The Oracle - 02/21/17

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Tuesday, February 21, 2017

RACLE Volume 101 | Issue 12 | Free in single copy

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Serving Tennessee Tech weekly during the fall and spring semesters

SGA picks final three for student board seat By LACEY RENFRO Beat Reporter

Tech SGA members nominated three student trustee candidates, one of whom will join the nine other members approved last week by the Tennessee General Assembly. The nominees are graduate student Bobby Adams, president’s council member Nick Russell and Micayla Holton, College of Arts and Sciences senator. State legislatures approved Gov. Bill Haslam’s eight nominees and Tech’s faculty representative after a two-day legislative committee hearing in Nashville. Tech is one of six state universities implementing a board of trustees under Haslam’s Focus on College and University Success Act which took effect in 2016. The Tennessee Board of Regents previously governed these

schools. The other five universities are Austin Peay, East Tennessee State University, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee State University and The University of Memphis. The FOCUS Act is designed to give universities increased autonomy and local control to improve educational goals. Each board has nine voting members and one nonvoting student trustee. The three Tech student nominees spoke during the SGA meeting Jan. 31 about the opportunity to serve the students’ interest. “I’ve always been passionate about Tennessee Tech so the opportunity to serve the students in such a capacity to do real change, have real impact on their lives is one of the biggest motivators for me,” Adams said. See “Board of Trustees” >> Page 2

> Hollywood gears up for

climax of award season

Millionaires Club teaches Tech students about finance Student forms new club as a place for others to exchange entrepreneurial ideas. The Tech Millionaires club will cover many topics over the semester including stocks, real estate and business plans.

‘‘

By MASON BUTLER Beat Reporter Adams

Holton

Russell

PAGE 4

For those asking the question “How do I become a millionaire?” or “How do I become that rich?” there is a new Tech club for those like-minded entrepreneurial students who share that seven-figure goal. C.J. Houff, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, founded the TTU Millionaires Club this semester to teach students about stocks, real estate and businesses through real-world success stories. “Even though the club is still in its developing stages, we have big ideas on the direction we are wanting to go with this club,” Houff said. “We are planning to have successful business people from the Cookeville region … share their experiences and success stories with us.” Houff also said he wants to use the club as an opportunity to learn about money-making issues

The club would act as a space for members to collaborate and share ideas with one another.

,,

-- C.J. Houff

Founder, TTU Millionaires Club

like getting the fair share of market returns through index investing, building wealth with rental properties or building a business. “We are looking for members who share the same entrepreneurial mindset,” he said. “The club would act as a space for members to collaborate and share ideas with one another. (We also) could learn from successful entrepreneurs in order to provide a better understanding of the business world, discover resources and connections to help our business ideas flourish.” Houff said anyone interested in joining the club may contact him at (865) 804-2086.

Valentine’s Day Build-a-Bear

BUILD-A-BEAR: Rex Gamble, an international civil engineering major, makes a colorful new friend for Valentine’s Day at the Tech Activities Board’s annual Build-a-Bear event at the RUC Multipurpose Room. Students were able to skip the long lines for an express lane to their fluffy friends by bringing in two canned food items. The items were donated to the Tech Food Pantry after the event. TAB presented the Valentine’s Day Build-a-Bear in conjunction with the Office of Orientation and Student Success and the Counseling Center.

Emily Jones | The Oracle

Groves speaks to students on success in future endeavors By SYDNEY COWEN & DILLON EAKES Beat Reporters

Tech housing and design students obtained professional advice by alumnus and current professor John Groves on Feb. 14 in Room 202 of Oakley Hall. Groves graduated from Tech in 2003 and pursued a career in housRead More Online

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ing and design by interning and working at firms where he met with clients, drew plans and worked on fixtures. He launched his own business two years ago and told students about his success in the field of design and the importance of following their dreams. Groves advised students to find their passion. “The quicker you can take ownership, the further you will go. You will find passion, doors will open, you get connected

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and people learn they can trust you,” he said. Groves said his goal is to give students insight for their future careers and endeavors. “The worst thing you can do is go to your desk and hibernate. Asking questions does not annoy people. To me, that means they care and want to be productive,” Groves said. He stressed the importance of communication, and discussed the satisfaction when ideas are acted upon within a

company. Groves told about his career, his accomplishments within his own business and what inspired him to overcome his struggles. “Looking back, if I didn’t have experience I wouldn’t have made it. I would say get as much experience as you can and don’t ever get caught up in getting your name on the door,” Groves said. Groves told students to expect obstacles in the field and addressed how

to conquer them. Student Kaylan Gannaway said Grove’s advice was helpful. “I could see myself facing the challenges he did later on in life, considering I would like to open my own design firm one day,” Gannaway said. “Overall it was really great to hear that someone was out in the community being successful. It was nice to hear everything he learned in the housing and design program at Tech was beneficial.”

