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April 3, 2018
The Black Student Union’s step team marks its comeback with new members and unified rhythm, pg. 12
Photo by Lacey Wall, Photo Illustration by Victoria Nicholson/The Towerlight
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April 3, 2018
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Editor-in-Chief Marcus Dieterle Senior Editor Jordan Cope News Editor Bailey Hendricks Asst. News Editor Mary-Ellen Davis Assoc. Arts & Life Editor Kerry Ingram Asst. Arts & Life Editor McKenna Graham Sports Editor Karuga Koinange Asst. Sports Editor Billy Owens
Senior Staff Writer Sarah Rowan
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Leah Volpe Keri Luise Rohan Mattu Muhammad Waheed Deb Greengold Sophia Bates Meg Hudson Albert Ivory
Assoc. Photo Editor Brendan Felch
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Marcus Dieterle Brittany Whitham Lacey Wall Joe Noyes David Kirchner Tiffany Deboer
Proofreaders Alex Best Sarah Rowan General Manager Mike Raymond
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Towson University will host its 9th annual Environmental Conference.
ENVIRONMENTAL The conference will highlight career, research, leadership and advocacy CONFERENCE opportunities across the environmental spectrum. 2018
BEING HUMAN
7 p.m., Dance Studio Theatre, CA 1003.
David Fisher Simon Enagonio
Amanda Jean Thomas Katerina Duerr
Train your body in 3-D with TRX. Multi-planar exercises on the TRX will increase funtional strength, mobility and peak core conditioning.
9 a.m., University Union, 3rd Floor.
Staff Photographers Jordan Cope
Isaiah Freeman Lexi Thompson
TRX DEMO WORKOUT
2:45 p.m., Burdick Hall, Functional Floor, Second Level.
Jill Gattens Jessica Ricks
Anthony Petro
WEEKLY
3-7 CALENDAR.
Staff Writers Desmond Boyle
Senior Staff Photographer Alex Best
APRIL
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The culmination of Senior Seminar class presents “being human”: A display of self-evolution, an exploration of vulnerability and artistic voice, and an exposure of the discipline.
Jealousy, driven by intrigues and suspicions, fuels
OTHELLO BY WILLIAM Othello’s tragic downfall in Shakespeare’s epic tale SHAKESPEARE of passion, love, betrayal and revenge. Under the direction of Peter Wray, TU students present this classic.
7:30 p.m., Studio Theatre, CA 3060.
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CYCLE INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION
Learn to teach cycling classes. Campus Recreation is hosting a Spinning Instructor Certification class which is open to the public for $355. MORE EVENTS CAN BE FOUND AT
EVENTS.TOWSON.EDU
8 a.m., Burdick Hall, Cycle Studio. Art Director Victoria Nicholson Webmaster Circulation Staff Shawn Halerz Dom Capparuccini Elssa Kenfack
8000 York Road University Union Room 309 Towson, MD 21252 (410) 704-5153 editor@thetowerlight.com thetowerlight.com The Towerlight print edition is published by students of Towson University on Tuesdays. The Towerlight is owned by nonprofit Baltimore Student Media Inc., BaltimoreStudentMedia.com. The Towerlight’s advertising deadlines are firm: Wednesday noon for space; Friday noon for art. Classifieds appear online and in print and are self-service at TheTowerlight.com/classifieds. We encourage letters to the editor and online feedback. Commentaries, letters to the editor, editorial cartoons and other editorials express the opinions of their authors and not necessarily the views of the newspaper. The Towerlight does not discriminate based on age, color, condition of handicap, marital status, national origin, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. ©2018 by The Towerlight, 8000 York Rd, Towson, MD 21252. All rights reserved.
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TOWSON
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OPENING DAY
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@sliceoftowson It’s Here! It’s Here! Happy Opening Day everyone! The Boys are back at the Yard!
Round of applause for the best day of the year
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#OpeningDay really should be a holiday. Tweet us what your doing on this beautiful day!
The Baltimore #Orioles Bird stops by our Towson corporate office before heading out for #OpeningDay
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Opinion
April 3, 2018
Measured response to gun reform
Tweeter-in-Chief Donald Trump Balancing both sides of the
President’s actions affect all three branches of gov’t Second Amendment debate
CONNOR McNAIRN Columnist
Seldom am I afforded the opportunity to write columns on the president, as my area of focus concerns the U.S. legislature and judiciary. But this weekend, in his infinite wisdom, President Donald Trump graced the nation with yet another set of eccentric tweets, many of which roughly pertain to contemporary congressional debates. On Easter morning, Trump lambasted immigrants and demonized those – mainly Democrats – who actively try to streamline and liberalize immigration processes. Additionally, the president threatened NAFTA rollbacks on the grounds that Mexico actively aids and abets undocumented immigrants. Just before 10 a.m., the president tweeted that “liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release” disallow border patrol agents from doing their jobs. In the same post, the president ramped up the rhetoric, citing “caravans” of “dangerous” immigrants coming to the U.S. The tweet continued with Trump calling on Republicans to change congressional rules and utilize the “nuclear option,” which would allow the GOP to ram through legislation with a simple majority. The president concluded with the grandiose declaration: “NO MORE
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DACA DEAL!” In recent months, as I’ve covered in earlier columns, congressional Republicans and Democrats have sparred over border security and immigration procedures. As Democrats have pushed for greater protections of DACA recipients following Trump’s move to dissolve the program, Republicans have countered with demands for the funding of a wall along the MexicanAmerican border. In fact, in mid-March, reports swirled of a short-term plan that would extend DACA protections for three years in exchange for border wall funding. On Sunday, however, the president made clear that such a deal was no longer on the table, and instead continued his rant. In a later tweet, Trump claimed that Mexico was “doing very little, if not NOTHING,” to stop illegal immigration. The president proceeded to call U.S. immigration law “dumb,” and threatened an end to NAFTA. In his final Easter morning tweet, the president accused immigrants of trying to take advantage of DACA, claiming they “want in on the act!” The significance of Trump’s Sunday morning diatribe is not that he called for the disbanding of NAFTA; this seems to occur every few weeks for the commander-in-chief. Rather, Trump’s hardline position once again demonstrates the president’s proclivity for
flip-flopping on crucial policy positions, as the president’s homeland security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen met with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto just last week to discuss trade and security. The president’s tweets, which came just moments after the cast of “Fox and Friends” disseminated identical rhetoric, also reinforced his commitment to right wing television punditry. The United States has not seen significant immigration reform since the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) under President Ronald Reagan. While roughly 3 million undocumented immigrants received amnesty through the 1986 act, 800,000 individuals who were brought to the United States as children and young adults now stand to lose protective status as a result of the president’s instability. The president’s performance on Sunday morning, aimed at further spreading the fires of nativism and xenophobia originally stoked during the 2016 election, effectively makes Congress’ ability to legislate much more difficult. Our founders installed a tripartite system of government to ensure systematic checks on potentially dangerous and incapable leaders. But when the branch of government offered the greatest amount of constitutional power – the legislature – is rendered ineffective by inherent dysfunction, and when the executive has little regard for decency, is mired by ineptitude, and suffers from a lack of leadership, there are few who stand to gain from such behavior.
