November 2017

November 8, 2017

TRUMP A YEAR LATER P. 20-29

International Perspectives p. 22-23 Changes in Race Relations p. 24-25 USF and DACA p. 6 Email Controversy p. 34 What You Missed Worrying About Politics p. 35 NFL #TakesAKnee p. 36

Editorial Board Clarice Swanson

Editor-in-Chief clariceswanson@stfrancis.edu

Mat Tuck

Assistant Editor mathewtuck@stfrancis.edu

Ashley Montgomery

Online Assistant Editor ashleymontgomery@stfrancis.edu

Eva Lopez Benedi

University

Trump: A Year Later

Campus Calendar.........................4 Educational Budget Info...............5 Campus News..............................6 Science Building Update..............7

International Perspectives...........22 Changes in Race Relations..........24 Trump’s Twitter Usage................26 Five Policy Changes....................28

Layout Director evalopezbenedi@stfrancis.edu

Ivan Flores

Social Media Director ivanflores@stfrancis.edu

Delainey Smith

News Editor delaineysmith@stfrancis.edu

Kamari Jordan

News

Commentary

World News................................8 Side by Side................................30 Trumpdate.................................10 Disaster Politics...........................32 GenerationYap............................33 Turning a Blind Eye....................34 What You Missed........................35

Entertainment Movie Reviews...........................12 WCSF Top 10/Schedule.............13 Best Movies Political Climate......14 TV Shows Go Political...............16 Celebrities as Political Activists...18

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November 8, 2017

Sports NFL #Takes a Knee.....................36 NBA Uninvited...........................37 Men’s Soccer Update...................38 Athletic Profile............................41 Chicago Sports Update...............42 New Faces...................................43

Entertainment Editor kamarijordan@stfrancis.edu

Iain Morrisey

Sports Editor iainmorrisey@stfrancis.edu

Christian Hoeger

Feature Editor & PR Specialist christianhoeger@stfrancis.edu

Noah Mussay

Commentary Editor and PR Specialist noahmussay@stfrancis.edu

James Thorpe

PR Manger jamesthorpe@stfrancis.edu

Staff Writers Melissa Lopez Giovanni Alvarado Renee Martin Katie Wozniak Grayson Barnette Donovan Summers Elijah Anderson Ashley Hare

Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Times

Letter from the Editor Hello all, Thank you for taking time to read the latest issue of the Encounter, as we delve deeper into the current political climate.

One year ago, the 2016 election took place. Whether the election went the way you wished, or not, almost everyone can agree that a lot has taken place in the past year.

This issue attempts to take a look at some of the changes that have occurred in the U.S. since the election of President Donald Trump. Our goal was to analyze the major issues of the current political atmosphere, and explain the changes that have taken place since Trump took office.

Are politics not your forte? Don’t worry-we still have plenty of great articles to keep you updated on current entertainment, sports, and even what you missed while worrying about politics.

Want even more updates from Encounter? Check out our website (usfencounter. stfrancis.edu), to stay up to date on the latest news, entertainment and more. Were constantly posting new articles!

Make sure to follow us on facebook (USF Encounter), Instagram (usf_encounter), and Twitter (usf_encounter)!

For information on becoming a writer, contact me at clariceswanson@stfrancis.edu.

Now get ready for a look into the first year of Donald Trump’s Presidency.

Sincerely,

Clarice Swanson Editor-in-Chief

As a Catholic university rooted in the liberal arts, we are a welcoming community of learners challenged by Franciscan values and charism, engaged in a continuous pursuit of knowledge, faith, wisdom, and justice, and ever mindful of a tradition that emphasizes reverence for creation, compassion and peacemaking. We strive for academic excellence in all programs, preparing women and men to contribute to the world through service and leadership.

From the top: Clarice Swanson(Edior-in-Chief) From right to left: Eva Lopez (Layout Artist), Mat Tuck (Assistant Editor), Ivan Flores (Social Media Director), Christian Hoeger (Feature Editor) Kamari Jordan (Entertainment Editor), Noah Mussay (Commentary Editor), Misael Tobias (Online Reporter), Delainey Smith (News Editor), Iain Morrison (Sports Editor), James Thorpe (PR Manager).

All rights reserved.

Policies The Encounter is published by the students of the University of St. Francis, 500 Wilcox Street, Joliet, Illinois, 60435. The newspaper office is located in room S413C of Tower Hall. The Encounter phone number is 815.740.3816.

As a member of USF Campus Media, the Encounter strives to produce a publication that stresses quality writing and design.

By reporting on issues that may be sensitive in nature, the Encounter aims to educate, inform and persuade students on topics that affect their lives on and off campus.

Editorial pages provide Encounter staff with opportunities to express thoughtful views on controversial topics.

Letters to the Editor represent the opinion of the author and are not necessarily opinions of the Encounter Staff.

Publications of letters to the editor are subject to space availability and management discretion. Letters are also subject to editing. Letters to the editor or any other submissions may be dropped off at the Encounter office or emailed to usfencounter@gmail.com. The Encounter is printed by RICOH Services on the campus of the University of St. Francis.

usfencounter.stfrancis.edu 3

Contents

Staff

November Campus Calendar

Wed. Nov. 1 and EVERYDAY EXCEPT SATURDAYS •

Daily Mass, 12:00 PM-12:30 PM

Thu. Nov. 2 • • •

Glenboard Directions Program, 9:30 PM-1:30 PM Dia de los Muertos, 7:00 PM-9:00 PM Late Night Pancakes

Fri. Nov. 3 •

Dave and Busters Trip

Sunday Mass, 7:00 PM-8:00 PM Freshman Campus Visit Day 1:00 PM-5:00 PM

SGA Meeting

USF Benefits Fair, 10:30 AM-1:30 PM Bible Study, 7:00 PM- 8:30 PM Make Your Own Word Art

Thu. Nov. 9 •

• •

Tower Community Meeting, 4:30 PM-7:00 PM

•

•

Sunday Mass, 7:00 PM-8:00 PM

•

Tue. Nov. 14

•

Pancakes and Poetry

Bible Study, 7:00 PM- 8:30 PM

Thanksgiving Break

Sun. Nov. 26 • • Sunday Mass, 7:00 PM-8:00 PM Tue. Nov. 28

Reavis High. Visit, 9:00 AM-11:00 AM

• •

Bible Study, 7:00 PM- 8:30 PM Fall Student Recital I, 7:30 PM-9:00 PM

Thu. Nov. 30

Fri. Nov. 17 •

SGA Meeting

Nov. 23-24 •

Bible Study, 7:00 PM- 8:30 PM Transfer Registration, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM

Thu. Nov. 16 •

Saturday Information Session 10:00 PM-12:00 PM English Language and Literature Conference

Tue. Nov. 21 •

Stump the Priest, 5:00 PM- 8:00 PM

Vocal Jazz featuring the USf Swingin’ Saints, 7:30 PM-9:30 PM

•

Worship and Winge, 4:00 PM-8:00 PM

Free Bowling Days

Mon - Thurs 8am -11pm Fri-Sat 8am-12am Sun 11am-10pm

www.joliettownandcountrylanes.com

2231 West Jefferson St Joliet, IL 60435 November 8, 2017

•

Mon. Nov. 20

Sun. Nov. 12

Hours

4

Sat. Nov. 18

• Saturday Information Session 10:00 PM-12:00 PM Sun. Nov. 19 Fall Play: Love Letters by A.R. Gurney, • Sunday Mass, 7:00pm-8:00pm 7:30 PM-9:30 PM

Wed. Nov. 15

Tue. Nov. 7 • • •

Withdrawal deadline for full semester course

Sat. Nov. 11

• •

Mon. Nov. 6 •

•

Mon. Nov. 13

Sun. Nov. 5 • •

Fri. Nov. 10

September 29th October 28th December 1st

University

Educational Budget

By Delainey Smith, News Editor, and Melissa Lopez, Staff Writer

I

Illinois’s ongoing budget problems and uncertainty over tuition aid for college students has taken a toll on Will County colleges and universities.

According to the Northwest Herald, there has been a decline in enrollment at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Lewis University in Romeoville and Joliet Junior College in the past three years.

While the drops are not dramatic at these universities, other colleges in the state have seen drops in enrollment by double-digits. The enrollment decrease is sending red flags to administrative staff about how the unstable state budget affects higher education.

The Illinois budget cuts affect enrollment for college students, since there is uncertainty over tuition aid; this includes the Monetary Aid Program (MAP grants), a grant specified for Illinois students.

According to data from the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the education budget has been cut by 61 percent in the following years since the state cut their budget in 2014; causing the state’s 12 public universities and 48 community colleges to tighten their spending.

In the last year, President Donald Trump and his administrative have proposed a new education budget. Trump announced he wants to reduce the U.S. Department of Education’s discretionary budget by $9.2 billion, from $68.3 billion to $59.1 billion.

According to U.S. News & World Report, 85 percent of full-time undergraduates, at USF, receive some kind of need-based financial aid, and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $18,534.

The unpredictable education budget causes many students to panic.

Eric Wignall, vice president of admissions and enrollment services at USF, told the Northwest Herald, “We know from anecdotal evidence from our students who are talking to our financial aid counselors that there’s a huge amount of anxiety about funding.” He continued, “We hear that from our students and our parents.”

Wignall told the Northwest Herald, that USF has credited its students for MAP grants when funds have been delayed which has provided some financial security for students amid the financial instability in state government.

Fortunately for the University of St. Francis, along with other colleges in the state, the MAP grants were restored for the 2017-2018 school year.

In the coming years, Illinois should work to resolve their education budget before student’s leave out of state and seek education else were.

According to the Los Angeles Times, this is not as big of a problem as most are making it out to be; close to twothirds of that reduction (63%) comes from eliminating programs that are duplicative or just don’t work.

Funding for school is necessary for nearly all students at USF and is necessary for enrollment to remain steady.

