Oct. 4, 2017

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Never-before-seen photos of Cincy’s lost gorilla

Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017

pg. 6

Hamlet roars through CCM pg. 11

Bearcats prepare for UCF pg. 14

America and guns, the love story

UC VS. UCF

SAT. OCT. 7 // 8PM

FREE PREGAME CONCERT AT THE GRID BROTHER SMITH IN THE BEARCATS MUSIC FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY PEPSI

FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 1, 2017 Interactive

THE TV CROSSWORD

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

TNR staff question of the week:

If there was a movie to be made about your life, who would play you?

Meryl Streep, because she’s nominated for an oscar 20 times, and i’ve been nominated for Best Effort for my elementary school soccer team 20 times. The difference is I’ve never won. Guess I wasn’t trying hard enough to win an award for trying.

-Erin Couch, Copy Editor Shay Mitchell, because she’s perfect end of story - Noelle Zeilinski, Life & Arts Editor

Justin Timberlake; NSYNC era. Because I like to bring out my curly fro on the weekends.

-David Wysong, Editor-in-Chief

ACROSS 1 Brolin of “Life in Pieces” 6 “How the West __ Won” 9 Ladd and Thicke 10 “Get __” 12 Actor Nick __ 13 “Dude, __ My Car?”; movie for Ashton Kutcher 14 Part of a minute: abbr.

15 Orange rind 16 “The Deep End of the __”; film for Michelle Pfeiffer 19 Mom’s name on “Eight Is Enough” 23 __ Vance; role on “NCIS” 24 __-do-well; bum 25 Jon Hamm AMC drama series 28 Alf and ET 30 Jai __; fast-paced game 31 As __ as an owl 32 Actor Sean __ 33 Bush 34 Donahue or Gentile 36 President Hayes’ monogram 39 __ Petrelli; role on “Heroes” 42 “The Dinah __ Show” Solution to Last Week’s Puzzle

(c) 2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.

44 45 46 47

Actress Kirstie “Deal or No Deal” host Pen name Movie for Barbra Streisand

DOWN 1 Murray and Hooks 2 __ vera; lotion ingredient 3 “__ Middle” 4 Suffix for differ or depend 5 180 degrees from NNW 6 “World __ Z”; Brad Pitt movie 7 “Who Do You Think You __?”

8 Wall and Easy: abbr.

10 “Murder, __ Wrote” 11 “America’s Got Talent” judge 13 Actress Ming-Na __ 15 “Peter __” 17 Mediocre grade 18 Very long period 20 Mayberry resident 21 Stein or Stiller 22 2017 and others: abbr.

25 “A __ of the World”; Sigourney Weaver movie 26 Tavern order 27 Rather or Aykroyd 28 “Up in the __”; film for George Clooney 29 Univ. in Baton Rouge 31 “__ Did I Get Married?”; Janet Jackson/Tyler Perry movie 33 “Sanford and __” 35 Role on “Everybody Loves Raymond” 37 News journalist and political commentator __ Hume 38 Part of the foot 39 Capture 40 __ Wong; actress on “American Housewife” 41 “7 Little Johnstons” network 42 Bashful 43 Garden tool

Edward Norton, because I love him.

- Parker Malatesta, News Editor

Either Jonah Hill or Michael Cera. I’m super awkward and try way too hard. And I always strike out with the ladies. Plus I feel like I should be best friends with McLovin -Jason Szelest, Sports Editor

Jack Black: I think he and I are pretty eccentric and he strikes me as a guy the usually stays pretty positive.

-Claude Thompson, Managing Editor

Things to do this week & weekend: • • • • •

OCT. 4, Hocus Pocus at Washington Park @ 8 PM · Washington Park · Highland weekend at Renaissance Festival OCT. 6, pint night at Jungle Jims OCT. 6 & 7, Clifton Fest OCT 6, Taps & Tarot is Back for October 6 p.m. at Fibonacci Brewing Company • OCT. 6 Donauschwaben Oktoberfest at 6 p.m.

• OCT 6 p.m. - 1 a.m. Halloween Haunt at Kings Island • OCT 7 & 8 Gorman Heritage Farm Sunflower Festival at 10 a.m.

FORMER PHTOTGRAPHER FOR THE CINCINNATI ZOO, JEFF MCCURRY. PHOTO PROVIDED

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JEFF MCCURRY

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JEFF MCCURRY

McCurry shows Harambe’s past in honor of his stolen future DAVID WYSONG | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

world-famous. I don’t see why not to [share]. I’ve always been a photographer who likes to share my work.”

To see McCurry’s exclusive work, go to newsrecord. org.

Claude Thompson and Jason Szelest contributed to the reporting of this article.

TURN TO PG. 15 FOR COLOR PHOTOS

Oct. 4, 2017 newsrecord.org

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Jeff McCurry spent time around various animals as a volunteer photographer for the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. The majority of the time, McCurry was with the gorillas, specifically Harambe, one of the most well-known gorillas in America.

Harambe is remembered for being shot and killed on May 28, 2016 in an attempt by the zoo to save a child from danger. A young boy snuck away from his mother and found his way into the gorilla pit, becoming powerless in the hands of the powerful western lowland silverback.

McCurry said he was at the zoo the day Harambe arrived in April 2015 and was there just two hours before he died. McCurry was devastated, citing the funny relationship between himself and Harambe.

Prior to the tragic incident, McCurry spent his free time with Harambe and the other gorillas.

“He was my place I hung out when I was waiting to do something else,” McCurry said. “I would just spend hours with him. If I had time to [spend], that’s where I would [spend] it … Sometimes we would just sit there and stare at each other like, ‘Oh, it’s you again?’”

McCurry accumulated a multitude of photos and videos of the gorilla. After Harambe’s death, he offered his work to the zoo for them to sell – suggesting they donate the proceeds to charity – but the zoo turned down the idea. This was likely because, according to an email provided by McCurry between he and director of zoo communications Michelle Curley, the media attention would become unbearable.

Zoo officials also insisted that McCurry not make his photos and videos available for the public. He refused

to comply with the censorship, which he said resulted in the zoo dismissing him from his volunteer position in September 2016.

“You really feel it when you’re not wanted,” McCurry said. “I went from being the most approached, complimented person there by complete strangers, to everyone wanting to put a knife in my back. I’m like, ‘Wait a minute I did the same thing the whole time, nothing changed, but you killed Harambe.’”

