tne february 26, 2013

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To err is human. To fix it is TNE Policy. Corrections can be found on Page 4. To report a correction call 918.444.2890. TNE Web site: www.nsunews.com Volume 104, Issue 24 Tuesday, February 26, 2013 | Tahlequah, Okla. 74464 RiverHawks basketball prepares to play final game at Jack Dobbins. See page 7 Golf season begins NSU Riverhawks golf prepares for a winning season. See page 18 continued on page 2 continued on page 2 Women mentor peers Field house retires O.I.L. participates in state legislature ANDREW SCOTT TNE WRITER Northeastern State University is taking steps to help women on campus through March Mentor- ing. “March Mentoring is a pro- gram designed to introduce women to strong and successful women mentors,” said Danielle McCollum, Claremore junior. Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford said it is a man’s world and she feels women need a good mentoring program. The program allows students to gain connections with strong women in the community. It is designed to network and build lasting friendships. “The purpose of March Men- toring is to expose women to pos- sible mentors they think would be a good match for them and vice versa,” said McCollum. McCollum said it is a building block for creating bonds that will last a lifetime. March Mentoring is far more than having a mentor, it is about building lasting friendships. Aldridge Sanford said Jessie Billings/Contributing Photographer NSU Movement is a flagship group of students whose goal is to support all athletic events and games. The group seeks to demonstrate inter-athletic support among all NSU teams. The students paint their bodies, cheer and dance to encourage the playing team. NSU Movement supports NSU athletes JACCI ALWORDEN TNE WRITER NSU students are getting hands-on experience and knowl- edge about the workings of the government. The Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature program also allows students to earn credit hours. “A student can take the course for three credits, but this can only be done once,” said Dr. Daniel Savage, O.I.L. faculty sponsor. Savage said the course course is either an elective for non-majors or a political science elective for majors. Thomas Teague, NSU student body president, said schools that participate take legislation they would like to propose that deals with real issues. He said these issues do not nec- essarily pertain to just college is- sues. He said the bills these students prepare are printed, and what is passed and signed by the gover- nor of O.I.L. is then presented to real legislators in the state capital. “O.I.L. is a group of college students from all across the state who go as a delegation from their school to

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Page 1: TNE February 26, 2013

To err is human. To fix it is TNE Policy. Corrections can be found on Page 4. To report a correction call 918.444.2890. TNE Web site: www.nsunews.com

Volume 104, Issue 24 Tuesday, February 26, 2013 | Tahlequah, Okla. 74464

RiverHawks basketball prepares to play final game at Jack Dobbins.

See page 7

Golf season begins

NSU Riverhawks golf prepares for a winning season.

See page 18

continued on page 2

continued on page 2

Women mentor peers

Field house retires

O.I.L. participates in state legislature

ANDREW SCOTTTNE WRITER

Northeastern State University is taking steps to help women on campus through March Mentor-ing.

“March Mentoring is a pro-gram designed to introduce women to strong and successful women mentors,” said Danielle McCollum, Claremore junior.

Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford said it is a man’s world and she feels women need a good mentoring program.

The program allows students

to gain connections with strong women in the community.

It is designed to network and build lasting friendships.

“The purpose of March Men-toring is to expose women to pos-sible mentors they think would be a good match for them and vice versa,” said McCollum.

McCollum said it is a building block for creating bonds that will last a lifetime.

March Mentoring is far more than having a mentor, it is about building lasting friendships.

A ld r idge Sanford said

Jessie Billings/Contributing PhotographerNSU Movement is a flagship group of students whose goal is to support all athletic

events and games. The group seeks to demonstrate inter-athletic support among all NSU teams. The students paint their bodies, cheer and dance to encourage the playing team.

NSU Movement supports NSU athletes

JACCI ALWORDENTNE WRITER

NSU students are getting hands-on experience and knowl-edge about the workings of the government.

The Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature program also allows students to earn credit hours.

“A student can take the course for three credits, but this can only be done once,” said Dr. Daniel Savage, O.I.L. faculty sponsor.

Savage said the course course is either an elective for non-majors or a political science elective for majors.

Thomas Teague, NSU student body president, said schools that participate take legislation they

would like to propose that deals with real issues.

He said these issues do not nec-essarily pertain to just college is-sues.

He said the bills these students prepare are printed, and what is

passed and signed by the gover-nor of O.I.L. is then presented to real legislators in the state capital.

“O.I.L. is a group of college students from all across the state who go as a delegation from their school to

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continued from page 1

March Mentoring benefits women

continued from page 1

Oklahoma Collegiate Legislature anticipates session

she hopes it is more than having mentors and networking for the future, but it will evolve into a lasting relation-ship.

These mentors will help the mentees in everyday life.

“I think March Mentoring is a good program because everyone deserves a respectable, successful and upstanding citizen of society as a role model,” said McCollum.

Networking for the future plays

a role in this program as well. “March Mentoring helps wom-

en find someone that may be able to help them with their future,” said Christine Hensley, Mustang junior. “I was taught that it is not necessarily about what you know but who you know.”

Hensley said this program helps women find that person.

The mentees are encouraged to attend a segment on March 11.

“There is a segment entitled Work-Life Balance that will be held on March 11,” said McCol-lum. “Although I don’t have a job right now, I want to get as much advice as possible from that ses-sion. Once I do find employment again, whether it is a part time or the beginning of my career, I want to apply what I have learned in that session.”

McCollum said she hopes she

can use these skills to be more successful in that area in the fu-ture.

This is the first year of March Mentoring but mentees look to-ward the future.

“I don’t know if this is in future plans or not but I think it would be neat to make another mentor-ing program for high school girls and let women who have been in the March Mentoring program become the mentor instead of the mentee,” said McCollum.

Students are eager to see what comes from this program.

“I am excited to see where March Mentoring may lead,” said Whitney Stroup, Tahlequah freshmen. “Who knows, this program might lead one lucky lady to a very bright future.” For more information, email [email protected].

compete at the state capital in mock leg-islature,” said Teague. “They have a governor, an entire cabi-net just like the state of Okla-homa, right down to the rep-resentatives and senators.” Former Oklahoma Governor George Nigh founded the pro-gram in 1969.

The students participate in mock court and journalism com-petitions.

The competitions take place at the state capital and last five days.

“I have competed in about six semesters of competition, each one in the legislation,” said Cody Robinson, O.I.L. chairman. “I learned that working together

with your delegation to create legislation is one thing, but the politics involved in persuading delegates from other schools to vote on your bill is another.”

Joshua Romeo Harris-Till, O.I.L. member, said he has com-peted in the senate competitions. He said it is a smaller more for-mal legislative branch.