Photo courtesy of viconsortium.com

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CAMPUS NEWS USF and DACA

By Ivan Flores Social Media Director President Donald Trump and his administration have placed the fate of DACA students into limbo and many USF students and faculty are wondering what’s next. According to the New York Times, President Trump announced the repeal of the program in September. This gives Congress six months to pass legislation to protect DACA recipients, otherwise the program will end entirely. With the talk of recent rumors and debates regarding the topic circulating on-campus, USF wants to ensure that it’s a welcoming and accepting environment to everyone attending, including DACA students.

“Every student at USF deserves respect, compassion and our best – this means DACA students, LGBT, ADA, first generation students, students of color, student/athletes, international students, commuters/residents, republicans, democrats, Catholic, Muslim … every student!” said Frank Pascoe, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. “I know this is neither trivial nor easy … this means finding the right balance between academic freedom, First Amendment free speech, and being a welcoming community of learners.”

Damon Sloan, the Dean of Students and Vice President of Student and Alumni Affairs had this to say, “… I am committed to ensuring

that our DACA students are welcomed and encouraged to succeed at the university, and I would invite any student who is feeling discriminated against to report it. The student code of conduct is clear. Any student who puts another student in reasonable fear of their safety is subject to disciplinary action. We are a welcoming community of learners and we need to look out for each other.”

For those that may not know what DACA stands for, it means Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. In 2012, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that people who came to the United States as children and meet several guidelines could request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal. Once approved, DACA students can enroll in college, obtain valid driver’s licenses and are granted work authorization. They also pay income taxes. According to CNN, nearly 900,000 renewals had been approved over the course of the program. Students and faculty should also know that USF does not have a list indicating who is a DACA student nor can that information be accessible to the public.

If you would like to anonymously report any discriminatory comments or behavior, please visit: https://www.stfrancis.edu/sst/silent-witness/

On Campus Housing Policy

By Renee Martin Staff Writer This upcoming fall, the University of St. Francis will be revising their housing policy. Freshmen that start in the fall of 2018 will be required to live in university residence halls during their first two years.

With this change, there are several exemptions that students may qualify for. These exemptions include if the student lives within “35.0 driving miles of the University as determined by Google Maps,” the student is 21 years of age, married, caring for a dependent child or is a United States Veteran.

To qualify for these exemptions, students need to apply for a Housing Exemption Application that must be submitted every year during open housing enrollment periods. Incoming transfer and International students also must meet the residency requirements stated and can apply for an exemption if they would like to.

According to our Dean of Students, Damon Sloan, this new policy is being implemented because survey and institutional data show

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that learning outcomes are better for residents than commuters. This has been shown with our resident GPA’s being slightly higher than commuter GPA’s. Residents also learn how to become part of a community, conflict management skills and communicate, which are all valuable skills for the workplace.

Damon also believes that students who currently commute already live with parents within 35 miles of the university and feels this new policy won’t have a major impact on recruitment.

The primary purpose of this new policy is “to truly increase an on-campus presence that will add vibrancy to the overall campus atmosphere.” With this, there are obviously going to be concerns regarding this new policy and there are exemptions that can be filled out; but this is being put in place for the benefit of the student. who is feeling discriminated against to report it. The student code of conduct is clear. Any student who puts another student in reasonable fear of their safety is subject to disciplinary action. We are a welcoming community of learners and we need to look out for each other.”

University

Science Building Update

By Elijah Anderson Staff Writer

A

s many of you may know from the giant building in the middle of an old parking lot, our new construction project is coming along quite nicely. They have made substantial progress since the groundbreaking back in April of 2016.

More than a year has passed and a lot of development has taken place.

On the first floor of the building, there will be a plaque on the wall listing the building’s donors. There will be a new lecture hall, which will have two screens coming down from the ceiling and is almost 1.5 times larger than the current lecture hall in St. Alberts.

The second floor has multiple labs and classrooms, which are set up the same way as the ones currently in Tower hall, but include the addition of concrete floors. There is also a cadaver lab on this floor, which is more than five times the space of our current cadaver lab. This also one of the floors that will have faculty offices similar to the Kirk center on first floor of Tower Hall. This space will be more open and be approximately three times bigger than our current Kirk center. Students and faculty will also have access to an outdoor patio area on this floor.

On the third floor, there are labs as well as more faculty offices and a conference room, surrounded by windows for natural lighting. This floor will include a patio area for students and faculty alike. Lastly, the fourth floor and ceiling area will include planting areas/ greenhouses for the biology students. The roof of the building includes equipment for heating, air and electricity throughout the building.

There are three mains doors for entry into the building. They are located on the North, South and East sides of the structure.

Also, there are North and South staircases that are entirely glass and encased. The building will be used mainly by science majors, aside from possibe lectures in the new lecture hall. With the progress made, equipment transfer from Saint Albert’s and Tower may begin in late November or early December. The official opening of the building is set to take place in February 2018.

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WORLD NEWS

By Delainey Smith News Editor

Spain's government to discipline disobedient Catalans Spain’s central government is ready to punish Catalan citizens who chose to disobey direct rule from Madrid.

The Spanish government’s official representative in Catalonia, Enric Millo, told CNBC, “The Spanish government is going to have the responsibility of taking decisions of a disciplinary nature if there is a rejection, by any functionaries, of any of the orders that they receive.” Back on October 1, 2017, Catalonia, a region of Spain held an independence referendum, causing a constitutional crisis in the country. Of the 43 percent of Catalans reported to have taken part, around 90 percent are believed to have voted in favor of independence.

Since the vote, the Catalan government and its leader, Charles Puigdemont, has argued that the “yes” vote provides the Catalonian region with authorization to succeed from Spain. However, Madrid has repeatedly dismissed the legitimacy of the outcome, saying the referendum was illegal. Now, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has invoked unprecedented constitutional powers. He is promising to diminish some of the freedoms of Catalonia’s parliament, terminate political players and force regional elections in six months.

So far, Spain’s central government has repudiated meetings with Puigdemont until he stops the push for independence.

World mayors pledge emissions-free cities by 2030 The mayors of Paris, London and Los Angeles and other major world cities are pledging to ban gasoline and diesel vehicles from “large parts” of their cities by 2030.

On October 23, 2017 mayors of Paris, London and Los Angeles, Mexico City, Seattle, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Vancouver, Milan, Quito, Cape Town and Auckland released a pledge promising to “progressively abandon combustion engines.”

According to a global study published in The Lancet medical journal, pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death in the world. The study blames pollution for an estimated 9 million premature deaths.

These cities are initiating a change to reduce harmful emissions released by cars, to make their cleaner and quieter and reduce pollution related deaths.

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November 8, 2017

Photos courtesy of various locations websites.

News

France considering fines for catcalling The French government is considering fining individuals found catcalling, after citizens shared appalling stories of sexual harassment on social media.

According to the New York Times, various proposals are on the table to institute fines for “aggressive catcalling or lecherous behavior” from men towards women in public.

On the second weekend of October, social media was flooded with women in France sharing their story of sexual harassment. Posts overtook the web with the hashtag, #BalanceTonPorc or “Expose Your Pig,” that eventually went viral with the hashtag #MeToo.

France’s junior minister for gender equality, Marlène Schiappa. said that the government needs to consider precisely how to define street harassment and how much to fine. Then the government will consult legal professionals on its proposals and hold workshops for citizens across the country. She continued to say that they are aiming to put measures before Parliament next year.

Lawmakers in France are not standing idly by and are in the process of outlawing street harassment and catcalling.

U.S. withdraws military assistance during Myanmar Rohingya crisis The U.S. is withdrawing military assistance units from Myanmar over the country’s treatment of its Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine state.

Myanmar units and officers have been involved in violence against Rohingya Muslims which has resulted in a mass evacuation. Acording to Bangladesh’s envoy to the U.N., almost a million Rohingya people have fled from Myanmar and are seeking refuge in Bangladesh. U.S. state department spokeswoman, Heather Nauret, told BBC News, “We express our gravest concern with recent events in Rakhine state and the violent, traumatic abuses Rohingya and other communities have endured.” She continued saying, “It is imperative that any individuals or entities responsible for atrocities, including non-state actors and vigilantes, be held accountable.”

U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, said that Myanmar’s military leadership is held “accountable” for its crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority, adding that the U.S. was “extraordinarily concerned” by the situation. The U.S. and other foreign governments have called for the hostilities to halt and to initiate a peaceful repatriation for refugees.

But, a Bangladesh’s ambassador, told BBC News, Myanmar refused to acknowledge the issue involving Rohingya and “remains a stumbling block” for any negotiations.

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Trump-date:

The Battle on Addiction

By Clarice Swanson Editor-in-Chief

I

n October, a significant discussion point for President Trump seemed to circulate around the opioid crisis in America. In the past month, President Trump has brought up the subject of opioid addiction several times, stating he would be making a “major announcement” in the weeks following, according to Politico. Despite these statements, Americans are still in the dark about what the President intends to do about the situation that he has officially declared a “national emergency”. With the promise of information unfulfilled, what can we recognize regarding the opioid situation in America, and President Trump’s stance regarding it?

The opioid crisis has been a substantial problem in America for the last decade. As of 2015, overdoses accounted for 142 deaths per day, with 91 of these deaths being from opioids, according to The Guardian online. A report, led by New Jersey governor Chris Christie, commented that “In 2015, the amount of opioids prescribed in the U.S. was enough for every American to be medicated around the clock for three weeks.” The statistic has flatlined over the past two years, with average opioid deaths per day remaining around 90, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Will

County alone has remained a substantial victim of this national plague. In 2016, the opioid death toll in Will County rose to 77 deaths.

Local legislatures have been working to reduce this number by putting finances towards opioid and substance abuse related task forces. Officials have hosted public forums on opioid prevention and the county has been awarded a grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services to continue to prevent opioid deaths.