Almost two months after his dismissal, McCurry said he was then barred from the zoo’s property. This came after he expressed concerns to zoo director Thane Maynard about zoo staff posting his photos to their personal Facebook and other social media profiles without McCurry’s consent. McCurry retains the rights to the photos he took for the zoo, and only the zoo can use them, as they have a non-exclusive, nontransferrable license.

The Cincinnati Zoo declined to provide comments in regards to the situation, despite multiple opportunities, citing the information as confidential.

A handful of McCurry’s photos of Harambe have been featured in The New York Times, People Magazine, CNN and other major news outlets. A plethora of his photos, though, have gone unseen — until now.

McCurry approached The News Record in September and offered to make available exclusive images and videos for use on the student media organization’s website, giving the public a chance to see more of Harambe before his untimely death.

“I don’t think anything should be hidden, so I believe they should be seen,” McCurry said. “It’s the only chance for anybody to see Harambe, who became

News

‘Alt-right’ leader wants to come to UC JUSTIN REUTTER| NEWS EDITOR

MARCUS YAM | TNS

Discarded personal items covered in blood sit on Kovaln Lane, in the aftermath of the mass shooting leaving at least 58 dead and more than 500 injured, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Oct. 2, 2017.

UC reacts to tragic Las Vegas shooting JUSTIN REUTTER | NEWS EDITOR

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Oct. 4, 2017 newsrecord. org

ZACHARY PERRIN | STAFF REPORTER

Sunday night saw the deadliest shooting in American history as lone gunman Steven Paddock opened fire at country music festival Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, killing at least 59 and injuring 527 more.

As of publication, no motive is yet clear for the shooting. The Islamic State issued a statement claiming Paddock as one of it’s “soldiers,” but there is no evidence of a connection, according to federal authorities.

Paddock is reported to have arrived at his Mandalay Bay hotel room three days before the concert, and had a level of preparation that suggested premeditation, according to MSN. 23 guns — some with scopes — were recovered from his hotel room in the wake of the shooting, at least one of which was modified to be fully automatic. Ammonium nitrate, a chemical that can be used in bomb-making, was also found in Paddock’s vehicle.

Taylor Mauer, a first-year communications student, said he was surprised, but hardly shocked that it happened.

“I think the fact that I wasn’t surprised was a bad thing,” Mauer said. “It’s not out of the ordinary for something to happen, so I think that’s a bad thing. Obviously, the extent to which it happened was awful, but just the fact that it was another shooting wasn’t very surprising.”

Mauer argued that stricter gun regulation may be a good thing, referencing the Australian Government’s crackdown on firearm possession in the wake of the 1996 Port Arthur shooting.

“Australia has extremely strict gun laws and they don’t have very many shootings,

but I just don’t know how realistic it would be, [since] everyone in America does enjoy guns as much as they do,” Mauer said.

“I don’t know how well we could combat everyone loving that.”

Sam Burton, a third-year business student, said that he was saddened that someone could perpetrate such a senseless killing for no reason other than malicious intent.

Burton hopes that this massacre may finally galvanize the government into creating reform in gun laws.

“I think with past [mass shootings] we’ve called for gun reform and maybe this one, you know, a little bit bigger, more in the news,” Burton said. “Maybe we’ll finally start to make some headway on actually getting gun reform brought to the States. I mean, it’s obviously a problem that people with some bad intentions can get a hold of weapons” Sean Fead, a first-year engineering student, believes that buying a gun should entail stricter psychological evaluations to ensure that potential gun owners have good mental health.

“If I had one more thing I would say about that, [for] background checks, they need to be strong,” Fead said. “Not just for ties to groups like Islamic State or criminal records or anything, but for mental health.

They were thinking about doing that before. But ensuring that people who would be a prospective gun buyer [that has], you know, good mental health, is important.”

UC president Neville Pinto sent out his condolences to the victims on Twitter.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to all in Las Vegas following last night’s deadly shooting,” Pinto said in a tweet on Monday.

“What a horrific and senseless tragedy.”

The News Record sends its condolences to those affected by this tragedy and hopes for the swift recovery of those injured.

Self-proclaimed leader of the so-called “altright,” Richard Spencer wants to speak at the University of Cincinnati.

Spencer is a notorious member of the “altright,” who helped organize the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white nationalists marched through the University of Virginia, clashing with leftist protesters.

Georgia State University student Richard Padgett formally filed a request with the university’s conference and event services, requesting that he be given a lecture hall or conference room sometime in October.

The university is still assessing various safety and logistical concerns, said Greg Vehr, UC’s spokesman.

So far, there is no certain date for an official decision has been made.

Ohio State University has already denied Spencer an opportunity to speak, citing safety concerns for its students and faculty.

A lawyer representing Padgett has threatened to sue UC and OSU if Spencer is not allowed to speak on campus.

The UC College Republicans said in a written statement released Friday that they have zero interest in hosting Spencer.

“The University of Cincinnati College Republicans have stated, and will state again, that we do not condone the hateful rhetoric of Mr. Spencer and the ‘alt-right.’ We have zero interest in inviting him to our campus to speak.”

Some students believe that no matter how repulsive his ideas are, Spencer should be granted a right to speak.

“One of the great things of living in a free country is that the speech we love and hate is protected by the First Amendment,” Mike Arnold, a fourth-year construction management student, said. “While I don’t agree with anything Richard Spencer has

said, done or advocated for, as a public institution, the university should still be open to allowing him to speak. If the university rejects his access to campus, it sets a dangerous precedent that our administration has the authority to determine what speech is allowable on campus. The world is full of hate, and that will never change. What can change is how we respond to hate and disable their movement through more speech challenging their ideas. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”

Arnold said he is not worried about the potential for violence presented by a Spencer appearance.

“I am confident that the UC Community will continue to prove we are great at voicing our opinion without ever getting violent or destructive as evident by the last few peaceful demonstrations and counterprotests on campus,” Arnold said. “If there is anyone who believes that violence is the answer to ideas they don’t like, they are a disgrace to this institution and don’t belong here.”

Last week, Arnold voiced his concerns over Student Government’s response to Westboro Baptist Church’s appearance on campus during their weekly meeting, as detailed in a recent TNR article.

Various leftist organizations have plans to protest Spencer’s appearance on campus, should he be allowed to show up.

“We are looking to organize a coalition effort to draw in the broadest support if the event happens,” Brian Taylor, a steering committee member of Black Lives Matter Cincinnati, said.