He said he loves the leadership interacting with the delegates.

These students are earning col-lege credit hours, learning the ins and outs of the government and making lasting friendships.

“All training is designed to prepare students for the five-day mock legislative sessions held once per semester at the state capital,”

said Savage. “While attending the mock legislative sessions, students sometimes have a chance to voice their opinions to Oklahoma state lawmakers.”

Savage said they they also es-tablish friendships with other students from around the state, many of whom will become state political leaders.

Harris-Till said he has made many great friends from his time with O.I.L. ones who have helped him with everything from intern-ships to law school.

These students are also giving back to the community.

Last year O.I.L. sponsored a canned-food drive.

All cans received benefit the

Oklahoma City food bank. “I raised the highest amount of

cans in our delegation, and NSU actually won the most weight of cans per delegate,” said Robin-son.

Robin said it was a great way to give back to the community and get rid of the many cans of corn that she had stocked up.

Any student can join O.I.L., not just political science majors.

“NSU has to compete against much larger delegations from OU, OSU and ORU,” said Sav-age. “The more students we have compete the better. NSU’s dele-gation has done quite well despite this stiff competition.”

Harris-Till said O.I.L is always

looking for new members, and to be involved it is as simple as com-ing to the meetings on Thursday at 8 p.m. in room 224 of the UC.

“There are a few aspects of our lives that are affected by political decisions made in either Wash-ington D.C. or Oklahoma City,” said Savage. “If people do not know how government works, or want to get involved in that deci-sion-making process, then a large part of their lives will be deter-mined by the decisions of people they neither know or agree with.”

Savage said nderstanding the system, enables a person to have an effect upon those decisions.

For more information, email [email protected].

Meredith Barker/TNEDana Boren Boer, instructor of media studies, purchases

“The Universe is Ours” from student author Brittany Por-ter. The book is available for purchase in the RiverHawk Shoppe.

Student publishes novel

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Students may study abroad for spring breakLINDSEY TAYLORCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Study abroad is a growing in-terest at NSU.

Many trips are taken in May, but during spring break some stu-dent will get the opportunity to go to London. Students will visit the world famous Portobello Mar-ket, The Vaudeville Theatre to watch a Charles Dickens play and see the Hogwarts Dining Hall at Trinity College in Oxford.

The London trip is coordinated by Dr. Brian Cowlishaw, associate professor of English and Chris-tian Alyea, program director of Oklahoma Study Abroad.

Alyea said every time a student travels they see something new,

and it is nearly impossible for the students to get bored.

Alyea said London is always a very popular destination.

“It offers a lot of history and culture,” said Alyea. “Over the last few years, we have found that British literature, history of nursing and international theater courses are excellent matches with London and its surrounding cities.”

Cowlishaw has recently been to India and has traveled to Italy.

He proposed a Charles Dick-ens’ class, which incorporates learning about Charles Dickens’ life and reading and visiting sites in London.

“Dickens makes reference to many specific locations in Lon-

don that have not changed much since his time,” said Cowlishaw. “The Tower of London, London Bridge, Parliament, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral are to name a few. Students have been reading about these places and can now actually translate that literary experience into real life. Also, Dickens used to visit one pub call the Cheshire Cheese, and it will be exciting to quite lit-erally sit where Dickens sat,”

Oklahoma Study Abroad does research before sending students abroad.

Representatives from OSA will be on site in London to be tour guides, offer advice and alterna-tive sites students may want to visit and they will also assist with

any problems that may arise.“Our number one priority is

enabling students to travel confi-dently and smartly on their own after the program,” said Alyea. “I would never send a student group to a location that I have not ex-perienced first hand. We research all of our new trips for approxi-mately a year in advance. This allows us to find the best accom-modation, transportation, guides, and activities. Also, through actu-ally visiting each location, I am able to learn how the locals go about doing this. This protects our groups from over spending on tourist traps or making uni-formed choices.”

Elaina Ross, graduate student said studying abroad can help

broaden every students world view, and it can also make the world seem like a smaller place.

“I encourage students to study abroad because this is the perfect time in our lives to do it,” said Ross. Not only does it look great on a resume, but you get to see a part of the world that is com-pletely new. You get to explore and try new customs and really live.”

The London spring break trip is March 15-24 and costs $2,200.

“Everyone should have the op-portunity to experience a new country, even the typical college student living on a tight budget,” said Alyea.

For more information, email [email protected].

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February 26, 2013OP INION

Adviser: Cassie Freise ext. 2874 Editor-in-Chief: Ashley Rogers ext. 2890 Layout & Design Editor: Adam Wallace ext. 2890 Ad Manager: Kyle Eubanks ext. 2890 Senior Ad Staff: Chelsea Moser Advertising Rep: Audra Hurley Senior Staff Writer: Blake Harris Media Coordinator: Haley Stocks TNE Staff: Jacci Alworden James Bagwell Drew Bennett Miranda Caughron Meredith Barker Keli Hoffman Andrew Scott Zach Tucker OfficeManager: TaylorLynnEversole

POSTMASTER: Send PS from 3579 to NSU, Tahlequah, Okla., 74464-2399. The Northeastern (USPS # 395-580) is published weekly throughout the year except college holidays by Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Okla., 74464-2399. Periodicals postage paid at Tahlequah. Postmaster: send address changes to Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Okla., 74464-2399. For more information about advertising, classified or display, call 444-2890, seven days in advance of desired publication date. Editorial statements in The Northeastern and readers’ letters reflect those of the individual writers and not necessarily those of The Northeastern, its editors, staff, adviser or the administration of NSU. The opinions and comments therein do not necessarily reflect the policies or beliefs of the Board of Regents of Oklahoma Colleges or the regional universities and that the student newspaper is not an official medium or expression of the Board or the regional universities. The Northeastern is a public forum. All submissions become property of The Northeastern. This publication was printed by The Muskogee Phoenix and issued by NSU as authorized by House Bill 1714. Four thousand copies were printed at a total cost of $695 for 32 pages. The Northeastern is a member of the Associated College Press Association, Oklahoma Interscholastic Press Association, Society of Collegiate Journalists and College Media Advisers. e-mail address: [email protected].

Obama pushes for minimum wage increasePeople who work minimum

wage jobs may have a pay in-crease coming their way. Presi-dent Obama is calling for an increase in wages. Minimum wage is currently set at $7.25 an hour. This wage does not include tipped employees.

The president is trying to push minimum wage to $9 an hour by 2015. Economists believe that this pay rise could put $21 bil-lion back into the economy, and could possibly create as many as 120,000 jobs. This increase, how-ever, would only keep pace with inflation in today’s economy.

