On Wednesday, Feb.18, Tennessee Tech stu-dent Dillard Biles died atCookeville Regional MedicalCenter; he was 21 years old.

Biles wasa wildlife and fi sheries sci-ence majorand is sur-vived by his parents, Mark and Tracy and

sister MaKenna. Students and profes-

sors who knew Biles said hewas always in a good moodand was a pleasure to have around.

“I didn’t know DillardBiles that long, but everytime I saw him, he was so nice and always had a smileon his face. I’ve never EVERseen him frown before. I just saw him a week ago … andthough short, our conversa-tion brightened my day!” said fellow wildlife and fi sheriesmajor Courtney Wheeler. “…I’m still left speechless. Welost such a wonderful person,and whoever didn’t get to meet him really missed out.”

Professor of wildlife andfi sheries Daniel Combs saidthat Biles was studious and had an admiration for his chosen major.

“He was extremely lik-able, and I can’t recall a timewhen he did not have a smile on his face. He was enthralledwith the natural world, and his fondness for wild animalsand their habitats was obvi-ous,” Combs said.

Biles went on a trip to Costa Rica last May, orga-nized by Combs, with otherwildlife and fi sheries ma-jors as part of a class whereeach student was required to teach one another about thegeology and biology in thecountry.

“ It was a joy having himas a companion; his enthusi-asm enhanced my satisfac-tion for having organized thetrip. Dillard was a fi ne youngman, and we will miss him greatly. Unfortunately, hisloss will deprive the wildlife profession of one who wouldhave undoubtedly been a fu-ture asset to the conservationof our natural resources,”Combs said.

Former Tech student WillFullerton got to know Bileswhile they were roommatesduring the trip to Costa Rica.

“Over the course of thetrip, I got to know Dillard and his passion for the outdoors and the wildlife that inhabitsit,” said Fullerton. “Dillardwas just about the friendliest guy you could meet, always ready with a joke and quickto smile. I am very glad I had the opportunity to meet him and I am honored to be able to call him a friend.”

Funeral services wereheld Sunday, Feb. 22 at the Anderson and Son FuneralHome and Memorial Park in Red Boiling Springs,Tennessee. Biles’ family hasasked for memorials to bemade to the World Wildlife Fund to honor their son.

Winter Storm Octavia blew into Putnam County late Sunday night bringing freezing rain and snow that resulted in the closure of Tennessee Tech University for fi ve days.

As some students took the time to enjoy their days off from school, others were busy dealing with the harsh conditions the storm left in its path.

Power outages happened across the county during the storm and forced some stu-dents to fi nd other ways to stay warm.

“We lost power for almost an hour,” said Tech student Kelsey Stephens. “We heard people outside of our apartment and went out to see what they were doing and they were sledding and having a snowball fi ght. We sat in our car to stay warm.”

While some were stuck without power, others were stuck inside their dorms or apart-ments because of treacherous parking lots and roads.

“I was unable to leave my apartment for 3 days,” said Tech student LaTausha Hamby. “Our parking lot was solid ice and we couldn’t make it up our hill. Neither me or my husband could even make it to work.”

Even with the harsh conditions on the roads, people still found time to enjoy the snow and partake in some fun.

“A large group from Pinkerton used laun-dry baskets to sled down the hill in front of the Penebaker,” Tech student Sarah Gillespie said. “We also raced each other down the hill in the baskets and moonwalked on the ice.”

After the storm brought freezing rains and ice in the earlier part of the week, another 1.1 inches of snow accumulated Wednesday adding to the hazardous conditions.

“I fell down six steps on the back side of Pinkerton,” said Gillespie. “There was so much ice, and it was like sliding down a slide.”

A Level II-State of Emergency was issued on Saturday, declaring Tennessee as a major disaster.

“Power outages made me appreciate hav-ing light to study,” said Tech student Rachel Larkins. “I was also going to use Sunday to fi nish my leftovers but since I couldn’t use my microwave or fridge, it made the food go bad. Next time, I will defi nitely take advan-tage of the food I have instead of eating out.”

According to TEMA, the latest weather-related fatality total in Tennessee increased to 22 on Sunday afternoon. TEMA named Cumberland, Fentress, Overton, Putnam and White counties as the worst hit areas with heavy damage reported and large power outages.