Cincinnati Socialist Students also has plans to launch a counter-demonstration in the event he is allowed to show up, said Cole Weirich, president of the group.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

RALPH BARRERA | TNS

Richard Spencer, a white nationalist, takes a brief tour of Texas campus before a speaking event at the Memorial Student Center on Dec. 6, 2016 in College Station, Texas. The University of Florida denied Spencer’s request to speak on their campus in September, citing safety concerns.

News

Whaley to focus on opioid epidemic, job growth MOUNIR LYNCH | OPINION EDITOR

PHOTO OF MAYOR NAN WHALEY FROM THE CITY OF DAYTON’S WEBSITE

Nan Whaley, the current mayor of the city of Dayton since 2014, is one of the many current Ohio gubernatorial candidates.

According to Whaley’s campaign manager, solving the opioid epidemic in Ohio, connecting Ohio government with local communities and improving economic and job growth are the focus points of the campaign so far.

As one of the youngest candidates in the race, Whaley, 41, may have the potential to connect with college students across Ohio more than older candidates. She has experience running a city with a couple of major universities like the University of Dayton and Wright State University, both of which are schools Whaley graduated from. One of the staples of Whaley’s campaign is to encourage graduates of Ohio colleges to stay in-state to improve the state economy. As a large group of young people in Hamilton County, a swing county, UC students serve as a valuable group of voters.

Second-year political science student Radheya Kulkarni believes that Whaley’s career as mayor qualifies her for the office of governor.

“Nan Whaley has been an outstanding mayor for Dayton,” Kulkarni said. “She really cares about expanding programs for the unfortunate, creating new jobs

and coming up with ways to solve the opioid epidemic, which is a problem in Montgomery County.”

A large part of Whaley’s campaign is focused on jobs and economic growth, something that Whaley seems to have a great track record with. Since Whaley was sworn in as mayor of Dayton in 2014, Dayton’s unemployment rate declined from 9.3 percent to 5.7 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Subsequently, over $600 million was added to Dayton’s economy, and unoccupied buildings in the downtown area saw a massive decrease in vacancy. Economic and job growth in the state will be a strong point throughout the campaign, and she is expected to use it to her benefit.

Dayton was the first Ohio city to sue major drug companies, medical professionals and other major catalysts of the opioid epidemic in Ohio. After Whaley’s lawsuit, several other Ohio cities followed suit. Whaley was also the first mayor in Ohio to declare a state of emergency in the city due to the severity of the opioid epidemic.

Along with Cincinnati’s Mayor John Cranley, Whaley founded the Ohio Mayors Alliance in order to connect mayors from across Ohio to solve issues around the state.

The coalition consists of mayors from the state’s 30 largest cities. Whaley’s leadership in that organization provides her with a lot of experience in collaboration with all parts

of the state, a valuable tool to have as a potential governor. The coalition establishes goals for each city and how those goals will improve Ohio as a whole.

Whaley emphasizes the support of local communities from state government, claiming that the Ohio government has favored wealthy people in Ohio cities for too long.

She claims that lower-income communities in cities and towns across the state are reportedly being disconnected from equal tax benefits and state funding in comparison to higher-income counterparts.

One of Whaley’s goals is to support these communities and provide equal access to resources.

Although Dayton’s city school system, like many other urban districts in Ohio, is classified as “failing” by Education Department standards, Whaley emphasizes a detailed education plan to reform Ohio’s school system as early as preschool.

Whaley’s plan to increase access to preschool for all youngsters is said to have a direct correlation with better academic preparedness for low-income urban students across Ohio.

Whaley’s campaign has gained a lot of financial and political support across the state so far. Although it is early, Whaley has worked to appeal to as many Ohioans as possible and to develop an organized campaign ahead of time.

Concerns growing over U.S.-North Korea relations PARKER MALATESTA | NEWS EDITOR

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On Sunday, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to address the escalating tensions with Pyongyang, the isolated political heart and capitol of North Korea.

“I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man,”Trump said in a tweet. “Save your energy Rex, we’ll do what has to be done!”

The day before, Tillerson told the New York Times that the U.S. has lines of communications open to the capital of North Korea.

“Being nice to Rocket Man hasn’t worked in 25 years, why would it work now?”Trump said in a separate tweet. “Clinton failed, Bush failed, and Obama failed. I won’t fail.”

Trump and the leader of the North Korean regime, Kim Jong Un, have traded aggressive comments for months now. The situation is historically volatile, given that Kim is a mere 33 years old, and Trump has had zero foreign affairs experience before coming to the White House.

“I’ve been keeping up with it a lot,” said Liam Lovekin, a second-year exploratory student. “[The U.S.] can probably get something done without China. I’m not severely worried. Kim is smarter than people think. There are enough smart people that nothing will come of it.”

The young leader released a response in September to Trump’s speech at the U.N., utilizing jarring rhetoric and is widely believed to be one of the first times a North Korean leader has issued a statement to the world under his own

name.

“I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire,” Kim Jong Un said.

“Kim Jong Un is a radical politician,” said Sudar Shan, a second-year student from Nepal.

Shan said he worries about the evolving conflict.

When pressed about the U.S.-North Korea relationship, second-year international affairs student Jack Cunningham labeled the situation “scary as hell.”

“I think we’re a few steps from armed conflict,” Cunningham said. “Kim Jong Un XINHUA | TNS is just as bad as Stalin and Hitler.”

Kim Jong Un attends the Korean People’s Army Tank Crews. Competition on April 1, 2017, in Pyongyang, Cunningham said he doesn’t think North Korea. (Kcna/Xinhua/Zuma Press/TNS) Pyongyang will halt their nuclear program in response to economic sanctions. ignorance and lack of preparedness.”

“I think they need China,” Cunningham said.

Third-year education student McKenna Corey thinks today’s Isaac Campos, director of undergraduate studies in rising tensions between the two countries are entrenched in the history department, said Trump’s motives are purely historical context. emotionally-driven.

“North Korean animosity is rooted in U.S. imperialistic “It seems to me that Trump’s foreign interventions are practices,” Corey said. “We played a huge role in fracturing guided mostly by his desire to make himself look tough their political system. I think our government is being rather than any real knowledge or interest in the situation,” reckless.”

Campos said. “Such an approach to North Korea strikes Corey said that Washington’s top priorities should be me as especially reckless and dangerous. Unlike most of recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, police brutality and health his predecessors in the office, Trump seems to revel in his care.