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The president’s performance on Sunday morning, aimed at further spreading the fires of nativism and xenophobia originally stoked during the 2016 election, effectively makes Congress’ ability to legislate much more difficult. CONNOR McNAIRN Columnist
DYLAN BRENNAN Columnist
School shootings are a very personal subject for me. My own high school came close to one with the perpetrator being caught just before he was about to commit the act. He said that he could have done it at any moment in the past few months. In 2012, a student shot up my cousin’s school, P e r r y Hall High S c h o o l , injuring one fellow student. We live in a generation where we are so numb to school shootings due to our overexposure, or perhaps even personal experience, with the subject. I cannot tell you how proud I am of all those who marched in Washington recently demanding change. I would’ve gone myself, had I not been working in a candy store a week before Easter Sunday. Yet, people are getting the wrong message. People like former Justice John Paul Stevens are arguing to abolish the Second Amendment. I would never, under any circumstance, move to abolish it. I would march separately to defend the Second Amendment, despite my willingness to march for gun reform. Just because something is broken does not mean you throw it away. If the government is not going the way you want it to, you push to reform it, not tear it down to start anew. There is perhaps a reason that the right to own a gun is written in the Second Amendment as it is very similar to the First
Amendment. It gives people power to fight on equal footing. Just as the First Amendment allows all speech to be protected, so that you may challenge and rebut anything you wish, the Second Amendment allows personal defense from those who seek harm. If someone who wants to kill you has a gun, you have the right to own a gun as a way to protect yourself as well. Just as the First Amendment has been used for evil, its benefits are too great to eliminate it. We must treat the Second Amendment in the same light. However, I am not a puritan on this. Just as certain speech is limited on the grounds of threats and such, the Second Amendment must be tempered too. I don’t want a society where everyone has assault rifles and bump stocks. I readily wish them to be either relegated to shooting ranges or banned altogether. The way we see gun laws now is broken, and should be fixed. But as I said, we cannot give up on something so important just because it is difficult. And I am so glad that Parkland students and people around the country are not going to give up this time. The great writer Robert Heinlein once said “An armed society is a polite society.” Perhaps that is a crass statement in today’s culture, but in the future and with enough reform, it may be what the Second Amendment will accomplish.
Opinion
April 3, 2018
The negative impact Ranking the O’s farm stadiums of multitasking JORDAN COPE
Many students struggle to put their phones down and focus KAYLA HUNT Columnist
I feel as though social media is more so a means of distraction or escape, rather than a form of procrastination. According to Google, procrastination is defined as "the action of delaying or postponing something.” I do not intentionally delay doing my work because I’d rather be on social media. I frequently check social media while doing assignments, and I believe it to be a distraction. I have even taken measures such as deleting social media apps for a period of time, and it actually made me complete the work that I needed to get done in a shorter time span. I think this follows the saying “out of sight, out of mind.” If the apps are not on your phone, then you are less likely to be distracted. In the NBC column “Students can’t resist distraction for two minutes ... and neither can you,”
columnist Bob Sullivan explained that students check their phones about every two minutes. Sullivan continued to explain through testimonials of brain scientists that students continuously check social media because they overestimate their ability to multitask. The columnist inferred that multitasking doesn’t exist. People who believe that they are great multitaskers are just constantly switching their attention back and forth between tasks. This column also explained that it takes students longer to complete assignments when they are constantly task-switching because it wears out the brain. Social media has been popularly mistaken as a form of procrastination because it takes students longer to complete assignments. I feel as though social media is an outlet that students use, not only in their down time, but also when they have work to get done. All that comes from the constant task-switching is that it takes students longer completing their assignments.
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Senior Editor @jordancope26
Thank God baseball is back, it’s the greatest time of the year. No longer are we relegated to watching strictly NBA and NHL highlights on SportsCenter. Don’t get me wrong, going to Oriole Park at Camden Yards is my favorite thing to do in Baltimore. However, it can add up quickly for college students. If you’re a huge O’s fan like me and you love to watch baseball, then you should catch a few games down on the farm. The Orioles have a great minor league system with beautiful stadiums that are relatively inexpensive if you exclude the cost of traveling. Of the five minor league franchises that the Baltimore Orioles have, here are my rankings of its best stadiums: 5. Prince George’s Stadium - Home of the Bowie Baysox: Nothing to write home about with this ballpark at all. It is buried off of a main road in Bowie right next to a Home Depot. If you get tickets
in the general admission section, you will be sitting on hard and cold bleachers. Right above the Baysox bullpen is a lawn area. However, nobody is allowed to sit there. It would have made for a really unique experience. However, I don’t recommend completely passing on this stadium. Double-A baseball has always been my favorite because these athletes are right on the brink of making it to Triple-A, and one step closer to the big stage. Again, it’s not my favorite but I don’t think it’s one you should entirely pass on! 4. Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium - Home of the Frederick Keys: This stadium is very similar to Prince George’s Stadium. The general admission section is bleachers, and the ballpark is in a weird spot off of the main drag. However, there are a two things that propel this park into the number four spot on my list. The first factor is that this stadium is located in the beautiful city of Frederick. If you have ever been to Frederick, you know what I am talking about. It’s very scenic and has a lot of things you can do around the town before the game. The second factor is the crab
macaroni and cheese. Huge lumps of crab meat over warm macaroni and cheese is just the best. If you visit this stadium, come hungry. 3. Ripken Stadium - Home of the Aberdeen IronBirds: This is without a doubt one of my favorite stadiums in the O’s farm system. Ripken Stadium is located in beautiful Harford County, and is well beyond what one would expect for a Short-Season Single-A baseball stadium. There are no bleachers whatsoever, but instead just your usual stadium chairs. There are also a lot of great food options, including crabcakes and cinnamon roasted almonds. The field is always kept in great shape, and there is a small town community vibe around the whole ballpark. Ripken Stadium is one you have to stop by and see a game at. 2. Harbor Park - Home of the Norfolk Tides: Given that this is a Triple-A stadium, it shouldn’t have a problem cracking the number two spot in my list. It has the obvious advantage of being bigger and better. - To read the rest of this column online, visit thetowerlight. com.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
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I feel as though social media is an outlet that students use, not just only in their down time, but also when they have to get work done. KAYLA HUNT Columnist
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Jordan Cope/ The Towerlight Senior Editor Jordan Cope attended Opening Day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Thursday. The O’s went on to defeat the Twins 3-2 thanks to a walk-off home run from Adam Jones.
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News
April 3, 2018
It’s On Us Week of Action begins SAPE, SGA educate on sexual violence March 30: The victim of a fraud attempted to chase down the suspect and spray mace on him. March 30: A female resident student reported waking up when her leg was touched by a trespassing female resident student lying in her bed in Glen Complex Tower A. March 28: Paraphernalia with marijuana residue was found in a room after the resident moved out in Glen Complex Tower D. March 28: A resident student woke up to another resident trespassing in the room in in Glen Complex Tower A. File Photo by Marcus Dieterle/ The Towerlight
The Student Government Association is partnering with the Sexual Assault Peer Educators to host the It’s on Us Week of Action this week. Events plan to educate students on sexual violence.