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NEWS

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

tntechoracle.com Contact us: oracle@tntech.edu

>> Campus

CAMPUS CRIME Flemming

Geist

Harper

Jones

Oakley

Information gathered through access to University Police Reports.

Jan. 30 Saggurti

>>“Board of Trustees” Continued from Page 1 All the candidates said they were excited for the opportunity to serve as the first student representative. “The opportunity to serve as student representative to the inaugural board of trustees at Tennessee Tech excites me because it is

Stites a higher-level opportunity to further the interests of the student body at TTU,” Holton said. They emphasized the importance of having a student voice on the board. “To be the first student board member would be really exciting for me,” Russell said. “I think there is a lot of opportunity to improve this board to make sure it is stu-

Speech and Debate team wins big at first semester tournament The Tech Speech and Debate team brought home 35 individual awards and three team awards from the Murray State University tournament the first weekend of February.

By LAUREN BRABSTON & LACEY RENFRO

Beat Reporters

Tech’s Speech and Debate team brought home 35 individual awards and three team awards at their first competition of the semester. The team traveled to Murray State University in Kentucky Feb. 3-5 to compete against 10 other colleges in a three-day competition. “This is the most awards that the team has won at any tournament during this season so far. The second semester is off to a fantastic start,” assistant coach Jacob Metz said. The team has competed in seven competitions so far this season. “Thus far the team has won 80 individual and 18 team awards this season,” Metz said. The tournament

Vanhooser

was comprised of two portions: debate and individual speeches. The team placed second in debate on the first night of competition and placed fifth in the individual speeches on the second and third nights. In the debate portion, senior Ryan Goke and junior Marcelo Gonzales made the semifinals, freshmen Alex Smith and Lucas Patterson made the quarterfinals. Metz spoke highly when asked about his goals for the teams. “Having a student learn and experience how to communicate effectively and understanding new concepts is more valuable than any awards,” Metz said. The team is comprised of 16 members, six females and 10 males. “With four tournaments left in the season, this semester is a continuation of success for the team from the fall season. There is no reason why the students won’t continue their success at further tournaments,” Metz said.

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Wilmore

dent focused.” The senators voted for their choice of candidates in a secret ballot. All nominees will be forwarded to President Phil Oldham who will review their credentials and present them to the board. The board of trustees is expected to have their first meeting sometime in April. The board currently consists of Dr. Barbara

Fleming, Trudy Harper, Tom Jones, Millard Oakley, Purna Saggurti, Johnny Stites, Teresa Vanhooser, Capt. Barry Wilmore and Dr. Melissa Geist. An exact date and time has not been set for the first meeting. EDITOR’S NOTE: Additional writing for this story was completed by the students of Journalism 4820.

, Engineer s Week 2017 Every year during the third week of February, the College of Engineering celebrate National Engineer’s Week. Many events occur during the week that pit each major against one another to determine the ‘Best Darn Major’ within the college. Students can follow the events by checking out the Engineering Joint Council’s Facebook page.

Time: 2:05 a.m. Charge: Campus police searched for a suspect outside Clement Hall connected to an intimidation complaint.

Jan. 31 Time: 1:15 p.m. Charge: A Tech parking pass was reported stolen outside Bell Hall Nursing Building.

Feb. 2 Time: 5:50 p.m. Charge: Police arrested a person for allegedly stealing a wallet at Tech Fitness Center.

What

When

Where

Steve Close 1976 M.E. Alumnus

Dead Hour Tuesday

Southwest Hall Room 145

Compiled by Kyle McGee

Tug-o-War

5 p.m. Tuesday

Sherlock Park

Game Night and Chili Cook-off

7 p.m. Tuesday

Multipurpose Room

Campus Calendar

SAME Obstacle Course

5 p.m. Wednesday

Memorial Gym

Engineering Bowl with Dynetics

7 p.m. Wednesday

Clement Hall Room 212

Engineering Career Fair

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Thursday

Hooper Eblen Center

Awards Banquet

6 p.m. Thursday

Leslie Town Center

Unappealing fate for banana vandal By HANNAH SARAGO & ASHLEY SARAGO Beat Reporters

A student reported his motorized bicycle had been vandalized with a banana Feb. 9 at a campus bike rack. Owner Li Tang told police someone stuffed a banana in the bicycle’s gas tank and engine. He also said someone

placed a banana peel on the bike a few days earlier, according to a campus police report. An officer said it might be complicated to find a suspect since there are few surveillance cameras in that area, according to the report.