Minimum wage began in 1938 and was set at 25 cents

an hour. In that 75-year gap, wages have only increased 22 times. This equates to a little less than a dollar a decade increase. Ten states have already made adjustments to keep up with the rising cost of living. Oklahoma is not one of these states.

The last pay increase for mini-mum wage workers came under President George W. Bush in 2007. The process was a gradual one and resulted in an increase of $2.10 an hour.

This current increase could also affect those who work in tipped industries, such as wait staff.

President Obama is the first to address this issue in 20 years.

Currently, tipped employees can receive as little as $2.13 an hour. The president could at-tach a pay increase to the annual cost-of-living adjustment for these workers.

Nationwide, there are about 15 million workers who earn minimum wage each year. This amounts to about $15,080 earned income. For a family of four, this amounts to about $50 below the poverty line.

A family with two parents working full time should not be living in poverty. It seems these hardworking parents would still be unable to get ahead in life. It does not bode well that these indi-

viduals would not be able to buy a new car or send their children to college. They are working full time and striving to better them-selves. Yet, their reward for their labor is living in poverty.

This is the greatest free nation in the world, where hard work and ambition are supposed to pay off. There is another side to this coin.

Employers could face new burdens if this proposal passes. A raise in wages does not neces-sarily correlate to an increase in business.

In fact, the last recession began in the middle of the pay increases. There is no evidence to directly relate the recession to this pay increase. Yet, during the last re-cession minimum wage jobs ac-counted for 60 percent of jobs lost.

Keeping jobs in America is hard enough for those willing to work. This spike pay could en-

courage small businesses to think of labor cutting. Cost-effective so-lutions may not be the economic advantage President Obama be-lieves it to be.

President Obama is striving to build the American middle class. The economy needs more middle class workers if it is going to survive, it needs people spend-ing money in order to reverse the economic downturn.

If the president can get this proposal passed, it would ef-fectively put more money in the pockets of those that are working.

There is no clear solution to the economic problems this country faces. It is a gamble, a roll of the dice if you will.

On one hand, increasing wag-es could be the push we need to break the recession, or it could be the push that lands us back in the very recession we were trying to avoid.

Jacqueline Alworden/TNEFelicia Taylor, Westville junior prepares for work. Her mini-

mum wage job keeps her in school, but only just. Living on a budget is tough, but still she manages to balance work and her social life.

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SCEC relocates popular fundraising eventBLAKE HARRISTNE WRITER

The Student Council for Ex-ceptional Children produces fun-draisers for the organization. The organization will have their spa-ghetti dinner March 5. This fund-raising event is not new to SCEC, but it is the first time it will be on campus.

“The past spaghetti dinners were located at the Tahlequah Elks Lodge,” said Jessica Breske, SCEC president. “We also would hold them there because our past adviser Dan Glasgow, who passed away recently, was a member of the Elks Lodge. We decided to move to our new location on campus so it would be easier and more convenient for both faculty and students at NSU. We are hoping by making this more con-venient we will gain more busi-ness.”

SCEC has many events during the year, but the spaghetti dinner brings the organization a lot of funding. Most of the funding re-ceived goes toward organization of other events and the SCEC conference.

“The spaghetti dinner is a fun-draiser for SCEC to send our members to the Council for Ex-ceptional Children conference in San Antonio,” said Morgan Hitchcock, SCEC secretary.

The spaghetti dinner is $3 for students with an NSU ID. It is $5 for anyone else who wants to at-tend.

Hitchcock said tickets can be purchased in advanced from any of the SCEC members. Students that do not know any member can pick up a ticket at the educa-tion building or buy tickets at the

door. Switching the location of the

event closer to campus was a topic of discussion among the members. The SCEC members searched for a good location that has the room and the capability to serve plenty of patrons. They decided to move the event to the first floor of Baptist Collegiate Ministries building on campus.

“We usually only have 30 to 50 people attend this fundraiser,” said Breske. “We are hoping that more people will attend this fun-draiser since it is on campus and help support a great organization that supports the area of special education.”

Members of SCEC also orga-nize dances for children who have special needs. These dances take place at the Elks Lodge. Recently, SCEC visited the School for the Blind.

“We took coloring books to the School for the Blind in Musk-ogee,” said Molly Erwin, SCEC Historian. “We passed out the coloring books and sat down with the students to hang out and get to know them a little bit. They enjoyed the coloring books so much.”

The money received at these fundraisers also enables SCEC to participate in various campus activities.

Erwin said SCEC has dances once a month at the Elks Lodge. The next dance is April 27 from 1-3 p.m.

Erwin wants to encourage ev-eryone to come to at least one dance because they can be so much fun.

“This is a time for students to learn more about special edu-cation,” said Breske. “Students

can learn what is new in special education technology and special education laws. You will also have fun while learning.”

Breske said she hopes this lo-cation will be a great move for SCEC. The ticket purchase will allow students to eat as much spa-ghetti and cookies as they want. It will allow everyone to eat, have a good time, visit with other faculty and staff and help an organiza-tion that relies solely on dona-tions.

SCEC has a Facebook page, www.facebook.com/nsu.scec, which posts upcoming events and allows students more information

about joining or donating to the organization.

Students who want to join the organization can also attend the SCEC meetings the first Monday

of each month from 3:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. in Bagley Hall room 210.

For more information, email [email protected].

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Big Ticket event to assist CCF missionsJOSH WOODSONCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Campus Christian Fellow-

ship will sponsor The Big Ticket March 12. The Big Ticket is a day of fun and entertainment to help raise money for a mission trip to Haiti.

Tom Tucker, director of CCF, has been highly involved in help-ing the local community for many years, and is now organizing trips to help out and share the gospel with other countries.

During this fundraiser, there will be desserts, skits, singing, dancing, and other acts.

CCF is in the process of rais-ing $13,000 for mission trips, and from The Big Ticket event

they should bring in somewhere around $2,500-$3,000. That is what the average amount has been in the past.

“Here at CCF we focus on mis-sions,” said Connor Allen, vice president of CCF. “Our main goal through this event is to raise money for our trip to Haiti this summer where we will be hand-ing out straws that provide them with clean water for a year along with sharing the gospel. This event is free of charge to attend and we would love for anybody and everybody to come out and support us at the Big Ticket whether that’s participating in the talent show or just showing up to have a good time.”

After CCF has raised $13,000,

Tucker will take several members to Haiti to dig water wells and teach them how to dig them for themselves.

CCF gets its supplies from the Water4Foundation, which is the organization that started the idea of the well digging in other coun-tries. The Haitian people have major difficulties getting water because they have to travel to find a source.