SOPHIA BATES Staff Writer @sbrookebates
The week of April 2, the Student Government Association will be sponsoring the It’s On Us Week of Action with various events Tuesday through Thursday on the second floor of the University Union. According to the SGA Director of Health and Wellness Airial Turner, this week is one of her initiatives regarding sexual violence awareness. “I chose to do it on the first week of April, and since sexual assault awareness month is this month, I thought it would be really cool to do it that way,” Turner said. Sexual Violence Prevention Educator Kailah Carden explained that Towson University is an It’s On Us campus innovation partner, one of 28 partner schools who are part of the national It’s on Us program. The Week of Action started on Monday, with “I Pledge” running 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. where students could use iPads to take a pledge on the “It’s on Us” website and received pins after taking the pledge. The Towson University Police Department also collaborated as part of the event. “Monday will be a big day to introduce It’s on Us,” Turner said. On Tuesday, SGA will host the “What Do You Know?” event 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Turner will ask students their opinions on what sexual assault is and what consent
means, and direct them to put their answers on a banner to be posted on social media. “I’m collaborating with the Health Center and the Sexual Assault Peer Educators,” Turner said. “They’ll be coming in with promotional items and their information while they are tabling.” Wednesday will provide information on bystander prevention with “Speak and Step Up,” from 4:306 p.m. Students will be prompted to answer questions on bystander intervention to receive different promotional items, according to Turner. At this event, there will be multiple groups tabling, including the Black Student Union and the Office of Civil Engagement. Thursday is the final event, “You Are Strong, You Are Not Alone” running 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. “This event is basically letting students know that if you are going through something like this, Towson University will always be there for you or help you figure out better steps to help you,” Turner said. “The Counseling Center will be there, and the [Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity] will be there with two Title IX investigators.” According to Turner, students can fill out raffle tickets throughout the week. At the end of the week, 20 names will be drawn to receive a coupon for a free 30-minute massage from the Health Center. “I think the SGA events are great for raising awareness
about sexual assault on campus, bystander intervention and the specific resources we have here,” Carden said. Freshman Athena Claudio noted the importance of raising awareness about sexual assault. “I think that talking about sexual assault is very important, because it’s something that is so under talked about on college campuses,” Claudio said. “I would imagine there are some college freshmen that come here and don’t know what consent is or know how to establish healthy relationships.” Carden established the idea of school pride as a factor in encouraging awareness on the issues addressed throughout the month. “Knowing that we are a part of something larger but that we have a lot of great programs and resources here specifically for students,” Carden said. “I hope it would make students feel like it’s something they can be involved in as an individual too.” According to Turner, one of the main focuses of the week is unity on campus. “The event is about unity, everybody is learning to stick together. Even if a stranger is going through this, you should be able to help them and try to give them the information they need about going through sexual assault,” Turner said. “It’s very important to have an event like this just to show awareness to the students at Towson University.”
March 28: A non-affiliate was issued a citation for marijuana in Glen Complex Tower A. March 27: A resident student drew a bias symbol on another resident’s dorm room door in Glen Complex Tower C. March 23: TUPD is investigating a book buy-back fraud scheme in the University Union. March 22: A lamp was reported stolen from a storage closet in 7800 York Road. March 20: A door was reported damaged in Towson Center. March 16: Trace amouts of marijuana were found in a residents room during a safety check in Prettyman Hall. March 16: A non-affiliate was served a summons for theft of books from the bookstore in the University Union. March 16: A resident student reported rubbing alcohol in his contact lense solution in Glen Complex Tower B. March 16: A non-affiliate driver was cited for driving under the influence. A non-affiliate passenger who fled the scene was arrested for failure to obey a police officer and an off campus destruction of property on Towsontown Boulevard. March 15: A resident student was cited for possession of marijuana in Barton House. March 14: An anonymous caller informed TUPD of a sexual assault involving a non-affiliate suspect in Glen Complex Tower A. March 13: A commuter student reported the theft of headphones in the University Union. March 8: A resident student was cited for possession of marijuana in Barton House March 8: A reported destruction of property was determined to be an accident in Cook Library.
The Towerlight’s “Police Blotter” is a representative sample of crimes occurring on and off campus. The blotter is not intended to be all inclusive. For a list of all crime reports, visit www.towson.edu/police.
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News
April 3, 2018
Non-profit alleviates poverty Peace Corps offers Students Helping Honduras volunteers new experiences ALBERT IVORY Staff Writer @Intellectu_Al
Photo by Lurene Heyl/ The Towerlight
SHH members Amanda Sipes (left), Alex Laue (middle) and Laura Sullam (right) work with the organization to raise money to build schools, improve poverty and reduce violence in Honduras. LURENE HEYL Contibuting Writer
A group of Towson University students who are part of the non-profit organization Students Helping Honduras travelled to Honduras to help build schools during this past winter break. Towson’s chapter of SHH is part of a larger non-profit organization in the U.S., with about 100 chapters. Alex Laue, the former co-president of SHH, said the group’s main goal is to raise money through bake sales, thrift shops and other events around campus to build thousands of schools in Honduras. “We’re trying to raise money right now for 10 more schools,” Laue said. “As a collective non-profit at Towson, we’re trying to raise money just for one specific school. We have a goal of $25,000 for the semester. We are trying to raise our goal so we can contribute to this larger mission of building a thousand schools to help alleviate extreme poverty and gang violence in the country.” Amanda Sipes, the current co-president of SHH, first got involved with the organization when she was a freshman. For Sipes, her most memorable experience in Honduras as a freshman, was meeting Katherine, a local kid in the community where they were working at. “After finishing up at the work site on our way back to the hostel [where the volunteers stayed], all of the kids just rushed over to us and they were so excited and happy to meet us,” she said. “They just wanted to play with us and become our friends. This girl came up to me and she hugged me. Her name was Katherine. The entire week we hung out, every single day
after the work site she would be waiting for me to come out so we could play together.” Sipes said the experience turned into a lasting bond between her and Katherine. “It was the most amazing experience that I had just met this girl and we had formed such a close bond,” Sipes said. “It helps because I speak Spanish, we could connect by that but it was just so amazing that we got to spend every single day of the week together. When I came back the following year she recognized me and that was my favorite part.” Laura Sullam, the group’s vice president, explained how the trip during winter break was a new experience for her as a trip leader. Sullam said she has been over to Honduras a total of four times -- three during the winter and one during the summer -- but that this was the first time she had stayed more than a week. “It was definitely different because not only was I with Towson people on the week that they were there, but I got to trip lead the chapters from other schools and meet a lot of the new volunteers,” Sullam said. Sullam said the main volunteer trip is typically on the work site, where the students work for several hours during the day under the hot sun. “We wake up, we have breakfast together, [and] we go to the work site,” she said. “The work site is different depending on what school you are so, typically the school you’re raising money for is the work site you’ll be working on. Then we’ll eat lunch, have the afternoon to work, and we have fun activities.” After a long day’s work, Sullam said the group gets to consider the day’s events and unwind with
local residents. “We’ll do reflections at night,” she said. “We have a night where we go to the soccer field to play soccer and we always play with the kids in the communities.” Although this was the set routine for Sullam and the other student volunteers, she said each trip is different, giving volunteers a unique experience each time. “It’s really different every time you go because you can’t predict what will work, how the schedule will change, and it teaches you to become very flexible and open-minded with anything that could be possibly thrown at you,” she said. Sipes and her fellow SHH members agreed that the organization has been progressing every single year. “We’re continuously raising more money, we’re getting more people to come down, more people passionate and involved,” she said. As for the future goals of SHH, Laue, Sipes and Sullam all agreed that they want to bring more awareness to the organization and make their cause known to not only Towson University, but the surrounding community and other schools in the area. “When people that are close to us -- like family or friends that we have here -- when they see how passionate we are, I think it’s evident that it’s a great organization and it’s sustainable,” Sullam said. “I think spreading awareness [is the next step], whether it be friends our age or to anybody, that could help us spread the word.” More information can be found by going to the organization’s website, SHHKids.org, which includes testimonials from participants and how to get involved.