Feb. 21

Event: Suicide Prevention Training Time: 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Where: RUC Lobby Event: ASBMB Trivia Night Time: 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Where: Foster 201

Feb. 22

Event: ASBMB Movie Night Time: 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Where: Foster 233 Event: E-Week Tug of War Time: 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Where: Sherlock Park

Feb. 23 Event: Engineering Career Fair Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Where: Hooper Eblen Center Event: Suicide Prevention Training Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Where: RUC Lobby

Feb. 25 Event: STEM Safari Saturday Time: 8 a,m. - 1 p.m. Where: STEM Center


Tuesday, February 21, 2017

COOKEVILLE, TN || THE ORACLE || Page 3

Campus <<

NEWS

Number One Fan MASCOT FUN: Awesome Eagle blends in with the crowd during a Tech basketball game. Awesome Eagle attends several events throughout the year. Often, he poses with fans and helps rally crowds with the cheer team at basketball and football games. This season, Awesome Eagle placed second at the Universal Cheerleaders Association & Universal Dance Association College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship.

Christian Oliver | The Oracle

Student Career Program schedules LinkedIn workshop in Johnson Hall By BRIAN HALEY & ALEXIS MaCALISTER

Beat Reporters

A LinkedIn work-

shop, sponsored by the Student Career Program, is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. Thursday in Johnson Hall computer lab. Amy Jo Carpenter, the associate director for professional development, is scheduled to lead the event

that gives students the opportunity to build a professional webpage for networking with potential employers and their businesses. Carpenter said the goal of the program is to prepare students for the workforce by

learning to present themselves professionally in person, on paper and online. Students interested in participating in the event should bring a copy of their resume and a professional photo they can upload to a computer.

Please recycle your copy of The Oracle when finished.

The Oracle Staff Thanks you for helping the environment!


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ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

>> Reviews

Diversity punctuates 89th Oscars By CAMERON FOWLER Entertainment Editor T h e Academy Awards are coming up S u n d a y, so now is the time for people to begin paying attention to the smaller movies. Not necessarily the ones on the fringe, but ones that might’ve gotten overlooked and are now deemed some of the best pictures around. That’s usually how it goes in Oscar world, but that’s OK, since that hopefully means more eyeballs end up watching these movies. The nominees for the 89th Academy Awards are some of the strongest in a very long time, but perhaps that’s because 2016 was a lackluster year for movies, personally speaking, leading voters to be more specific in their nominations. In a rare move, some of my favorite movies from last year are actually among the slew of Best Picture nominees; that is to say, I got to watch most of the nominated films and they are, for the most part, great movies. They are also diverse both in content and production. The #oscarssowhite controversy seemingly brought about some change within the Academy’s ranks. A much wider range of films is represented here rather than previous years where nominees make the cut simply because of industry politics. The film “Moonlight,” which was my favorite release of last year, has eight nominations

Photo Courtesy of IndieWire.com HISTORIC - “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins is the fourth African-American to be nominated for the Best Director Oscar. Past nominees include John Singleton, Lee Daniels and Steve McQueen. including Best Picture. The film itself is profound and universally moving and its subject matter is something that the Oscars doesn’t regularly observe, which is heartening. “Hidden Figures” being nominated is another bright spot for the awards circuit. This year also marks the first time an African-American cinematographer and film editor has been nominated. There is a lot to admire about the films nominated, but the

diversity is something that stands out; the Academy seems to be working toward fixing this long-standing problem while becoming more forward-thinking. When examining the scope of this year’s awards, there are still a lot to be excited about. “La La Land” has been nominated for a record 14 Oscars, last achieved by “Titanic.” The movie is admirable and hugely entertaining, but the Best Picture race is messy despite the glowing praise for the movie.