Life & Arts

PHOTO BY: MARK LYONS

PHOTO BY: MARK LYONS

PHOTO BY: MARK LYONS

PHOTO BY: MARK LYONS

CCM Senior Rupert Spraul stars in “Hamlet.” Photo by Mark Lyons

CCM’s Hamlet roars through Patricia Corbett Theater

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Oct. 4, 2017 newsrecord. org

ANNE SIMENDINGER | CONTRIBUTOR

CCM kicked off its MainStage series with a bang by previewing its season opener; William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” last Wednesday.

Audience members were buzzing about this particular production, as director Susan Felder has taken a different approach to the Bard’s classic play.

Before the show, avid Shakespeare fan Cathleen Spencer shares her intrigue for the production and why she came.

“The fact that it’s ‘Hamlet’, I know the play well,” she said. “I’ve seen the production twenty or so times, and I read about the director in the spring, and it sounded like she had an interesting approach.”

CCM’s production of “Hamlet” takes place in Denmark in the 1920s. In the director’s note, Felder gives reason for the change.

“It is amazing to me and somehow reassuring that the human struggle remains universal over time and throughout history,” the note reads. “To capture this, our production is set in a more contemporary time, which echoes the atmosphere of Shakespeare’s Denmark. We see a war-weary nation, hastily seeking the ‘return to joy,’ after the death of its beloved king.

They never see the rapidly approaching collapse of their kingdom. So, what better setting than the roaring ’20s?”

Upon entering the Patricia Corbett Theater, the audience was immediately transported into the era as jazzy ’20s tunes were flowing out into the house. The set also had many people intrigued. At the opening of the play, there is a well-crafted stone wall. The way the lights hit it makes for an eerie atmosphere.

Assistant scenic designer Marissa Piccuito said the design was helpful for audience members to understand the context of the play.

“I think Logan [Greenwell, scenic designer] did a great job of creating a regal space while also keeping it in the mood of the 1920s,” Piccuito said. “‘Hamlet’ is all about facades people put up to further themselves, and Logan and Susan were able to create a visual facade to mirror the show in a sleek, clear way that the audience could very much respond to and use to their advantage in understanding the play.”

During intermission, early childhood education student Jessie Miller and her grandfather Jim Miller also thought the quality of the show was impressive.

“Overall the production value was very strong,” Jessie

Miller said. “This is some of the best lighting I’ve seen.”

“The actors are doing very well with the language,” Jim Miller said.

Every actor and actress left his or her heart on stage, which made the play all the more appealing to watch.

Notably, Rupert Spraul’s performance as “Hamlet” is not to be missed. Most of society can quote “To be or not to be,” and big theatre fans have heard the soliloquy, but Spraul made it feel very new. It was chilling.

Right after this, his love interest Ophelia, played by the exquisite Kenzie Clark, joins “Hamlet” onstage.

Their dynamic was so intense that when Ophelia was left alone on stage for her monologue, one felt extremely connected to her and what she was going through. This, in turn, made the language easier to understand.

Overall, the play made for a night rich in 1920s glamour, talent, Shakespeare, ghosts and maybe a skull or two. While something may be “rotten in the state of Denmark,” there was most definitely nothing rotten in the Patricia Corbett Theatre.

Nippon noms at Ninja Grill NOELLE ZIELINZKI | LIFE & ARTS EDITOR

Over the years, I have developed a deep love for Japanese food. The spicy flavors have always been appealing to me, and I have never been afraid of trying new things. Because of this, however, I am able to ascertain the difference between good Japanese food and great Japanese food.

Recently, a new restaurant opened on West McMillan Street called Ninja Grill Japanese & Hibachi Express. This restaurant is catered to serve quick and authentic Japanese and hibachi food.

The restaurant offers a wide variety of options as far as different meat and vegetable options. Ninja Grill has some meat options that are not as common to Hibachi places such as scallops, swai fish, squid, salmon and mussels. There are also a variety of options such as the hibachi bowl, the sushi bowl, the ninja hibachi bento combo box and several side dishes.

Upon arrival, I immediately smelled the fresh aroma of cooking vegetables and soy sauce, which automatically drew

me in. Another interesting aspect of the restaurant is that customers can see their food being made right behind the counter. I ordered chicken with fried rice, carrots, bean sprouts and onions, along with hibachi sauce. Initially, the chicken seemed slightly bland, but after mixing it with the hibachi sauce at the bottom, all of the flavors came together.

The combination of flavors and spices all came together nicely and made for an incredible Japanese hibachi dish.

The price point for the quality is pretty reasonable as well, as I only paid $8.25 for everything I ordered. The only downside to the restaurant is the wait time. I arrived at 1 p.m. and did not leave with my food until 1:45 p.m. This wait could have been explained because while the kitchen was preparing food for the dining-in customers, it was also preparing food for those who had called ahead.

Overall, Ninja Grill Japanese & Hibachi Express is a great addition to the Clifton area and is definitely worth checking out.

AARON DORSTEN | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Ninja Grill on W. McMillan Street Oct. 3, 2017.

Oct. 4, 2017 newsrecord.org

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Life & Arts

‘Kinship’ gives new perspective on the universe KEELY BROWN | CONTRIBUTOR

The Cincinnati Art Museum really knows how to light up the night by hosting “Art After Dark: Across the Universe,” featuring the exhibition “Ana England: Kinship.”

Art After Dark is held on the last Friday of every month, and includes live music, food, cocktails and after-hours access to the entire museum.

The special exhibition “Kinship” was featured this month. Artist Ana England explores the many links in the universe and draws inspiration from everything around her, creating beautiful and distinctive artwork that inspired those in attendance.

“In observing the curl of the galaxy in a fingerprint, or in contemplating that minute solar systems are embedded in our cells, England’s artworks evoke a sense of community that transcends race, nationality and species identification,” reads the press release for Kinship.

Cincinnati local Liz Brown was at the museum attending an alumni event held by her sorority. While viewing England’s work, Brown noted the unique features of the art.

“It wasn’t what I expected, but I’m glad I came to see it,” Brown said.

Barbra Corwin, a local artist from Clermont County, went to Art After Dark for the live music.

The band featured this month was the three-member psychedelic band, Playfully Yours. They fit in perfectly with the theme of interconnectedness that “Kinship” conveys, using special lighting and sound effects to add auditory stimulus to the event.

Although Corwin originally was in attendance for the music, she became intrigued with England’s ideology portrayed in her artwork.

“I would like to see how the art is explained by science, philosophy, astronomy — all of it,” Corwin said. “I want to be able to see the beauty of what she does. She’s telling us something, and if we don’t hear it correctly, we will lose a lifetime of observation.”

If you are interested in gaining a new perspective on the universe and seeing connections you never thought possible, “Kinship” will remain on display until March 4, 2018.

