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News2POSTCARDS, from page 1“ Pre c i p i c e ” h i g h l i g h t s s t u dents’ study abroad travels.L a s t l y, “ B a t t e re d L u g g a g e ”is a personal blog from Hinton regarding her travels.The class partnered with the Murray Convention and Visitors Bureau,which works with local businesses topromote tourism. Hinton said partnering with a professional public relations entity is also giving studentsimportant experience and insightas to how tourism relations work.Hinton’s students contributed blogsto “On the Verge” with pieces focusing on the shopping scene in downtown Murray, the history of Murray State athletics, tourism in LandBetween the Lakes and far more.“The blogs are from the students’perspectives,” Hinton said. “Buteven the students in the class often say they don’t get off campusvery much, they don’t know whatto do when their parents come oreven where to go to relax when theyare stressed out after midterms.”One of the students lending theirperspective is junior public relations major Echo Falwell. Falwellhas lived in Murray all of her life,so she knows of a lot of the hidden treasures Murray has to offer.“For my posts, I have just pulled fromwhat I already know about Murray,”Falwell said. “I didn’t necessarily haveto really research things around here,just because I’ve been here for aroundBUDGET, from page 1Jac kson said this issue is aproblem that needs to be add re s s e d i n h i g h e r e d u c a t i on .“You’ve outlined that the problem of higher education has beengoing on for a number of years,and we’ve demonstrated a significant COLA,” Jackson said.Eran Guse, associate professor of economics and finance,said the problem is external andsuggested another solution tosome of the budgetary concerns.“An income share agreement isbasically allowing [students] to go touniversity without paying too much,and then they have to pay back a proportion of their income, andthis creates a revenue stream,” Gusesaid. “That’s a long revenue streamfor the University many years after, and I think this would createa great return on an investment.”Next, Faculty Regent MelonyShemberger said it was indicated that COLA would be calculated through tuition as expected,but she asked if this included performance funding. She also askedthat if this was the case, then wouldit continue to be a base structure of the budget in future years.Jackson said it is important foradministration, faculty and staffto understand the PerformanceFunding Model, as they play abig role in the University’s budget. Jackson said the University isbudgeting for the estimated 3.3May 5, 202220 years, but despite that, there are stilla lot of cool things to do around here.”T h e c l a s s h a s a l s o a l l owe df re e d o m f o r s t u d e n t s t o e x plore their interests while sharing them with prospective visitors.“Some of my classmates postedabout stuff they’ve been interestedin,” Falwell said. “One of the students really wanted to go to LBLbecause he likes being out there,and he was like, ‘I’d like to go coverthat and kind of dig deeper and figure out all things you can do, becausethere’s so much stuff you can do.’”Along with being in the contentcreation course, Falwell works at theMurray Convention and VisitorsBureau. Within her position, Falwell helps communication effortsbetween the class and the Bureau.Falwell said the partnershipbetween the class and the Bureau has shown her the role public relations and journalism canplay in the tour ism industr y.Having such a big focus on Murray,Falwell said she is happy to be able tohighlight aspects of her hometown.“Murray may not be a travel destination, but it’s a great weekendgetaway and is great for peoplewanting to raise kids,” Falwell said.“Murray just provides a very homey atmosphere, and being able totell people about it is really fun.”The student blog posts from“Postcards from the Brink” can beseen at www.postcardsfromthebrink.com and on their social media, which is linked on the website.million of performance fundingthey will receive from the Council on Post Secondary Education.This will also be the first timethe University will receive funding per the Performance Funding Model. This model looksat 11 metrics to determinef u n d i n g f o r e ac h fi s c a l ye a r.The first 35% of the fundingis based on student success outcomes, according to kypolicy.org.This includes bachelor’s degreesawarded per 100 undergraduates; number of students passingbenchmarks of 30, 60 or 90 credit hours; and bachelor’s degreesearned by underrepresented minority students, among other metrics.Another 35% of the funding isbased on the total number of credit hours earned by students. Thisis weighted differently based onupper level and graduate courses.The last 30% is figured with operational support needs in mind,such as academic support services ormaintenance based on campus size.The University will budget over 3million to be used for recurring expenses, which will be addressed atthe June Board of Regents Meeting.This amount is Murray State’s portion of the 97 million appropriated into the Performance FundingModel for universities statewide.Director of Governmental Relations Jordan Smith said cutsto state appropriation have occured over the last few years, butit is a win for the University thatcuts were not made this year.