“Moonlight” is its biggest challenger for the coveted award, and it’s up in the air which movie will take the cake. Both are great movies, but my money’s on “La La Land” taking into consideration the old adage concerning Oscar voters loving movies about Hollywood. That’s not a knock on its quality, but rather a judgment based on knowledge of how the Oscars usually go (see: 2011’s Best Picture winner “The Artist”). Best Actor and Actress seem like a lock for Casey

Affleck and Emma Stone, respectively. Stone is charming and vulnerable in “La La Land,” while Affleck delivers a powerfully subdued and emotionally raw performance in “Manchester By The Sea.” Supporting actor could go to either Lucas Hedges for “Manchester By The Sea” or Mahershala Ali for “Moonlight.” As usual, the acting categories seem pretty locked down leading into the show. Even if this year is more decidedly

a sure thing, at least the Oscars are embracing a wider perspective. There always will be rumblings that the Academy never truly recognizes diversity or that the wrong movies got recognized. As an annual viewer of the awards, I can attest to those feelings. We don’t know how things will go until Sunday, but if you don’t watch plan to watch the Oscars, just know that movies and people will win awards and other people will get mad about it. Probably.

‘A Cure For Wellness’ yields scary fun By HANNAH BARGER Entertainment Critic

Photo Courtesy of theavclub.com DEPARTURE - The film’s director, Gore Verbinski, previously helmed the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Please recycle your copy of The Oracle once finished.

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As 2017 begins to form its identity, its movies are beginning to mature with it. “A Cure for Wellness” is like the smarter older sibling of “Rings” and “Split” (sorry, M. Night fans, I just didn’t care for it). Aside from having a name that sounds like something my 14-year-old self would have titled one of her emo short stories and starring Dane DeHaan as a stockbroker (the dude looks about 12, but he plays a convincing corporate ladder climber), the movie managed to exceed my expectations. The premise is fresh and interesting in a sea of remakes: Lockhart, our baby stockbroker, is sent to a beautiful but super spooky spa/resort/hospital in the middle of the Swiss Alps, on a mission to retrieve his company’s CEO who, aside from an ominous letter, has not been seen or heard from in months. Jobs are on the line -- the CEO is the only one with the power to sign a merger that would save the company, and Lockhart’s shadier business dealings are in danger of being revealed if he can’t bring the man back to New York. After a car accident that leaves Lockhart virtually unable to leave the facility, he begins researching the estate’s history with help from another patient and his cab driver, who views the “place on the hill” with a healthy suspicion. He soon meets Hannah (what a great

name), a young, mysterious “special case” patient who, like all the others at the facility, longs for a cure to the strange illness that seems to have befallen her. She’s played by Mia Goth, who is also known for starring in Nymphomaniac, a movie you should not Google if you’re at work. The real star of the show, in my opinion, is Jason Isaacs’ Dr. Heinrich Volmer, who speaks with an aristocratic German accent because why wouldn’t he? Isaacs is known for playing cruel, cold characters, most notably Draco Malfoy’s father in the Harry Potter series. As the days pass, Lockhart begins to understand what Hannah meant when she told him no one wants to leave the facility. Even though the world around them grows stranger and more ominous by the second, the patients insist the healing waters are the only thing that can make them well. “A Cure for Wellness” is a bizarre movie, one that definitely doesn’t take place in the real world. But that’s not a bad thing -- the cinematography brings to mind a mixture of classic hospital horror and the Studio Ghibli movies I grew up on. This, along with a healthy suspension of disbelief, makes the movie incredibly fun in comparison to a lot of the horror movies I’ve seen recently. I have my complaints, of coursethere’s a totally unnecessary sexual assault scene and a few pacing issues, not to mention the heavy-handed “greed is bad” message -- but overall, it’s one of the better movies I’ve seen as of late.


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Tuesday, February 21, 2017 Send letters to the editor to oracle@tntech.edu oracle@tntech.edu.. Include your name, email address and limit letters to 300 words. Anonymous letters are not accepted. Deadline for letters is 4 p.m. Friday. We reserve the right to edit grammar, length and clarity.