But national leaders have not seemed so proactive. The topic has been touched on by Trump and his administration, but no plan has formed. There was a point that the Trump Administration had even considered eliminating the Office of National Drug Control Policy, one department that can work towards a solution to this emergency, according to Time online. The result instead cut $347 million from the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Administration, which funds critical rehabilitation programs.

While the President has become more verbal about the issue recently, many are still waiting for the proof in his words. In an article by the Washington Post, Gary Mendell, the founder of the advocacy group Shatterproof., stated “ The opioid epidemic must be declared a federal emergency.” Mendell continued, “Once done so, the lives of our sons and daughters depend on action being taken immediately to ensure that medication-assisted treatment is readily available for every single American with an opioid use disorder.”

While we all can recognize what a serious issue opioid addiction is, action is what Americans are looking for and waiting on.

So America will not only be waiting on the president’s continued statements against the opioid academic, but will also be looking towards the action that is promised to follow.

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November 8, 2017

News

Photo courtesy of MassArt Portfolios

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Movie Reviews

By Christian Hoeger Feature Editor

Sponsored by

Marshall

7.5/10

A great man in Thurgood Marshall. A great performance (unsurprisingly) from Chadwick Boseman. The only issue with this film was that it was a bit run-of-the-mill and simple in execution. Definitely worth a viewing in today’s climate but the movie is nothing special.

Blade Runner 2049

10/10

Now, as a reviewer I must admit I am a bit biased when it comes to anything Blade Runner related. I can’t remember the first time I saw the original but I know I had seen nothing like it when I did. The visuals for Blade Runner were not only absolutely beautiful but culturally important. Every sci-fi movie after took cues either explicitly or implicitly from how director Ridley Scott and Cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth imagined and shot dystopian Los Angeles. Dark, gritty and rainy with the only light coming from advertisements and neon signs that almost swallow the world. Add in a psychological story and great performances all around and you have a near perfect film.

So going into the theater on opening night for Blade Runner 2049 I was ready to be disappointed. How would the sequel possibly compare to the near-perfect original? Well, it turned out it would meet every expectation possible. Even with a new Cinematographer and Director, it sounded and looked like it took place in the same world as the first. The story maybe wasn’t as strong but it was a natural progression from the ideas and issues addressed in the first. Go see this film.

Professor Marston and The Wonder Woman

7/10

There is some controversy surrounding the accuracy of the story portrayed in this film. I prefer to see it as a semi-true movie with some fantastic performances and interesting concepts that made me want to do further research into William Marston and his life.

ng i m n! o C oo s

Thor: Ragnarok

Murder on

Coco

the Orient Express

A good mystery movie is either judged by the surprise of its reveal, excitement of its investigation or strength of its cast, Murder on the Orient Express has a chance to hit a trifecta. It is also working with a head-start because it is based on the very popular Agatha Christie novel, should get some solid award buzz.

Though Pixar has covered loss and old age in the past with Up and the later Toy Story films, Coco promises to be Pixar’s first foray into explicitly covering death and the after-life in an animated movie for kids.

JEFF GOLDBLUM. HULK. NEON COLORS. SPACE. SIGN ME UP.

Justice League 1701 N Larkin Ave Crest Hill, Il 60435 Mon-Sat: 10am-9pm Sun: 11am-6:30pm

Can DC continue the Wonder Woman momentum?

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November 8, 2017

Photos courtesy of various locations websites.

Albums SCHEDULE

1. HIPPO CAMPUS Warm Glow [EP]

2.

PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

The Echo of Pleasure

3.

CHERRY

Dumbness

4. SHOUT OUT LOUDS

Ease My Mind

5.

MORRISSEY

I Wish You Lonely [Single]

6. ARIEL PINK

Dedicated to Bobby Jameson

7.

VARIOUS ARTISTS

8.

ROSTAM

9.

HAPPY HOLLOWS

Like A Version

Half-Light

Concordia

10. WILD ONES

Mirror Touch

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Entertainment

Top 10

Best Movies for

By Iain Morison Sports Editor

Today’s Political Climate I

n light of all the political hoopla that has been spreading through America ever since the election of Donald Trump, it is only appropriate to talk about some political movies that are perfect for today’s political climate.

Miss Sloane

The debate about United States’ gun policies has been a hot topic for a substantial amount of time, and Miss Sloane doesn’t shy away from putting fuel in the great debate fire. The film follows Elizabeth Sloane, who is considered one of the most sought after lobbyists in Washington. After she is approached to help oppose a bill that will impose regulations on firearms in America, Miss Sloane decides to go against the powerful political figures and help assist the passing of the bill. This movie is perfect for those who are interested about the gun debate that is a polarizing issue for many Americans.

Zootopia

It is surprising to be writing about a Disney film on this list but Zootopia sends a very important political message: Race Relations. This animated film follows a rabbit as she strives to become the first bunny detective. She has to deal with the stigma of being a rabbit in a big city and also all the other issues of living with many different animal species in a close environment.

It is a brilliant commentary of how we interact with different cultures and how acceptance is key.

Team America: World Police

This Action-Comedy is definitely not for the easily offended. Created by the people responsible for the popular TV show South Park, Team America is as offensive. The film is about a military anti-terrorist force that is based in America and it isn’t shy about playing into stereotypes about America and American cinema.

This film is perfect for today’s political climate because the main conflict in the film is between Team America (America) and North Korea and with plenty of references to America’s fear of terrorism.

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Photos courtesy of various locations websites.

Entertainment

The Interview

The Interview is another film that looks to make fun of North Korea and, like Team America, was met with plenty of controversy at the time of its release. The film follows a TV host and a producer as they seek to gain an Interview with the leader of North Korea, and afterwards things get out of hand as the film becomes quite over the top. The comedy stars the iconic duo of Seth Rogen and James Franco and is highly recommended to fans of the duo.

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~American Horror Story: Cult (FX) The trailer for the Cult season threw many fans off because it was assumed the season would primarily be about the 2016 Election. The show’s co-creator, Ryan Murphy, used the election to introduce the season’s plotline, the concept of phobias and fear. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy explained during a AHS press conference that “…the season really is not about Trump, it's not about Clinton. It's about somebody who has the ‘wherewithal’ to put their finger up in the wind and see that that's what's happening and is using that to rise up and form power, and using people's vulnerabilities about how they're afraid and don't know where to turn, and they feel like the world is on fire." The season starts off with Sarah Paulson’s character, Ally Mayfair-Richards, wailing her way once hearing the news of Donald Trump winning the election. Kai Anderson (portrayed

by Evan Peters), is a blue-haired, basement-dwelling bigot who decides to control people’s fears to gain power for himself in local politics. As time wears on post-election, Ally finds herself dealing with old phobias and anxieties to where she seeks professional help from therapist, Dr. Rudy Vincent, portrayed by Cheyenne Jackson. While running city councilor, Kai forms a plan to use the fear that’s gripping the nation for his own gain by killing people, Charles Manson-style. The general message for this season is politicians use fear to guide the ignorant masses, similarly like cult leaders.

T

elevision is a time capsule of popular trends, topics and events that

occur throughout a decade. With a new era of a new U.S. president and administration, this is no exception. Politically and culturally, television programs provide their audiences an eerily glimpse of our reality when it comes to racial, social and economic issues we may face today. This year, many programs have been successful in incorporating a political climate in their plotlines.

Here are some programs that have taken a political detour:

~Saturday Night Live (NBC) After nine Emmy wins (one for Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of President Trump last year during election season), it was expected that the late-night sketch comedy show would bring back politics into their skits. In the Season 43 premiere of SNL, the first sketch opens with Baldwin as Trump answering a phone call from Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz of San Juan, Puerto Rico (portrayed by Melissa Villaseñor). In a Variety episode summary, Villaseñor as Mayor Yulin Cruz reached out for help due to Hurricane Maria and Baldwin responded, “It’s a big ocean, water, with fishies and bubbles and turtles that bite. We want to help you, but we have to take care of America first.” The same “water” phrase Trump used to describe where Puerto Rico was located during a response for the hurricane that affected by citizens of the U.S. territory, was also mentioned in the “Weekend Update” skit. The show most talked about political sketches from last year include, according to the Washington Post, the Clinton vs. Trump debates, Sean Spicer’s news conferences, and Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway’s statements during television interviews. Conway’s husband, George Conway mentioned to the Washington Post that he found the sketch involving his family to be “hysterical” though stopped watching the show when his wife felt the impersonation of her was too mean.

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November 8, 2017

~Black-ish (ABC)

~This Is Us (NBC)

While the tearjerker family drama’s doesn’t necessarily revolve around politics, the show does subtly to where it’s relatable to its viewers. The show’s premise, often described as the “dramedy version of Lost,” according to Deadline, involves life stories that not only deal with race but with body image, fame and family loyalty and betrayals, intertwined in curious ways that are flawed but yet surprising, and therefore, relatably human. Executive Producer Dan Fogelman describes This Is Us as “… the right place for a show that has a little hope and optimism and makes you cry but also makes you feel good.”

TV Shows Go Political

By Ivan Flores Social Media Director

~Scandal (ABC) This show didn’t transition into a political climate because it has given its viewers an insider look to what can go on in the White House since its first season. While some critics may view the Shonda Rhimes-produced show “melodramatic,” according to Mental Floss, it offers an “entertaining and stylish depiction of political ambition and greed.” Olivia Pope (portrayed by Kerry Washington) is someone who helps her wealthy clients make scandals go away. It primarily involves assisting President Fitzgerald Grant, with whom she has an affair. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes mentioned in interviews that she did not know what do with the series after Trump became president. “I used to know how it ended, and then Donald Trump was elected,” Rhimes told The Hollywood Reporter. “We had a destination, and I don’t know if that’s our destination anymore.”