“ We didn’t have any reduction in the Fiscal Year 22-23 pension appropriation of 3.2 million,” Smith said. “However, wedid not receive 981,000, whichwe needed recurring for 30 yearsfor our overall pension shortfall.”Additional changes havebeen made to the Kentucky pension system.The Kentucky Employees Retirement S y stem is now broken into two parts: a certain percentage of payroll and a fixedamount that is paid annually.“The fixed payment that we’regoing to be paying in this yearis 7.2 million, and we anticipate paying 7.2 million for thenext 30 years each year, and thatis expected to pay off our liability on a KERS pension systembased on how much we alreadyhad in our budget,” Dudley said.While the University did notreceive funding needed for thepension program, funding wasapproved for a new Veterinar yCenter, and 45.5 million ingeneral fund monies will go toward a new School of Nursingand Health Professions building.The University also allocatesfunds in the budget to maintain acontingency of 2 million. This isused for any emergencies that mayarise during the next fiscal year.“We’ve had that for many yearshere, and that’s a contingency if wehave emergencies or we have enrollment challenges or whateverit might be,” Dudley said. “We domaintain that in our budget, andthat’s very beneficial for a few years.”Concerning the proposal of a tuition increase, Provost Tim Todd said CPE tuition model doesn’t go above 2%and the plan is to stay under that.“Our goal was to stay a little bitbelow that as much as we could,”Todd said. “You’ll see we’re going to be proposing to the board a1.95% tuition increase that will beundergraduate and graduate rates.”Todd said scholarship funding has been increased fort h e 2 0 2 2 - 2 3 F i s c a l Ye a r .“We’re talking about 42 millionof scholarships to our students, sothat’s what we returned back to ourstudents from our appropriation andfrom tuition and fees,” Todd said.“It’s right around a 40% discountrate, so for every dollar of tuitionwe take in, we return those scholarship dollars back to the student tothe tune of a little over 40 million.”J ac k s on s a i d w h i l e t h e l a s ttwo years have been challenging for everyone, Murray Statewas one of the few institutionsthat avoided furloughs, layoffs and pay and benefit cuts.The Universit y will continue to make decisions concerningthe budget in the coming weeks.Jackson said this is something hehopes to host again in the future.Fo r t h o s e w h o m i s s e d t h eB u d g e t To w n H a l l m e e t ing, visit the S treaming pageon Murray S tate ’s website atmurraystate.edu/streaming.Communications, producing a weekly show called “The College News.”It’s easy to think this unique position would make me an outcastfrom the rest of The News and that Iwould just be the guy who occasionally posts something on Facebookor YouTube. However, the reality isthat I couldn’t have possibly askedfor a more amazing and supportivegroup of people. I’m truly blessedto be surrounded by these people,both at The News and in the classthat produces “The College News.”There are so many people I needto thank. First, thanks to the amazing people that make “The CollegeNews” possible. My position has meacting as a sort of assistant teacherfor their class, offering my own input and helping with production. Yetthey are the real stars of the show,writing all the scripts and filmingall our videos. I’m just the schmuckwho stitches it together, and Icouldn’t do my job without them.Second, thanks to my amazingfriends on the editorial board. As Isaid earlier, I’ve been blessed to be apart of such an amazingly talentedSam Stewart/The Newsgroup of people. Third, thanks to Dr.Chief Videographer Joey Reynolds graduates this spring.Stephanie Anderson and Dr. CarolTerracina-Hartman for your amazing year. And lastly, thanks to you, theknowledge and advice over the past reader, for making this all possible.Chief Videographer says farewell to The NewsJoey ReynoldsChief Videographerjreynolds38@murraystate.eduHere’s a fun fact for you.This is my first (and only) article that I have ever written forThe News. I’m the only editorialboard member who doesn’t produce content for the paper. I’mthe only one who doesn’t spendhis Wednesday nights in thenewsroom participating in thewonders of production night.Instead, I have the pleasure ofworking with a class in the Department of Journalism and Mass