OPINIONS

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Social media acts as welcome distraction KATE TREBING Opinions Editor It’s midnight. I have an exam the next morning, 20 pages of reading assignments, and a paper to begin. And I’m tucked under a blanket, surfing the Web. I ignore the logical side of my brain as it warns me of the consequences of procrastination. “You need sleep!” “You should go over your notes one last time for the exam tomorrow,” and, “You could begin to chip away at that literature assignment so you won’t have 20 pages to read in a single sitting.” Sure, I’ll get to those. But first, five more minutes on Pinterest… If you haven’t been here, congratulations. You have managed to avoid being drawn into the most deceptive time vacuum in recent human history: social media. I t is both a blessing and a curse, a force of good or evil. Every night when we sit down in front of our laptops, we college students have a choice. We could use the worldwide Web’s “all-encompassing” knowledge to research for that upcoming assignment. Or we can fall down the rabbit hole into the fascinating world of Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest (to name a few). According to a Pew Research study, the college crowd is leading the way in social media usage. A survey conducted in 2015 found a social media presence for 76 percent of those had earned a college degree. In comparison, only 54 percent of those with a high school diploma or less reported using a social media account. That college degree is not the only factor correlated with our networking fetish.

The same study found that 90 percent of the 18-29 age group had a social media presence in 2015, as compared with the next highest estimate of 77 percent among 30-49 year-olds. Only 51 percent of those aged 50-64 actually used social media (a surprisingly low statistic given the amount of time my parents spend on Facebook). So we like our social media. What could be the harm in wanting to maintain an online presence? CareerBuilder, a global company specializing in “human capital” management, conducted a 2016 survey to assess the use of social media in employers’ searches for job candidates. The survey found 60 percent of employers use social networking sites when researching candidates for hire. However, only about 32 percent of employers actually found information that caused them to hire a candidate. Yet a surprising 42 percent of employers also say they are less likely to interview a candidate about whom they cannot find information online. These numbers suggest that the benefits of having a networking presence outweigh the risks. It seems that we can’t afford to not network. Alas, every rose has its thorns. And so I find myself up at one in the morning searching Pinterest for “healthy brownie” recipes, which I will more than likely never actually attempt. When I finally try to get some sleep, I find that the images continue to surface even after my eyes have closed. I am wired, even when I unplug. In the past, I would have classified myself as an overachiever. I attempt to apply myself in everything I do, and sometimes I find myself taking on more than I can feasibly accomplish. This usually results in a crash at some point, in which I find myself mindlessly surfing the Web, junk food in hand, brain set to autopilot.

Photo courtesy of Walton LaVonda CAN'T WAIT TO PROCRASTINATE - Late-night study sessions often correlate with time on social media. No, this isn’t a healthy habit to form, but it seems to be my stress reaction. And given that college can be somewhat stressful at times (or unbelievably stressful most of the time), I find that this emergency response is validated. Just like the junk food I reach for to fuel my late-night studying, surfing social networks is brain candy. I know that I will regret all that wasted time in the morning, but nothing else works as well to reboot my brain when I feel my eyes growing heavy. Most of us have heard by now that artificial light sources are related to disturbed sleep patterns. The hypothalamus area of our brains coordinates our body’s sleep patterns with the light of the sun, releasing hormones such as melatonin and decreasing our body temperature so that we can sleep when the sun goes down. Unfortunately, precious few college

students are able to succumb to these natural sleep responses. Late-night studies are a way of life, and the occasional five (or 10, or 15) – minute social media break is just as necessary for me as that 3 p.m. caffeine break. Perhaps social media is not the cause of my procrastination. Maybe it acts more as an enabler, a tool through which I can more easily achieve that which I would have done regardless. If not social media, then the TV would have been my source of procrastination. Sometimes the brain is too exhausted to function properly, and we need a mental break. If this break happens to come in the form of scrolling through “healthy” recipes on Pinterest, or repeatedly viewing the “cool grandma” videos on Facebook, so be it. Kate Trebing is a senior in communication with a concentration in public relations. She can be reached at kdtrebing42@students.tntech.edu.

'Assault on the Media' spurs positive change ASHTON BREEDEN Guest Critic

I recently had the opportunity to visit the University of Mississippi, otherwise known as Ole Miss, to attend the Southeast Journalism Conference, or SEJC. While at the conference, I got to sit in on a variety of panels and lectures that emphasized the struggles journalists are facing in today’s society. One particular event, a panel with four Mississippi-based journalists, was aptly called “The Assault on Media.” Something that one of the panelists said has stuck with me since I left the event: President Donald Trump is good for the press. Now, I know what you’re thinking. President Trump hates the press! Yes, we can

THE

Photo courtesy of Pete Souza THE FUTURE OF THE PRESS - President Barack Obama speaks to student journalists on College Reporter Day in 2016. go onto his Twitter account and easily see all the tweets he’s posted bashing the press since the beginning of the presidential campaign last year. That being said, if you really think about it, we haven’t had a president like this before and with the rather unorthodox cabinet he’s