“Our power went out around 4:00 a.m. Saturday and didn’t come back on until 1:30 p.m. Sunday,” said Tech student Neil Stanton. “The biggest problem for me was instinctive-ly walking in a room and fl ipping the light switch. It was like am unplanned camping trip, but a very comfortable one.”

THE ORACLEVolume 99 | Issue 12 | Free in single copy 1000 N. Dixie Ave. | Cookeville, TN | 38505

Death of TTU student, Dillard Bilesremembered

> B’Ball Seniors recognized.

> Opinions on the snow.

>>Page 4

>>Page 3 > Oldham praises campus students and

workers for their eager cooperation.

>>Page 2

IN THIS ISSUE:

CalendarLivingOpinionSports

2234

Read More Online

@tntechoracle.com facebook.com/tntechoracle @tntechoracle@tntechoracle

CONTACT: news - 931-372-3285 - oracle@tntech.edu | advertising - 931-372-3031 - ttuoracleads@gmail.comFRIDAY

36/26 °FSATURDAY

45/12 °FSUNDAY

29/19 °F

Monday, February 23, 2015

Historic winter storm cancels classes for full week, Spring Break to remain as scheduled

Vagina Monologues postponed because of winter storm

Students affected by snow closureBy JAKE THREET

Beat Reporter

By ADAM WEBBStaff Writer

Tennessee Tech’s Backdoor Playhouse has postponed the production of “The Vagina Monologues” as a result of last week’s inclem-ent weather conditions.

The play was scheduled for Thursday Feb. 19, Friday Feb. 20 and Saturday Feb. 21 but was rescheduled for this Monday Feb. 23, Tuesday Feb. 24 and Wednesday Feb. 25.

Director of Backdoor Playhouse Mark Creter said it was his decision to post-pone the play.

“ I want to give the actors the chance to have a few tech

rehearsals before we open Monday,” Creter said. “I think it is the best plan even though it goes against the old adage that ‘the show must go on.’”

This will be Creter’s ninth time producing “The Vagina Monologues” for Tech. Creter apologized for the inconvenience on Backdoor Playhouse’s Facebook page. He went on to say that the re-scheduling would not affect the spring production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

The show starts at 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and costs $15 for everyone including Tech students.

Gabriella Farley | The OracleICED OUT- Last week’s snowy and icey temperatures caused cast and crew of “The Vagina Monologues” to postpone all performances at the Backdoor Playhouse until this week.

Sarah Jacobs | The OracleSNOW PUSH- Nick Cantrell, Spencer Pryor and Garrison Holmes help push a resident of Saxony Apartments out of his parking spot.

As part of a new campus safety procedure, all classes were canceled at Tennessee Tech for fi ve days last week. In attempts of keeping the members of the campus community safe, University admin-istration canceled a majority of campus activity the week of Feb. 16 through Feb. 20.

According to Karen Lykins, Associate Vice President for Communications and Marketing, for this rare circumstance of classes being canceled, the administration took several factors into play before making the fi nal decision each day of closure.

Lykins said the factors examined included keeping up with weather forecasts, monitoring the condition of roads, sidewalks and parking lots in the Cookeville area and the status of other Tennessee Board of Regents schools, private universities and public K-12 schools in the area.

“The decision came after around-the-clock monitoring by a lot of individuals concerned with the safety of students and employees,” Lykins said. “All college deans were consulted and gave input into the decision to cancel classes.”

The decision to temporarily close down campus did not strictly end with deliberation from the deans and administration of the University.

“A lot of teamwork goes into making sure we are monitoring state and local agencies and media so we can gather all the information available,” Tech

President Phil Oldham said in a press release. “Our campus police and facilities personnel are continu-ously traveling campus streets and surrounding roads to give us the latest information.”

Use of the newly modifi ed emergency alert color-coded system played a key factor in getting the information out to members of the campus community.

Before 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, an email mes-sage was sent to all students, faculty and staff with assurance that the University was monitoring road and travel conditions and would communicate a de-cision on the campus status as soon as local and area weather conditions began impacting those areas.

Later that night at 11:30 p.m., an email was sent out saying classes were fully canceled for Monday, Feb. 16 and the University had been placed on a code orange threat level, meaning all employees would have reported at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 16.

Before employees could report Monday morn-ing, a follow-up email was sent out, moving the code from orange to red meaning campus was closed except for emergency personnel. According to the code “Emergency personnel include Campus Police, Facilities personnel, Dining Services person-nel, Residential Life personnel and Health Services personnel.”