May 5, 2022RALLY, from page 1“I love this place maybe too much,”Pizzo said. “I have worked my fingers to the bone for them, and Idon’t regret that. That is why MurrayState is what it is to you all but itdoesn’t have to be this way. It absolutely does not have to be this way.”Next, Ryan Ackermann andDorien Barnett spoke on behalf of Resident Advisers.On behalf of an anonymous RA,Barnett read out a speech that noted how important housing was tothe campus community, while alsostating that the workers are heavily underpaid, making 7.50 anhour with a maximum of 20 hours.Barnett and Ackermann said theywere reprimanded for going over 20hours, despite the job descriptiondetailing that RAs are expected tocover shifts for absent employees.Even with the housing scholarship, many RAs cannot affordto save their paychecks, meaning they live paycheck to paycheck. However, they are not allowed to look for work on the side.Their workplace is where they live,so there is little work-life balance.News/Opinion“When staff members are quite literally bullied by others, no one willtake care of it within professionalstaff of housing,” Barnett read. “Theydo nothing to help us when we areliterally being bullied by residents.”Barnett said the conditions arestrenuous for RAs as they are expected to deal with situations theyare not equipped to deal with.RAs are directed to campus resources, but policies in place keepRAs from further speaking to residents about complaints or issues.“My voice doesn’t actually matter,” Barnett said. “We have to dealwith suicides, drug use but are notmet with any [help]. The University does not seem to care about thosewho keep the buildings running.”A 19-year-old sophomore spoke next about herformal Title IX complaint.As a library worker, she experienced sexual assault while on the job.The assailant was a student whowas known for harassing the workers, to the point where new hireswere warned about this individual.The student said a petition wasmade last year that both library3workers and students signed toget the individual banned fromthe library, but the administrationdid not respond to the petition.“This is not just aboutme,” she said. “It ’s about eve r y w o r k e r i n t h e l i b r a r y. ”In another instance, the assailantwas watching inappropriate videos while in the library. The studentsaid in response, the administrationsaid it wasn’t illegal to watch thesematerials, despite being in public.“I am asking them now publicly is that the kind of environmentyou want for this campus, the onethat is supposedly the safest,” shesaid. “Is that the kind of environment you want your kids to learn in?”The student said she was also discouraged from doing her own investigations and informed of the NoRetaliation Policy at Murray State,which means victims are not allowedto retaliate against their assailants.She said the language in thepolicy points to the idea that retaliation includes both reporting and speaking about the complaint. The student said sheconfirmed this with several lawyers.Dionte Berry/The NewsPresident of College Democrats Cady Stribling welcomes Libby Gerdes onto the platform to read FormerSenator Eugene Debs’ speech to Canton, Ohio in 1918.“[The University] wants to keepinstances on the down low becausethey want to be one of the safestcampuses in the nation,” the student said. “My experience showsotherwise. We need to feel safewhere we are working and learningas student workers, because clearly we are an afterthought as thesepast few months have shown us.”For those interested in futureCollege Democrats events, visit @msucollegedems on Instagram.Graduating Chief Copy Editor sends well wishesI t ’s b e e n a j o u r n e y fi n d i n gmy path at Murray State overthe past four years. One thingthat has always stayed constant throughout this journey is The Murray State News.I came to Murray State inFall 2018 as a journalism major. During my first semester, Iheard about the opportunity forstudents of any major to work forthe University’s news publication,so I applied to be a news writer.After working as a news writer, I moved over to writing forthe features section in Spring2019. This semester also broughtabout a change of major for me.W hile being a part of TheNews, I was also writing articlesfor the online magazine “HerCampus at Murray State”a n d m a k i n g s h o r t fi l m s w i t hT V Club. It was in T V Clubthat I found a new passion ofmine, creating video content.This led me to change my maj o r t o t e l e v i s i o n p ro d u c t i o n .However, this change of major didn’t stop me from working at The News. Instead, I dec i d e d t o m o ve f ro m a w r i t e rposition to a copy editing position in Fal l 2019. In doingthis, I found I enjoyed the editing a lot more than the writing.I continued to be a copy editor until this semester, Spring2022, when I decided to tr ymy hand at Chief Copy Editor,and I am so glad I did. I haveenjoyed e ver y moment in thenewsroom with my fellow editorial board staff members.In my four years at The News,I have learned many things thathave helped me better my writing and editing as well as myself. The News will al way s bedear to me, and I will always beappreciative of my time thereand what it has taught me.Thank you to ever yone whomade my first time workingwith a public ation so memorable. I wish you all the best.