ABBY SHOYAT | CONTRIBUTOR

ABBY SHOYAT | CONTRIBUTOR

Ana England: Kinship explores the relationship between humanity and nature. The exhibit runs at the Cincinnati Art Museum through March 4, 2018.

Oct. 4, 2017 newsrecord.org

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ABBY SHOYAT | CONTRIBUTOR

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Life & Arts

SHAE COMBS | PHOTO EDITOR

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic was released on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017.

“Playing with Super Power”: SNES Classic review

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Oct. 4, 2017 newsrecord. org

CLAUDE THOMPSON | MANAGING EDITOR

Few things in life have brought me as much joy as acquiring my Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition. The SNES defined the 1990s, but despite growing up a SEGA Genesis kid, I still spent plenty of hours playing through some of the greatest games in all of gaming history (as well as some pretty garbage ones). Now, 20 of the absolute best games from the SNES library have found their way onto Nintendo’s second “Classic Edition” console in the form of the SNES Classic Edition.

Coming on the heels of the NES Classic Edition released last year, the SNES Classic Edition features some old, some new, but also contains all of the joy you had when you first played “Super Mario World” or played against your friends in “Super Mario Kart.”The SNES Classic Edition has a total of 21 games on it, which includes the never-beforereleased “Star Fox 2” as a bonus. It is fantastic to see a game see the light of day that was developed in 1995, but the real stars of the show are the plethora of award-winning games that are considered some of the best games of all-time, let alone some of the best on the system.

The classics are all here, including “Donkey Kong Country,”“Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island,”“The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past,”“Final Fantasy III (6)” and “Mega Man X,” among others. Upon booting up the system and deciding what game to play, you’ll be treated to an almost 1:1 recreation of how the games used to look, sound and run. What’s even better is being able to play the games on the perfectly recreated controllers that match the feel and design — down to the screw holes — of the original models. Holding these controllers in your hands after so long was like going home.

Speaking of home, like I said earlier, I grew up with a SEGA Genesis in my home. My time with the original SNES was either when a baby-sitter brought it over or when I was able to play it at friends’ houses. This system was a mustget for me, because there are so many games that I just wasn’t able to play in my limited time with it. There’s been no experience like revisiting some of these wonderful games outside of playing them originally for the first time.

The console itself is an identical version of the original SNES outside of it being a tiny version that can fit in a single hand. If you happen to have cargo shorts, you could carry this thing

around with you everywhere you went.

The cartridge flap doesn’t open and the eject button doesn’t do anything, but other than that, the Classic Edition looks exactly like the model released in the 1990s.

In regards to complaints about the Classic Edition, I only have three. The controller length, an issue on the NES Classic as well, is just simply too short.

The SNES Classic controller is 4.5 feet, the NES Classic controller is just over 30 inches, while the original SNES controller’s cord measured 7.5 feet in length.

With TVs being bigger than ever and almost all modern gaming systems featuring wireless controllers, the SNES Classic Edition’s short cords are forcing people to either buy third-party controllers or sit uncomfortably close to their big flat-screens.

Also, the stock controller has no means of returning you to the system’s main menu, which means that unless the system is in arm’s reach, you have to get up and manually flip the system’s reset button to get to the main menu.

My final complaint is that they omitted some truly great games from the catalogue with no ability to natively add them later, such as in-system purchases or downloads. Notable games missing

include “Final Fantasy II (4),”“Chrono Trigger” and “Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong’s Quest,” among others.

Some of the new inclusions in the Classic Edition are featured in the main menu’s capabilities. Similar to the NES Classic before it, the SNES Classic Edition has a save state feature, so you can pause and save a game at basically any point (by hitting the reset button on the system and saving the “state”).

So even games that didn’t have a native save function, like “Super Castlevania IV,” can now be saved and revisited later without having to start all over.

In conjunction with the save states, you’re now able to rewind a game for about a minute. That means that if something went wrong in your playthrough, you could hit the reset button, go to the save state and replay a section of the game for some true time travel.

At $80, this is one of the best gaming buys of the year — if not the last five years — and promises to be the best purchase I, you or anyone else have made or could make. The SNES Classic Edition not only comes highly recommended, it’s a permanent member of the must-haves and with it, you’ll once again be “Playing with Super Power!!”

Sports

Comparing this year’s football team to 2016 DAVID WYSONG | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Cincinnati Bearcats are 2-3 so far this season, with losses to Michigan, Navy and Marshall.

Last year UC was 3-2 at this time, with losses to Houston — who was ranked in the top-10 — and South Florida. So, how do these two squads compare? Let’s take a look at some similarities and differences between the 2016 UC team and the one of 2017.

Similarities: - Lack of a run game Last year, former head coach Tommy Tuberville promised to focus more on running the ball, but that did not happen. Through five games, the Bearcats ran for an average of 149.4 yards per game, including a 30-yard rushing performance against the University of Houston Cougars. They also failed to have any running back exceed 100 yards.

This year, the run game has been the same. Cincinnati is averaging 100 rushing yards per game. Although, senior running back Mike Boone gained 100 yards in the season opener against Austin Peay, but they have not had a running back match that since.

For the team to be successful, they

must keep defenses honest by running the ball effectively.

- Lackluster blow-out home losses On Oct. 1, 2016, I took my parents to the UC-South Florida game, where the Bearcats were blown-out at Nippert Stadium 45-20, and they didn’t even look like they cared to be on the field.

This past weekend on Sept. 30 — almost exactly one year removed from the USF loss — I took my parents to see Cincinnati play Marshall at home, thinking they would get the easy win.

They lost 38-21 and, again, looked like they just did not care.

Cincinnati must take advantage of their home games. They have the crowd behind them and they need to show out for the fans who show up. If they continue to lose, especially doing so in a pathetic manner, the fans will no longer want to come.

Differences: - Coaching This is an obvious one. Last year, Tommy Tuberville ran the show, or at least pretended to. The reason for the team’s lack of energy during games in 2016, and possibly so far in 2017, were because of habits they picked up from their head coach. Tuberville did

not look like he even knew he was on the football field at times, and he put the cherry on top of his atrocious Bearcat career when he told a fan to “go to hell.”

Luke Fickell, on the other hand, seems like he knows what he is doing.

He brings positive energy to the program, and when he talks, he says things that fans can buy into. Despite the poor record, his charisma gives everyone a reason to look forward to the future.