According to Lykins, the rest of the closures went on a day-by-day basis, depending on the weather circumstances.

Lykins said that even though the University

was offi cially closed for the full week, there were campus workers on duty every day to feed, serve and protect about 2,500 students who live in resi-dence halls.

“There’s constant attention being given to streets, parking lots and sidewalks,” Lykins said. “Facilities workers work a rotation throughout the day and evening so that about 20 workers are on campus at any given time.”

Some students on social media suggested the concern of the administration eliminating the up-coming Spring Break. Lykins diminished these ru-mors by stating “There is no current discussion or thought about any modifi cations to the remaining semester schedule.”

As of press time, the campus is in a status of green and the administration plans to keep the cam-pus fully open for the week of Feb. 23.

According to an email sent to students Sunday, Feb. 22, professors will help students to adjust back to a full-time class schedule after the closure for snow.

“We will work with colleges to make sure students are not penalized as a result of inclem-ent weather closing of the University,” Bahman Ghorashi, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Generally, each class has its own require-ments and instructors determine the best way to help students catch up.”

By DRAKE FENLONManaging Editor

By ADAM WEBBStaff Writer

Biles

LET IT SNOW- Students enjoyed the full week off from classes. Pictured above from left, Holly Morgan blows snow into the air, Bell Hall sits with a lawn full of fresh powder, Morgan Frye celebrates the closing of school, and Awesome Eagle dashes through the snow in a one bird open sled.

EXCLUSIVE SNOWMAGEDDON COVERAGE

Sar

ah J

acob

s | T

he O

racl

e

Hay

lee

Eat

on |

The

Ora

cle

yyyyyyy||||||||||||

Sar

ah J

acob

s | T

he O

racl

e

Mor

gan

Rei

d | G

uest

Con

tribu

tor

Winter storm causes students to spend portions of week without power, Tennessee elevated to Level II- State Emergency

The primary news source of the Golden Eagles since 1924Serving Tennessee Tech weekly during the fall and spring semesters

>> Campustntechoracle.com

Contact us: oracle@tntech.eduLIVINGPage 2 || THE ORACLE || COOKEVILLE, TN Monday, February 23, 2015

Did you just read this? Then so will other people.

Buy and Ad in The Oracle.ttuoracleads@gmail.com

techtech@eventsevents

All Day Engineer’s Week TTU

All DayJon McMillan Clay Exhibition Joan Derryberry Art Gallery

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Engineering Fair 2015 RUC Multipurpose Room

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Eating Disorder Awareness Fair Fitness Center Lobby

4 p.m. - 5 p.m. Eating Disorder Awareness Fair Fitness Center Lobby

5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. Engineer’s Week Banquet Leslie Town Centre

7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Liliane Weissberg Johnson Hall Auditorium

7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. University Orchestra Concert Wattenbarger Auditorium, Bryan Fine Arts Building

2424All Day Engineer’s Week TTU

All DayJon McMillan Clay Exhibition Joan Derryberry Art Gallery

11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Beta Alpha Psi Meeting Johnson Hall 218

3 p.m. - 6 p.m. Baseball vs. Middle Tennessee State University Bush Stadium

7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Michael Davis, jazz/ trombone composer Wattenbarger Auditorium, Bryan Fine Arts Building

2323All Day Engineer’s Week TTU

All DayJon McMillan Clay Exhibition Joan Derryberry Art Gallery

7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Michael Davis, jazz/ trombone composer Wattenbarger Auditorium, Bryan Fine Arts Building

2525All Day Engineer’s Week TTU

All DayJon McMillan Clay Exhibition Joan Derryberry Art Gallery

6 p.m. - 7 p.m. ADTRAN Information Session RUC 370

7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Harlem Wizards Fundraiser Memorial Gym

7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Pops Night for Trumpet Wattenbarger Auditorium, Bryan Fine Arts Building

February

2626

www.tntech.edu/calendar

This past week has been one of the most unusually beautiful and challenging in the 100-year history of Tennessee Tech University. Nature often humbles us and forces us to reassess our pri-orities and plans. Although any record of campus clos-ings are hard to come by, canceling classes and closing the TTU campus for an entire week due to wintry weather conditions appears to be without precedent in every-one’s recollection. In fact, TTU folklore says that TTU will cancel classes only when the snow reaches the eagle on top of Derryberry Hall. Well, I guess that myth was busted soundly this past week!