es, but didn’t use heaters and open windows to rid smells, since they’re economic system is different. “When I think about Peace Corps I think about grassroots and work During the past month, the Peace Corps has had several events to edu- within means of community and I cate Towson students on how to get wanted to get into that cultural expeinvolved in the organization after rience,” Levine said. Ward’s mission was in Guatemala. they graduate. On Feb. 27, the Peace Corps visited She was pursuing the graduate to the Career Center to provide infor- nursing program at Johns Hopkins mation to interested students and University at the time of her mission. hosted a panel of individuals who She worked on food preparation and shared their experiences of working handwashing in the community she was assigned. with the organization. “The people around you really Nicholas Dippel, a returned volunteer from South Africa and a recruit- make it,” she said. Ward said she got to participate er for the organization in the states of Maryland and Delaware, hosted the in soccer clubs, cooking sessions, par ties, and panel discusmade personal sion. The panrelationships elists included When I think about with the host Jeff Levine, Peace Corps, I think family she was Samantha about grassroots assigned. Ward, Katie Peckler and Peckler’s and work within Christopher mission was means of Mullen, who in Vanuatu. community and I have all spent She was also two years pursuing gradwanted to get into abroad to work uate nursing that cultural on a mission program at experience. from the orgaJohns Hopkins nization. University and The Peace interestJEFF LEVINE was Peace Corps Volunteer ed in medicine Corps is a service volunteer and community program run by health, leading the United States government which up to her involvement in the Peace allows volunteers to provide assistance Corps. abroad. The organization celebrated its Her routine in Vanuatu was to 57th anniversary on March 1. wake up and make a fire to cook oatLevine completed two missions meal, go to her host family and help with the Peace Corps; one in Ghana them with their garden, go to the and the other in Macedonia. He local health clinic, create workshops joined the Peace Corps to pursue a on gender equality, and do secondary graduate degree in public health at projects, such as working on the Johns Hopkins University. When he community’s water systems. Peckler went to Ghana, the main focus for his noted the nurturing that she got mission was health and sanitation. from her host family and mentioned Levine shared that in the com- that they built a hut for her a month munity, everybody was greeting each before she arrived because they were other. He would go to a health clinic so excited to meet her. and weigh babies during his mission. Muller’s mission, like Ward’s, Then, he would work in one of the was in Guatemala. He’s a military high schools in the community and do veteran and was looking for a job workshops on gender empowerment. and none of them resonated. He One of the challenges during his was referred from a friend to look mission was the lack of electricity into the Peace Corps and decided and the town he was in faced poverty to apply. In Guatemala, he was a and diseases, such as polio, HIV, and marketing volunteer for the fruits AIDS. When he was in Macedonia, in the community, taught people he worked in a government office how to grow food, finances, and and the focus was on communi- business. ty economic development. He said - To read the rest of this article Macedonia had modern convenienc- online, visit thetowerlight.com.
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News
April 3, 2018
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Schatzel commits to chosen name policy KERI LUISE Staff Writer @keri_luise
Towson University LGBTQ+ student groups are advocating for a chosen name policy to be implemented on campus that would allow students to use a chosen name other than the legal name in University databases. “This is very important for the trans community on campus,” freshman Quinn Remich said. “Names are very important, and being able to use one’s chosen name is especially huge in the trans community, and for Towson to allow a name change policy would help so many students on campus, in and out of the LGBTQ+ community.” During TU’s Pride Fest closing ceremony and peace rally, GenderBlur Vice President Noah Barr called on Towson to implement a chosen name policy. Barr identified themself by their legal name because they said they “do not feel safe coming out on campus yet.” They said that a chosen name policy would be beneficial for all students. Later at the rally, Towson University President Kim Schatzel
addressed Barr and committed to implementing a chosen name policy by “this time next year.” In an interview with The Towerlight, Schatzel said Towson University remains committed to supporting all students’ gender identities and other identities. Schatzel acknowledged that certain students may apply to the University under their legal name, but may switch to a chosen name after coming out during college. “The identity that they choose is the one that we want to be able to support,” she said. “For many students, they’ll transition when they come to college for the first time and therefore their choice of identity is important to their development as adults.” Schatzel said that a person’s legal name is required on certain legal documents and transcripts, but that a chosen name could be used in other mediums. Schatzel added that she hopes to have a chosen name policy in place by this time next year or at least to “be aware of great progress” by
that time. Barr and GenderBlur President Bryan Laporte have been researching various universities with chosen name policies and comparing the technical side of their databases to find what will work best for Towson University. After TU’s peace rally, Barr met with Vice President of Student Affairs Deb Moriarty and Vice President of Inclusion & Institutional Equity Leah Cox to discuss goals of the policy. “Initially, [student] Philip Taylor had planned this meeting as a group discussion regarding installing a Pride flag on campus,” Barr said. “Philip and other student leaders took interest in including GenderBlur’s specific policy goals in this meeting. So, I have been actively lobbying and educating people about implementing a chosen name policy.” Cox said that a comittee of individuals from multiple TU offices will be working on “this very complex process.” She said that chosen name policies benefit all students because they allow students to live comfortably as themselves.
“[Chosen name policies] allow students to use the name that best fits their ideal expression of self,” Cox said. “If students are more comfortable with who they are, it results in a more comfortable campus climate for everyone. All students have the right to feel supported and comfortable enough to become their best selves on our campus. That is especially true in the classroom, where students need to feel safe enough to challenge, grow and take risks.” According to Barr, this policy could benefit individuals who do not identify with their legal name, but rather go by their middle name, a nickname, or a different name entirely. Remich said that not everyone may be comfortable with their legally assigned name, “and being able to use a name that you chose yourself can be vital to personal growth, and personal comfort.” Barr said that a chosen name policy would help students avoid being identified by their legal name and being outed. “In the case of transgender students, it will enable them to go
I’M INTERESTED EVENTS.TOWSON.EDU
by a gender-affirming name,” they said. “Many transgender people use a chosen name already and each time Towson University uses their legal name, it outs them, thus creating a higher potential for victimization.” Transgender and gender non-conforming individuals often refer to their legally assigned name as their “deadname.” Freshman Frank Biggs said this policy would help many transgender students feel more comfortable at TU and specifically in their classes. “Trans and gender non-conforming students are being outed in class,” Biggs said. “Students are humiliated when referred to by their deadname in class. This policy would make trans and gender non-conforming students feel safe and supported by their school.” Barr said that transgender people often encounter obstacles when trying to get their name legally changed, and that a chosen name policy would help bypass some of those problems at the University level. - To read the rest of this article online, visit thetowerlight.com.