- Interceptions Hayden Moore has not looked spectacular this year, but the team has thrown less interceptions than they did last season. This year, only four passes have been picked off by the opponent compared to nine at this time last season.

This could be for multiple reasons.

It could be that Moore has matured slightly as a quarterback, it could be the offensive system or it could just be the fact that Fickell has stuck with one guy behind center, where Tuberville could not decide between three. No matter what the reasoning is, that is something to be positive about

TNR FILE OF FORMER UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI HEAD COACH TOMMY TUBERVILLE

SHAE COMBS | PHOTO EDITOR

Cincinnati Bearcats coach Luke Fickle stands on the sideline during the game against the Marshall University Herd Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 at Nippert Stadium.

Bearcats prepare for explosive UCF offense JASON SZELEST | SPORTS EDITOR

Bearcats upcoming games

UC vs South Florida 10/14 UC @ Southern Methodist 10/21 UC @ Tulane 11/4

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the place,” Fickell said. “They have good players, they have a quarterback that has done a really good job and they have upgraded from what I watched last year at a lot of the skill positions.”

Fickell believes that what makes the UCF offense — led by former University of Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost — so successful are the players Frost has at his disposal.

“Any offense or defense, the thing it starts with is players,” Fickell said. “They have a guy running the show at quarterback that gives them an opportunity to be really successful. He does what they need him to do.”

Sophomore McKenzie Milton, the quarterback Fickell was referring to, has completed 65 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and two interceptions this season. He is also averaging over nine yards per carry this season.

The game kicks off at 8 p.m. at Nippert Stadium. It will be televised on ESPNU.

Oct. 4, 2017 newsrecord.org

ALEXANDRA TAYLOR | TNR DESIGNER

Cincinnati Bearcats offensive lineman, Korey Cunningham (71), wide receiver, Jerron Rollins (26), and tight end, Tyler Cogswell (18), look to offensive coach, Mike Denbrock, on the sideline during the game against the Marshall University Herd Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 at Nippert Stadium.

The University of Cincinnati is set to take on their second ranked opponent of the season when No. 25 University of Central Florida visits Cincinnati this Saturday.

UC hopes to bounce back after losing at home to Marshall University 38-21 last Saturday.

A big problem for the Bearcats so far this season has been their slow starts. They have trailed by at least 14 points in the first half in each of their last three losses, and even trailed Miami University by 11 points before coming back to win.

“At some point in time, we want to not just say, ‘Hey play from a 14-point lead,’ when we start every game with a 14-point deficit,” head coach Luke Fickell said. “I’m not saying that, but even being able to play with some energy and momentum, football is a game of momentum.

If you do not have it, you have to find a way to get it.”

Fair or not, much of the Bearcats struggles this season

have been attributed to junior quarterback Hayden Moore.

Moore has completed 52 percent of his passes this season, throwing nine touchdowns and four interceptions, but fumbled on UC’s second offensive play Saturday, which resulted in Marshall getting out to an early lead.

Sophomore Ross Trail has yet to see the field this season after starting multiple games last season, but according to Fickell, the backup is now healthy and ready to play if the situation presents itself.

“There was a point in time there that we were going to give Ross an opportunity on Saturday, just because of the way it was,” Fickell said. “He missed a month basically. He missed two weeks of camp and the first two to three weeks of the season. To put him in there in a situation where it is really, really difficult.”

Defensively, the Bearcats will be challenged with stopping a Knights’ offense that is No. 7 in the nation in yards per game.

“They have skill all over

Sports

Louisville athletics, Pitino under fire SPENCER SCHULTZ | STAFF REPORTER

WALLY SKALIJ | TNS

Slide 4: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres in the first inning during opening day on Monday, April 3, 2017 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.

Opinion: Dodgers to win it all behind strong pitching October is here, which means it is time for the first exciting game of baseball to be played since your favorite team’s opening day.

The grueling, arduous 162-game schedule the 30 MLB teams participate in is now over, and we are finally to the point where each game actually matters.

There are a lot of familiar faces this postseason, as five of the six teams who won the division also took home that title last year.

Last year’s World Series competitors, the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs, appear to be stacked yet again, but will they have what it takes to reach the Fall Classic in 2017.

American League The Houston Astros and aforementioned Indians both won over 100 games this season.

They are the clear favorites to make it to the World Series, but do not count out the Boston Red Sox, who have three former Cy Young winners in their rotation.

The New York Yankees — who faced the resurgent Minnesota Twins in the wild card matchup, as the game was not completed by publication — have a fierce lineup, but ultimately lack the pitching depth to make a deep, postseason run.

New York will get by Minnesota, but will run into too much pitching against Cleveland. The Indians have the best rotation in the American League with all-star hurlers like Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, while Edwin Encarnacion and Francisco Lindor provide some pop to the middle of the lineup.

I like Boston to pull off the upset over Houston in the other ALDS matchup. Chris Sale might be the most dominating pitcher in baseball, and David Price is a crafty veteran in that rotation that has experienced success in postseason baseball.

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Oct. 4, 2017 newsrecord. org

JASON SZELEST | SPORTS EDITOR

After rolling through Houston, Boston will get their revenge on Cleveland in the ALCS after being swept by the Tribe last year. It is time for Cleveland sports to go back to being Cleveland sports. The Browns have maintained the status quo throughout, but the Indians and Cavs have been more reluctant to stay in irrelevance.

Their time has come to an end.

National League In the NL, the Dodgers are the clear-cut favorite, having won seven more games than any other team.

They will face the winner of the wild card game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, two teams they dominated in the National League West division. They will have no problem beating either in the postseason.

The series between the Washington Nationals and Cubs might be the most intriguing of the postseason. Chicago is fresh off their first World Series in over 100 years, while Washington has struggled in recent years to translate regular season success to the postseason. Behind the arms of Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer and Gio Gonzalez, that will change.

The matchup between Los Angeles and Washington will feature the best pitching matchups baseball has to offer. Clayton Kershaw, Yu Darvish and Alex Wood are slightly better than Washington’s trio and will help the Dodgers come out on top in a very tight series.

World Series Boston’s run of upsets ends here. Their pitching is good, but it is not Los Angeles good.

Pitching wins in the postseason, and no team has better pitching than the Dodgers. Los Angeles will lift The Commissioner’s Trophy for the first time since 1988.

University of Louisville men’s head basketball coach Rick Pitino was placed on unpaid administration leave by Louisville President Greg Postel on Oct. 27.

The move came one day after the school acknowledged that the program is part of a federal investigation into bribery of high school athletes in which two Cardinals coaches were accused.