As an old chemistry pro-fessor, it is completely against my instinct and nature to give up a single minute of class time, but as president, I understand my duty to make a decision that gives priority to the safety and well-being of students, faculty and staff. Although the decisions to close campus each day were diffi cult, I was very proud of the process we followed in making those calls. Regular communication and input from the academic deans, Faculty Senate leaders, cam-pus police, campus facilities and grounds, dining services, National Weather Service, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Cookeville Emergency Management and others ensured that we had the most updated and rel-evant information possible to make an informed decision. Thanks to the excellent work

of Associate Vice President Karen Lykins and her staff, the campus received regular and timely announcements regarding campus status and class schedules.

Despite being offi cially closed, the campus was far from inactive. Essential cam-pus services had to be main-tained for the comfort and safety of more than 2,000 stu-dents living on campus. We owe a special thank you to all of the facilities, grounds, SSC custodial services, Chartwells dining services, Health Center, police, Fitness Center and library staff who went well beyond the norm under diffi cult circumstances to keep necessary services operating. Once again, TTU staff showed how awesome they are by doing everything that needed to be done with a great attitude and obvious personal pride in the Tech campus and TTU students.

Social media was burn-ing up throughout the week with questions, comments, suggestions, pictures and jokes. #TechYeah emerged as the proud campus rallying cry on Twitter to unite stu-dents, faculty and staff in this shared experience. Classes may have been suspended for the week, but I dare say much learning occurred nonetheless.

For all of you who worked much longer hours in the unusually harsh envi-ronment to serve the rest of us, thank you. You have dem-onstrated the true spirit of Tennessee Tech for all of us. I am delighted to recognize each of you as the fi rst recipi-ents of the #TechYeah Award for Service.

By PHILIP OLDHAMGuest Writer

Oldham praises campus community’s cooperation during winter storm closure

124 East Broad Street • Cookeville, TN • 931-526-HIKE

FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF FEBRUARY...WE’RE HAVING A

Applicable to in-stock items only. Rain jackets excluded.

Read more of President Oldham’s blog posts on The President’s Post @ http://blogs.tntech.edu/president/

President Oldham will host his fi rst open chat of the semester at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24. The chat will be in the fi rst-fl oor Tech

Pride Room of the Roaden University Center.Oldham’s chats are an open forum for students, faculty and staff to ask questions and hear about how various University projects

and initiatives are progressing. Free lunch will be provided.

LET IT GO - Sarah Shelton sleds down the hill between Crawford Hall and Maddux and McCord Hall in a laundry basket with other Tech students.

Jim Dillon l Guest Contributor

Gabriella Farley l The Oracle

SNOW MUCH FUN - Savannah Savage (left) and Justin Shell (right) have a quick snowball fi ght on Tech’s campus.

Kim Biggs l The OracleSLEDDING ADVENTURES- Students living in M.S. Cooper and Pinkerton Hall race in laundry baskets and plastic bins on the frozen road.

Jon Ezell l The OracleBAJA BLAST - Logan Atkins, mechanical engineering major, riding a BAJA carts on a snow-covered Sherlock Park Tuesday afternoon.

Thoughts on Snowmageddon 2015 << SNOWPINIONCOOKEVILLE, TN || THE ORACLE || Page 3Monday, February 23, 2014

Thank you Tennessee Tech

Trending now at TechDear freshmen

DAVE MCMINNWeb Editor

Dave McMinn is a junior in Communication with a

concentration in Public Rela-tions He can be reached at

tdmcminn42@students.tntech.edu

Screenshots via Twiiter

KIMMY WHITTINGTONOpinion Editor

Kimmy Whittington is a senior in Communication with a

concentration in Public Rela-tions She can be reached at

kemanning42@students.tntech.edu

D e a r freshmen,

This nev-er happens. Ever.

This is my last semester at Tech, and

I have never had a day off school for snow. The only snow day I can recall was my freshman year; it started on a Friday afternoon, after most everyone had fi nished class-es, packed up their bags, and left this little town.

It’s all because of Phil.President Philip Oldham

may as well have a statue erected of him on Centennial Plaza after this week, be-cause his stardom just shot through the roof. Tweets like “#Oldham2016” and “#WeLovePhil,” started trending as he made his fi nal call to cancel school for the rest of the week.