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Tennessee Tech University TTU Box 5072 Cookeville, TN 38505 Managing Editor - HAYLEE EATON Asst. Managing Editor - MALLORY ENGLAND Business Manager - BRIANA SMITH Copy Editor - ASHTON BREEDEN Opinions Editor - KATE TREBING Sports Editor - MARCUS HANSON Asst. Sports Editor - ROBYN HANSON Entertainment Editor - CAMERON FOWLER Entertainment Critic - HANNAH BARGER Circulation Manager - AALIYAH SYMLAR Faculty Adviser - VANESSA CURRY Thanks for reading The Oracle Read more @ tntechoracle.com

lost some credibility to the people they are supposed to serve. Journalism is a field that can often offer little joy to those who work in it, especially when the press comes under fire for something they published that may have hurt someone’s feelings. Because of that, many papers have stopped covering certain topics because they are afraid of stepping on someone’s toes and not being politically correct. That’s what is hindering proper coverage of events in the press - the fear of criticism that could actually help them become better. But there are always exceptions to the rules. There are newspapers that outright claim to be liberal or conservative with their names, which makes their coverage seem one-sided to outside audiences. This,

put together, it means that the press is scrambling to hire more people to fact check everything (not just what the president says) but also to cover the new administration. In recent years, the press has fallen into a pit where a lot of their content is based on celebrity news – there’s

even a network that’s pretty much dedicated to covering their lives – and that’s not how their time should be spent. The press always has been a voice for the people, and with that voice losing more and more volume to pointless topics like what Kim Kardashian is naming her child, they’ve

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The Oracle encourages readers to write letters and commentaries on topics of interest. A few guidelines:

2. Originality is required. Plagiarized works will not be considered.

3. For verification, letters and commentaries MUST include your name, e-mail address, FIND AN ERROR? home town and Contact the Managing Editor 1. Letters should not classification or title. exceed 300 words. Haylee Eaton heeaton42@students.tntech.edu Commentaries should 4. Letters may not run (931)-409-7066 be around 500 words in every edition due to and include a picture space. of the writer.

combined with the idea that the press is already biased, doesn’t help the case that the press needs to be as unbiased as possible to be able to cover what needs to be covered. Another thing is that the press needs to refrain from getting involved in matters that claim that the press is the opposition. When the press tries to defend itself, it can do it the right way without getting involved. By being under fire by such top ranked officials, it gives the press the opportunity to grow and reclaim the prestige it once held. As a budding journalist, this is something I’d love to participate in and can't wait to see happen. Ashton Breeden is a senior in communication. She can be reached at asbreeden42@ students.tntech.edu

5. The Oracle reserves the right to edit for style, grammar, length and clarity.

6. Submissions must be received by 4 p.m. on Friday.

7. Your thoughts are free. Think often, think free.

News content for The Oracle is provided by the Journalism 2220, Journalism 4820 and Journalism 4930 classes. Journalism 3370 provides a majority of the photographs used.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of Tennessee Tech University’s employees or of its administration.


Tuesday, February 21, 2017

THE ORACLE || COOKEVILLE, TN || PAGE 6

SPORTS

>> Inside the Game

Golden Eagle baseball starts season 4-0 By MARCUS HANSON

Sports Editor

Tech’s baseball team started the season off strong this past weekend after winning all four games in the opening weekend against the University of Toledo. The Golden Eagles had a comeback victory at the start of the series narrowly winning Friday’s game, 7-5. Toledo, first at bat, added no points to the board. When Tech came up to bat, Chris Brown hit a single, allowing Alex Junior to score the first run. The Rockets evened the score 1-1 during the third inning with a right field home run by Brad Boss. The scores stayed consistent throughout the game until Tech rallied in the bottom of the eight to score two runs by Collin Harris and Trevor Putzig. Junior scored the game winning run, when Brown flied out to center field. In Saturday’s double-header sweep against Toledo, Tech

won 10-2 and 10-0. The games started with a two-hour rain delay Toledo was first on the board in Saturday’s first game, with Dalton Bollinger hitting a home run to left field, in the top of the second. Tech returned when Putzig hit a double to left center allowing Brown to score. The Golden Eagles continued to add to the board in the third inning when Brown flied out to right field and Junior scored. Chase Chambers also hit a home run to right center, leading Kevin Strohschein to score. In the sixth the Golden Eagles scored three times. Junior and Harris to scored after Strohschein singled to the right. Brown then singled to right side allowing David Garza to score. Toledo finally answered in the seventh with Ross Adolph scoring after Matt Hansen singled to the left side. In the bottom of the seventh Harris hit a home run to left field allowing Matt Jones and Putzig to score. In the second game