In total, 10 men — including an Adidas executive and four assistant basketball coaches at other Division I schools — were charged with using hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to influence high school athletes in their school selections, shoe sponsors and agents.

Federal prosecutors said at least three top high school recruits were promised as much as $150,000 in payments to attend two colleges that the sportswear sponsored.

Despite the accusations against the program, Pitino denied any knowledge of wrongdoing.

“These allegations come as a complete shock to me.” Pitino said in a statement.

“If true, I agree with the U.S. Attorney’s Office that these third-party schemes, initiated by a few bad actors, operated to commit a fraud on the impacted universities and their basketball programs, including the University of Louisville.”

Pitino’s lawyer, Steve Pence, said Pitino had no hand in wrongdoing involving the accusations.

“Coach Pitino has done nothing wrong and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise,” Pence said, also in a statement. “The rush to judgment is regrettable.”

First-year student Chris Unterreiner said Rick Pitino has screwed over Louisville basketball.

“As a Louisville fan, I’m kind of pissed,” Unterreiner said. “I think a lot of schools

do it, and Louisville just happened to be one of the schools who were caught.

Pitino is the head coach and was most likely aware of what was going on. He has screwed over Louisville basketball and should be fired.”

Third-year student Matt Overstreet expressed a similar sentiment.

“Pitino should be fired,” Overstreet said. “I know they’re hesitant to because he has done so much for the program, but he should be gone.”

Postel said Athletic Director Tom Jurich was placed on paid leave until the board of trustees has an opportunity to evaluate his continued employment.

“I’m more angry than embarrassed,” Postel said at a news conference. “It is vital for this university to strictly adhere to the NCAA rules and, of course, federal law. Failure to do that would be a tacit endorsement of unethical and criminal behavior. This decision will protect the interests of both the student and the University of Louisville.”

Louisville 2018 recruits Anfernee Simmons and Courtney Ramey both elected to decommit from the university amid the accusations.

Overstreet said the losses for Louisville have only just begun.

“It’s definitely going to hurt future seasons for them,” Overstreet said. “They might lose more.”

Going from bad to worse, Pitino signed a contract extension in 2015 through 2025-26 giving him over $7 million annually, making him the highest paid collegiate basketball coach.

According to Bleacher Report, Louisville will promote David Padgett from assistant to interim head coach.

Padgett had spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach and director of basketball operations for the Cardinals.

Louisville opens their season at home against George Mason University Sunday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m.

CHARLES BERTRAM | TNS

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino late in the second half of a 74-69 loss to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Friday, March 28, 2014.

Opinion

Mounir’s weekly MOUNIR LYNCH | OPINION EDITOR

1.

College Facebook groups

They’re made to help all of us make friends, sell furniture, find roommates, recruit members for your new club and countless other purposes. And a lot of the time, they do their jobs. But they’re run by people who never spent a day anywhere near the respective college and are simply making money off of ads and growing their Facebook groups as much as possible.

2. Vlogging

Vlogging has been around for a really long time now. It’s pretty tough to imagine a world without YouTube, right? Well, vlogging has been a main source of Youtube content for almost its entire existence. There are vloggers who document their travel, cooking, shopping, major life events — like pregnancies and marriage — and there are others who simply film everything they do throughout the day and share it with their viewers. Some of these people make millions of dollars doing it. I’m really fascinated by vlogging and really excited for those who make a living off of their videos, but why do we do it, and why do we watch it? I’m not sure why I just spent 45 minutes watching a family live their (seemingly) average life, but I did it, and I will do it again.

3.

The SEC

The Southeastern Conference is no stranger to college football fans. Every Saturday, all the major sports networks air matchups between southern schools for America’s enjoyment. These teams are revered as the kings of college football who are lucky enough to uphold the strong football dynasty of the Southeastern Conference. In reality, according to the most recent college football rankings, only four of the top 25 teams come from the SEC. They’re an incredibly strong, fast and powerful group of football teams, but they’re not as incredible as everyone says they are.

Court room “reality”shows

5.

Sports bars

Daytime TV has always been one of my guilty pleasures. My favorite of the over dramatic, totally staged daytime shows are the court ones.

A multimillionaire former judge host of the show presides over fake court cases that are supposed to seem real. Some of the ridiculous “cases” include mother vs. son harassment lawsuits, sibling rivalries in the form of legal battles and more juicy conflicts in the courtroom. They’re extremely entertaining and hilarious to me, but, in theory, they’re still “meh.”

TIM GOLDENBERG | STAFF REPORTER

As Puerto Rico suffers without power, food and potable water, the President of the United States jetted out Thursday to his private golf club for a long weekend. While it has become a familiar sight with President Trump having now spent 67 days of his term at golf resorts, one really gets a foul taste in their mouth that he would continue this amid such a crisis, despite admonishing former President Obama for not doing the same.

While the initial government response to Hurricane Maria appeared positive, with declarations, promised allocations of resources and a frenzy of White House activity, the post-storm aftermath only highlights the complicated quagmire that is the White House’s operations.

Distribution issues, a delayed suspension of the Jones Act and more pointing fingers than solving problems has led to a recovery effort which is days behind where it should be. With hospitals only having enough power for a few hours a day, other buildings without power entirely and widespread damage to infrastructure and residences across the country,

a U.S. government response that stumbled right out the gate was the last thing that could be desired.

On Sept. 25, Trump attempted to leverage blame onto Puerto Rico itself with a series of tweets. Discussing what the President saw as “broken infrastructure,”“massive debt,” and an electric grid in “terrible shape,” the only mention of aid came as an endnote stating that food, water and medical distribution was “doing well.”

While Puerto Rico has domestic issues on those fronts, to wax on about them rather than deal with the crisis at hand, is irresponsible.

The President retorted on his favored Twitter platform, criticizing the mayor’s leadership and accusing her of partisan politicking. The fact that the leader of the United States is more preoccupied with attempting to spin nonexistent politics — while 3.4 million U.S citizens are suffering under unimaginable conditions — is disgraceful.

While the Pentagon’s appointing of Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan — a three-star general who served five tours in the Middle East — to oversee military support efforts is likely to bring much-needed logistical support;

such a move should have already been made. Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, who was in charge of overseeing the military response to Hurricane Katrina, criticized the government response on CNN. “When we should have been moving the military last Saturday, the president was out playing golf and Twittering”, Honoré said.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke claimed to be “very satisfied” with the U.S. response, characterizing it a “good news story.”

However, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz saw it differently during an interview with CNN. “This is a ‘people are dying’ story,” Duke said.