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Arts & Life
Stepping out, loud and proud Towson’s BSU step team, Rhythm, celebrates culture and inclusivity KERRY INGRAM Assoc. Arts & Life Editor JESSICA RICKS Staff Writer
The saying “march to the beat of your own drum” has been heard time and time again, but for Rhythm, Towson’s Black Student Union step team, the cliche has gotten an upgrade. Replacing “marching” with stepping, these TU students use their bodies to create their own music. Stepping is an African artform in which performers use synchronized stomping, clapping and slapping to create rhythms and sounds. It became a tradition among historically black Greek Life associations in the United States in the early 1900s. Although it was originally associated with fraternities and sororities, step has expanded nationwide to be practiced by groups outside of Greek life. Rhythm is one of those groups. Steirra Reid, Rhythm’s team captain, said that although Rhythm was founded under the direction of BSU, the group accepts members of all backgrounds. “We’re welcome to all,” Reid said. “Everybody: boys, girls, blacks, whites, Asians. It doesn’t matter.” Since Rhythm’s beginning in 2005, the group has brought an intense surge of energy and positivity to Towson, using its clean choreography with a tough edge to present strength and unity among its members. When Towson was founded as the Maryland State Normal School in 1866, the school exclusively admitted white students. Today, TU’s student population is still majority white, but the University is becoming increasingly diverse with 43 percent of students being non-white. Reid sees the presence of her minority-led step team as a testament to that mission to create a diverse and inclusive Towson community. Rhythm celebrated its 13th year by
team, and each were taught new opening for University of Maryland’s worry toward how long that interunited team, which has fun while moves before being given their Got Talent competition Friday. est would last. also working hard to put pride time to shine as they performed Rhythym is composed of 15 “I was a little discouraged at back into stepping. what they learned for evaluation. members, all with their own first,” Reid said. “I kind of was “There are phases with our “I'm auditioning because I want to unique personality and style, a little afraid to do everything by goals,” Reid said. “The first phase build my resume, meet new people, according to Reid. myself [as the only team captain]. was getting the team established. and step outside my comfort zone,” Although its current members I didn’t think that it would turn The next is definitely exposure said sophomore Shahzaade Bledsoe. hold a strong kinship and support out to be as successful, but I and getting the word out. I want to Some auditionees, like Bledsoe, for one anothjust kept trying. see Rhythm flourish.” were interested in trying out new er, there was a I just really did Rhythm has formed a famithings, while others decided to time in which not want people ly-like bond in under a year. Their audition out of their existing paschemistry to quit.” rehearsals, which take place in sion and background experience in wasn’t always Reid’s first two-hour sessions twice a week, the artform. so easy to forforay into gaining consist of humorous banter and “I stepped in high school but I mulate. members went casual conversation amid repeatdid military step, so it was a little “Most of us better than she ed run-throughs and tiny tweaks bit different,” Downey said. “I are freshmen,” had expected, being made to their choreography. wanted to join the step team here said Kenya with each new Downey credits Reid with being just to kind of reminisce on the Downey, a firstmember, includthe driving force in holding the high school days.” year member ing Bah, remainteam together and making someThere wasn't a set number of of Rhythm. ing on the team thing great out of it. people Reid was looking to take; “There was a after last fall “I always mention that she built she expressed that the thing she lot of drama semester. By late the team back up,” Downey said. sought after most was a positive and unnecesFebruary, Reid “Everyone else quit, she took us all as attitude and great energy. sary energy held a second set freshmen, and we were able to thrive This set of requirements allowed [before us]. So of auditions to anyway. Just the fact that people are STEIRRA REID her to revamp the team, and she much so that recruit even more excited about joining is amazing.” Rhythm Team Captam made sure to fight to keep Rhythm a lot of peonew members. The cultural significance of alive, despite the challenges ple quit. The Roughly 20 Rhythm is another reason why Reid thrown her way. In a little over a team almost disbanded completely. students eager to join Rhythm has worked so hard to maintain its week, Reid was able to create a Steirra kept it going and took whogathered to be introduced to the strength and presence on campus. ever wanted to join.” Reid, who acquired her position as team captain this school year, said she was afraid to join the team her freshman year, but built up the courage to join when she was a sophomore. After several of her teammates left the group, Reid sought to build a new Rhythm from scratch. “I was just moving on faith at that point,” she said. Reid hosted auditions in the fall of 2017 to recruit new members. Nenette Bah was one of the TU students to attend those auditions and join the team. “I never stepped before last semester,” Bah said. “I’ve always thought stepping was cool, so I was like ‘I might as well try it.’ I wanted to be more involved when it came to college...and so here I am.” Bah’s desire to be more involved on campus was a common reason that other students had for trying Lacey Wall/ The Towerlight out for Rhythm, bringing Reid a Rhythm’s team captain, Steirra Reid, shares love towards her team, having rebuilt it from the ground up. mixture of excitement about stuShe had nothing but high hopes for her fellow step-mates. “I want to see Rhythm flourish,” Reid said. dents’ interest in the group and
“
I’m still going to represent myself, my culture, and my blackness to the fullest, and just be black and excellent in this white space.
Arts & Life
April 3, 2018
13
CAB reveals Tigerfest performers CYNTHIA PEREIRA Contributing Writer
Lacey Wall/ The Towerlight
Rhythm’s members practice a routine to Juvenile’s “Back that azz up” in preparation for their performance at UMD’s yearly talent show. “For me, I just feel like I’m representing my culture being black…. To me, that’s just really powerful,” Reid said. “It just really makes a statement, especially being here at a PWI [predominantly white institution]. I’m not going to change who I am. I’m still going to represent myself, my culture, and my blackness to the fullest, and just be black and excellent in this white space.” While Reid said Rhythm values the black culture that is so closely tied to stepping, she also acknowledged that other people at Towson may not feel the same. Reid said step has limited capabilities in altering those whose minds are already made up. “At the end of the day, you’re only going to open yourself up to what you want to open yourself up to,” she said. “You have to want to know about it, and want to see and want to understand it in order to change the climate. Just being here doesn’t force anybody to come see us perform or come learn about it, especially since we mainly stay within our own community.” While Rhythm may still be working to make larger gains with
those outside of the black community, Downey recognized the accomplishments that the group has made so far in such a short amount of time. “We got a lot of props the first performance we did,” Downey said. “When the first performance came around, we were all really nervous, ‘cause we had to show out, basically. It really worked out and all of the BSU board members were coming up to us. We were getting compliments for weeks after that performance, so it really hyped us up and motivated us to book a lot of performances for this semester.” This past year could have been the end of Towson’s step team, but instead it served as the rebirthing of a team ready to push forward one step at a time and conquer anything that gets in their way. For Reid, Rhythm truly is a team for everyone. “You don’t need rhythm to join Rhythm,” Reid shared during a rehearsal, to looks of confusion from her teammates. “We make our own sound, our own noise. It’s a lot like life: feel what you feel, believe in it, and let it be heard. People will eventually listen.”