Alexis Staley | The Oracle TECH WINS OPENING WEEKEND - Pitcher Marcus Evey during Friday’s game against the University of Toledo. The Golden Eagles won 7-5 in their season opener at Bush Stadium. Saturday afternoon, Tech got on the board in the second with both Brown and Chambers scoring. In the fourth inning Ryan Flick doubled to left center and Brown scored. Then in the sixth Putzig reached on a

Tech at Bush Stadium

fielding error by the shortstop, advanced to second, and Flick scored. Tech created a large lead in the seventh inning, with Harris, Junior, Brown, Strihchein and Garza putting five points on the board.

Tech won 2-0 in Sunday’s final game of the series. The Golden Eagles first put themselves on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Jones grounded out to the shortstop, and Flick scored. The score stayed

2017 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Western Illinois

Aug. 31

at Kennesaw State

Sept.9 Sept. 16

at Ball State

Sept. 23

at Eastern Kentucky *

Sept. 30

Jacksonville State at Eastern Illinois

Oct. 7 Oct. 14

at Southeast Missori *

Oct. 28

Tennessee State *

Nov. 4

Austin Peay *

Nov. 11

at Murry State *

Nov. 18

UT Martin *

*Conference Game

Alexis Staley | The Oracle

TECH SHUTOUT: Golden Eagles outfielder Kevin Strohschein takes a turn at bat against University of Toledo during Tech’s home opener at Bush Stadium.

CHRISTAN MCCALL

Beat Reporters

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Tech releases 2017 football schedule By KYLE MCGEE &

at 1-0 until the seventh when Garza singled to second base and Putzig scored. The next game for the Eagle is against Bradley University in another multi-game series at Tech. The first game is 3 p.m. Friday at Bush Stadium.

Head coach Marcus Satterfield is looking to build upon his inaugural Tech season in which the team finished with a 5-6 record. That compares with the 4-7 record from the 2016 season under former coach Watson Brown. Last week, Satterfield announced the addition of Frederick Walker as coach for wide receivers, and Andre Crenshaw as coach for running backs. Walker previously coached at Mississippi State University and Troy University. At Mississippi State he assisted the offensive coordinator in developing Dak Prescott, who is now the starter for the Dallas Cowboys. Crenshaw previously coached for OVC foe Morehead State as their running backs coach. Despite the team’s record, Satterfield said the Golden Eagles ended on a high note because players worked on improving their performance. Our guys trusted

the process. By repeating our process every week, success was inevitable,� Satterfield said. As for next season, Satterfield said the team should expect a tougher schedule. The season kicks off Aug. 31 at home against the Western Illinois Leathernecks, a team from the Missouri Valley Conference. Last season, the Leathernecks finished 6-5 and sixth in the MVC. Tech’s first road trip involves travel to Kennesaw, Georgia, to clash with Kennesaw State. In their third year of existence , the Owls finished 8-3 last season. The following week Tech travels to Muncie, Indiana, to battle the Ball State Cardinals, a Football Bowl Subdivision team. They are a member of the Mid-American Conference, and finished 4-8 last season. Following a two-game road stretch, Tech returns home to play Jacksonville State, a team that finished 10-2 and beat Tech 40-21 last season. “We are a Division I-AA football program, and no longer want to schedule opponents from lower

divisions. Our schedule is very challenging, five of our first seven games are on the road and against very strong competition,� Satterfield said. Three of the final four games are scheduled against in-state and conference foes Tennessee State University, Austin Peay State University and the University of Tennessee at Martin. A key item on Satterfield’s off-season agenda is replacing 15 graduating starters including quarterback Michael Birdsong, who threw for 2,500 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. “Birdsong will be a tough act to follow, he was out team leader and a very good player,� Satterfield said. Satterfield said the coaching staff also is looking to fill four of five starting offensive line positions and two defensive positions. The coaching staff signed 19 new players during signing-day this year including Hunter Wills, a quarterback from Greenback, Tennessee, and his teammate Tavin Kilpatrick as tight end.


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