Photos courtesy of CarterMatt.com, us995.cbslocal.com, A Practical Wedding and edfortune.wordpress.com

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Entertainment

Returning for its fourth season, the show addresses important social and political issues such as police brutality, the N-word, and the election while retaining its delightful sense of humor. The show’s creator Kenya Barris, admits he’s “very nervous” for the season premiere, according to Variety. “They’re either going to love it or hate it,” he says. “It’s one of my most proud moments as a television producer. I’m really happy with how it came out.”

Celebrities As Political Activists

By Katie Wozniak Staff Writer

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Photos courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter and various locations websites

Shailene Woodley is another Hollywood star that has been in the news for being a political activist by participating in protests. Just a year ago, Woodley was protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline in Sioux County, North Dakota. The Divergent star live streamed the protest the day she was taken into custody by the police on Facebook. In the video, she says, “I am a 24-year-old woman who cares about not only the generations that are alive right now but the generations to come. And we’re here to protect clean water.”

She and 26 others were arrested that day and at least 761 people were arrested during the entirety of the protests, according to The Associated Press. The pipeline has since been approved and constructed, now delivering gallons of oil from North Dakota to Illinois.

the conservative topics, ABC stated that the show was produced by an outside studio and was not bringing in the profit Disney could get from other shows. A petition on the website Change.org has already received 400,000 signatures by people who believe that Last Man Standing stands out in the sea of network television sitcoms. It is a show that appeals to a broad swath of Americans who find very few shows that extol the virtues with which they can identify; namely conservative values.”

Tim Allen said that he believes that the show was like a breath of fresh air, having a personable, likable conservative character who pushed boundaries. He is known for being one of the few Republican celebrities to speak out about his personal political views.

It seems that most well-known celebrities tend to have a liberal bias. One explanation is that many Democrats in Hollywood share their beliefs very publicly due to their very public lifestyles, whereas many Republican celebrities do not voice their views as openly. Rob Long, one of the co-founders of the conservative site Ricochet, stated in an article on Variety.com, “There is something about the Republican message over time, certainly in the past 20, 25, 30 years, that has gotten a little bit harsh, and has a little bit of a scolding temperament to it,” he says, “and I think people in Hollywood just don’t like that.” He states that celebrities don’t see what they get. Everybody has experience in receiving a pay stub and looking at what you actually get paid versus what amount the government gets out of it.

With celebrities in Hollywood, they have managers and agents that see this pay stub instead of the celebrities themselves.

With celebrities using their wide platforms, such as television, best-selling albums, movies, or social media, they can easily turn into political activists for whatever cause they stand for. As long as they have people who respond to their content, they are able to convey a message to hundreds of thousands very easily.

Either campaigning in a critical election, walking amongst the protestors, or simply providing entertainment, impactful messages can be spread and maybe even change the minds of the American people. Stated simply by Nives Zubcevic-Basic in an article on The Conversation website, “All it takes is trustworthiness, credibility, and a lot of followers.”

There are also more conservative celebrities that use their platform to voice their beliefs. Tim Allen, star of ABC’s Last Man Standing is known to be a Republican and TV show revolved around conservative topics and his conversations. He played the character of Mike Baxter, a man who held conservative values and had three daughters, one of them being staunchly against her father’s views. ABC recently decided to cancel the television show after six seasons on the air. Receiving decent ratings while on ABC, viewers posed the question, “why cancel the show”? While some believe it was due to

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Entertainment

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any celebrities use their large platform and fame to advocate for their beliefs. Two actors in particular that use their stardom to endorse their political views are Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus. Both singers are Democrats and expressed their support for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Cyrus showed her support on her Twitter account as well as in person at college dorm rooms. According to an article written by CNN, she travelled to George Mason University, the largest public research college in Virginia, hoping to sway the votes. Katy Perry did the same and attended rallies in support of Clinton. Further support has been seen even after the election results, such as when Perry tweeted, “THE REVOLUTION IS COMING.” and “Do not sit still. Do not weep. MOVE. We are not a nation that will let HATE lead us.”

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Trump: A Year Later

Trump:

A Year Later

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his is the November Issue of the Encounter. More importantly it marks the year anniversary of arguably the most divisive and “surprising� election nights in memory.

We took this anniversary as a chance to recap what President Trump has done since Election Night, for better or worse.

By Christian Hoeger Feature Editor

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International Perspectives on Trump

By Eva Lopez PR Specialist

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onald Trump and his controversial decisions, actions and policies aren’t just under constant national gossip and debate, but are a matter of international interest as well.

37 nations, a median of just 22 percent of the population “has confidence in Trump to do the right thing when it comes to international affairs.”

As the most powerful and influential country in the world, everything that Trump’s United States does is of worldwide concern, as U.S. moves have significant repercussions for every single country in the world.

Also in countries where confidence in the U.S. president fell most, America’s overall image has also tended to suffer. Today, just 49 percent of the population are favorably inclined toward America in contrast to a 64 percent during Obama’s last term.

Everyone has their own opinion on the president and in the case of citizens in foreign countries, it’s generally not a good one.

In fact, according to a new Pew Research Center survey spanning

We interviewed a few of University of St Francis’s own international students to find out their perspective on Donald Trump.

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Photos courtesy of gofightingsaints.com various location websites.

Trump: A Year Later

“W

hen Trump got voted in, my mom was kind of nervous for me to return to the U.S. because she had no trust in Trump. I feel like he is a bad leader that is too emotional to lead the country. Also, I feel that a president of a country shouldn’t be on twitter expressing his thoughts. I know lots of people in Australia also don’t like Trump and the things he stands for. His reputation is based on his actions not on his policies because in Australia, not too many people know many details about his policies. People in Australia are also concerned about the North Korea crisis and how Trump has handled his international diplomacy.”

Iain Morison (Australia)

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Lucas Navarro (Spain)

he first thing I would think about Trump is how popular he has gotten out of just making fun of other politicians, not being respectful to people, mocking people through twitter and replying to stupid comments from random people. Most importantly, Europe’s doesn’t have a good view of Trump. This is bad because he’s representing the whole U.S. but he’s not representing it in the right way. I don’t like how he has treated women or the way he has disrespected other politicians but I do see his value through his economic experience as a business man. He should focus on takin care of the US debt and if he really focuses on his strengths (economy) he could do a great job.

Otherwise, I think he is kind of a joke. It’s not that I like or dislike him but I don’t like the immigration policies that he has established. I think a country should care about their citizens first and later immigrants but I don’t think those immigration policies should be that strict.”

“I

think he is a good businessman, a good speaker and motivator, he’s a good TV showman. But I don’t think he’s a good politician. Donald Trump likes power and wealth and I think those things are what still drive him as President of the United States. I think he’s a man that wants to be on top of the other countries but to close U.S.’s doors to the rest of the world.

I think he’s a person that makes decisions without thinking them through, he is racist and doesn’t seem to realize that immigrants founded this country and tries to close doors to immigrants in a country made up by immigrants. People either hate him or love him, there is not an in-between and that is because the way he expresses himself, how he behaves and governs this country.”

Kevin Rada (Venezuela) usfencounter.stfrancis.edu

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Race Relations in the

By Delainey Smith News Editor

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he United States of America is known as the melting pot of the world. Alone among other countries, it has attempted to construct not just a state of different tribes, but a nation of them. European, African American, Native America, Indian, Asian and Hispanic descents all join together to create an ethnical, diverse country.

Race inequality is not a new concept to America. The depopulation of Native Americans after 1492 was a case of genocide. African American slavery was legal until 1865 and in the 1940’s, during World War II, Japanese immigrants were held in inhumane internment camps on American soil.

Yet, 2017 offers reasons for unique alarm. The progress of recent decades, both political and social, appears to have evaporated in the past year.

When announcing his candidacy for president in 1960, John F. Kennedy proclaimed, “The Presidency is the most powerful office in the Free World. 8 Through its leadership can come a more vital life for all of our

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people. In it are centered the hopes of the globe around us for freedom and a more secure life…” Fast-forward to 2016 during the presidential race when, then presidential candidate, Donald Trump infamously uttered, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best… They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists…”

In recent years, especially this past one, race relations in America have grown weary. Despite these comments, on November 8, 2016 the American people elected Donald Trump as president, a man who launched his campaign by targeting immigrants. He created a platform on demonizing immigrants, especially individuals of Mexican origin and Muslim countries, creating what the people thought to be a racist political platform.

During his campaign, Trump promised the construction of a wall to be built on the border of Mexico and America and called for a “complete and total shutdown” of Muslim immigration; he said that Muslims were a “problem,” and that they hated America.

Photos courtesy of sandiegoreader.com, FlyPaper Magazine and NBC News

Trump’s platform gained him a hefty following, thus President Donald Trump was born.

President Lyndon B. Johnson instituted the “war on poverty,” President Richard Nixon ignited the “war on drugs,” and Trump has declared the “war on immigrants.”

Since his time in office, Trump has been working to keep his promises regarding immigration and his “war on immigrants” policies (and rhetoric) have fortified during his presidency.

Trump has issued executive orders to control immigration.

Five days after inauguration, President Trump, issued an executive order for a wall or as he calls it, an “impassable physical barrier” to be built between the U.S. and Mexico border. He also imposed an executive order for a travel ban on seven, predominantly Muslim, countries, causing many to believe what he really imposed was a Muslim ban. These polices put in place to comfort Americans, quickly caused them to become more apprehensive in regards to race relations.

During the Spring of 2017, as Trump neared his 100th day in the White House, an opinion poll by Reuters, an international news agency, showed that a number of Americans believe the United States race relations were deteriorating. The poll asked individuals to rate the danger of racism and bigotry in America. According to the poll, 36 percent gave race relations the worst rating possible, saying they considered racism and bigotry an “imminent threat” to the country.

As Trump sits in the White House and plays with immigration laws, citizens have turned to protesting to get attention.

Black Lives Matter, a group focused on resisting governmental policies that harm black communities and drawing attention to racism and police brutality, is protesting Trump and does not see a place for negotiation with his administration.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, cofounder of the movement, Patrisse Cullors said, “For us, the answer is not to sit with him but to resist him and to resist every single poli-

cy that he’s implemented that impacts our communities,” she said, adding that the president is “killing our communities.”