Towson University’s Campus Activities Board revealed that rappers Young Thug and Dave East will perform at this year’s Tigerfest. Dave East, a Towson alumnus, will serve as the opener for Young Thug, who will headline Tigerfest. CAB announced the artists during a reveal party on March 28 in the Susquehanna Terrace room of the Union. CAB Director Alasia McDonald was surprised at the level of excitement and turnout Towson students brought to the party. “I definitely wasn’t expecting this many people,” McDonald said. “It’s insane. This is the first time we did a Tigerfest reveal party and it came through the way we wanted it to.” The event started with a “Guess Who” game, in which a board was projected on a screen with multiple performers. Towson students were left to guess who they thought the performer would be. The board consisted of many different artists such as Cardi B, Dua Lipa, Walk the Moon and many others. As time went on, the board gradually changed, showing the top four pos-
sible artists: GoldLink, Lil Uzi Vert, Dave East and Young Thug. Before the CAB committee officially announced who the performer would be, they increased the anticipation with a DJ battle among four different local MCs. Students were able to get down and groove to some throwback songs, and four judges decided the winner of the DJ battle. The crowd got even more amped up when CAB offered a Beats Pill bluetooth speaker as a prize to anyone who could name the right performer by the end of the party. When the time finally came to announce the true two Tigerfest performers, the screen changed once more, revealing the performers as none other than Young Thug, a rapper and hip hop artist from Atlanta, and his opener, Dave East. Although excitement buzzed throughout the room, there was mixed feelings towards the two choices. Some Towson students shared their disappointment. “I’m a little upset,” said junior nursing major Sabrina Sioson. “I thought it was going to be Lil’ Uzi.” Other students, however, were happy with the results. “I was not expecting that,” said senior political science major
Rachelle Johnson. “I was stuck between GoldLink or Dave East, but Young Thug is good too. “ McDonald explained that CAB chose the artists based on a collective vote of interests among groups on Towson’s campus. “This year, we decided to plan Tigerfest a little bit differently,” McDonald said. “We had a Tigerfest planning committee similar to how other events on campus have committees, like homecoming. And it was made of different organizations on campus, mostly with CAB and SGA members. It was kind of a joint effort between those organizations to choose an artist.” McDonald shared CAB’s excitement for the performance, especially due to the unique situation of having Young Thug on college soil. “I like who we picked,” said McDonald. “According to our advisor, he’s not someone who has been in the college circuit, so it’s different from last year where we had the same person UMD had. I’m really proud of everyone on the Tigerfest team for putting this together and helping out.” Tigerfest tickets are set to officially go on sale Friday, April 6, at 10 a.m. Tickets will be available for purchase on ticketmaster.com.
Photo by Cynthia Pereira/ The Towerlight
Towson students gathering to jam out to old tunes during a Dj battle held at CAB’s first Tigerfest reveal party. The battle was just one of many activites held in anticipation of revealing this year’s performers.
14 April 3, 2018
Arts & Life
From hitman to actor
Bluegrass brings Baltimore tunes “Barry” premieres on HBO Charm City’s music fest returns to MD ALEX HELMS Contributing Writer
There’s a hidden duality to television’s great anti-heroes and villains: Dexter, the psychopathic vigilante and blood-spatter analyst; Hannibal, the cannibalistic killer and forensic psychiatrist; and now Barry, the begrudging hitman and aspiring actor. Like his predecessors, Barry shares his name with the title of his show. “Barry” is HBO’s new dark comedy from Bill Hader and Alec Berg. What separates “Barry” from those that came before, however, is the hard truth that his duality is meant to hide his humanity. Barry’s emotions are not a sociopathic performance, or a means of masquerading an unacceptable darkness inside him. He’s a man in self-discovery of his real identity, caught in-between the person his line of work defines him as and the person his deeper desires call him to be. Despite his underlying empathetic core, the grisliness of how he makes a living is not lost on screen. We first meet Barry, portrayed by series writer and co-creator Bill Hader, in the aftermath of a hit in a hotel room. The body of his mark lies in bed as the red bullet hole in his head stains the pillow. Without taking any pleasure
in it, Barry kills people. As we later learn, he’s stabbed a man in the testicles, and, in his own words, he’s “very comfortable doing it again.” For him, taking lives is just a job. As a depressed Marine Corps vet struggling with civilian life after serving in Afghanistan, contract killing in the homeland gave him purpose another opportunity to stop truly bad people. But that self-justification doesn’t help him sleep at night anymore. When Barry is assigned to hit a homewrecker named Ryan (Tyler Jacob Moore) for a Chechen mob boss in L.A., he trails the man to the parking lot of his acting class. Barry waits inside his car, but his impatience and curiosity lure him outside, where he briefly meets an acting student, Sally (Sarah Goldberg), struggling with her lines before being called on stage. Barry follows her as he’s pulled towards Sally and the stage she performs upon. He watches from a distance in awe of the emotional intimacy of her performance, elicited by the tough but deliberate acting instructor Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler), and by the incredible support of her peers. In need of a scene partner, Ryan drags Barry on stage, mistaking him for a fellow student. - To read the rest of this article online, visit thetowerlight.com.
Courtesy of hbo.com
SNL’s Bill Hader takes the lead in HBO’s new dark comedy, “Barry.”
Courtesy of charmcitybluegrass.com
2018’s Charm City Bluegrass lineup includes Billy Strings, The Devil Makes Three, The Steeldrivers and more. VIP tickets are available on the festival’s website, running at $170 for VIP seating on both days. SUZANNE STULLER Contributing Writer
The city of Baltimore is preparing to share love, music and unity with its citizens during the upcoming twoday Charm City Bluegrass Festival on April 27 and 28. The sixth annual Charm City Bluegrass Festival in Druid Hill Park is set to include a variety of bluegrass bands, food, and drinks sponsored by Union Craft Brewing. Phil Chorney, the CEO and founder of the festival, created this event with a friend and quickly transformed it into a huge extravaganza for Marylanders. “We just started hosting these jams in my living room,” Chorney said. “We were both big fans of music, so we would hold bluegrass parties and that quickly evolved into bluegrass festivals. We contacted Union Craft Brewing for a brand new brewing parking lot and we kind of grew from there.” The festival began with only one stage, located in a brewery parking lot that only held 1,200 people. But over time, has expanded to allow more people to join the celebration. “We have now grown into a multiday event,” said Doni Grossman, the festival’s vendor manager. “I saw the need and growing of the music community, and I kind of wanted to do something that the whole music community would enjoy. [I wanted to be] not only on the fan side of things, but also on the organizing side of things. That kind of helped
me learn what it took to do one of these events.” Adam Kirr, the CMO of Charm City Bluegrass, said the 2015 festival occurred amidst the Baltimore Unrest following the death of Freddie Gray. “That gave everyone a chance who was living in the city an opportunity to get away from the negative energy that was happening,” Kirr said. “I think the music is in some sense an escape, you know, an escape from our daily lives, struggles, and things that might be happening negatively or positively in the community.” Kirr also manages social media and loves hearing positive feedback from the audience who are enjoying the festival with their
family and friends. “It’s a spiritual experience,” Kirr said. “People are experiencing love. Seeing that general love is what drives me.” The Charm City Bluegrass Festival may highlight bluegrass music, but the organizers also take pride in the festival’s inclusive nature. ____ said that even those who have little to no exposure to bluegrass have grown to love it through this festival. The festival will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 27, and at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 28. Tickets are $30 for Friday, $62 for Saturday, and $74 to experience the whole two-day event. Interested parties can purchase tickets online at the Charm City Bluegrass Festival website.
Courtesy of charmcitybluegrass.com
This year’s Bluegrass festival is set to be held at Druid Hill Park.