My jaw had dropped when I heard the news.

This only happened be-cause I have been stuck to as-sume that snow days didn’t exist for us. Tech students don’t ever get a day off.

For the past four years, every time Putnam County said their students could stay home because of weather, I was walking to school in the snow with more layers than the “Christmas Story” kid. So this was a big deal.

Along with never hav-ing a snow cancellation, there are other conditions that fall behind it. During my time at Tech, I have still had class during power outages, black-outs, tornado watches and tornado warnings. I can still recall sitting in Dr. Redding’s class my freshman year as branches were slamming the Pennebaker windows and wind was twirling outside. As he told us to turn the page in our textbooks, the siren came on: you know,

the whole, “Can I have your attention, can I have your at-tention please. The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning …” He kept teaching class during the warning – the madness!

Any who, what I am try-ing to say is that this past week of no school is unheard of. I mean all one hundred years worth of students at Tech have never received so much time off for snow.

As you go off to tweet about how awesome Tech is for doing this, don’t forget to let this realization sink in. This will probably never happen again for another one hundred years. Just like Oldham tweeted, “I think we should proclaim this his-toric week as the unoffi cial start to our TTU Centennial Celebration. #TechYeah”

Now that I have an entire three years of being a legal adult under my belt, I think I’m allowed to start hand-ing out aphorisms, proverbs, unwanted advice and other general wisdom to everyone younger than me. It’s amaz-ing how much knowledge you can accumulate in such a short time.

When I was a wee lad of 18, I was constantly tak-ing wooden nickels, putting the cart before the horse, and counting my chickens before they hatched; now I don’t even look gift horses in the mouth. One bit of knowledge has served me especially well through my young-adult adventures in exotic locales like the County Clerk’s offi ce and the DMV: bureaucracies do not care about you.

This is an unfortunate side effect of success. As or-ganizations get bigger and bolder, they start to focus less on their original pur-

pose and more on the day-to-day tasks of keeping the lights on, the air conditioner running, and the paperwork up to date. Even the most idealistic nonprofi t eventu-ally has to hire a secretary to screen their calls. It’s not that the individuals involved are bad; it’s just that there are 50 people in line behind you and they all think their license renewal/address change/FAFSA is the center of the universe (just like you do).

Bureaucracies exist to preserve themselves and the venture they spring up around, and as such are not known for decisive action, sympathy or an individual touch.

This is why I want to thank President Oldham (and anyone else involved) for the way he handled last week’s wintry fury.

If you’ve ever had to deal with a university or workplace that can’t decide whether or not to close in the face of inclement weather, you know exactly how frus-trating it is. Closures are ex-

pensive and a waste of valu-able time, so it’s the natural tendency of organizations to put off that decision as long as they can. This makes sense from a bureaucratic standpoint: they don’t want to close unless they absolute-ly have to, but it’s inconve-nient at best and dangerous at worst for the people who actually have to come in.

Thankfully, President Oldham and the rest of Tech’s administration stepped up, made their decision, and an-nounced it well in advance. They prioritized the well-being of our faculty, staff and students over schedules and budgets. I’m proud to know that despite the size of our organization, Tech still knows to put its people fi rst.

So thanks, President Oldham. It’s good to know you’re looking out for us.

The story “Phi Delta Theta brings back All-Sing” ended abruptly. The fi nal sentence of the story should read “Phi Delta Theta’s philanthropy week

events include a penny drop Feb. 25 and 26 in the Roaden University Center Lobby, Chick-fi l-a night on the Feb. 25, and will end with All-Sing.”

The Oracle regrets the error.

CORRECTION FEB. 13, 2015

Screenshots via Twiiter

THE ORACLEEst. 1924. Weekly. Student Operated. Award-winning.Est. 1924. Weekly. Student Operated. Award-winning.