Trump: A Year Later

According to a Pew Research Center survey, conducted just before Election Day, 79 percent of Trump supporters said illegal immigration is a “very big” problem in the nation and 86 percent believed the immigration situation has “gotten worse” in the U.S. since 2008.

Many fear that under Trump, black lives will become even more vulnerable to state violence. Trump was endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), one of the largest police unions in the country, with a history of defending violence and racism. There have been several circumstances when the FOP were unwilling to reprimand officers who’ve wrongfully killed black people. During a speech to police officers in Suffolk County, President Trump encouraged police officers to be more violent when making arrests, telling them to be “rough” on suspects when tossing them into “paddy wagons.”

When violence erupted in the town of Charlottesville on August 12, 2017, even more citizens opened their eyes to the race problems America is facing.

After hundreds of white nationalists and their supporters gathered for a rally, over plans to remove Confederate statues, clash-

es broke out between them and the alt-left causing one fatality.

As if the violence that erupted in Charlottesville wasn’t unsettling enough, the comments President Donald Trump made were widely labeled insensitive and did not offer support for the nation in a time of despair.

The day after the events Trump stated, “I watched those very closely, much more closely than you people watched it. And you have -- you had a group on one side that was bad, and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent, and nobody wants to say that, but I’ll say it right now. You had a group -- you had a group on the other side that came charging in without a permit, and they were very, very violent.”

In the wake of the Charlottesville events, NBC News conducted a recent poll that showed 70 percent of Americans think race relations in the United States are poor. The poll finds that 28 percent of people view race relations as “very bad,” while 42 percent of responders say they are “fairly” bad. Only 26 percent of those polled say race relations are good in the U.S. While race relations seem to be taking a turn for the worst, it’s not too late for change. The considerable progresses we’ve made in addressing longstanding, systemic wrongs, are with policies like the Voting Rights Act, affirmative action and anti-discrimination laws. These policies did not come into effect when times were great, they came after instances of repugnant race relations, giving hope to the thought this is not the end just a stain in America’s history.

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Trump’s Twitter Usage Over The Last Year

By Giovanni Alvarado Staff Writer

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esides the crazy turbulence of leaks, intelligence committee hearings, and press briefings, President Trump has come a long way with his Twitter usage. Analyzing his tweets could be the most reliable binoculars into his thoughts and feelings. In the end, many are left questioning, “what is going on here?.”

Whether you love him, or hate him, we can all honestly admit and agree that the president’s tweets are quite interesting and abruptly different in today’s modern politics. In fact, it has come to shape the world of politics altogether from “Little Marco” to “Crooked Hillary.” Ever since President Trump got elected however, his tweets have focused on a variety of different subjects rather than just prominent figures like during the campaign trail of 2016.

TIME Politics analyzed over 1,200 of Trump’s tweets between the time he became the Republican presumptive nominee up to the present. While it may be true that the timing of his Twitter habits change time to time gradually, the topics he focuses on have indeed changed dramatically. If we go back to before the

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election, Trump would frequently mention the term “women” in his tweets. Since the inauguration in January up until now, he has little mention of “women.”

But besides tweeting about women, the data also shows significantly other words that are now not commonly used as president, a major shift since he was the Republican nominee. These other words included “Disaster,” “Rigged,” “Hillary,” and “Love.” Of course, when someone is about to take in the highest office of the land and govern the land of the free, you must act like it with dignity and honor. President Trump soon realized that he was no longer the “President-Elect” or “Presumptive Nominee.” He was the President of the United States elected by our proud way of democracy. Anyone with that heavy burden would have to grab the bull by the horns and soon come to realize that perhaps exchanging tweet insults to your opponents or “personal antagonists,” isn’t such a good idea or image to be known for. Your reputation is basically on the line at this point, and perhaps this is why the president chose a different perspective?

It is obvious that the president enjoys tweeting and perhaps makes him feel more unique from other presidents in his own right. But does his own base or supporters approve of most of

Photos courtesy of various location websites

the tweets? According to a CNN poll, seven in ten Americans say that President Trump’s tweeting habits are “too often risky for a president to communicate.” In that same CNN polling, it also states that more than six in ten say his tweets “could be very misleading” and are “easy to misunderstand.” Even many Republican members in congress agree with this statement, as the poll suggest that 50% of Republicans believe it is also too risky for the president to let out his anger in such a way.

Trump: A Year Later

So, what about now? Has this helped President Trump with his tweeting habits? Not quite, as sometimes things aren’t always what they seem. According to the TIME Politics statistics, the top word or “target” as president he has tweeted most about was the “NYTIMES.” It is safe to safe to say that both the president and news organization didn’t honestly have a good relationship from the start with each other for their own respective reasons.

Other words that follow that are now frequently used as president are “Democrats,” “Jobs,” “Mexico,” “Border,” and “Fake.”

This graph at the bottom shows the NYTIMES visual statistic, courtesy of TIME Politics.

Even after all this, why does the president keep up with his tweeting habits? It may be because of his solid base and most ardent die-hard supporters, but also just be who he is. His very essence and character. Whether you stand with the man or are in the resistance, as the saying goes, “you can’t change someone who doesn’t see an issue in their actions.”

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POLICY CHANGES Since Trump Took Office

By Mat Tuck Assistant Print Editor

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elow is a short list of five policy changes President Donald Trump has made since becoming president this year. These changes include everything from executive orders to planned budgets. Along with a brief description, each policy change will have potential pros and cons listed below it.

Climate Change Policy Reversal

President Trump signed an executive order that reverses the Clean Power Plan, which was a key part of the Obama administration’s efforts to tackle global warming that had required states to regulate power plants. According to the BBC, “environmental groups warn that undoing those regulations will have serious consequences at home and abroad.”

Pros: Help ensure America’s energy independence and jobs.

Cons: Negatively impact the Earth’s climate.

...

This policy change from the president expands drone strikes from “high level” militants to include jihadist “foot soldiers.” According to the New York Times website, “administration officials havagreed that they should keep in place one important constraint for such attacks: a requirement of ‘near certainty’ that no civilian bystanders will be killed.”

Pros: The administration will be better able to quickly engage

targets which helps prevent the creation of jihadist safe havens while diminishing jihadist strike capability.

Cons: Escalates destruction and angers human rights activists.

...

Undoing Waterway Regulations

President Trump signed an order in February directing the EPA and the Army Corp of Engineers to reconsider a 2015 regulation issued by President Obama, which gave the government control over relatively small water resources such as ponds, headwaters and wetlands. According to the BBC, “opponents of Mr. Obama’s rule, including industry leaders, condemned it as a massive power grab by Washington.”

Dropped Some Limits of Drone Strikes

More Targeted Restrictions on Visitors to the U.S.

This new policy replaces the original six-country-wide travel ban from earlier this year. While we are still waiting on specific details, the New York Times says that “the new travel restrictions could include indefinite bans on entry until vetting procedures and security cooperation improves.”

Pros: Potential greater security from foreign terrorism.

Cons: Makes it harder for innocent civilians from countries with terrorism to enter the country.

Pros: Increase property that can be developed on.

Cons: Potentially harms wetland biomes.

...

2018 Skinny Budget

President Trump’s 2018 federal budget proposal includes major government budget cuts in departments such as Environment Protection Agency (-$5.7 Billion), Department of State (-$27.1 Billion) and the Department of Agriculture (-$17.9 Billion). The proposed budget would increase military spending (+$54 Billion).

President Trump said in his budget massage, “We must ensure that our courageous servicemen and women have the tools they need to deter war, and when called upon to fight, do only one thing: Win.” According to Rollcall.com, the budget calls for the elimination of “numerous programs and agencies like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Legal Services Corporation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more.”

Pros: Increase in U.S. Military strength.

Cons: Massive reduction in various government programs.

Photos courtesy of various location websites

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Trump: A Year Later

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For Trump’s First year

Side by Side

By Brett Walker Staff Writer

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espite the negative connotation that has been associated with the Trump administration so far throughout his term, there are numerous things that he has done well since taking office. Since becoming president, Trump has had the difficult task of responding to multiple natural disasters.

The biggest one came with Hurricane Harvey, when the massive storm devastated parts of Texas. Trump responded quickly and correctly. He flew into Texas and provided the state with positive messages. He encouraged the surrounding communities to come in and assist those in need and got an incredible turnout. While the rest of the country was trying to politicize the issue, Trump responded with compassion, encouragement, and hope for a state that suffered terrible damage.

Donald Trump won the election on the promise to put America first again. A big part of that was bringing jobs back to the US and providing a much-needed boost to American production. Since Trump arrived, the stock market has risen to record heights. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment is also at the lowest that it has been since 2001 leaving only 4.3 percent of working age Americans unemployed.

Trump has done a good job of following through on his

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campaign promises, or at least making an effort to do so.

He promised heightened immigration laws and has already begun working on the wall. He attempted a travel ban from countries such as Syria and Libya but that is currently stalled in federal court.

Another one of his biggest promises was to repeal Obamacare, this is also currently in the works. Since taking office Trump also has begun to work on renegotiating the Iran deal, lower the business tax rates, exit the TPP, and renegotiate NAFTA. These are all huge promises he made during his campaign.

Trump was thrown into a tough spot when he became president. Towards the end of the Obama administration and definitely during the election, racial tensions grew. Trump has handled the situation well. Trump recently stated in a speech that he believes that race relations have improved and will continue to improve as the economy continues to grow. He stated, “What people want is jobs, they want great jobs with good pay and you watch how race relations will be,” according to the New York Times.

All in all, it is still fairly early in his term to decide how Trump’s legacy as a president will turn out in the end. He is making efforts to act on his campaign promises and that is all that his supporters can ask of him.