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Senior infielder Daria Edwards prepares to swing in a game from earlier this season. Edwards recorded two hits and two runs in the team’s three-day series against Delaware at the Tiger Softball Stadium. MIA WILLIAMS Contributing Writer
Towson defeated Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival Delaware in a weekend series after defeating Sienna in a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at the Tiger Softball Stadium. The Tigers (24-7, 2-4 CAA) topped the Blue Hens (8-22, 2-4 CAA) 5-3 in the final game of the series Sunday afternoon. Towson got off to a quick start, gaining an early 3-0 lead with consecutive hits from juniors Nicole Stockinger and Kaylen Minnatee. Sophomore Jessica Swistock hit an RBI double to score Minnatee and give the Tigers a 4-0 advantage in the fifth inning. Later in the inning, Stockinger hit her third RBI of the game to score sophomore first baseman Madison Wilson. The hit gave Towson a 5-0 lead and the team held on to win. In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Towson fell to Delaware 8-4. Senior infielder Daria Edwards got the Tigers off to a solid start with an RBI single to center field, scoring Wilson in the bottom of the first. However, the Blue Hens took a 3-1 advantage in the top of the third and didn’t look back. Towson tried to recover as
Stockinger responded with three RBIs to cut the deficit to four, but the team could not bounce back from allowing 12 hits and nine walks. The Tigers began the weekend by defeating the Blue Hens 7-4 Saturday morning. Senior infielder Brook Miko led the way for the Tigers with two home runs and 5 RBIs to give Towson a 5-0 lead. Senior pitcher Megan Detjer kept the Blue Hens at bay in the sixth inning, leaving a pair of runners in scoring position. Freshman catcher Riley Theis and senior outfielder Kendall Scott hit back-to-back RBIs in the bottom of the sixth to seal the win for the Tigers. Towson extended its home winning streak to 11 after picking up two wins against Sienna at the Tiger Softball Stadium Wednesday afternoon. In doubleheader action, the Tigers defeated the Saints (5-13) early in the afternoon 2-1. They later swept the series with an 8-0 victory later in the day. In game one of the series, the Tigers gained a 1-0 lead in the third inning after Wilson’s RBI single scored Theis, but the Saints tied the score in the top of the fifth. Towson quickly recovered in the bottom of the inning after Miko hit a sacrifice-fly to score Wilson and seal
the win. Detjer pitched her 59th career complete game and earned her ninth win of the season in the opener. She now has 42 victories and 83 games started making her the fourth all-time in Towson softball history. In the second game of the day, Miko drove in the first run with an RBI single to score senior outfielder Kendyl Scott in the first inning. In the next inning, Scott delivered a bases loaded single scoring Wilson and sophomore Jessica Swistock to give the home team a 3-0 advantage in the bottom of the second. Sophomore Julia Smith-Harringtion and freshman Melissa Abrahamian made it difficult for the Saints to rally. “The pitchers struggled towards the beginning, but they pulled through towards the end,” Minnatee said. Smith-Harrington’s pitching kept Sienna off the board as she avoided a bases loaded situation in the fifth to keep Towson ahead. Abrahamian continued the shutout with a flawless sixth inning. Later in the inning, Scott registered her second home run of the season to make the score 5-0 as Towson would hang on to win the game 8-0. Towson will conclude its homestand by hosting George Mason in a doubleheader April 4. The first pitch is set for 3 p.m.
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18 April 3, 2018
Sports
tigers collapse in conference opener KARUGA KOINANGE Sports Editor
Towson men’s lacrosse had a disappointing showing in its Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opener as the team fell to Hofstra 9-3 at Shuart Stadium last Saturday afternoon. The Tigers (3-6, 0-1 CAA) played well in the first half, but struggled defensively against the Pride (5-4, 1-0 CAA) in the second half. Hofstra got on the scoreboard first as senior midfielder Dylan Alderman ripped in a goal seven minutes into the first quarter. Sophomore attacker Ryan Tierney followed up with a goal of his own a few minutes later to give Hofstra a 2-0 advantage going into the second quarter. Towson got on the board early in the second as junior midfielders Grant Maloof and Timmy Mohanan connected on a man-up opportunity.
Mohanan fed Maloof on the play for Towson’s lone first half score. Though neither team scored for the rest of the half, Hofstra kept pressure on Towson with several flurries of shot attempts. The Pride finished the game with 35 shots, with 17 of them being on goal. The Tigers only mustered 23 shots, with just 10 of those on goal. “It’s tough [to get into rhythm],” Head Coach Shawn Nadelen said. “It’s definitely tough for our offense granted some of our possessions were short due to our own issues.” Despite being limited on shots, the road team won the faceoff battle with 11 wins thanks to junior midfielder Alex Woodall. “He had a pretty good game,” Nadelen said. “He’s the one who got us started in the third quarter.” Hofstra’s aggressive play paid off early in the third quarter as the team went on a 4-1 run to open the period. Tierney accounted for two of the team’s goals during that stretch.
“It was a tightly contested game at halftime, but [in the second half] we did a poor job of rotating and recognizing when we need to support defensively. We didn’t do a good job of recognizing when a guy had a step or two.” Junior attacker Brendan Sunday scored on an unassisted goal to close out the quarter for the Tigers. However, they trailed 6-3 going into the final stanza. Towson won possession to kick off the final quarter of play, but could not find the back of the cage. Hofstra took advantage of the struggling Towson offense by scoring three goals within nearly a three minute span to secure the win. “We broke down in one-on-one matchups and we weren’t great there,” Nadelen said. Towson looks to end its three-game losing streak this Saturday when the team hosts Drexel at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The opening draw is set for noon.
File photo by Brendan Felch/ The Towerlight
Junior midfielder Jimmie Wilkerson chases the ball in a home game.
towson falls short against caa foe BILLY OWENS Assistant Sports Editor
Towson narrowly fell 5-2 to Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival Drexel at the Hecht Tennis Center in Philadelphia Friday evening. The team was scheduled to play Villanova Thursday afternoon, but that match was postponed until Tuesday, Apr. 10, due to adverse court conditions from fog and rain the day before. “We faced a lot of adversity from the standpoint that it was a pretty rowdy atmosphere,” Head Coach Jamie Peterson said. “We were under adverse conditions — they had a lot of support, and we didn’t handle it as well as we thought we could.” The Dragons (13-3, 1-0 CAA) took an early lead by securing the opening doubles point. Ghita Benhadi and Kendra Bunch defeated the No. team of AJ Gomer and Renate van
Oorschodt 6-3, while Clary Rodriguez Cruz and Salma Ziouti beat the No. 2 team of Lucy Williams and Nicole Shakhnazarova 6-2. The Tigers (7-7, 1-2 CAA) responded with a win at No. 3 doubles, as Barbora Vasilkova and Lucy Gloninger bested Ryshena Providence and Mya Fuentes 6-4. Singles play was also tightly contested with several matches going to third sets and/or tiebreakers. Drexel was able to win four of the six singles flights, though, to earn the overall victory. Benhadi edged No. 2 Williams 7-7, 7-6 (2) and Ziouti topped No. 3 Gomer 6-1, 6-0, while Fuentes outlasted No. 4 van Oorschodt 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 and Providence defeated No. 5 Alexa Martinez 6-3, 6-2. Towson managed to win two singles flights, as No. 1 Shakhnazarova beat Bunch 6-2, 7-6 (5), while No. 6 Gloninger defeated Anisiya Simpson 7-5, 6-3.