Tennessee Tech UniversityTennessee Tech UniversityTTU Box 5072TTU Box 5072

Cookeville, TN 38505Cookeville, TN 38505

Managing Editor - Managing Editor - DRAKE FENLONDRAKE FENLONAsst. Managing Editor - Asst. Managing Editor - KIM BIGGSKIM BIGGSBusiness Manager Business Manager - PHILIP GANT- PHILIP GANTCopy Editor Copy Editor - - SARAH TATESARAH TATEOpinion Editor - Opinion Editor - KIMMY WHITTINGTONKIMMY WHITTINGTONSports Editor Sports Editor - SHEA HAILE- SHEA HAILEAsst. Sports Editor -Asst. Sports Editor - JORDAN PACEJORDAN PACEEntertainment Editor Entertainment Editor - JAKE THREET- JAKE THREETEntertainment Critic - Entertainment Critic - HANNAH BENJAMINHANNAH BENJAMINWeb Editor - Web Editor - DAVE MCMINNDAVE MCMINNStaff Writer - Staff Writer - ADAM WEBBADAM WEBBSocial Media Manager - Social Media Manager - CAMERON FOWLERCAMERON FOWLER Faculty Adviser - Faculty Adviser - JON EZELLJON EZELL

News content for The Oracle is provided by the Journalism 2220, News content for The Oracle is provided by the Journalism 2220, Journalism 4820 and Journalism 4930 classes. Journalism 4820 and Journalism 4930 classes.

Journalism 3370 provides a majority of the photographs used.Journalism 3370 provides a majority of the photographs used.

Thanks for reading The OracleThanks for reading The Oracle

Read more @ tntechoracle.comRead more @ tntechoracle.com

CONTACT USCONTACT USAdvertising (931) 372-3031

NewsroomNewsroom(931) 372-3285(931) 372-3285oracle@tntech.eduoracle@tntech.edu

FIND AN ERROR?FIND AN ERROR?Contact the Managing Editor Drake Fenlonddfenlon42@students.tntech.edu(931) 372-3285(931) 372-3285

VOICE YOUR OPINIONVOICE YOUR OPINIONOpinion (931) 372-3285kemanning42@students.tntech.edu

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

1.1. Letters should not Letters should not exceed 300 words. exceed 300 words. Commentaries should be Commentaries should be around 500 words and around 500 words and include a picture of the include a picture of the writer.writer.

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

3.3. For verifi cation, letters For verifi cation, letters and commentaries MUST and commentaries MUST include your name, e-mail include your name, e-mail address, home town and address, home town and classifi cation or title.classifi cation or title.

4.4. Letters may not run Letters may not run in every edition due to in every edition due to space.space.

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

6.6. Submissions must be Submissions must be received by 4 p.m. on received by 4 p.m. on Tuesday.Tuesday.

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

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

ttuoracleads@gmail.com

Image courtesy of Awesome Eagle

Tech students take to Twitter to show their feelings about the closing

By SHEA HAILESports Editor

>> Inside the GameSPORTSPage 4 || THE ORACLE || COOKEVILLE, TN Monday, February 23, 2015

By SHEA HAILESports Editor

BASKETBALL

LLEARN. EARN. SERVE.

TEXT/CALL TTU CAMPUS RECRUITER

JEREMIAH BORRAJO @615.426.5307

HELP WANTED Opportunity Available in the Tennessee National Guard.

Student Loan Repayment ROTC Scholarships Monthly Paycheck

All while remaining a full time student.

The Eblen Center hosted senior night for the Tennessee Tech basketball teams Saturday. Golden Eagle fans made their presence known despite the treacher-ous weather conditions in the surrounding area. Both Golden Eagle teams hosted Ohio Valley Conference rival Belmont University.

Tech has struggled this season entering the contest with a 2-11 record in the OVC and a 5-11 record overall.

Belmont took control of the game early, roaring their way to a 15-5 lead. The Golden Eagles cut the lead down to a 6-point defi cit be-fore a 7-0 Bruin run stretched the advantage back to double fi gures. The Golden Eagles, ignited by two Hannah Goolsby threes, embarked on an 11-3 run.

The Bruins saw their lead dwindle to 5 points at the 5:21 point of the fi rst half, and they answered with a Katie Carroll 3-pointer and a layup from Lauren Thompson to gain a 30-20 lead. The remaining 2:16 of the half included a 5-2 run by the Golden Eagles and a 7-point Belmont halftime lead.

Tech was led in fi rst half scoring by senior T’Keyah Williams. Williams scored seven points before the break. Fellow senior Candace Parson did not have any points in the fi rst half, but she did crash the boards for seven rebounds.

Sophomore Shunice Herron connected on a 3-pointer on the fi rst Tech possession of the half. The Bruins quickly tried to re-spond but missed two 3-pointers on their next pos-session. Samaria Howard snatched down the defen-sive rebound for the Golden Eagles but missed a layup. Howard’s missed layup led

to Williams’ offensive re-bound and put back, which made the Bruin ad-vantage only two. Williams and Parsons went toe-to-

toe with Bruins inside the paint.