“#30”—Alexis Schindler,Chief Copy EditorPhoto courtesy of Ashley JonesChief Copy Editor Alexis Schindler graduates this spring.THE BEST OF MURRAY WINNERSBest coffeeFuture GroundsBest place to bankCFSBBest sporting event at MurrayBasketballBest nonprofitMurray-Calloway NeedlineBest ice creamDairy QueenBest hotel for visitors to stay atSpringHill SuitesBest Mexican foodDon SolBest place to get a haircutProfiles Salon and SpaBest place to cure a hangoverCookoutBest Asian foodJasmineBest barTap 216Best liquor storeGlobal Wine and SpiritsBest place to get breakfastRudy’s On the SquareBest clothing storeRibbon ChixBest consignment shopGoodwillBest fraternityPi Kappa AlphaBest sororityAlpha Gamma DeltaBest place to get a donutMurray DonutsBest fast food in MurrayCookoutBest grocery storeKroger’sBest place to get a tattoo/piercingGallery XBest place to get a home-cooked mealDumplin’sBest place to get your car fixedHarlan AutomotiveBest book storeMurray State University Book StoreBest food deliveryMurray EatsBest pizza placeMatt B’sBest boutiqueRibbon ChixBest place to live off-campusCampus Evolution VillagesBest get-away spotLand Between the LakesBest place to studyWaterfield LibraryBest beer on tapTap 216Best campus napping spotPogue LibraryBest golf courseMiller Golf CourseBest place to grab a sandwichVictor’s SandwichesBest taxi serviceMama Nancy’sBest place to take your familyLand Between the LakesBest place to go for entertainmentCheri TheatresBest gift shopPlantation PlaceBest floristMurray Flower CompanyBest bakery in MurrayDumplin’sBest burgerHih BurgerBest on-campus diningChick Fil-ABest steakSirloin StockadeBest BBQBad BobsBest place to get a hot dogChi-Town DogsBest on-campus eventAll-Campus SingBest place to live on campusHC Franklin Residential HallBest place to workoutMega GymBest faculty memberMarc PolizziBest staff memberTressa RossBest tanning salonCampus TanBest place to take a dateJasmineBest student organizationAlpha Gamma DeltaBest place to worshipSt. Leo’s Catholic ChurchBest place to get a late night snackCookoutBest current Murray State athleteRod Thomas

Opinion4AMay 5, 2022Our View: A round of applause, pleases the spring semestercomes to an end, we atThe News want to reflecton the challenges studentshave had to overcome.For the past two years, onemajor obstacle in the way ofstudent success has been theCOVID-19 pandemic. Mostseniors graduating this Mayhad only one-and-a-half normal years of college, then normal experiences like in-personclasses and events were rippedaway from them.Aside from seniors, manystudents have never had a normal semester. High school students who had no final semester senior year only to attendcollege during the peak of thepandemic faced Zoom classesand masking everywhere because of the potential spread ofCOVID-19.Every student, whether theygot a normal start to their college experience or not, experienced an extreme lack of socialinteraction and an overwhelming amount of stress becauseof the threat of getting sick orinfecting loved ones.Unfortunately some studentsdid lose friends and family tothe pandemic, and some areimmunocompromised themselves, leading to the fear ofgetting sick. Many studentspaused their education to focuson their own mental and physical health.Some students found theonline options offered by theUniversity extremely helpful.With the option of Zoom,students seemed to have lessconcerns about being able toattend class, and they felt included in being able to continue their education in a saferway. Unfortunately for thesestudents, the online option wasremoved very quickly and somestruggled to get back on track.Unfortunately, many studentsalso faced job and financial insecurity. One in five AmericansCade Utterback/The Newslost their jobs as a result of thepandemic, according to Forbes.com. Because of this financialweight, people could no longerpay for basic needs or affordmonthly bills.People who were able to keeptheir jobs during the pandemicfaced added stress and burnout.Workers were stretched thinover the course of the pandemic, and their rights took abackseat to the needs of consumers.On campus we have beenable to see firsthand thatworkers’ rights did not remaina priority during the pandemic.Campus workers had to request safety measures towardthe height of the pandemic inorder to protect themselvesand their families. The pandemic has also taken a tollon prices. Since home values along with rent has risentremendously, workers are notbeing paid adequate amountsto keep up with the rising costof living.The pandemic did haveseveral negative impacts, butreturning to a mainly in-personstyle did benefit many students.Being surrounded by classmatesand friends helped us feel morecomfortable in the classroomsetting again. Even being ableto see students’ faces