Tucker and his team will make this chore easier by digging wells in more convenient locations.

“I haven’t been on a Haiti trip, but I have seen it benefit CCF quite a bit,” said Nichole Clark, activities director for CCF. “We take missions really seriously, be-cause that is one of our purposes

as a Christian. We are called to help others, and with the specific goal we set to raise money for fil-tration straws for the Haitians, we have come together as a group to do everything we can to raise the money. I think everyone has a passion, and clean water is ours.”

The CCF digging crew will carry 500 pounds of drilling equipment in 10 suitcases when they fly to Haiti.

Water4Foundation has devel-oped a drilling system, made up mostly of locally obtained items. The drilling crew can acquire items, such as PVC pipes and plumbing wrenches, after they land.

This is also more affordable to the people of third-world coun-

tries, which will allow them to build more wells and have cleaner drinking water.

CCF has been around for 43 years and does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The current theme for CCF is 2 Cor-inthians 4 which Tucker sums up as, “What is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal.”

The Big Ticket will be March 12, and Tucker says anyone is welcome

Tucker says that CCF’s main goal is to disciple the people.

“We are involved in helping students learn how to live, not just get ready to make a living,” said Tucker.

For more information, email [email protected].

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5K honors NSU Founders DayJAMES BAGWELLTNE WRITER

The date is set for the fourth annual Founders Day 5K. The race celebrates the purchase of the Cherokee National Seminary from the Cherokee Nation by the state of Oklahoma on March 6, 1909. This was the beginning of the Northeastern State Normal School, which was later renamed to Northeastern Oklahoma State University.

“Founders Day is a reminder of our roots as a Cherokee Fe-male Seminary and how far we’ve come in the past century,” said Peggy Glenn, director of development. “Since our found-ing as a state school, NSU has evolved from a teachers’ school to a full-fledged university granting degrees in five different colleges, including a doctoral program for optometry.”

The celebration of Founders Day at the Tahlequah campus has been a yearly staple since the unveiling of the Sequoyah statue, the center of the Centennial Pla-za, in 2009.

Glenn said the Centennial of Founders Day was celebrated with great fanfare in 2009, with the honoring of 100 Centurions who have made NSU what it is today.

Libby Rogers, director of stu-dent health services, said the course is a certified race and Cherokee Wings participates in the event.

“There is a golf tournament event in September that raises money for the Frank Haven Scholarship,” said Eric Pool, se-curity system administrator. “I wanted to have a second event

and I started running in 5K events and thought that I could put on an event too. I met with a couple of people and we decided to try it. It has grown from 220 runners the first year to over 1000 this year.”

Many students are excited to continue the 5K traditions in Tahlequah.

“I love to run 5Ks,” said Heath Brownell, Kansas junior. “I ran the Founders Day 5K last year, and I have run several other rac-es in the past year. I am looking forward to running the Founders Day 5K to see how prepared I will be for the Warrior Dash that’s coming up this summer.”

Glenn said there is an expo for health and wellness the day before the race in the University Center. Pre-registered participants can pick up their race packets there.

“Founders Day brings a lot of people to campus for the 5K race,” said Glenn. “It’s great to see runners, from kids to older adults, participating!”

On Feb. 6 NSU will honor 10 new Centurions with strong con-nections to NSU.

“NSU has a lot to celebrate, and participating in the Founders Day 5K is a healthy and active way to join in the celebration,” said Glenn.

The race is March 2 and begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Centennial Pla-za. There is a $20 registration fee. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and a T-shirt is guaranteed to the first 600 registrants. Awards will be given to the top male and fe-male contestants and door prizes will be given away after the race.

For more information, email [email protected].

SCEC donates books

Courtesy PhotoStudent Council for Exceptional Children presented

students at the School for the Blind in Muskogee with large-print coloring books. This is one of the many phil-anthropic acts SCEC performs throughout the semester.

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Rowdy promotes school spirit at NSUDREW BENNETTTNE WRITER

Rowdy the RiverHawk, the large green bird in the jersey seen wandering around campus from during school events, is an indig-enous species unique to NSU.

He is the school’s mascot, and this is his story.

As a mascot, Rowdy is respon-sible for promoting school spirit at athletic and university events and encourages crowd participation and interaction.

The mascot must be present at all home football games, bas-ketball games and other athletic events.

The mascot may even be asked to participate with the spirit squad

on certain routines. NSU’s original mascot was the

Redmen. It was changed to the River-

Hawk in 2007. The design of the RiverHawk

was the result of collaboration between the student body, student affairs and university relations.

The student body and NSU community voted on the name Rowdy.

Many students are unaware of the process that is behind choos-ing the mascot. Few even stop to think about the everyday work that goes into the mascot.

“Being a freshman here, I didn’t know how much work went into making him,” said Cerry An-thony, Coweta freshman. “I don’t

really think about mascots that much, but that is pretty cool.”

As with any mascot, it is tradi-tion to not know who is wearing the suit.

Tryouts for the position of mas-cot are in the fall and spring, de-pending on the need, to add more students to the mascot squad.

“Currently we are seeking new members,” said Jamie Hall, me-dia relations coordinator. “You must be a full-time student. The requirements are mainly person-ality characteristics.”

Hall said Rowdy is a dynamic mascot.

“We look for someone who is outgoing, personable, involved on campus and dependable,” said Hall.

There is a tuition waiver ap-plied each semester for those eli-gible to receive a waiver.

Those interested in being the mascot may email [email protected] or call 918-444-3958.

Rowdy can be seen Feb. 27 at the Jack Dobbins Field House.

This will be the last home game to take place at the JDFH.

The games are at 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm.

Fans are asked to wear the of-ficial “Farewell to Jack Dobbins Field House” T-shirt.

These can be purchased in the athletics office for $10.

Proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish foundation.

For more information, email [email protected].

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Chi Alpha encourages fun and fellowshipDESTINY HILLHOUSECONTRIBUTING WRITER

Every Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Webb Auditorium, there is the sound of a live band and loud voices singing praises.

This is the sound of a group of college students celebrating their love for God.

Chi Alpha campus ministries, which stands for Christ Ambas-sadors, or XA for short, strives to bring students to Christ weekly through a worship service led by fellow college students.

“I first heard about XA on move in day at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 2006,” said Baxter Stewart, NSU XA leader.

Each Thursday, Stewart intro-duces a topic after worship ser-vice and preaches to students.

“I just pray about it, try to un-derstand what God wants me to discuss, and go from there.” Stew-art said.

Although there is a XA build-ing in downtown Tahlequah where services used to be held, the building has been abandoned and is no longer used.