“I thought Candace Parson and T’Keyah Williams in their senior night just fought their hearts out: battled, pushed, shoved, knocked whatever it took,” said Golden Eagles head coach Jim Davis. “They did a superb job I thought.”

Herron’s layup resulted

in a Tech 62-59 lead with only 1:36 remaining. The crowd was on the edge of their seats for the next Belmont posses-sion. Carroll’s 3-pointer tied the game with 1:16 remain-ing. Williams missed a jump-er for Tech. Frankie Joubran made a defensive rebound which set up Carroll again for the game winning 2-point jumper. The Bruins squeaked out a road win 64-62.

In a losing effort, the Golden Eagles had three players in double digits at the end of the game. Williams ended her career at The Hoop with an 11-point per-formance. Herron earned 10 points including two 3-point-ers, and her defensive outing included four steals. Samaria Howard had the most suc-cess for Tech, eclipsing the 20-point mark with 21 points for the evening. Howard was 9-for-19 in fi eld goals and 3-for-4 at the free-throw line. Parson was the team leader in rebounds with 10.

Belmont was led in scoring by Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfi eld. The senior con-nected on fi ve 3-pointers and was perfect from the free-throw line going 4-for-4. The Bruins were 8-of-23 in 3-pointers.

“We were not supposed to give up that many 3-point-ers,” said Davis. “We were supposed to be contesting.

That has been our Achilles’ heel all year long. We are the last in the (OVC) in 3-point fi eld goal percentage de-fense. It is not something that we do not harp on all the time, it is just we did not get it done there tonight.”

The Golden Eagles did have a decent physical pres-ence on the court, but the Bruins out did Tech in the re-bounding category 41-to-30.

“A lot of their rebounds, 12 of their rebounds, were offensive rebounds which is never supposed to happen,” said Davis. “All I can do is harp, preach, teach and prac-tice. They are the ones who have to make the effort to do that.”

Following a farewell pre-sentation for senior players and staff, attention turned to the evening’s nightcap: a showdown between the Golden Eagle men’s basket-ball team and the Belmont Bruins. A little over a year ago, the Golden Eagles shocked the OVC, defeat-ing Belmont 81-76 inside The Hoop. The Bruins more than likely remembered that 5-point defeat and came out of the gates wanting to put Tech away early and allow no chance of a repeat.

Belmont acquired an early 12-4 lead. In true Bruin fashion, six of their fi rst 12 points came on 3-point shots.

The Golden Eagles kept coming and eventually tied the contest up at 19 when Charles Jackson connected on a layup with 11:57 remain-ing in the half. Back-to-back threes helped Belmont avoid a Tech charge. Tech entered the locker room at halftime with a 43-36 defi cit.

After the fi rst half, Jackson led the team in scor-ing with 10 points. He was also the team leader in re-bounds, with four at the break. Unfortunately, the ju-nior already had two fouls at the break.

Belmont concluded the half of shooting, complet-ing 14-of-23 (60.9 percent) from the fi eld, including six 3-pointers.

“I have always said when you play Belmont and they shoot the three re-ally well, you are in for long night,” said Golden Eagles head coach Steve Payne.

The Bruins continued to cling to the lead until Torrance Rowe made a layup with 5:53 left to take the lead 73-72. It was the fi rst lead for the Golden Eagles since the early part of the fi rst half. However, the lead was short lived. Reece Chamberlain tipped in a 2-point basket for the Bruins, reclaiming the lead for the visitors 77-76. Javon McKay would tie the game up with 3:49 left in the

contest, butthe GoldenEagles neverregained thelead. Belmontcontinued tohit shot aftershot downthe stretch,creating no

chance for a Golden Eaglecomeback.

“We had the game. Wemissed a couple of key freethrows,” said Payne. “Weshot free throws well, we justmissed a couple of key onesat the wrong time.”

“Against that team of-fensively, the kind of night they were having, when you blink they get you and that iswhat happened to us,” saidPayne.

The Bruins shot over 60percent for the game andwere 10-of-21 from 3-pointrange. The Golden Eagleswere nearly 50 percentshooting and had one of theirbetter nights shooting the3-pointer, going 8-of 24.