after themask mandate was lifted was asign of more hopeful times.Since we became used to ourexperiences, many of us nevertruly grew accustomed to oursituation. We are young andadaptable, and the pandemicwas universal. Our experiencesshaped us without realization.The pandemic was certainly not easy, but the work weall put in has been worth it.Although we didn’t get a traditional experience when itcomes to college, we have hada unique experience no othercollege students before or afterus will get.We deserve to commend ourselves for the work we managedto do despite so many historicalevents being piled on top of us.With only a full week left inthe semester and the pandemicbecoming manageable, we havenearly made it, and that deserves a round of applause.THEMurrayStateNEWSEditorial s.orgThe Murray State NewsDionte BerryEditor-in-Chiefdberry11@murraystate.eduEmery WainscottNews Editorewainscott@murraystate.eduAlexis SchindlerChief Copy Editoraschindler1@murraystate.eduKate ManleyDr. Carol Terracina-HartmanAd Sales ManagerFaculty urraystate.eduJakob MilaniRaleigh HightowerSports Editor Lifestyle e.eduJoey ReynoldsChief Videographerjreynolds38@murraystate.eduThe News welcomes commentaries and letters to the editor. Submissions should be 600 words or less, and contributors should includephone numbers for verification. Please include hometown, classification and title or relationship to the University. The News reserves theright to edit for style, length and content. No anonymous contributionswill be accepted. All contributions should be turned in by noon on Monday of each week via email to msu.thenews@murraystate.edu.Sam StewartPhoto Editorsstewart26@murraystate.eduContributions to The News are the opinion of the author and notthat of The Murray State News. The News is a designated public forum.Student editors have authority to make all content decisions withoutcensorship or advance approval. The paper offers a hands-on learningenvironment for students interested in journalism. The campus pressshould be free from censorship and advance approval of copy and itseditors should develop their editorial and news policies.Sydney HarperOpinion Editorsharper16@murraystate.eduContact Us2609 University StationMurray State UniversityMurray, Kentucky 42071-3301TheNews.orgThe News strives to be the University community’s source forinformation. Our goal is to present that information in a fair andunbiased manner and provide a free and open forum for expressionand debate.The News is an independent weekly student-run newspaper published at Murray State. The content does not reflect the opinions ofthe Murray State journalism and mass communication department.

May 5, 2022Sports5Series sweep puts softball one game out of firstBelmont leads OVC with 20-5 record, Murray State at 19-6 recordJakob MilaniSports Editorjmilani@murraystate.eduA combined 24 runs wasenough for the Murray Statesoftball team to sweep the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles inCookeville, Tennessee, on Saturday, April 30, and Sunday, May 1.The Racers batted in 22 runsin the three-game series, including two home runs, one of whichwas a grand slam from sophomore catcher Taylor Jackson.GAME ONEJuniorright-handedpitcher Hannah James took her 16-4record to the mound as she wasnamed the starter for game one.The Racers’ offense was quickto give her run support as juniorsecond baseman Lindsey Carroll drew a bases-loaded walkwith two outs to bring home senior shortstop Sierra Gilmore.James took the mound in the bottom of the first and threw just sixpitches as the first three Eagles batters went down in order. At the endof the first inning, the Racers led 1-0.While James struggled a bit inthe bottom of the second, giving up two walks and a hit, theEagles weren’t able to capitalize, leaving the bases loaded.In the top of the fourth inning,the Racers again loaded the baseson two outs. They added to theirtotal as junior third baseman Gracie Osbron hit a sacrifice fly, allowing senior center fielder LoganBraundmeier to tag up and score.After loading the bases again inthe top of the fifth, sophomore pinchhitter Victoria Garland stepped upand singled to single center field,allowing sophomore pinch runnerBrea Croslin to score from thirdbase and put the Racers up 3-0.The Eagles were able to put arun on the board in the bottomof the fifth. After sophomore second baseman Mackenzie Fitzgerald reached second on a wildpitch, sophomore third basemanCarmen Betts singled to the outfield. Fitzgerald reached home andcut the Racers lead to two runs.A single from freshman left fielderIsabella Wilson b

Murray State College Demo-crats hosted a Workers' Rights Rally on Monday, May 2, rais-ing awareness about the re-moval of the 20-hour-a-week cap and a wage increase for student workers, as well as a 10% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for faculty and staff. The rally was hosted with the Murray State Chapter of the . United Campus Workers of Ken-