Photos courtesy of Alabama Today and Playbuzz

Trump’s leadership and administration was tested early on in his presidency with several controversial decisions being made, such as the suspension of refugees that was widely considered a “muslim ban,” adding more sanctions to Iran, and blocking some press outlets from White House daily briefings, to name a few that occurred during the first few weeks of taking office.

Just as he did on the campaign trail, Trump has taken to Twitter to rally support for himself and communicate to his supporters directly. This direct communication to his supporter base is unprecedented and brings up many questions about Trump’s leadership and national security.

One of the major promises made by the Trump campaign was to start construction on a southern border wall within the first 100 days of his presidency. However, the border wall funding has yet to be finalized. Trump recently tweeted about border wall ‘prototypes,’ but one thing is for sure, if we build the wall the money will undoubtedly come from the taxpayers.

Economically, we’re still doing quite well. Unless major changes are made, the first year of a presidential term is still generally following the fiscal policy of the previous administration. However, Trump’s proposed tax plan is widely criticized and increases tax breaks given to wealthier Americans.

During the election, race relations and the tension behind the topic was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Trump’s rhetoric towards minority groups and women sparked protests starting in the first week of the term. NFL protests reached an all time high during week six and Trump once again took to Twitter to express his contempt for these acts, sparking much controversy.

Trump has responded to natural disasters across the United States and Puerto Rico with an ironic sense of, for lack of a better word, ‘compassion,’ after denying climate change and pushing back proactive steps towards combating climate change.

Quite frankly, the Trump administration has a motley crew of various appointments with no experience to head major governmental organizations, a President that has no understanding his rhetoric and lacks respect for the office he holds, and a country that demands their best performance. Good luck, Donald.

Trump’s first year Side by Side

By Grayson Barnette Staff Writer

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Commentary

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fter a controversial and a widely unexpected win over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, we are now in the early stages of the Donald Trump and his administration’s adjustment period and are beginning to see the effects of this administration.

Disaster Politics:

By Donovan Summers Staff Writer

Trump’s Relationship With the Media Under Natural Disasters

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igns of the continuing disconnect between the public and the press were extremely evident in September 2016 when Gallup released its annual poll of Americans’ trust in the media; only 32 percent said they had a great deal or fair amount of trust in news sources.

Considering how strongly President Trump’s supporters follow him, and how often Trump has clashed with the media in recent months, Americans’ trust in the media could very well continue to plummet.

The proximity in time of natural disasters such as Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, have yielded comparisons of the President’s handling of each natural disaster. The fact that both hurricanes, Harvey and Maria, landed on the mainland, and Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, drew claims by the media that Trump handled the natural disasters unfairly and differently.

However, according to fivethirtyeight.com, 55 percent of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of Hurricane Harvey.

In addition, a Politico/Morning Consult poll claimed that Trump’s job approval rating ticked up from 40 percent to 43 percent in the week of Hurricane Harvey.

When placed side by side with George W. Bush’s handling of Hurricane Katrina (a hurricane of similar magnitude and damage), Trump did comparatively well as Bush received only 44 percent approval for his handling of Katrina, according to Newsweek. For a president with historically low approval ratings, these were positive signs for Trump.

However, when media focus turned to Hurricane Maria in early October, Trump only received a 40 percent approval rating according to FiveThirtyEight. These numbers caused tension between both sides, Trump administration, and media/press. The argument against Trump was that he delayed his trip to Puerto Rico, and did not visit the hardest hit areas.

Meanwhile, the Trump Administration highlighted the trip as a “good news” story, and President Trump rated his performance a 10/10, according to CBS News. All of this bickering between media and president was outlined by a familiar scene of Trump “throwing” paper towels into crowds of Puerto Ricans awaiting supplies and food. San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Mayor, Carmen Cruz Soto responded to the Trump administration’s sentiment by saying, “this is not a good news story — this is a people-are-dying story.”

Trump’s battle with the media continues to be as alive as ever, but despite all the negative media attention the Trump administration has received in recent months, his base has refused to turn on him. His disapproval rating for Hurricane Maria was five percent. What does that mean? It means that the press’ negative attention on Trump has very little influence on what his base or supporters think of him and that public distrust in the media could very well continue to rise.

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Photos courtesy of various locations websites.

By Noah Mussay Commentary Editor

Commentary

Generation Yap “Those who are in power rule the world and depending on what they do with it, this notion can be terrifying”.

So, we begin the discussion about living in a frightening political landscape by talking with The Encounter’s very own Social Media Director; Ivan Flores.

What was your reaction when you heard Donald Trump was running for president?

Ivan Flores: […] First I thought “Is he serious? The man has no political experience.” Then I got to thinking… maybe his experience as a businessman, could shake things up for the greater good […]. I feel like I was wrong that I even thought of that in the first place.

Did you follow the campaign closely? Was there a point where your opinions on either candidate solidified?

Ivan Flores: I had to. At the time, I was starting as a PR Specialist for the Encounter and had to search for trends and updates regarding the candidates.

I feel my tipping point (or the final straw) was the footage that was leaked regarding comment [sic] he made about women with Billy Bush […]. If it was someone else that said, “grab them by the p****,” he would’ve had no choice but to resign.

What was the feeling on campus the day after Election Day? How did you feel?

Ivan Flores: Many of my classmates were in complete shock.

I kept telling myself that […] sometime on that day, I would see on the news that Hillary won. I kept waiting… and waiting. Personally, I still can’t accept it. I wait on the day we can proudly say Donald J. Trump is not our president anymore.

Following this conversation, I spoke with English professor Vin Katilius-Boydstun, about being a twentysomething during the Vietnam War. Did you and your peers feel that the Vietnam War was going to turn into a bigger conflict than it originally started out as?

Vin Katilius-Boydstun: This was very early, so we figured it was professional, regular taking care of things. […] I don’t remember that it was serious enough that we even talked about it very much.

What was it like seeing the unrest as the war raged on?

Vin Katilius-Boydstun: […] Our father’s generation had fought in World War II. We believed in patriotism. But then we were very much conflicted, or some of us were, because it was clear that Vietnam was a different kind of war than World War II. […] You didn’t want to put yourself in danger but then, you didn’t want to put yourself in danger for the sake of a country that was making big mistakes and lying to us all the time.

Knowing that the U.S. government wasn’t being entirely truthful about the situation in Vietnam, how did you feel towards the U.S. government?

Vin Katilius-Boydstun: I despised the generals in Vietnam— Westmoreland particularly, Lyndon Johnson. […] And then Bobby Kennedy [an antiwar politician] was assassinated and ya know that was devastating. […] We’d been through all the other assassinations, John F. Kennedy […], Martin Luther King Jr. […]. It was a terrible time.

What advice would you give to students that are living in a political climate that they too find to be unsettling?

Vin Katilius-Boydstun: […] I think people should think about the situation. Exactly what they should do, I don’t know. But they should think it through and they should be as aware as

Verdict:

These are trying times but we’ve been here before. Educate yourself about your world. Let knowledge guide the choices we make as a society, not fear.

Photos courtesy of various locations websites.

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Turning A Blind Eye On The Trump Administration:

The Email Controversy

By Noah Mussay Commentary Editor

F

rom 2009 to 2013, Hillary Clinton used a private email server for official government business during her stint as Secretary of State.

The U.S. Code of federal regulations permits government officials to use private email servers to conduct government business.

However, an official record of those emails must be kept in the appropriate government database.

In March of 2013, a hacker by the name of “Guccifer” released some of these emails, according to The Washington Post. In one such email, former Bill Clinton aide, Sidney Blumenthal, informed Clinton of the closure of the Libyan consulate in Benghazi; after the attacks for which, Clinton was already facing criticism. When all was said and done, Clinton turned over more than 50,000 pages of emails. She would turn over 900 more relating to the situation in Benghazi, according to The Washington Post. Yet, throughout the 2016 Presidential Election, Donald Trump would call Clinton and her team’s actions, ‘extremely careless,’ and call Clinton herself, ‘not fit’, according to The Independent, a British online newspaper.

At Trump rallies, as the discussion of her emails came up, the chants of ‘lock her up’, followed. So, why don’t we seem to care about Jared Kushner’s private emails? On September 24, 2016, Politico, an American political news-site, reported that Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and White House senior adviser, was using a private email server to conduct official government business.

According to his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, over the last seven months, Kushner had sent and received, “fewer than a hundred emails”, pertaining to forwarded news articles or “political commentary.”

All emails were reportedly forwarded to his official White House account. However, a few days later, Politico reported that a second private email server, used by both Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump; was discovered. This was after the news had already broken that at least four others on Trump’s staff had also been using private email servers, according to The New York Times.

It isn’t news, that President Trump has been good about diverting unwanted attention away from his administration, thanks to the president’s active Twitter use. Each week, it seems as though Trump is waging a war against a new enemy; whether it’s North Korea, the NFL or the so-called, “Fake News Media.”

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November 8, 2017

What’s worse? His supporters follow his lead:

In fact, Donald Trump’s presidency seems to be driven by outrage.

While his supporters seem to blindly follow him, his critics admonish him on a daily basis.

As the intense outrage and support of the Trump administration flows Trump is able to direct the narrative. This isn’t because the issues he brings to the forefront are necessarily, oh-so-important.

It’s because week-to-week, there are simply too many issues to be outraged about and too many enemies of the Trump administration to keep track of—i.e. Russia, North Korea, NFL, etc. By the time the outrage from either side is at its peak, there is a new focus to the conversation.

So, what will come of the investigation into Kushner’s emails? Probably nothing, and that’s fine. I’m not here to say that he should be indicted.

Just that this situation is indicative of a world where we seem susceptible to willful ignorance and blind outrage. We’re so caught up in our own self-sufficient worlds but we all exist together. Instead of being outraged, let’s be informed about what’s going on in our world so, that we can make informed decisions about who leads it.

