunardi has them playing in the east region with their opening round in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The opponent offers the most intrigue as Lunardi has them playing the Purdue Boilermakers. This bracket comes from Feb. 1, and Lunardi updates it up to twice a week leading up until Selection Sunday. “It’s really cool, we work so hard all summer and during the offseason to prepare for the season, so to see our team have success and see people around the country start recognizing our success is a great feeling,” said junior guard Tyler Sharpe. “We just have to continue to work hard every day and treat every game as if it was the championship game so that we can accomplish our goals and win another championship.” On Feb. 4, USA TODAY writer Shelby Mast released his most recent bracketology projection and projects NKU as a 14-seed playing the 23-1 AACleading Houston Cougars. Mast has them in the west region playing that game in Tulsa. “This means a lot because we are seeing all of our hard work paying off. It’s just good to hear the talk around campus and getting fans and the community excited about watching us and hopefully we can end up being that Cinderella team. We just have to focus up for the rest of the regular season and going to the Horizon League Tournament,” said junior forward Dantez Walton. CBS Sports bracketologist Jerry Palm updates his brackets every weekend. His most recent bracket came out Feb. 3. Palm has NKU as a projected 14-seed playing the Kansas Jayhawks. The storied program is coming off a Final Four run last season and is hoping to make another run this season. Palm has the game taking place in Salt Lake City. “Kansas would be crazy because I grew up as a kid being a huge fan of Mario Chalmers, Josh Selby and Travis

Releford,” said redshirt sophomore guard Jalen Tate. For NKU, the journey to getting to the NCAA tournament is straightforward: the Norse must win the Horizon League tournament, which starts March 5-6 with the opening round games taking place at the higher seeded team’s arena. That means NKU will need to be a top 4 seed by the end of the regular season on March 2. The semifinals and championship will take place in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena March 11-12. The Norse currently sit atop the Horizon League with a 10-3 conference record, but the conference is a logjam after that. Wright State follows close behind at 9-4, UIC takes third at 7-5 and Oakland posts fourth at 7-6. IUPUI and Green Bay tie at 6-6, and 7th place is jammed up with Youngstown State and Detroit Mercy holding twin 6-7 records. This is important because NKU’s next opponents are Wright State on the road followed by Detroit Mercy at BB&T Arena. Why is home court advantage so important to the Norse? They currently are in a tie for the nation’s 6th-longest home winning streak with 16 straight wins dating back to last year. Not very many mid-major schools have the opportunity to achieve what NKU does this season. With 5 remaining regular season games left, the Norse have a shot at the number one seed in the Horizon League Tournament. One area the Norse will have to improve in is fouls per game. They currently sit 287 out of 351 teams in fouls per game, fouling an average of 19.5 times per game. They will have to work on fixing that in the last stretch of the season. One area the Norse have excelled in is assist/turnover ratio. They rank 20th in the entire country with a 1.40 ratio. The more possessions they can get, the better, and valuing the basketball has been one of their strong suits this season. “My approach is to just stay focused and enjoy every second of the rest of it, man, no matter how stressful it can be sometimes,” Tate said.

Men’s basketball - W, 79-64 vs. Oakland, Feb. 9. Next: Feb. 15 at Wright State, 9 p.m. on ESPN U Women’s basketball - L, 38-59 at Milwaukee, Feb. 9. Next: Feb. 16 at Wright State, 2 p.m. on ESPN3