“I don’t even know who has the keys to that building,” Stew-art said, “I’m not sure how long we will be in the Webb but that’s okay, it’s more cost efficient.”

Chi Alpha is about bringing students to Christ and preaching the gospel.

When Stewart is successful in providing a service that brings one to Christ, it is exactly what makes all the hard work worth it.

“Just seeing people go after God is what keeps us motivated to keep volunteering,” said Stewart’s

wife, Shayla, “It’s fun. We really enjoy it.”

Chi Alpha is not only reward-ing to leaders of the ministry but also to students who attend regu-larly.

“Chi Alpha has really helped me grow spiritually,” said Sarah Hadley, Stigler senior.

Hadley has attended Chi Al-pha for four years, on two differ-ent campuses.

Hadley said her favorite part of XA is being able to worship God freely and she would like to see more people getting involved.

Chi Alpha has been around longer than a lot of students re-

alize, but the Stewarts and many others involved plan on XA be-ing a big part of NSU for years to come.

“My vision is to build up the students we already have and build up the new leaders,” said Baxter Stewart.

Chi Alpha’s main focus this semester is on discipleship and outreach.

When it comes to building new leaders, it seems as if anybody could get involved and push for a Christian campus in their own way.

“If you’re faithful, available and teachable, we want you,” said

Baxter Stewart. “After all, every-body has something to give.”

For more information, email [email protected].

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Non-traditional students call dorms homeKELI HOFFMANTNE WRITER

In today’s economy, it is not uncommon to see non-traditional students attending college.

A non-traditional student can be defined as someone over the age of 25 who is at college to ei-ther finish a degree or earn a new one.

Wes Wheeler, information sys-tems manager, said 61 non-tradi-tional students currently live on campus.

“Many non-traditional stu-dents were traditional students before and it didn’t work out,” said Val Traenkenschuh, NSU graduate student. “They either flunked out, got married, or life got in the way.”

Sometimes things beyond the students control prevent them

from completing their education during the traditional ages of 18–24.

While it is not uncommon to see non-traditional students in the classroom, it could be considered an unusual sight to see them liv-ing in the dorms among tradi-tional students.

“When you hear about old-erpeople going back to college, you usually think they’re com-muting from somewhere or doing it online,” said Chelsea Carter, Haworth sophomore. “So I can see where people might think it’s odd when they see them in the dorms.”

Traenkenschuh is in her 40s and living in the dorms at NSU. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education, but af-ter raising two sons she wanted to pursue a master’s degree in

speech and language pathology.“I started looking for accredit-

ed Speech and Language pathol-ogy programs,” said Traenken-schuh. “The closest one with a good reputation and reasonable cost was NSU. I decided that was the place to go.”

Traenkenschuh and her hus-band own a home two hours away, so commuting was not an option for her.

When she calculated the total cost of utilities, rent, groceries, laundry and other expenses, liv-ing in the dorm was cheaper for her than renting an apartment.

Having access to health servic-es, counseling services, custodial services, fitness center, internet and other amenities provided by NSU housing also helped in her decision to live on campus.

“There’s more security in the

dorm,” said Traenkenschuh. “In an apartment, there’s just you and a door and that’s it. Living on campus, you have to have a key for the front door, a key for

the quad door, and a key for your room door.”

Traditional students and their parents may not always under-stand why their older counter-parts would choose to live in the dorms.

“My parents weren’t sure about it at first,” said Megan Neal, Tul-sa sophomore. “I told them Val looks after us and keeps us in line. They know older adults go back to college, but they weren’t ex-pecting someone in the dorms.”

Several students that live in Traenkenschuh’s hall said that they enjoy having her around.

They feel as though they can talk to her and get advice, but she does not try to force her opinions on them.

With the changes in the econ-omy, it is possible that even more people will be coming back to col-lege to get their degrees.

They may not all live in the dorms, but some may realize the possible advantages to dorm life.

For more information, email [email protected].

Keli Hoffman/TNE Val Traenkenschuh does homework in her quad. She is one

of about 61 non-traditional students currently living on cam-pus.

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www.nsunews.comCourtesy of Weather.com

Tuesday, Feb. 26

Galaxy of Stars: Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues presented by

Montana Repertory Theatre7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Tahlequah CPA

Blood DriveTue, Feb. 26, 1:00 p.m. – Wed,

Feb. 27, 5:30 p.m.Broken Arrow

Administrative Services build-ing, Annex

Wednesday, Feb. 27

Career & Graduate School Fair

10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Tahlequah

University Center, 2nd Floor, Senator Herb Rozell Ballroom

RiverHawks Basketball vs Central Oklahoma

5:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.Jack Dobbins Field House

Tahlequah

Thursday, Feb. 28

The Cherokee Word for Water5:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

TahlequahWebb Auditorium

Friday, March 1

Women’s Tennis at Our Lady of the Lake University

1 p.m. – 4 p.m.San Antonio, Texas

NAB - Photography Contest begins

Saturday, March 2

Founder’s Day 5K9 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Tahlequah

Volunteer Income Tax Assis-tance Program1 p.m. – 4 p.m.Broken Arrow

Library Building, room 118

Sunday, March 3

Rainbow Royalty Pageant2 p.m.

TahlequahUniversity Center Redbud

Room

Monday, March 4

Visiting Indigenous Scholar Dr. Linda Sue Warner1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Tahlequah, Webb 614

Current EventsStudents Pass the Bucket The NSU media campaigns

and events class, in partnership with Alpha Sigma Alpha, will sponsor a “Pass the Bucket” fun-draising event on Feb. 27.

The event will take place at the Jack Dobbins Field House during the last basketball game of the 2012-13 season and will benefit Tahlequah Public School special athletes.

Tahlequah Public Schools sends 30-40 athletes to the state competition every May at the

Oklahoma State University cam-pus in Stillwater.

All donations received will help buy student uniforms, shoes, and lodging, as well as allowing stu-dents to have spending money.

It costs each special athlete ap-proximately $300 to participate.

“It’s a good cause, “ said Dr. Dana Eversole, professor of me-dia studies. “I just think it’s im-portant.”

Eversole said the overall goal is to raise at least $4,000 to benefit

the special athletes. In addition to passing the buck-

et, there will be stations outside of the field house to accept dona-tions before and after the game.

The media campaigns and events class will also have other opportunities to donate through-out the semester, including a sta-tion outside the UC and a booth at the Tahlequah Red Fern Festi-val.

For more information, call 918-458-4150.