These differing characterizations of the recovery efforts only highlight the continued disconnect between the White House and those in Puerto Rico, as well as the executive government’s focus on positive spin rather than tangible results.

Actions speak louder than words, and its action that the people of Puerto Rico need now more than ever.

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My typical sports bar experience consists of trouble focusing on the game that I came to watch due to the 100 other screens nearby, a $15 overcooked sriracha burger and an argument with a drunken fan of my favorite team’s rival.

Nonetheless, you come there for a good time and you usually have one.

Puerto Rico response highlights executive quagmire

Oct. 4, 2017 newsrecord.org

4.

CARL JUSTE | TNS

Jose Diaz Pisano, 67, remove the nails from the tin roof on his home as he salvages items to order to rebuild his home. Residents of the beach town of Loiza, Puerto Rico, who received heavy flooding and wind damage, have no power, no running water, but are working to piece their lives back together as Puerto Rico tries to recover from the Category 4 storm on Friday, Sept. 22, 2017.

Opinion

A story of two lovers: America and Guns MOUNIR LYNCH | OPINION EDITOR

Oct. 4, 2017 newsrecord. org

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there are 644 million civilian-owned guns worldwide.

American civilian-owned guns account for 42 percent of the world’s arsenal. To put this in to perspective, the United States only has around 5 percent of the world’s population.

Our citizens like guns a lot. Those who own a gun typically own more than one with purposes mostly being cited as hunting, sport and, of course, self-defense against the many evil doers across the country who are apparently such a great threat.

After the horrible attacks at Sandy Hook Elementary, multiple claims of the attack being a conspiracy theory emerged. People like Info Wars’ notorious host Alex Jones claimed that the school was not operational, and that mass shootings in general are created as sob stories to promote the antigun agenda. These accusations by multiple groups of people are absolutely preposterous, disrespectful and insensitive. According to the Gun Violence Archive, after Sandy Hook, there have been well over 1,500 mass shootings — characterized by a shooting with more than four victims — in this country. From these shootings, 1,715 people were killed, and mass shootings only account for a small amount of the more than 30,000 gun deaths on average annually.

So far, we have lost nearly 60 lives after the Vegas attack, with over 500 injured.

More lives are expected to be lost, and we simply do not know why. We know that this attacker had over 20 guns inside of his two hotels rooms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, with many of these guns being

legally owned. The attacker was able to carry all of these assault weapons in to his hotel rooms and to gun people down from above.

He was able to legally modify his weapons to make them automatic, which is something that one can learn how to do via a YouTube tutorial, as if it were some sort of DIY fun and creative activity. Although automatic weapons are illegal, self-modifying guns to become automatic is permitted.

Not only do our citizens love guns, a lot of our political system is influenced by the effort to protect gun rights. According to an annual lobbying report by the Senate Office of Public Records, the National Rifle Association (NRA) spent $3,188,000 on lobbying and campaign funding as a political action committee in the year 2016. In 2017, that number is already $3,200,000. Why the NRA has spent so much money already, it isn’t clear. However, the NRA’s influence on our government at all levels is present — and it is effective.

America and guns have a deep, passionate love for each other. In the U.S Constitution, there is a vaguely written expression of gun ownership as a human right, which is never going away. For our entire existence, guns and violence have been normalized in our video games, movies like classic American wild west films and just about every action film out today. A large portion of toys marketed to young boys include toy guns and gun-related games. We are taught to love guns and violence as part of our nature in America. We need to learn a lesson from Vegas, but we just won’t. The everlasting romance between guns and the United States runs too deep.

14

ALI RIZVI | TNS

An AR-15 rifle with an attached silencer lies on the floor at a gun range at the NRA headquarters, in Fairfax, Va., on March 20, 2017.

XINHUA | TNS

Acting Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Andrew McCabe (C), Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price (L) and Attorney General Jeff Sessions attend a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. July 13, 2017. A total of 412 people, who were suspected of defrauding 1.3 billion U.S. dollars with false healthcare billings, have been charged, said U.S. Department of Justice Thursday.

Trump Cabinet’s high Turnover rate is teaching us a lot MOUNIR LYNCH | OPINION EDITOR

From Flynn to Priebus to Spicer to Bannon, 14 of Trump’s staff members have left since the beginning of the Trump presidency — each one with their own controversial action or quarrel with the President that pushed them off the edge.

We’ve lost communications directors, chiefs of staff and now we have lost our secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Secretary Tom Price submitted his resignation on Friday after a long controversy about his traveling habits.

Price had spent nearly $1 million of taxpayer money on private jet travel and luxury accommodations as health secretary. Generally, cabinet members travel commercially with security and certain VIP accommodations. The amount of money wasted by Price was ridiculous.

In his time as HHS secretary, Price did nothing to expand access to healthcare to anyone. He made no effort to expand Medicare or Medicaid services for the most vulnerable Americans. In fact, he stood behind senators and representatives who planned to cut Medicaid expansion guaranteed in the Affordable Care Act. Price may have just taken even more away from the lowerincome American family had he stayed in office for his whole term.

Conveniently, when Secretary Price’s controversy was related to his own personal image and protestors called upon him to pay the taxpayers back, he decided to relieve himself of his duties as secretary and leave all his problems behind. This easy option allows for Price to be forgotten without obligation to pay a single dime of taxpayer money back.

The abrupt changes our government’s roster don’t just come with negativities,

though. Through all of these firings and resignations, Americans have learned a lot about their government. We have an unprecedented amount of public concern and criticism of our executive branch as a whole — and not just the president who leads it. Never in American history have the American people — especially college-aged Americans — been so concerned with officeholders as mundane as the counselor to the president and White House adviser.

Through the past resignations, and on to the inevitable future ones, Americans are continuing to familiarize themselves with the executive branch. Their outrage with the secretary of education comes with a good dose of information on the true role the Department of Education plays in our government. They understand just how much Environmental Protection Agency regulations actually matter, and how important it is to elect a president who will appoint a qualified candidate to run the agency. The cabinet speaks for and works for the president in every single operation that our country makes. From military defense to taxation, the cabinet controls and influences a lot of what our country does. Now more than ever, it is important to understand the office of the president as a whole, including the cabinet.

When a population gains knowledge, they gain power. Next election cycle, candidates need to consider that they are swaying the vote of a country that is becoming less ignorant. People seeking any sort of public office should know that they are being watched. I believe the American people should be proud and continue to hold their leaders at all levels accountable.

Editor-In-Chief David Wysong

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