“College tennis can be a very difficult atmosphere to compete under for a visiting team,” Peterson said. “You’re hearing a lot of noise and cheering, to say the least, but there’s no excuses for us. We’ve got to be able to overcome that.” The Tigers have a loaded week ahead of them, with five matches scheduled in five days, as they approach the tail end of their regular season and prepare for the CAA tournament later this month. The team looks to bounce back against local rival Johns Hopkins Wednesday evening at the Tiger Tennis Complex at 8 p.m., before hosting a doubleheader against University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Coppin State Friday afternoon starting at 3 p.m. Towson then heads down to Williamsburg to take on No. 45 William & Mary, the CAA’s top team, Saturday afternoon before facing George Washington on their return trip Sunday.
File photo by Jordan Cope/ The Towerlight
Junior Lucy Glocinger looks to serve in a spring 2016 competition.
Sports
April 3, 2018
19
rtu powers past pride Towson earns two victories against CAA rival Hofstra
e
Emily Gillingham Women’s Lacrosse
Brendan Felch/ The Towerlight
Senior outfielder Colin Gimblet swings at the ball in Towson’s weekend series against Hofstra. Gimblet posted two hits over the three-day series as the Tigers captured two out of three games on the weekend.
JILL GATTENS Staff Writer
Towson took two out of three games against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival Hofstra for its first series win of the season at John B. Schuerholz Park this weekend after falling to George Washington on the road Wednesday. Sunday, the Tigers (6-19, 3-3 CAA) only needed one run to earn the series clinching victory over the Pride (12-8, 2-4 CAA). The only run came in the bottom of the fourth inning when junior infielder Richie Palacios scored on a wild pitch to give the Tigers the lead over the Pride. Senior pitcher Michael Adams (2-2) came out on the winning side of the pitching duel. He threw a complete game shutout while striking out 10. “Considering how we started on Friday and to come through the rest of the weekend and finish like we did, you can’t not be happy for the guys that played,” Head Coach Matt Tyner said. “It was a total team performance for everybody, getting behind each other and rallying behind each other.”
In Saturday’s game, a ninth inning comeback propelled the Tigers to a 5-3 walk-off victory over the Pride. Hofstra took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning from an RBI double. The team added another run in the top of the fourth inning off a solo homerun. Hofstra another run in the eighth running from a bases-loaded walk to take a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the ninth inning, redshirt freshman infielder Dirk Masters delivered a two-out single to score sophomore infielder Noah Cabrera. Senior outfielder Billy Lennox drew a walk to load the bases for Palacios. Palacios then delivered a walk-off grand slam to cap off a comeback win for the Tigers. “We knew we were going to have to scrape and claw every run, so very happy with the performance from the team this weekend,” Tyner said. In Friday’s game, the Tigers could not overcome a seven-run inning by the Pride and dropped the series opener 11-0. In the fifth inning, the Pride pushed across seven runs on four hits. They continued to add runs throughout the game to secure the 11-0 victory.
“We gave some guys an opportunity to come out here and just keep working,” Tyner said. “That’s a part of the developmental program we got going, and people who haven’t found their game yet are going to get a chance to run back out there.” Wednesday, six Tiger errors helped the Colonials (15-12, 5-1 A-10) secure a commanding 13-2 win at Barcoft Park in Arlington, Virginia. Towson got on the board in the first inning when Lennox scored on a fielder’s choice. However, George Washington answered back with two runs in the bottom half of the first to take a 2-1 lead. The Colonials took control of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning as three Tiger errors helped them plate six runs. The Colonials added four more runs in the seventh inning to ensure the win. Towson will host two midweek games starting with Virginia Commonwealth Tuesday afternoon and concluding with LaSalle Wednesday afternoon. First pitch in both games scheduled for 3 p.m. The team will then travel to Williamsburg, Virginia, for a weekend series against CAA rival William & Mary. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Friday.
Senior midfielder Emily Gillingham put on an impressive performance in Towson’s 15-10 victory over Oregon Monday night at Johnny Unitas Stadium. She recorded four goals and one assist on the night, helping Head Coach Sonia LaMonica record her 100th career win.
20 April 3, 2018
Sports
tigers run away with pair of wins File photo by Brendan Felch/ The Towerlight
Sophomore defender Olivia Conti sprints past a Michigan player in a game from earlier this season. The Tigers continued their roll to start the season with back-to-back wins over non-conference opponents. Towson defeated Yale 9-4 Friday afternoon following a convincning 15-10 win over Oregon Monday night, improving its record to 8-2 this year.
KARUGA KOINANGE Sports Editor
Towson women’s lacrosse continued its impressive start to the season with two wins in non-conference play. The pair of wins puts the team on a three-game win streak. Friday, Towson earned a gritty 9-4 win against Yale at Reese Stadium. With this win, the Tigers (8-2) became just the second school to defeat the Bulldogs (7-4) on their home field this season. “I think we showed great resilience,” Head Coach Sonia LaMonica said. “It was definitely one of those games where we felt like the ball was never really bouncing our way, and our team really showed the ability to hang tough. We really locked it down.” Towson gave up the first goal of the game, but freshman attacker Kaitlin Thornton and junior attacker
Carly Tellekamp each scored to put the team up 2-1 midway through the first half. The Tigers extended their lead by three goals later in the period when senior midfielder Emily Gillingham put in an unassisted score, and Tellekamp converted on a free position shot. Yale responded with two quick goals, but Thornton scored her second goal of the day just before halftime to give Towson a 5-3 lead going into the break. The Bulldogs scored early in the second half and looked to make a rally in the period. However, they did not score for the rest of the game. The Tigers continued to see scoring contributions from multiple player. Senior midfielder Kaitlyn Montalbano, sophomore attacker Coeli Love and junior attacker Natalie Sulmonte each found the back of the cage in the second half to help seal the win. “Part of the emphasis that we
have stressed from day one has been sharing the load,” LaMonica said. “They’re doing a good job of playing team offense, and that’s what we expect them to do. We’re seeing five or six different point scorers in each game and that’s tough to scout, so that’s something we’d like to continue to do.” Monday night at Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson defeated Oregon 15-10. This victory marked LaMonica’s 100th career win in her nine seasons as a college head coach. “[It feels] really special,” LaMonica said. “What I think about most is all those who have been a part of this process, from my coaching staff to all the players. To me that’s what this job is all about. That relationship you develop with the players is really special.” Gillingham led the home team offensively with four goals on the night with two scores in each half. She also recorded one assist. “Emily is one of the top players
out there in terms of her skillset,” LaMonica said. “She’s pretty unstoppable as an offensive threat [and] she draws a lot of attention. She’s really developed her game and has been an outstanding contributor for us. There’s no question that she’s been a critical piece in our offensive force that we’ve developed this year.” Towson smothered the Ducks (5-5) in the first half as five different athletes recorded a goal to give the team an 8-3 lead going into halftime. Oregon fought back in the second half, rattling off a 5-1 run. However, Towson seized the victory with a 6-2 run of its own in the final 13 minutes of play. Towson looks to keep its winning streak alive Friday night when the team travels to the Vidas Athletic Complex to kick off conference play against Drexel. Opening draw is set for 6 p.m. Despite the prospect of intensified competition, LaMonica said her team will focus on making sure they
are prepared. “Sometimes you’ve got to settle down to take a little mental break,” LaMonica said. “Ultimately, [we don’t want to] focus too much on our opponents, but [we want to] continue to focus on us getting a little bit better each day. Hopefully, that allows us to be more consistent.”