‘Biloxi Blues’ stops at NSU

Terry Cyr/Contributing PhotographerHugh Bickley, Colton Swibold, Dylan Rodwick, Sam Williamson and Michael Eisenstein

perform in Neil Simon’s “Biloxi Blues.” “Biloxi Blues” will visit NSU’s Center For Performing Arts Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m.

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Girl Scout Cookies have local rootsANDREW SCOTTTNE WRITER

Girl Scouts of Eastern Okla-homa are proud to have a special place in Girl Scout history. The sale of Girl Scout Cookies began closer than most think.

“In 1917, Girl Scouts in the Mistletoe Troop at Muskogee’s Central High School made a simple sugar cookie to sell to their school mates,” said Leslie Hamil, marketing and membership ex-ecutive Muskogee.

The sale of Girl Scout Cookies began five years after Girl Scouts began in the United States.

“Girl Scout Cookies had their earliest beginnings in the kitchens and ovens of our girl members,

with mothers volunteering as technical advisers,” said Ingrid Williams, chief communications officer. “The sale of cookies as a way to finance troop activities began as early as 1917, five years after Juliette Gordon Low start-ed Girl Scouting in the United States.”

When they began, the money was for a different purpose than it is today.

“The money they raised en-abled them to buy supplies for care packages they sent to the troops during WWI,” said Sue Tolbert, executive director.

With eight types of cookies, part of the profit still goes to help the troops. Another part stays and helps with the local troop. Girl

Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma are proud of their heritage and even made a statue as a reminder.

“Unveiled on May 31, 2008, the commemorative bronze A Promise To Keep will be a per-manent reminder of the heritage of Girl Scouting,” said Williams. “It is on display at Three Rivers Museum in Muskogee, Oklaho-ma.”

The museum displays the original Girl Scout Cookie recipe and much of the history of Girl Scouts.

The troop wants to make sure they see the tradition of selling cookies live on for many more years.

For more information, email [email protected]

NSU students compete

Jamie Stocks/Contributing PhotographerHaley Stocks, Tawnie Goodwin and Randee Howard,

former Miss NSUs competed in the Triple Crown Pageant Feb. 23. Stocks was crowned second runner up, Howard first runner up and Goodwin is currently Miss Okmulgee County.

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Students adjust to improve dorm lifeKELI HOFFMANTNE WRITER

Dorms are notorious for being small. They can feel even smaller when shared with another per-son, and for a college student with limited funds, it can be hard to make a dorm truly feel like home.

In those instances, a little im-provisation and rearranging can help a dorm feel cozier.

“In my old room, I had my bed as high as it would, and I had my TV underneath,” said Brandon Morrison, Stillwater junior. “I sat down under there and I would play my video games all night with a blanket thrown over the side so my roommate could sleep. I also had my fridge down there.”

There are many more ways to utilize the space underneath a bed. Raising the bed as high as it will go and putting the dresser or storage containers can help free up closet or floor space, but could decrease shelf space.

In some dorms, the closets are large enough to put the dresser inside, and placing shoes on top or in a drawer are some possible options.

“We are no longer giving residents the pegs to bunk their beds,” said Stephen Neal, resi-dent assistant. “What you can do instead, is raise one bed as high as it will go, and place your room-mates mattress underneath for the same bunk bed effect.”

The bed frame may be dis-mantled but must stay stored in the dorm and then reassembled when the student moves out, ac-cording to housing regulations.

Furniture can be stacked in several different combinations and may be worth experimenting

with as another solution to make the rooms feel bigger.

To help free up desk space, framed photos can be hung on the wall with command strips or poster putty.

Neal said experimenting with furniture layouts at the beginning of the school year, before students bring all of their personal belong-ings, could be beneficial.

It is easier to move furniture when other school and dorm sup-plies are not in the way, although it is still possible during the semes-ter.

There are a number of ways students can improvise or substi-tute for items that are not allowed in the dorms.

It is possible to make cakes in the microwave for those special occasions.

“Mix one box of your favorite cake mix with a box of angel food cake mix,” said Courtney Eggert, NSU Alumna. “Take three table-spoons of that mixture in a coffee mug or bowl, and add two table-spoons of water. Zap for three minutes in the microwave or until done, and enjoy.”

A spray bottle with water can be used to get wrinkles out of clothes in place of an ironing board, while a blanket or com-forter can be placed under a fitted sheet to substitute for a mattress pad.

Binder clips can be a helpful solution to keep phone chargers and other cords from getting lost or falling behind furniture. When clipped to the side of a desk or bed frame, cords can be threaded through the metal loops and held in place.

Since students are not allowed to put nails in the walls, small

shelving units can be made from wooden magazine holders placed on their side, on a desk or other place of convenience.

Val Traenkenschuh, NSU graduate student, said she has a blackout curtain placed in front of the door to her dorm.

It helps block out the light and absorb sound from the common area at night, and allows her to have her door open but still have some privacy.

For students interested in simi-lar techniques, Pinterest can be a good source.

For more information, email [email protected].

Keli Hoffman/TNEChelsea Carter, Haworth sophomore, has turned her bed into a bunk bed. She did this by

raising one bed as high as it would go and putting a mattress from the other bed on the floor underneath.

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Emmy-nominated field correspondent visits NSU Dr. Mireya Mayor, National

Geographic field correspondent and primatologist, will speak on the Northeastern State University campus on March 14 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the W. Roger Webb Educational Technology Center.

According to Mayor’s official bio, she is a scientist, explorer, wildlife correspondent, anthro-pologist and inspirational speaker.

Mayor has reported on wildlife and habitat issues to worldwide audiences for more than a de-cade.

Her address will also be broad-cast via ITV to the auditorium of Administrative Services on the Broken Arrow campus.

As a two-time Emmy Award-nominated field correspondent for the National Geographic Channel, Mayor has reported to

audiences worldwide on perti-nent wildlife and habitat issues.

Mayor recieved two Emmy Award nominations for her work on the television series “Ulti-mate Explorer.” Mayor was later named “Emerging Explorer” in 2007 by the National Geographic Society, which selects rising tal-ents, who push the boundaries of adventures and global problem solving.

During a 2000 field expedition to Madagascar she discovered the species Microcebus, or mouse le-mur, which she continues to study.

Her work convinced the Mada-gascan government to establish a national park to help protect the rare primate and other species.

Mayor recently earned her Ph.D. while conducting research on the effects of forest fragmen-tation and isolation on two types

of lemurs found only in northern Madagascar.

When not in the jungle or on assignment, Mayor speaks pub-licly about the importance of conservation for a vigorous and healthy planet.

She is especially popular with student audiences.

Mayor will visit NSU through the National Geographic Live program, offered through the Na-tional Geographic Society Speak-ers Bureau.