Tech has two moregames on the road. Themen’s team goes to OVC ri-val Morehead State to com-pete Thursday, while bothmen’s and women’s teamsgo to Eastern Kentucky for adouble-header. However, theloss to the Bruins offi ciallyknocked them from the OVCtournament bracket.

Basketball drops both games in senior night doubleheader

Payne

Davis

HOMEWARD BOUND-Matt Cunningham touches third base headed for home during the last game against Longwood.

Shea Haile | The Oracle

BASEBALL

Baseball cancels home series; goes to Georgia for three games

The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles baseball team traveled to Savannah, Georgia for a three-game weekend series. Tech was forced to make other plans for their weekend after the winter storm forced the can-cellation of their series with Youngstown State University. The team was able to sched-ule two games with the University of Michigan and a Sunday evening match up with Davidson University. “I can’t begin to tell you the many hours it took us to fi nd a new site to play and an opponent to play,” said head coach Matt Bragga via email. “Luckily we found a great site in Savannah, Georgia, the minor league park there, and a great opponent in Michigan.”

Grayson Stadium, home of the Savannah Sand Gnats, hosted three National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I base-ball games.

The Golden Eagles began their weekend series Friday with a 6-5 loss at the hands of the Wolverines.

The bats were silent un-til the top of the third when Michigan’s Jackson Glines batted in Jacob Cronenworth on a single up the middle.

The Golden Eagles re-sponded in the bottom of the third when Dylan Bosheers connected on a Cam Wysocki pitch. Bosheers double scored Anthony El Chibani and Jake Farr from second and third base. The double gave Tech a 2-1 lead.

Senior outfi elder David Allen took his base on balls from Wysocki in the bottom of the fourth inning, which led to an unearned run scored by Chase Chambers. Wysocki was replaced af-ter the at-bat by freshman Michael Hendrickson.

The Wolverines received

a run from a Cronenworth single in the top of the sixth. Michigan had a big inning in the eighth, scoring three runs and tying the game at fi ve.

The Golden Eagles of-fense was able to produce two runs in the bottom of the eighth after Mac Lozer walked Tech’s fi rst baseman Ryan Flick. Johnny Carpenter was able to advance home and score the fourth run for Tech. Tyler Brazelton ground-ed out during his at-bat, but he was still able to score El Chibani from third base, ty-ing the score at 5-5.

The Wolverines scored their fi nal and eventual game-winning run on a bunt from Cody Bruder.

The Golden Eagles and Wolverines shared the dia-mond again Saturday in a contest that included the two teams combining for 19 runs. Tech began the scoring in the top of the second when Flick scored from third on a Trevor Putzig groundout. El Chibani singled to the right side, which allowed Chambers to score the second run of the inning.

Two errors by the Michigan defense allowed two unearned runs from the Golden Eagles in the third in-ning. El Chibani added two more runs batted in to his stats on a single to left cen-ter. Jordan Hopkins got in on the action by hitting a double and batting in two more runs. After the six-run inning, Tech had the 6-2 advantage.

The Wolverines scored arun in the bottom of the third.Carmen Benedetti homeredin the bottom of the fi fth, bat-ting in three runs to make thescore 7-4.

After two silentTennessee Tech half innings,Michigan had two runs fromtwo sacrifi ce fl y balls. TheGolden Eagles’ bats sparkedagain in the top of the eighth.Allen hit a sacrifi ce fl y out tosingle fi eld to score El Chibanifrom third. Bosheers doubledto left fi eld and earned twoRBIs, resulting in the fi nalscore for Tech. Michiganhad a last-gasp effort in thebottom of the ninth, but fellshort in the 11-8 defeat.

Sunday came with achange of opponent for theGolden Eagles as they facedthe Davidson Wildcats. Techhandled the Wildcats easilyin a 12-5 victory.

After this weekend’s ac-tion, Tech is 4-2 in the sea-son. The team dropped theirseason opener to LongwoodUniversity. In the secondgame of the three-game serieswith the Lancers, the GoldenEagles overcame a 7-2 defi citin the ninth to win their fi rstgame of the season. The lastgame of the series saw Techdefeat Longwood by 10 runs,12-2, on Valentine’s Day BushStadium.

The Golden Eagles willbe back in action Tuesday toface the visiting Blue Raidersfrom Middle Tennessee StateUniversity.