Photos courtesy of washingtonpost.com and twitter

Commentary

What You Missed

Worrying About Politics

By Kamari Jordan Entertainment Editor

F

or those of you who need a break from all the talk about Donald Trump and politics, here’s a list of recent events, movements and trends you may have overlooked during last year and this year so far.

Titanic Turns 20 This Year The Titanic hit a major milestone this year; it is no longer a teenager. This tale of an epic romance premiered December 19, 1997, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as Jack and Rose. It holds the title as the fifth highest-grossing film of all time and can easily be considered a classic. There have been other epic love stories but Rose and Jack will always have a special place in our hearts.

Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life (2017) Recently, Chris Brown released a documentary about his life. In this 2017 documentary Chris talks about his public relationships with Rihanna and Karrueche, and fatherhood. The documentary has concert footage and features interviews with superstars such as J. Lo, Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige and Usher. Welcome to My Life gives Chris Brown a chance to share his experience growing up in the industry.

Free the Nipple Campaign Free the Nipple campaign started in 2012 after Anja Rubik and Rihanna’s Instagram’s were deleted due to nudity. The movement is “focused on the equality, empowerment, and freedom of all human beings.” It stands for gender equality and aims at raising awareness through modern media. In 2015 then 14-year-old Willow Smith stirred up controversy by joining the movement. The youngest of the Smith clan posted a picture via Twitter wearing a shirt with female breasts printed on the front and captioned “When did the women’s body start being something to hide? #freethenipple.” Now we are beginning to see fashion trends rise from this movement.

Women are going bra-less and exposing sideboob and underboob. It is all about feeling free, loving yourself and being comfortable in your own skin.

Denim is the New Bacon!

Remember when America went bacon crazy and from that we got bacon ice cream, cupcakes, donuts, and apparel? Now we are in a denim craze. Denim is back baby and better than ever! You could argue that denim never left but there was definitely a period where leggings and yoga pants were #1 in our closets. Now we are wearing oversized denim jackets as dresses, pairing a denim shirt with our favorite jeans to create that trendy denim on denim look, we are rocking denim accessories such as chokers, and even stepping out in denim shoes. Whether our denim is ripped and distressed, our jeans are mom, boyfriend, or skinny, we are definitely rocking the denim this fall. Who else is down for the denim?

Photos courtesy of various locations websites.

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The

#TakesAKnee, But For Whom?

By Noah Mussay Commentary Editor

“They fight for freedom, they fight for the people, they fight for liberty and justice, for everyone. […] People are dying in vain because this country isn’t holding their end of the bargain up, as far as giving freedom and justice, liberty to everybody.”

C

olin Kaepernick spoke these words to NFL Media on August 28, 2016, in defense of his decision to remain seated during the National Anthem; a protest that he had started two weeks earlier, in response to the shootings of Michael Brown and Alton Sterling in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Both men, who were under police custody, were reportedly unarmed at the time of their deaths, according to police camera footage of both incidents featured on The Guardian website.

b—off the field?’”

Research from The Washington Post shows that in 2016, there were a total of 963 fatal shootings by on-duty police officers. In the first six months of 2016, 3.5 percent of those fatally shot were unarmed and 32 percent of those fatally shot were black males.

Even Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones participated in the protest prior to their Monday night game—kneeling with the team prior to the National Anthem and linking arms in unity as it played, according to businessinsider.com. Despite this, Jones would make the following comment on October 8: “The policy and my actions are going to be if you don’t honor and stand for the flag in a way that a lot of our fans feel that you should, […], then you won’t play.”

Once Kaepernick and fellow-49er Eric Reid took to kneeling during the anthem at their game on September 1st, the criticism began.

Fans took to Twitter:

Despite this, the protests carried on with players such as Jeremy Lane, Brandon Marshall and Arian Foster, choosing to take a knee during the National Anthem at their respective games, throughout the preseason.

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November 8, 2017

Still, fans have taken to Twitter with the hashtag #BoycottNFL:

That Sunday, more than 130 players, from each team in the league, either kneeled, raised a fist or linked arms as the National Anthem played, according to The New York Post. According to sbnation, a sports news website, even a few NFL executives stood with their players, namely Jacksonville Jaguars owner, Shad Khan and Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, according to businessinsider.com.

In a team meeting that Wednesday, Jones said that his comments were meant to “deflect attention from the rest of the team.”

He also addressed his concerns that the protest would affect TV ratings and corporate sponsorships.

After President Trump made the following remark at a rally for Senator Luther Strange on Friday, September 22, 2017, the NFL responded: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say ‘get that son of a

York Post. However, they rose four percent through Week Five, meaning that the ratings are not likely due to the ongoing protest.

Jones is correct that ratings have been down; through the first two weeks of the protest viewership was down 12.3 and 11.5 percent, respectively, according to The New

In Week Four of the protests, players from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jacksonville Jaguars and even the San Francisco 49ers took a knee— rising up after the National Anthem to boos from the crowds. Despite this, players such as Rishard Matthews, say that they will continue to kneel in protest of police brutality.

“I plan to kneel until the president apologizes for the comments that he made, because I felt like those were very disrespectful comments,” Matthews told ESPN’s NFL Live on October 10th. “The league is made up of I think over 70 percent African Americans so the people that would be kneeling for this cause would be African Americans.”

Although originally, calling President Trump’s comments, “divisive,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, seemed to reverse this statement in a letter he sent to NFL team owners on October 10. Goodell wrote in the letter, “the controversy over the anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues.”

So, where does this leave the NFL and the issues at hand? Only time will tell. Until then, the team stands united in some fashion, if not for the United States, at least for each other.

Photos courtesy of various locations websites.

Uninvited to the White House

By Iain Morison Sports Editor

I

t is kind of obvious at this point that President Donald Trump is not shy about using social media, more specifically Twitter, to share his many thoughts with the world. From sharing his political views, attacking people, giving Robert Pattinson relationship advice and just complete randomness (covfefe anyone?), Twitter has become a go to source to see the president’s latest thoughts and ideas. It was on his Twitter account we saw him uninvite Golden State’s Steph Curry from visiting the White House.

It is a longtime tradition that championship teams, including the NBA and NCAA, are invited by the President of the United States to visit the White House. The invitation and visit started all the way back in 1865 when President Andrew Johnson met with the Brooklyn Atlantics and Washington Nationals organized baseball teams. John F. Kennedy was the first to invite the NBA champions to the White House back in 1963, with the Boston Celtics. The tradition has continued ever since, and was expected to continue this year, when President Trump invited the 2017 NBA Champions, Golden State Warriors, to visit the White House.

Expectations were rattled a bit when two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry, along with Warriors coach Steve Kerr, expressed that they did not want to go to the White House for the visitation. Curry elaborated that the Warriors “don’t stand for basically what our president has – the things that he’s said and the things he hasn’t said in the right times, that we won’t stand for it.” While he didn’t want to go, Curry was not the only one who received the invitation, and he understood that. “[I]t’s not just me going to the White House. If it was, this would be a pretty short conversation,” Curry said, elaborating that the Warriors wanted to come to an agreed upon decision.

The situation, along with Trump’s NFL comments about not standing for the National Anthem, sparked a lot of disappointment among the nation. Adam Silver, the NBA Commissioner, said that he was disappointed the White House visitation wasn’t going to happen this year, but was proud of the players “for taking an active role in their communities and continuing to speak out on critically important issues.” Other athletes, such as Lebron James, spoke out about the un-invite.

President Donald Trump, however, acted (or, tweeted) before that could happen. On the morning of September 23, Trump took to Twitter regarding Curry’s thoughts.

The un-invite came the day after Trump told NFL owners that they should fire anyone who doesn’t stand for the national anthem. While the un-invite just regarded Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors said it was clear none of them were welcome to go to the White House. Coach Steve Kerr commented on the situation, saying he wasn’t surprised by it. “He was going to break up with us before we could break up with him.”

Photo courtesy of newyorker.com and NBA.com

When Curry was asked about the un-invite, he said Trump’s comments were “beneath the leader of a country.”

Later in the week during multiple NFL games, over 200 players did not stand for the national anthem. Some knelt, some locked arms, and some didn’t even leave the locker room. The anger for President’s comments were loud and clear, and the longtime tradition of championship teams visiting the White House has become questionable for the future. I guess we just need to keep our eyes on Twitter to find out.

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Sports

Golden State Warriors

Men’s

Soccer A

By James Thorpe PR Director

Update

s the 2017 NAIA men’s soccer regular season comes to a close across the nation many teams are preparing for post-season conference tournaments and are wishing upon a star for a chance to represent their conference in the NAIA national tournament. One of these teams who are preparing for a post-season run is the University of St. Francis Men’s soccer team (8-6-1). This is the first time since 2011 that the Men’s soccer program is in the conference playoffs. This also marks the first winning season for Head Coach Daniel Cross and the first winning season for the program since 2011 when the program was under the leadership of Khochon Thanadabouth. The Fighting Saints this year jumped out to a great start in the conference season with four wins in a row (Cal St. Joes 1-0, St. Xavier 2-1, Olivet 2-0 and Trinity Christian 6-2) before falling to conference leaders Cardinal Stritch. The Fighting Saints went on to beat Trinity International 2-0 on 10/07/17 before they lost back-to-back games against Judson and Roosevelt (both 1-0 losses) but were able to recover with a home victory over Robert Morris University 4-1 on 10/21/17. The Fighting Saints drew against Holy Cross 0-0 on senior night (10/25/17). The Fighting Saints finish their regular season with a trip to Iowa to face St. Ambrose.