Her visit is sponsored by the Northeastern Student Govern-ment Association, the Northeast-ern Activities Board and the Divi-sion of Student Affairs.

For more information call the Office of Student Activities at 918-444-2526.

Press release courtesy of www.nsuok.edu.

Mark Thiessen, NGT&F/Contributing PhotographerDr. Mireya Mayor, National Geographic field correspondent and primatologist, holds a new

species of mouse lemur she discovered in Madagascar. Mayor will visit NSU Tahlequah campus 7 p.m., March 14 in the Webb Educational Technology Center, where she will speak as part of the National Geographic Live program.

Mark Thiessen, NGT&F/Contributing PhotographerDr. Mireya Mayor is a two-time Emmy-Award nominat-

ed field correspondent for the National Geographic Channel NSGA, NAB and the Division of Student Affairs will sponsor her trip to NSU Tahlequah campus.

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Pancake dinner raises funds

James Bagwell/TNEMembers of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority got messy making pancakes at the BCM. The

money raised will go directly toward their philanthropy the Robbie Page Memorial.

RiverHawks baseball begins

Kirsti Cook/Contributing PhotographerRiverHawk baseball began its season February 16 against Northwest Missouri. Despite

the temperatures, RiverHawk baseball fans came to watch NSU play Emporia State Tuesday afternoon.

Snow closes campus

Keli Hoffman/TNE Students enjoyed the impromptu winter weather. Snow-

ball fights, snow angels and snowmen could be seen all around campus.

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Mankiller film screened

Renowned trombonist visits NSU

Northeastern State University invites the community to a free screening of The Cherokee Word for Water, Feb. 28.

Dedicated to the vision of for-mer Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller, the film follows the efforts of Mankiller and Charlie Soap to bring a wa-ter line to the community of Bell through the Bell Waterline Proj-ect.

The screening will take place in the Webb Auditorium.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the first 50 people will receive a copy of Mankiller’s popular book Every Day is a Good Day. A drawing will also be held for a flat-screen television.

The film begins at 6:30 p.m. “We feel it important to prop-

erly honor and respect Chief Mankiller’s life and work,” said

Todd Enlow, NSU Director of Auxiliary Services. “Likewise, numerous community members were excited about the oppor-tunity to gather as a family and enjoy the story of how volunteers gathered together to change a community. We want to ensure that this story is told so that ev-eryone can enjoy it. We regret the technical issues on January 24, 2013, and would like everyone to learn from a leader, her family and friends.”

Event sponsors include NSU Auxiliary Services, Student Af-fairs, Academic Affairs, College of Liberal Arts and the Indige-nous Scholar Development Cen-ter.

For more information, call 918-444-3042.

Press release courtesy of www.nsuok.edu.

Renowned trombonist Wycliffe Gordon will join NSU for its 46th annual Green Country Jazz Festi-val March 3-4.

The 9th annual Judges Jam is first on the agenda, beginning Sunday, March 3, at 8 p.m. in the Jazz Lab at 315 N. Muskogee Ave. in Tahlequah. Admission is $5.

At the Judge’s Jam, Gordon will perform with an all-star jazz com-bo featuring Robert Larson of Virginia, James Greeson of Ar-kansas, Jared Johnson and Mikel Combs, both of Oklahoma, and Dr. Tommy Poole, director of NSU jazz studies.

The Green Country Jazz Fes-tival continues with an evening concert Monday, March 4, at 7 p.m. at the NSU Center for the

Performing Arts at 605 N. Grand Ave. in Tahlequah.

The NSU Jazz Ensemble will feature Gordon on the trombone.

Admission to the concert is $6 for NSU students with ID and $12 for the general public.

“Gordon tours the world per-forming hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz for audiences ranging from heads of state to elementary school students,” said Poole. “He was the recipient of the Jazz Jour-nalists Association Award, Trom-bonist of the Year, for 2011, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2002 and 2001.”

Gordon discovered the trom-bone at age 12 and developed a passion for jazz at age 13. He has since become a leading composer, performer, writer and instructor.

Gordon’s repertoire includes

15 solo CDs, seven co-leader CDs and multiple TV, radio and film performances. He has been com-missioned for several composi-tions, including I Saw the Light, a tribute to Muhammed Ali, and Beyond the Blackberry Patch, a story about the city of Columbus, Ohio.

The Green Country Jazz Se-ries is presented with help from the National Endowment of the Arts and the Oklahoma Arts Council.

For more information or res-ervations, call Poole at 918-444-4602 or write to [email protected].

For information about Gordon visit wycliffegordon.com.

Press release courtesy of www.nsuok.edu.

Students pack the house pink

Carrie Moore/Contributing PhotographerNSU students packed the Jack Dobbins Field House pink on Feb. 13. Pack the House Pink

is a fundraiser designed to raise breast cancer awareness.

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Jessie Billings/Contributing PhotographerCayce Coleman, Tahlequah senior, pitches a strike in

Sunday’s game against Bacone. The RiverHawks took four wins this weekend against the Bacone Warriors and the William-Jewell Cardinals.

NSU beats Hornets to earn season sweep

The Northeastern State men’s basketball team outlasted Empo-ria State 67-62 Saturday evening inside William L. White Audito-rium.

The RiverHawks improved to 18-7 overall and 11-6 in the MIAA, while dropping the Hor-nets to 12-12 overall and 7-9 in the league.

Senior forward Jermaine Bransford exploded for 23 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. He also added five steals and three assists, while shooting 9 of 10 from the free-throw line.

The 20-rebound effort was the most by any player in the MIAA this season and was the most for Northeastern State in its NCAA Division II era. Bransford was

two rebounds shy of tying the na-tion’s top mark for most rebounds by a player in a single game this year.

Junior guard Bryton Hobbs added 14 points and sophomore forward Landon DeMasters poured in 13.

NSU outrebounded ESU 33-28, while also winning the turn-over battle (11-15).

The RiverHawks shot 40 per-cent (21-for-52) from the field, 46 percent (5-for-11) from distance and 91 percent (20-for-22) at the charity stripe.

The home side shot 46 percent (24-for-52) from the field, 40 per-cent (8-for-20) beyond the arc and 60 percent (6-for-10) at the line.

Terrence Moore led Empo-

ria State with 13 points off the bench. Paul Bunch recorded 12 points, seven rebounds and seven blocks, and Gavin Brown added 11 points.

The Hornets found an early 8-5 advantage, but Northeastern State exploded for a 14-2 run to take a 19-10 lead at the 8:45 mark of the opening half. The run was capped by a three-point basket from senior guard Jon Miller.

Emporia State was able to chip away at NSU’s nine-point cush-ion, and a three from Brown with four seconds to play in the open-ing half gave the home side a nar-row 33-32 lead at intermission.

There were 12 lead changes and nine ties in the contest, with seven of both coming in the final 20 minutes of action.

Bransford tipped in a missed shot with 3:12 to play to tie the game at 58-58, but Wright made a floater in the lane at 2:50 to put ESU ahead by two.

DeMasters drained a huge three on NSU’s next possession to tip the scale in favor of the visitors, and NSU corralled the rebound following a missed three from Wright on Emporia State’s next trip down the floor.

Northeastern State will now return home for The Farewell to

Jack Dobbins Field House. NSU is set to play host to Central Okla-homa at 8 p.m. Feb. 27 in the final regular-season game to be held inside the legendary facility.

The Senior Day presentation will be held between the men’s and women’s games.

There will also be a presenta-tion to honor those who have been part of the 58-year history of JDF, and NSU’s 2003 NCAA National Championship team will also be celebrating the 10-year history of the historic title run.

Press release courtesy of goriv-erhawksgo.com

RiverHawks beat Bacone

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Zach Tucker/TNESophomore Alex Koch rips a drive down the middle in the St. Mary’s Rattler Invitational Feb. 18-19 in San Antonio. The River-

Hawks placed fifth with a team score of 633 and next on the schedule is Missouri Western’s event March 24-25.

RiverHawks seek to earn bid in NCAA Golf ChampionshipsZACH TUCKERTNE WRITER

RiverHawk women’s golf kicked off the spring season Feb. 18-19 in San Antonio at the St. Mary’s Rattler Invitational. The event was played at The Domin-ion Country Club. The team fin-ished in fifth place in the 15-team field with a two-round team total of 633. Senior Whitney McAteer, Tulsa senior, paced the River-Hawks with rounds of 79-77-156 and finished in a tie for twelfth place individually.

“It was a decent start for the se-mester,” said McAteer. “I am just going to use this as a tournament to improve on the areas of my game and learn from it.”

Finishing eighteenth individu-ally in the spring debut was soph-omore Alex Koch, Tulsa sopho-more, with rounds of 79-78-157. Kelsey Kirkpatrick, Golden, Texas senior, was the next low-est individual for the NSU with 76-83-159, finishing in a tie for twenty-fifth. McCandren Lewis, Guthrie freshman, carded rounds of 83-79-162 to finish in a tie for thirty-eighth. Rounding up the RiverHawks was Kayla Schro-eder, Bristow freshman, who fired rounds of 87-82-169. The 36-hole total put the freshman in a tie for fifty-seventh in her colle-giate debut.

Tarleton State won the tourna-ment with a team total of 596 to sweep the field by 17 shots. St. Edward’s placed second at 613, while Dallas Baptist was nine shots behind at 622. Oklahoma Christian rounded out the top four at 628.

“The girls competed hard, but made mistakes that happens

when you do not compete for over four months,” said Brady Wood, women’s assistant coach.

The teams will travel to Mis-souri Western’s tournament at St. Joseph Country Club March 24-25. The men’s team competed at St. Joseph Country Club and played well in early October and the women plan to match their success.

“That course demands accu-racy, and that should benefit our team,” said Wood. “I expect good

things by the end of the tourna-ment.”

After a trip to Missouri West-ern the RiverHawks will head to Phoenix to compete in Grand Valley State’s tournament. The desert shootout is a test of the re-gion’s teams. The squad needs a solid performance in Phoenix to gain wins against the western re-gion teams.

The RiverHawks suffered through adversity last fall. The team lost two key players, leaving

the squad with only six available players for the spring.

Schroeder was bumped into the starting five. A solid outing this spring could really benefit NSU.

“The team has really bounced back well from losing a couple key players and we had a couple girls step up and help the team in this first tournament that helped us get big wins over good teams,” said McAteer.

In early May the top 10 teams

of the MIAA and GAC con-ferences head to Jefferson City, Miss., to compete in the NCAA South Central Regional Cham-pionship. They will look to earn a bid into the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships in Hershey, Pa.

“For our team to succeed this year we need to just play solid, consistent golf and the rest will take care of itself,” said Koch.

For more information, email [email protected].

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RiverHawks prepare for final game at Jack DobbinsZACH TUCKER TNE WRITER

The historic Jack Dobbins Field House will have its last ever NSU basketball game, Feb. 27.

The new athletic building and arena will be finished in the fall and the RiverHawks will play their future games in the new fa-cility.

For every basketball player cur-rently at NSU, the Jack Dobbins Field House has been home to them for their entire career here.

It could be a tough adjustment switching courts, especially after the success each team has had this year.

“I’m going to miss Jack Dob-bins Field House,” said Bryton Hobbs, junior guard.

Hobbs said he loved all his years playing in the gym, and that he would miss playing there.

“I enjoyed my time there, whether it be practice, games, workouts, or just coming in to work on my own,” said Hobbs.

Riverhawk in-state rival, UCO, is the opponent for the final showdown in Jack Dobbins. Field House.

The RiverHawks beat the Bronchos in Edmond this Jan. and expect UCO to come in shooting hot.

The RiverHawks want nothing more than two victories in their last match up in Jack Dobbins Field House.

“I honestly cannot believe it’s the last game in Jack Dobbins,” said Taylor Lewis, senior guard. “So many great athletes have competed in that gym and noth-ing will compare to the atmo-sphere in that gym, which is all thanks to our great fans.”

Lewis and Tosha Tyler, senior guard, are playing their final sea-son as RiverHawks.

These seniors both love the loud and rowdy atmosphere that Jack Dobbins Field House has shown them for four seasons.

Tyler said she could not think of a better way to end her basket-ball experience at NSU.

“Jack Dobbins is not the big-gest arena that we have played at, but it is one of the loudest,” said Tyler. “The fans are so close to the floor and you can just feel their support, and that is why we play so well at home.”

The new facility will accom-modate larger crowds and will be used for more than just basket-ball.

“Leaving Jack Dobbins is tough, but the new facility is go-ing to be great. Our team and recruits are excited,” said Randy Gipson, head women’s coach.

Both teams need to close their regular seasons with a boost and the more support Feb. 27 the RiverHawks get, the better.

“Knowing that is my last ever game to play at Jack Dobbins, I will leave my mark in a memo-rable game against UCO,” said Hobbs.

For more information, email [email protected].

Zach Tucker/TNESenior Guard Taylor Lewis runs through layup drills at practice. RiverHawks basketball teams

prepare to complete their final home game at Jack Dobbins Field House.

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