This Fighting Saints season has seen a reincarnation of the team from perennial basement-dwellers to being one of the top teams in the conference. Those who have been following the Fighting Saints know that from 2012-2016 the Fighting Saints compiled a 12-73-1 record scoring 91 goals and conceding 293 goals. The majority of those matches were during the Thanadabouth era but the 2016 season was under the direction of current Head Coach Daniel Cross. The arrival of English native Daniel Cross in 2016 ushered in a new era for the program with Cross setting about to change the entire atmosphere around the program by bringing in new players and a well-organized style of play. The Fighting Saints have benefited greatly from the Brit’s expert knowledge of defense and his organizational skills both of which were sorely lacking during Thanadabouth era at the program. The Fighting Saints this season though have been a remarkably different side this year being hard to beat in the back as well as scoring a plethora of goals. Fifth-year Senior Anthony Skrip said that the team this year “has by far been the best season I have ever had here. It is a completely different team and atmosphere having gone from a losing team to a winning team.” One difference between Thanadabouth and Cross that Anthony Skrip mentioned was “We work on what we need to improve on. Coach Cross is more prepared for each game compared to Ko was and gets the team better prepared (scouting of the opposition, how to exploit them, etc.) compared to having no information.”

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November 8, 2017

Sports

This is something that fellow Fifth-year Senior Ivan Surlina noticed too. Ivan said “Ko was very unorganized and Coach Cross is organized. Ko never scouted or gave a lot of effort towards the team in terms of everything from recruiting all the way to simple organizational tasks. Everybody is more punctual and organized under Coach Cross and we are not practicing at 6 am anymore”.

The Men’s soccer team has seen success not only because of the upperclassmen on the team but because of the extra effort and talent of the underclassmen. The two seniors each told me that three of the most important players on the team were underclassmen Mason Messina, Carlos Ferrer Coto and Raul Roman. “Mason Messina is somebody over the next couple years that’s gonna be a leader on the team. He will have an impact both on and off the field.” Said Anthony Skrip. “Mason Messina and Raul “Rzr” Roman will be very impactful over the course of their careers here. Mason has stepped into a bigger role and will likely be the captain next year. He is a good motivator and will be impactful next year. Raul is a good kid he is “my guy”.

He is very positive and has stepped as a freshman especially in the latter part of the year he knows what is expected of him each game.”

The Fighting Saints look to continue their terrific season in the post-season this year with the first game of the conference tournament set to be on November 4th. If you would like to know information about game times, locations and other Fighting Saints soccer news please visit www.gofightingsaints.com for updates and scores. From all of us here at the Encounter we wish the Fighting Saints the best of luck this postseason!

Photos courtesy of gofightingsaints.com

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Get In the Business of Business • • • • • • • •

Accounting Entrepreneurship International Business Finance Healthcare Management Management Marketing Transportation & Logistics Management

You want your MBA but haven’t talked to your advisor about the 3 to Degree program?

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November 8, 2017

Pietrzak

By Iain Morison Sports Editor Jean “JP” Pietrzak is a man of many talents as he has played varsity for two different sports here at the University of St. Francis. He has excelled in football and Basketball as he enters his fifth year as a Saint. JP is a 6’4” wide receiver for the Saints this year but is missing Basketball this year as he has already used his four year of eligibility for Basketball where he saw action as the team’s small forward, in his senior year for basketball he averaged 10.9 points and 4.9 rebounds a game.

JP went to Westmont High School where he was a three-sport standout. He played football, basketball and baseball. For football he played under coach Mark Orszula where he saw some action at quarterback and was later moved to wide receiver in his senior year. He also received accolades in baseball where he was named to the Suburban All-Area team.

In his freshman year, JP redshirted for football but played in 29 games for the Men’s Basketball team and started in six games. In his sophomore season, he played in all 11 of the saints football games as a member of the receiving corp while starting in one game. In this year JP saw significant action in the special teams and caught a pass which earned him 25 yards. This year he was also a key reserve of the Basketball team again as the saints shared the CCAC regular season title and earned the schools first NAIA national tournament bid in 20 years.

JP saw major improvement in his game for the football in his junior year. He led the team with eight receiving touchdowns and 52.9 receiving yards per game within nine games. He finished the season second on the team in receiving yards with 473 and third in catches with 26. His highlight performances came against Robert Morris Illinois and Saint Xavier. Against Robert Morris Illinois, JP recorded 152 yards and three TD’s in a 24-14 win. Against Saint Xavier, he posted 101 yards and three TD’s, this game saw the Saints longest reception of the season where JP caught a 73 yard touchdown.

In his senior year, JP decided to sit out of football for a year and focus on the basketball season. Through the season JP averaged 10.9 points and 4.9 rebound as he helped lead the saints to the CCAC playoff which was sadly ended in the first round. At the end of his senior year JP graduated with a degree in Transportation and Logistics management and now for his fifth year he is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.

Photos courtesy of gofightingsaints.com

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Sports

Jean

Athletic Profile

Sports

Update

Chicago

By Ashley Hare Staff Writer

The end of September and the beginning of October is a thrilling time for Chicago sport fanatics. This is the time of the year when almost every single sports team is playing. The Bulls are in preseason, the Cubs & White Sox are in postseason, the Blackhawks season starting, and the Bears in season. Let’s take a look and see how each team is doing.

The Chicago Bulls are going to have a brand-new look this

season. The Bulls lost big time players Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade this season. The only Bulls player on this season’s roster with a long term multi-year contract is Cristiano Felicio. In addition, Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday are on two-year deals. Everyone else is playing out rookie and below league average contracts. However, this is part of the long-term plan to be able to take on a better player if a team is looking to reduce salary and also to re-build an average playing franchise.

The Chicago Bulls 2017-2018 season opener is Thursday October 19 at 6:30pm at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario against the Raptors. The Bulls first home game at the United Center is Saturday October 21st against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Chicago White Sox ended their season with 67 wins and 95

losses. The White Sox are allowing themselves to believe the rebuild process can be accelerated. Just like the Chicago Bulls, the White Sox are also a young and new team. Slugger Jose Abreu stated “The young guys are going to have more experience and we’re trying to guide them to the right path and to the right way to be a competitive team. We have all the tools to be a very, very good team.” For all the trials and tribulations that the Sox went through this season, somewhere in the back of their minds was the knowledge that a plan was in place with a focus on the future. General manager Rick Hahn has repeatedly stressed that the rebuild will take some time.

He remains focused on acquiring prospects, including during the upcoming offseason and into the 2018 campaign. The 2018 slogan is “You Never Know.” Hopefully by 2019 or 2020, the White Sox will have a strong and successful season.

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November 8, 2017

Now let’s take it to the north side with the Chicago Cubs. The Chicago Cubs won the NL Central league with 92 wins and 70 losses. The Chicago Cubs path to the World Series begins with the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals.

The Cubs, defending World Series champions, are led by manager Joe Maddon, MVP candidate Kris Bryant, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and pitcher Jake Arrieta. The Cubs first post-season challenge is against the Washington Nationals. The Washington Nationals won 97 games during the regular season. The Nationals are led by manager Dusty Baker, superstar Bryce Harper, hitting savant David Murphy and starting pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer. Hopefully the Chicago Cubs can defend the World Series championship and win two years in a row. Go Cubs!

The Chicago Blackhawks

are off to a great 2017-2018 season. After an offseason of changes and questions surrounding a limp first-round playoff sweep last season, the Hawks made an emphatic home opener statement at the United Center with a spectacular four goals in two minutes, 55 seconds in the first period of their 10-1 opening victory against the two-time defending champion Penguins. Coach Joel Quenneville said he couldn't remember the last time he was a part of a game where a team scored 10 goals, which set the franchise record for most goals in a season opener. It was the first time the Hawks had scored 10 in a game since Oct. 12, 1988.

The Blackhawks have added forwards Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp, and Tommy Wingels. They also have picked up defensive men Connor Murphy and Anton Forsberg. After a second straight exit in the first round, the pressure is on. The good news for the Blackhawks is a deep group of forwards, boosted by the return of Saad and Sharp, and Duncan Keith remains one of the NHL's best defensemen.

The Chicago Bears are currently in season. The Bears also have

a new look this season. The Bears are armed with a new quarterback and a strong defense. While John Fox is still the head coach, gone is Jay Cutler and a plethora of veterans which headlined last year’s 3-13 squad.

Free agent signings Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper will replace Tracy Porter, while Mike Glennon is the Bears’ new starting quarterback. Kendall Wright and Kevin White are expected to be the main receiving targets in Jeffery’s stead. Hopefully, the Bears have a successful season.

Photos courtesy of various location websites

Halfway Party for Juniors, you’ve made it to or past the halfway point in your college career!

You should also use this opportunity to take a FREE professional head shot!

Join us for a party in your honor!

There will be a professional photographer on site from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.! Head shots open to ALL students, faculty, staff, & alumni!

Free Food

Music

+ Prizes & Giveaways

2017 St. Francis Men’s Basketball:

Terrion Howard (1)

Tavis Jones (5)

Antonio Hughes (10)

Reilly Goulet (12)

Class: JR Position: Guard Hometown: Champaign, Ill. Previously: Parkland College

Class: FR Position: Guard Hometown: Chicago, Ill. Previously: South Shore

Class: JR Position: Guard Hometown: San Francisco, Calif.

Previously: Skyline College

Class: JR Position: Guard Hometown: Cave Creek, Ariz.

Previously: Phoenix College

Thomas Parrotta (13)

Pietro Badalassi (20)

Garrett Jackson (33)

Adnan Gvozden (35)

Class: SR Position: Forward Hometown: Boynton Beach, Fla. Previously: Florida State Univ.

Class: JR Position: Forward Hometown: Canberra, Australia Previously: Central Maine CC

Class: JR Position: Forward/Center Hometown: Sierra Vista, Ariz.

Previously: Cochise College

Class: FR Position: Guard Hometown: Chicago, Ill. Previously: Mather

2017 St. Francis Women’s Basketball:

Leah Sims (20)

Paige Gieseke (25)

Class: FR Position: Guard Hometown: Chicago, Ill. Previously: South Shore

Class: FR Position: Forward Hometown: Algonquin, Ill. Previously: Dundee Crown

Photos courtesy of gofightingsaints.com

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Sports

NEW FACES Basketball of Fighting Saints